Houtain, George Julian

   (1884–1945)

   amateur journalist (President of the NAPA, 1915–17) who edited The Zenithand wrote a brief article, “20 Webster Street: Lovecraft,” in the January 1921 issue (rpt. LR) after meeting HPL at an amateur convention in Boston in July 1920. They met again at another amateur convention in Boston on February 22, 1921. Houtain married E.Dorothy MacLaughlin; with her, he established the humor magazine, Home Brew,with elements of mild sexual titillation, for which he commissioned HPL to write a series of six “Grewsome Tales” for $5 each. HPL complied with “Herbert West— Reanimator” (serialized February-July 1922), his first professional fiction sale. HPL later wrote a fourpart serial, “The Lurking Fear,” for Home Brew (published January-April 1923). Home Brewlater became High Lifeand folded sometime in 1924. HPL referred to it as a “vile rag” ( SL4.170).