REH World Library · Android
A world of stories.
A library in your pocket.
Explore Robert E. Howard’s works, poetry, letters, characters and publications in one connected Android app.
Google Play closed test · Android 8 or later · Ages 18+
Free access for approved testers
Help bring REH World Library to Google Play
The Google Play test release has been submitted for review. I am looking for Android users aged 18 or over to help test it before the public launch. Volunteers from any country where the test is available are welcome.
Google requires at least 12 testers to remain enrolled in a closed test for 14 consecutive days. A few extra volunteers would be very welcome. Please try the app during the test and share honest feedback about searching, catalogue information, navigation or anything that does not work as expected.
Testing is free. Approved testers will receive a personal code and Google Play joining instructions when the test is ready. There is no subscription.
Volunteer through the contact form → Use the subject REH World Library testing, and include the email address of the Google account you use in the Play Store. Your phone or tablet model and Android version are helpful too. Please send your address privately through the form, rather than posting it publicly.
Sending a message registers your interest; it does not enrol you automatically. You will need to accept the Google Play test invitation with the same Google account. Installing the earlier APK from this website does not enrol you in this test.
What is REH World Library?
REH World Library brings the public catalogues behind REH Writings and REH Publications to your phone or tablet. Follow a title to its textual versions and publication history, explore connected characters, or browse the books and magazines that carried Howard’s writing.
This is a catalogue and discovery app. It does not contain a complete collection of story or letter texts. Its public catalogue updates independently of app releases and remains available offline.
A connected public library
Read the public introductions, editorial notes and catalogue facts from REH World in the app, including while offline. Detailed summaries stay closed until you choose to read them. Work cards show recorded genres, and each textual state keeps its own manuscript evidence and connections.
Follow letter participants, related drafts and embedded writings; explore character relationships, groups and exact textual appearances; and inspect publication editions, ISBNs, bibliographic title lists and related publications. Searchable directories for publishers, contributors and series offer more ways through the collection.
Public images, facsimiles and linked documents retain their source links and credits. Images need a connection when first opened; linked external documents open online. Entries without an established Writings identity retain their bibliographic title and source link. Private research records, private collections and restricted reading copies are not included.
Poem openings and letter extracts
From version 0.6.0, Poetry shows the first four recorded opening lines directly in the catalogue. Open a poem to read its public opening with verse line breaks preserved. Letters shows a short preview in the catalogue and the approved public extract on the detail page, including its source credit where recorded. If only public opening words are available, these are labelled separately.
These are the public previews from REH World, saved for offline reading and searchable in the app. New and revised openings and extracts arrive through ordinary catalogue updates. Some records do not yet have a public preview; the app says so when you open them.
Five ways into the library
- Works: stories, titles and textual versions.
- Poetry: poems and their publication history.
- Letters: Howard’s correspondence, searchable by letter date.
- Characters: people, creatures and other entities connected to the writing.
- Publications: books, magazines and editions, searchable by publication year.
Search, explore and save
Version 0.5.1 improves search across the catalogues: matching titles and alternative names appear ahead of records that only mention your words in descriptions or connections. You can omit a leading “The” and use ordinary spaces, hyphens or apostrophes in titles. Search remains available offline, including while catalogue updates download.
Choose a catalogue on the opening screen or open Search. Search by name or title, then narrow the results with the available filters. Active filters appear above the results, where Reset filters clears them.
Each catalogue has its own filters. Works offers type, combined genres, written and published years, and income. Poetry offers section, category and the year of any linked publication. Letters offers direction, correspondent, state and letter dates. Characters offers kind, historicity, species, role and where the entity is found. Publications offers type, format, contents, platform, relationship to REH, publisher, language, year and sorting. Filters are kept separately for each catalogue and are preserved in saved searches.
Save useful searches and favourite entries in Your Collection. Saved searches show their criteria before you open them. Your Collection is stored on your device. Random discoveries on Explore offer fresh starting points into Howard’s worlds.
Phones, tablets and text symbols
From version 0.5.0, the same APK adapts to Android phones and tablets. Tablets have side navigation, a two-column browsing grid, and a comfortable reading width. On wide screens, search controls sit beside the results. Rotate your device to use portrait or landscape.
Small symbols identify the recorded text type: letters, postcards, stories, poetry, notes, outlines, fragments, drafts and essays. Works without a recorded text type use a neutral document symbol; their recorded genres are shown separately. Find the symbol guide in About.
Already using the APK edition?
You can continue using your installed copy. Keep it installed to preserve your favourites and saved searches. The Google Play test requires a separate opt-in; your existing APK installation does not count towards the test.
Once you have been accepted into the Play test, follow the supplied instructions to install through Google Play using the same Google account. Do not uninstall the existing app first. Contact me if you have trouble updating.
Offline use and updates
The catalogue, search and saved items work offline. Cover images and links to websites need an internet connection.
From version 0.4.0, website catalogue changes arrive without installing another APK. When connected, the app checks when opened or brought back to the foreground, at most once an hour. All five catalogues update together, including public editorial sections, manuscript facts, poem openings, approved letter extracts, directories, filters, book contents and connections. Downloads are checked before replacing the offline library; your favourites and saved searches are kept.
Open About → Update catalogue now to check immediately, or turn automatic catalogue updates off to refresh manually. REH World normally prepares a new catalogue every hour. Scheduled website tasks may run later during quiet periods.
Google Play handles app updates for the Play edition. The earlier APK edition checks for direct updates through About → Check for app updates and can notify you about new versions. Android may delay its background checks.
Install updates over the existing app to keep your favourites and saved searches. Do not uninstall first. Catalogue updates remain independent of app updates in both editions.
Your data
No advertising, analytics or app login. Favourites and saved searches stay on your device. The Google Play edition does not include Firebase Messaging. The earlier APK edition uses Firebase to deliver update notifications with an app installation identifier; your searches and collection are not sent to Firebase. Online catalogue and image requests involve normal server connection data. Read the app privacy policy.
Created by Ståle Gismervik · Savage Studios. Catalogue information comes from REH World, with publication source material from Howard Works. Images retain their respective ownership and credits.
Explore REH Writings on the web · Explore REH Publications on the web