Leeds, Arthur

   (1882–1952?).

   Friend of HPL in New York. Leeds was something of a rolling stone, having been with a traveling circus as a boy and performing odd jobs throughout his career; during the time HPL knew him in New York (1924–26) he was a columnist for Writer’s Digestand an occasional contributor to the pulp magazines (he had one story, “The Return of the Undead,” in WT,November 1925). He became a member of the Kalem Club, although his dispute with Everett McNeil over a small amount of money the latter had lent him led to separate “Leeds” and “McNeil” meetings. In the spring of 1925 Leeds urged HPL to do freelance work for a man named Yesley in writing advertising copy; HPL wrote several pieces (R.H.Barlow gave them the collective name “Commercial Blurbs”), but the venture did not pan out. HPL appears to have continued to keep in sporadic touch with Leeds after he left New York, but few letters have surfaced. In March 1932 Leeds recommended to an editor at Vanguard that he consider a collection of HPL’s tales, but the editor wished a novel; nevertheless, the editor looked at some of HPL’s stories, but eventually turned down the collection.