C. M. Eddy Jr. facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Clifford M. Eddy Jr.
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| Born | January 18, 1896 Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. |
| Died | November 21, 1967 (aged 71) Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. |
| Resting place | Swan Point Cemetery |
| Pen name | C. M. Eddy Jr. |
| Occupation | Author |
| Nationality | American |
| Genre | Horror, science fiction |
| Spouse | Muriel E. Eddy |
Clifford Martin Eddy Jr. (born January 18, 1896 – died November 21, 1967) was an American writer. He was known for his exciting horror, mystery, and supernatural short stories. Many people remember him for his work in a magazine called Weird Tales and for being good friends with another famous writer, H. P. Lovecraft.
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About Clifford Eddy Jr.
Clifford Eddy Jr. was born in Providence, Rhode Island, on January 18, 1896. As a child, he loved to read and write. He was very interested in old stories about gods and heroes (mythology) and strange, hidden knowledge (the occult). His wife, Muriel, said that Cliff was always curious about other worlds or different ways life might exist. He was also fascinated by ideas like moving through space instantly (teleportation), vampirism, ghosts, and other unexplained things. He spent many hours in the library researching unusual and bizarre topics.
Early Writing Career
Clifford Eddy started his writing career by creating short stories for popular magazines called pulp magazines. These included Weird Tales, Munsey's Magazine, and Snappy Stories. His very first published story was "Sign of the Dragon" in Mystery Magazine in 1919. It was a detective story.
He wrote many stories about mysteries, ghosts, and even songwriting. Eddy himself wrote songs, like "When We Met by the Blue Lagoon" and "Dearest of All." His stories appeared in various magazines until 1925. Some of his early stories, like "Pilgrimage of Peril" (1924), were not published until much later in a collection called Exit Into Eternity (1973).
Friendship with H. P. Lovecraft
Clifford Eddy and his wife Muriel first connected with the famous horror writer H. P. Lovecraft around 1918. They met in person in August 1923. Their mothers, who were both involved in the women's suffrage movement (working for women's right to vote), introduced them.
Lovecraft often visited the Eddys' home in East Providence and later in the Fox Point area of Providence. Eddy was part of Lovecraft's close group of friends and writers. They often helped each other by editing their stories. Both writers also worked for the famous magician Harry Houdini. They helped Houdini write some of his works, acting as ghostwriters (writing for someone else who then takes credit). For example, they worked together on a book for Houdini called The Cancer of Superstition. However, Houdini died in 1926, and the project was never finished.
Eddy and Lovecraft enjoyed taking walks together to interesting places, like the Old Stone Mill in Newport, Rhode Island. Lovecraft's notes from this walk were later used by another writer, August Derleth, in his book The Lurker at the Threshold (1945).
Muriel Eddy, Clifford's wife, often typed Lovecraft's stories. Lovecraft would also read his stories aloud to the couple. Clifford Eddy wrote several stories that were published in Weird Tales magazine in 1924 and 1925. Lovecraft helped with these stories by giving suggestions and sometimes changing a paragraph. These tales are collected in a book called The Loved Dead and Other Tales.
Other stories by Eddy that appeared in Weird Tales included "Ashes" (about a chemistry experiment) in 1924, "With Weapons of Stone" (about prehistoric humans) in 1924, and "The Better Choice" (about a machine that could bring the dead back to life) in 1925.
The Dark Swamp and "Black Noon"
In November 1923, Eddy and Lovecraft went looking for a mysterious place called the Dark Swamp. They had heard rumors about it being "off the Putnam Pike" in Rhode Island. They never found the swamp, but the legends about it influenced Lovecraft's famous story "The Colour Out of Space" (1927).
The Dark Swamp also inspired Eddy's own unfinished short story, "Black Noon" (1967). This story was published after he died in a collection called Exit into Eternity. Eddy couldn't finish the story because he became ill. The introduction to the book explains that August Derleth had planned to finish it, but he also passed away.
"Black Noon" is about a businessman named Biff Briggs, who enjoys reading pulp magazines. Briggs (who is a bit like Eddy himself) discovers a great horror writer named Robert Otis Mather (who is like H. P. Lovecraft). Briggs becomes friends with Mather and visits him often. Mather writes a series of novels that seem to take over his life. One summer, Mather wants to explore a town known for haunted houses, and Briggs drives him there. They spend two weeks looking for ghosts, but instead, Mather almost dies several times in strange accidents.
Later Life and Legacy
Besides writing, Clifford Eddy was also a theatrical booking agent for 25 years. He helped arrange shows for many famous performers of the early 1900s. Later in his life, he worked as a proofreader for Oxford Press and as a clerk for the Rhode Island State Department of Public Health. He was also involved with the Rhode Island Writers' Guild, serving as president and treasurer.
Clifford M. Eddy Jr. passed away on November 21, 1967, at the age of 71. He is buried at Swan Point Cemetery.
Fenham Publishing
Clifford Eddy's grandson, Jim Dyer, started Fenham Publishing in Narragansett, Rhode Island, in 2000. This company was created to publish the works of both Clifford M. Eddy and his wife, Muriel E. Eddy.
