CarolC: Double Dactyls wouldn't scan.

Little Hawk: Thanx for the Cthulhu exposition. Personally I like Lovecraft but only in small doses. His writing style is fairly typical of the time in which he wrote(early 20th Century) but his sunject matter was quite daring for that time. Poe comes to mind as a major influence. I don't know of anyone else who was writing that kind of stuff at that time who is still being read today.
I believe he corresponded a lot with Robert E.Howard and encouraged him in his writing.

troll