Crypt of Cthulhu
Crypt of Cthulhu is an American fanzine combining Lovecraft scholarship, fiction, poetry, criticism, reviews, and humor related to H. P. Lovecraft and the Cthulhu Mythos.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Crypt of Cthulhu is an American fanzine devoted to the writings of H. P. Lovecraft, the Cthulhu Mythos, and the broader tradition of weird fiction. It was formally established in 1981 by Robert M. Price, who edited the publication throughout its principal run. The magazine developed from the amateur-press culture surrounding the Esoteric Order of Dagon and operated at the intersection of Lovecraft studies, fan publishing, literary recovery, original creative work, and genre commentary. Although scholarship was central to the title, Crypt of Cthulhu was intentionally broader than a conventional academic journal. Price characterized it as an eccentric hybrid incorporating Lovecraft studies, humor, pulp adventure, and theological or antiquarian interests. Its articles examined Lovecraft's life, writing, influences, collaborators, literary circle, and continuing cultural impact. Contributors included prominent Lovecraft scholars and commentators such as S. T. Joshi, Peter Cannon, Dirk W. Mosig, Robert A. W. Lowndes, Will Murray, Darrell Schweitzer, Colin Wilson, and Price himself. The fanzine also served as a venue for fiction and poetry. It reprinted, recovered, or discussed material associated with Lovecraft and other writers linked to the Weird Tales tradition, including R. H. Barlow, Robert Bloch, Hugh B. Cave, August Derleth, Robert E. Howard, Henry Kuttner, Frank Belknap Long, Clark Ashton Smith, and others. Later writers who contributed work influenced by or responding to the tradition included Ramsey Campbell, Lin Carter, T. E. D. Klein, Thomas Ligotti, Brian Lumley, Gary Myers, and Richard L. Tierney. Certain issues concentrated on individual authors or themes, giving the magazine a monographic quality alongside its regular fanzine format. Visual contributors included artists associated with fantasy, horror, and speculative fiction, while reviews covered books, films, and games. This combination made Crypt of Cthulhu both a forum for specialist research and a community publication for readers interested in Mythos-related culture. Its contents were aimed at enthusiasts rather than a mass commercial audience, and its publishing history was shaped by small-press and amateur-press methods. The initial run comprised 107 issues over approximately two decades. Robert M. Price published issues 1 through 75 under the Cryptic Publications imprint, with issues dated from Hallowmas 1981 through Michaelmas 1990. Necronomicon Press then published issues 76 through 101, dated from Hallowmas 1990 through Eastertide 1999. Mythos Books published issues 102 through 107, dated from Lammas 1999 through Eastertide 2001. After the publication gap that followed, Necronomicon Press revived the title in 2017 with issue 108. The revival continued through issue 113, dated Lammas 2019. Price subsequently restarted Cryptic Publications and resumed publication with issue 114, dated St John's Eve 2022. The current publication status after that issue is not established by the supplied reference material.
History
Crypt of Cthulhu emerged from the amateur-press and Lovecraftian fan communities associated with the Esoteric Order of Dagon. Robert M. Price formally established the fanzine in 1981 and remained its editor throughout its principal publishing history. From the outset, the title was designed as a hybrid rather than a narrowly academic periodical. Its subject matter centered on H. P. Lovecraft and the Cthulhu Mythos, but its editorial range encompassed literary scholarship, recovered texts, original fiction, poetry, humor, pulp adventure, theological speculation, and reviews of books, films, and games. Lovecraft studies formed the publication's most consistent intellectual foundation. Articles examined Lovecraft's writings and influences, the history of the Mythos, authors from Lovecraft's literary circle, and the development of weird fiction as a genre. Contributors included specialists such as Steve Behrends, Edward P. Berglund, Peter Cannon, Stefan Dziemianowicz, S. T. Joshi, Robert A. W. Lowndes, Dirk W. Mosig, Will Murray, Darrell Schweitzer, Colin Wilson, and Price. The magazine also published or discussed work connected with major Weird Tales and fantasy authors, including R. H. Barlow, Robert Bloch, Hugh B. Cave, August Derleth, Robert E. Howard, Carl Jacobi, Henry Kuttner, Frank Belknap Long, E. Hoffmann Price, Clark Ashton Smith, and Wilfred Blanch Talman. Newer writers influenced by the tradition, among them Ramsey Campbell, Lin Carter, T. E. D. Klein, Thomas Ligotti, Brian Lumley, Gary Myers, and Richard L. Tierney, also appeared in its pages. Artwork was another important component. Illustrators associated with fantastic and speculative art contributed to the magazine's visual identity, including Thomas Brown, Jason C. Eckhardt, Stephen E. Fabian, D. L. Hutchinson, Robert H. Knox, Allen Koszowski, Gavin O'Keefe, and Gahan Wilson. Some issues concentrated on particular writers or subjects, giving the series the character of a sequence of themed reference works as well as a continuing periodical. The original publication sequence reached 107 issues across about twenty years. Issues 1 through 75 were published by Price under his Cryptic Publications imprint, with the sequence dated from Hallowmas 1981 to Michaelmas 1990. Necronomicon Press took over publication for issues 76 through 101, dated from Hallowmas 1990 through Eastertide 1999. Mythos Books published the final six issues of the initial sequence, numbers 102 through 107, dated from Lammas 1999 through Eastertide 2001. The title then became inactive. Necronomicon Press revived Crypt of Cthulhu in 2017 with issue 108 and continued through issue 113, dated Lammas 2019. Price later reactivated Cryptic Publications and resumed the numbering with issue 114, dated St John's Eve 2022. The available reference material does not establish whether further issues appeared or whether the publication is currently active. Across its history, Crypt of Cthulhu has occupied a distinctive position in specialist genre publishing by combining fan enthusiasm, literary recovery, serious scholarship, creative writing, illustration, and criticism within a small-press format.
