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Smith was hailed as the new Keats when his first book of poetry, "The Star-Treader and Other Poems" appeared in 1912.
Do some research into Smith’s history and his writing. A good place to start is at the website The Eldritch Dark. There is a biography, online versions of most of his writing and even some poetry readings by the man himself. Also check out “Clark Ashton Smith: The Sorcerer of Auburn” article by Alan Gullette on the website (see Resources). This site also has a selected bibliography. - 2
"A Rendezvous in Averoigne" is the most recent collection of Smith's fiction from Arkham House.
Start with the basic books that are in print. Most of Smith’s works are out of print, making them more collectible. Arkham House publishing does have a couple of hard cover books in print. These are “A Rendezvous in Averoigne” and “Selected Letters of Clark Ashton Smith.” There are many more not in print now, both from Arkham and from other publishers in hard cover and paperback. Paperback titles include “Out of Space and Time,” “Genius Loci and Other Tales,” “New Worlds for Old,” “Abominations of Yondo” and others. - 3
Smith wrote several stories for the short-lived Strange Tales magazine in the early 1930s.
Check the website that has Smith’s first story in "Weird Tales," “The Ninth Skeleton,” appeared in the September 1928 issue (see Resources). Smith’s works also appeared in Strange Tales magazine, the short-lived magazine of the early 1930s. His first story there was "The Return of the Sorcerer" in the first issue, September 1931. - 4
While his name appears often on the cover of "Weird Tales" magazine, he only had two covers to himself.
Read the stories if you’d like to get a sense of Smith’s style and quality before you begin collecting. They are available online at The Eldritch Dark and elsewhere. - 5
This is the second Weird Tales cover devoted to a Smith story, September 1947.
Scour and support any local science fiction/speculative fiction or just used book stores in your neighborhood. The Internet has made these stores few and far between, so if you have one near you, give them your patronage. The science fiction type book store owner also may help you work on your collection by searching specifically for books and magazines you seek.
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