The Case of Charles Dexter Ward is a short novel by H. P. Lovecraft. The novel tells the story of young Charles Dexter Ward, who becomes embroiled in the past, due to his fascination with the history of his wizard ancestor, Joseph Curwen (who had left Salem for Providence in 1692, and acquired notoriety for his haunting of graveyards, his apparent lack of aging, and his chemical experiments). Ward...