C. M. Eddy Jr.
A pulp-era wordsmith who conjured chilling tales for Weird Tales and shared a profound creative friendship with horror master H.P. Lovecraft.
1896–1967 (age 71)·American writer·Birthday: January 18·The Lost Generation
Biography
Clifford Martin Eddy Jr. operated in the thrilling, shadowy world of 1920s and '30s pulp magazines. While his name may not headline anthologies today, his sharp, atmospheric stories were a staple in the pages of legendary publications like Weird Tales. Eddy's prose dealt in the supernatural and the mysterious, crafted with a careful eye for the unsettling detail. His career was deeply intertwined with that of H.P. Lovecraft; the two were not just correspondents but close friends and mutual critics. Lovecraft even visited Eddy and his wife in Rhode Island, and Eddy's wife, Muriel, is believed to have been the inspiration for some of Lovecraft's characters. Beyond his own writing, Eddy worked as a ghostwriter and literary assistant, a behind-the-scenes craftsman of the macabre. His legacy is that of a dedicated artisan of horror, whose work and relationships helped shape the genre's golden age.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
C. was born in 1896, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When C. Was Born
The biggest hits of 1896
C.'s Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1896Born
First modern Olympic Games held in Athens
President: Grover Cleveland
1901Started school
Queen Victoria dies, ending the Victorian era
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1909Became a teenager
Robert Peary claims to reach the North Pole
President: William Howard Taft
1912Could drive
Titanic sinks on its maiden voyage
President: William Howard Taft
1914Could vote
World War I begins
President: Woodrow Wilson
1917Turned 21
Russian Revolution overthrows the tsar; US enters WWI
President: Woodrow Wilson
1926Turned 30
Robert Goddard launches the first liquid-fueled rocket
President: Calvin Coolidge"Baby Face" — Jan Garber
1936Turned 40
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1946Turned 50
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1956Turned 60
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1966Turned 70
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1967Died at 71
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
Key Achievements
- Published numerous short stories in the seminal pulp magazine Weird Tales during the 1920s and 1930s.
- Maintained a extensive and influential correspondence and friendship with horror writer H.P. Lovecraft.
- Authored 'The Loved Dead', a controversial story that boosted Weird Tales' circulation despite, or because of, its morbid themes.
Did You Know?
His wife, Muriel Eddy, was a writer and is considered a possible model for the character of 'Asenath' in Lovecraft's 'The Thing on the Doorstep'.
He worked as a ghostwriter for magician and escape artist Harry Houdini on several projects.
For a time, he served as the literary executor for H.P. Lovecraft's work after the author's death.
“The true horror is not the monster, but the silence that follows its passing.”
