Sac Prairie Journal, 1938: Edited by S. T. Joshi and David E. Schultz

August Derleth’s journal for 1938 covers enormous ground as he approaches his thirtieth birthday. Already well on the way to being an established author, Derleth provides glimpses of the novels and stories he is writing at this time. In addition, he participates enthusiastically in the centennial of the founding of his hometown, Sauk City, Wisconsin, which served as the basis for his fictional Sac Prairie. The death of his maternal grandmother inspired a touching poem that he includes in a journal entry, while the death of the Wisconsin writer Zona Gale elicits a moving tribute to her literary greatness and her significance for Derleth’s own advancing career. But the bulk of the journal is taken up with the author’s moving and detailed descriptions of the flora and fauna of his native region, as they undergo changes with the succession of the seasons. Truly, August Derleth was a scion of the land that bred him. Read more