Introduction
Early 1932 saw Howard taking one of his frequent trips around Texas. He traveled through the southern part of the state with his main occupation being, in his own words (in a letter to Wilfred Blanch Talman, circa March 1932
“the wholesale consumption of tortillas, enchiladas and cheap Spanish wine.”
In Fredericksburg, while overlooking sullen hills through a misty rain, he conceived of the fantasy land of Cimmeria, a bitter hard northern region home to fearsome barbarians. In February, while in Mission, he wrote the poem Cimmeria.
It was also during this trip that Howard first conceived of the character of Conan. Later, in 1935, Howard claimed in a letter to Alvin Earl Perry that:
Conan simply grew up in my mind a few years ago when I was stopping in a little border town on the lower Rio Grande. I did not create him by any conscious process. He simply stalked full grown out of oblivion and set me at work recording the saga of his adventures.
However, the character actually took nine months to develop.
Howard had originally used the name “Conan” for a Gael reaver in a past-life-themed story he completed in October 1931, which was published in the magazine Strange Tales in June 1932. Although the character swears by the god “Crom”, that is his only link to the more famous successor character.
Going back home he developed the idea, fleshing out a new invented world—his Hyborian Age—and populating it with all manner of countries, peoples, monsters, and magic. Howard loved history and enjoyed writing historical stories. However, the research necessary for a purely historical setting was too time consuming for him to engage in on a regular basis and still earn a living. The Hyborian Age, with its varied settings similar to real places and eras of history, allowed him to write pseudo-historical fiction without such problems. He may have been inspired in the creation of his setting by Thomas Bulfinch’s 1913 edition of his Bulfinch’s Mythology called The Outline of Mythology, which contained stories from history and legend, including many which were direct influences on Howard’s work. Another potential inspiration is G. K. Chesterton’s The Ballad of the White Horse and Chesterton’s concept that “it is the chief value of legend to mix up the centuries while preserving the sentiment.”
By March, Howard had recycled an unpublished Kull story called “By This Axe I Rule!” into his first Conan story. The central plot remains that of a barbarian having become king of a civilized country and a conspiracy to assassinate him. However, he removed an entire subplot concerning a couple’s romance and created a new one with a supernatural element; the story was re-titled “The Phoenix on the Sword“, an element from this new subplot. Howard immediately went on to write two more Conan stories. The first of these was “The Frost-Giant’s Daughter“, an inversion of the Greek myth surrounding Apollo and Daphne, set much earlier in Conan’s life. The last of the initial trio was “The God in the Bowl“, which went through three drafts and has a slower pace than most Conan stories. This one is a murder mystery filled with corrupt officials and serves as Conan’s introduction into civilization, while showing that he is a more decent person than the civilized characters. Before the end of the month, he sent the first two stories to Weird Tales in the same package, with the third following a few days later.
With these three completed he created an essay called “The Hyborian Age” in order to flesh out his setting in more detail. There were three known drafts of this essay, starting with a two-page outline and finishing as an 8,000-word essay. Howard supplemented this with two sketched maps and an additional short piece entitled “Notes on Various Peoples of the Hyborian Age.”
In a letter dated March 10, 1932, Farnsworth Wright rejected “The Frost-Giant’s Daughter” but noted that “The Phoenix on the Sword” had “points of real excellence” and suggested changes. “The God in the Bowl” would also be rejected and so a potential fourth Conan story concerning Conan as a thief was abandoned at the synopsis stage. Instead of abandoning the entire Conan concept, as had happened with previous failed characters, Howard rewrote “The Phoenix on the Sword” based on Wright’s feedback and including material from his essay. Both this revision and the next Conan story, “The Tower of the Elephant“, sold with no problems. Howard had written nine Conan stories before the first saw print.
Conan first appeared to the public in Weird Tales in December 1932 and was such a hit that Howard was eventually able to place seventeen Conan stories in the magazine between 1933 and 1936. Howard then took a short break from Conan after his initial burst of stories, returning to the character in mid-1933. These stories, his “middle period,” are routine and considered the weakest of the series. Stories, such as “Iron Shadows in the Moon“, were often simply Conan rescuing a damsel in distress from a monster in some ruins. While earlier Conan stories had three or four drafts, some in this period had only two including the final version. “Rogues in the House” is the only Conan story to be completed in a single draft. These stories sold easily and they include the first and second Conan stories to feature on the cover of Weird Tales, “Black Colossus” and “Xuthal of the Dusk“. Howard’s motivation for quick and easy sales at this time was partly motivated by the collapse of some other markets, such as Fight Stories, in the Depression.
