Persona

Derleth, August

1904-1971

August Derleth's career started at age 15 with the sale of a story to Weird Tales. He was a prolific and varied writer. During his career, he published over 100 novels, short stories, poetry volumes, biographies, histories, articles, and essays. He wrote historical fiction novels as well as poetry, juvenile fiction, mysteries, and science fiction/fantasy tales. Derleth himself was an avid reader; his personal library numbered approximately 12,000 volumes. He was also a nature enthusiast; his love for nature is apparent in many of his works. Derleth collected American commemorative stamps and comics; he reputedly had the world's largest collection of comics.

August Derleth began Arkham House Publishing to publish the works of H. P. Lovecraft. Ironically, the two never met. While Derleth was young, he and Lovecraft began corresponding with one another. They typically exchanged letters several times a month until Lovecraft's death.

• February 2, 1904: born in Sauk City, WI to William Julius and Rose Louise Derleth
• 1930: University of Wisconsin, B.A.
• 1930-1931: associate editor, Fawcett Publications, Milwaukee
• 1931-1971: free-lance write
• 1934-1943: contributing editor, Outdoors Magazine
• 1937-1943: served as director, Sauk City Board of Education
• 1938: winner of Guggenheim Fellowship (sponsored by Sinclair Lewis, Edgar Lee Masters, and Helen Constance White)
• 1939-1943: special lecturer in American Regional Literature at the University of Wisconsin
• 1939-1971: publisher, Arkham House
• 1941-1971: literary editor and weekly columnist (1961-1971) for the Capital Times
• 1953: married Sandra Evelyn Winters (two children, April Rose and Walden William)
• 1958: 1st prize winner in Scholastic Magazine's short story contest for "The Tail of the Dog"
• 1959: divorced from Sandra Evelyn Winters Derleth
• 1966: winner, Governor's Award. for distinguished service to the creative arts for Return to Walden West
• July 4, 1971: died