Summary

In Chapter 7, it is revealed that The Erotonomicon was entirely made up by L.C. Spinks. Barlow did exist, and there were letters between him and Lovecraft, but there was no mention of sex in them. It is unclear how Spinks got his information as these letters were uncatalogued and off-limits in Brown University. L.C. Spinks was an appliance repairman who published a fan magazine, which sometimes included fake letters from fantasy authors. This idea took off, and he wrote The Erotonomicon. No one realized it was a hoax, though, and many Lovecraft fans destroyed their books after believing their favorite author had sex with young boys. The book became even more popular when trials investigating communism began in the United States (as the government believed homosexuality was a gateway to communism). A congressman read aloud...