"The Cthulhu Mythology: A Glossary" by Francis T. Laney
"An Appreciation of H. P. Lovecraft" by W. Paul Cook
Although the story and poetry selections have appeared in other Lovecraft collections, Beyond the Wall of Sleep has never been reprinted in its original form.[1]
New York Times reviewer William Poster noted that this second Lovecraft collection comprised mostly the author's "lesser writings," faulting in particular his poems and prose poems, which "tend to reveal his weaknesses rather than reveal his stature. Without the coloring excitement of narrative suspense and climax his language seems thin and obvious, getting most of its effects by the hypnotic repetition or judicious timing of adjectives like 'slimy,' 'nameless,' or 'loathsome.'"[2]E. F. Bleiler described Beyond as "really an afterthought volume", commenting that "The fiction is almost all minor, although The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, despite its being strangely tired and routine, has interesting concepts and good moments".[3]
References
^Joshi, S.T. (1999). Sixty Years of Arkham House: A History and Bibliography. Sauk City, WI: Arkham House. pp. 24–25. ISBN0-87054-176-5.
Nielsen, Leon (2004). Arkham House Books: A Collector's Guide. Jefferson, NC and London: McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 49–50. ISBN0-7864-1785-4.
Chalker, Jack L.; Mark Owings (1998). The Science-Fantasy Publishers: A Bibliographic History, 1923-1998. Westminster, MD and Baltimore: Mirage Press, Ltd. p. 27.