Why, thank you, venerable artichoke. You know, it's funny, and I feel ashamed to admit this (but perhaps I'm getting too old and beanish to care) but the thing is, although I am aware of the Lovecraft 'beings' and the Lovecraft style -- such that I could probably correctly identify something as being 'Lovecraftian' -- the fact is that I have actually read very, very little of his work. And to be honest, I'm not sure if I was that fond of what I did read. But if/when I come across some dog-eared copy of his stories in a second-hand bookshop, I'll definitely purchase them to see what all the fuss is/was about. Am I a Philistine? Probably. But like I said, I'm not too bothered any more. Life is short, and getting shorter, so read what you like, not what you oughter.
I think I made that last one up, btw (unless I am subconsciously plagiarising) - catchy, non?