- 2022
Cryptic Publications resumes the title
[1]Robert M. Price restarts Cryptic Publications and publishes issue 114.
- 2019
Necronomicon Press sequence reaches issue 113
[1]The revival under Necronomicon Press continues through issue 113.
- 2017
Necronomicon Press revival begins
[1]Necronomicon Press publishes issue 108, restarting the title after its inactive period.
- 2001
Initial run becomes inactive
[1]The first 107-issue sequence concludes with issue 107.
- 1999
Mythos Books publishes the closing issues of the first run
[1]Mythos Books publishes issues 102 through 107.
- 1990
Publication passes to Necronomicon Press
[1]After issue 75, Necronomicon Press publishes issues 76 through 101.
- 1981
Crypt of Cthulhu is formally established
[1]Robert M. Price establishes the fanzine and edits its subsequent run.
Products and positioning
A small-press, specialist fanzine positioned between Lovecraft scholarship, pulp and weird-fiction appreciation, fan culture, and literary entertainment.
Fanzine · 1981
Crypt of Cthulhu periodical issues
The core offering is a numbered specialist fanzine devoted to H. P. Lovecraft, the Cthulhu Mythos, and adjacent weird-fiction traditions. Issues combine essays, criticism, fiction, poetry, illustrations, author material, and reviews. The format reflects small-press and amateur-press publishing rather than a mass-market magazine model.
Special issue
Author-focused and themed issues
Some issues concentrate on particular writers, literary subjects, or themes within Lovecraftian and weird fiction. These installments provide extended treatment of selected authors and topics, while retaining the title's mixture of scholarship, creative work, historical recovery, and fan-oriented commentary.
Brand decisions
2022
Return to Cryptic PublicationsStrategyBackground
Following the Necronomicon Press revival through issue 113, Robert M. Price restarted his original publishing imprint.
Action taken
Cryptic Publications resumed the magazine with issue 114.
Aftermath
The supplied sources do not establish the publication's subsequent continuity or present operating status.
2017
Revival after publication inactivityStrategyBackground
Crypt of Cthulhu had been inactive after the completion of its first 107 issues.
Action taken
Necronomicon Press revived the magazine with issue 108.
Aftermath
The revived sequence continued through issue 113, dated Lammas 2019.
1999
Mythos Books takes over the final issues of the initial runStrategyBackground
Necronomicon Press published issues through number 101.
Action taken
Mythos Books published issues 102 through 107.
Aftermath
The initial sequence ended with issue 107 in 2001.
1990
Change of publishing imprint after issue 75StrategyBackground
The first 75 issues were published by Robert M. Price through Cryptic Publications.
Action taken
Necronomicon Press became the publisher for issues 76 through 101.
Aftermath
The magazine continued its original run through issue 101, dated Eastertide 1999.
Recent events
- 2022
Crypt of Cthulhu publication resumes under Cryptic Publications[1]
Other
Following the Necronomicon Press revival through issue 113, Robert M. Price restarted Cryptic Publications and issued number 114.
- 2017
Necronomicon Press revives Crypt of Cthulhu[1]
Other
After the earlier run had become inactive, Necronomicon Press resumed the magazine with issue 108.
- 1981
Crypt of Cthulhu begins publication[1]
Other
Robert M. Price formally established Crypt of Cthulhu as a fanzine devoted to Lovecraft, the Cthulhu Mythos, and related weird fiction.
Sources3 sources
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