Also in this period, Howard wrote the first of the James Allison stories, “Marchers of Valhalla” Allison is a disabled Texan who begins to recall his past lives, the first of which is in the later part of Howard’s new Hyborian age. In a letter to Clark Ashton Smith in October 1933, he wrote that its sequel “The Garden of Fear” was dealing with one of hisvarious conceptions of the Hyborian and post-Hyborian world:
I hope Crawford has good fortune with Unusual Stories. I let him have a yarn entitled “The Garden of Fear”, dealing with one of my various conceptions of the Hyborian and post Hyborian world. He seemed to like the story very well, and I intend to let him have some more on the same order if he can use them. I have an idea which I’d like to work out in a series of that nature.
In May 1933, a British publisher, Denis Archer, contacted Howard about publishing a potential book in the United Kingdom. Howard submitted a batch of his best available stories, including “The Tower of the Elephant” and “The Scarlet Citadel“, on June 15. In January 1934 the publisher rejected the collection but suggested a novel instead. Though the publisher was “exceedingly interested” in the stories, the rejection letter explained that there was a “prejudice that is very strong over here just now against collections of short stories.” The suggested novel, however, could be published by Pawling and Ness Ltd in a first edition of 5,000 copies for lending libraries.
In late 1933 Howard returned to Conan, starting again slightly awkwardly with “The Devil in Iron“. However, this was followed with the beginning of the latter group of Conan stories which “carry the most intellectual punch,” starting with “The People of the Black Circle“.
Howard probably began to work on the novel in February 1934, starting to write Almuric (a non-Conan, sword and planet science fiction novel) but abandoned it half way. This was followed by another abortive attempt at a novel, this time a Conan novel which later became Drums of Tombalku. The third attempt at writing the novel was more successful, resulting in Howard’s only Conan novel The Hour of the Dragon, which was probably started on or around March 17, 1934. This novel combines elements of two previous Conan stories, “Black Colossus” and “The Scarlet Citadel,” with Arthurian myth and provides an overview of Conan and the Hyborian age for the new British audience. Howard sent his final draft to Denis Archer on May 20, 1934. He had worked exclusively on the novel for two months, writing approximately 5,000 words per day, seven days a week. Although he told acquaintances that he had little hope for this novel, he had put a lot of effort into it. However, the publisher went into receivership in late 1934, before it could print the novel. The story was briefly held as part of the company’s assets before being returned to Howard. It was later printed in Weird Tales as a serial over five months, beginning with the December 1935 issue.
Howard may have begun losing interest in Conan in late 1934, with a growing desire to write westerns. He began to write, although never finished, a Conan story called “Wolves Beyond the Border“. This was the first Conan tale to have an explicit (Robert W. Chambers-influenced) American setting, although American themes had appeared earlier, and the only one in which Conan himself does not appear. His next story was based on his unfinished material and became “Beyond the Black River” which not only used the different American-frontier setting but was also, in Howard’s own words, a “Conan yarn without sex interest.” In another novel twist, Conan and the other protagonists have, at best, a pyrrhic victory; this was rare for pulp magazines. This was followed by another experimental Conan story, “The Black Stranger“, with a similar setting. The story was, however, rejected by Weird Tales, which was rare for later Conan stories. Howard’s next piece, “The Man-Eaters of Zamboula“, was more formulaic and was accepted by the magazine with no problems. Howard only wrote one more Conan story, “Red Nails,” which was influenced both by his personal experiences at the time and an extrapolation of his views on civilization.
The character of Conan had a wide and enduring influence among other Weird Tales writers, including C. L. Moore and Fritz Leiber, and over the ensuing decades the genre of Sword and Sorcery grew up around Howard’s masterwork, with dozens of practitioners evoking Howard’s creation to one degree or another.
A COMPLETE LIST OF STORIES WHERE Conan APPEARS:
| Title | Summary | Featuring | Written | Published | Genre | Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Colossus – SSoC | Black Colossus was adapted by Roy Thomas for The Savage Sword of Conan Volume 1 Number 2, Marvel Comics, October 1974. It was penciled by John Buscema and inked by Alfredo Alcala. On these pages, the story is presented with beautiful coloring by Noah Henson. Noah colored with Crayola crayons and assorted pencils directly onto an original, vintage publication of The Savage Sword of Conan. | Conan | ||||
| Conan the Barbarian #0 Free Comic Book Day 2023 | … | Conan | ||||
| Beyond the Black River | “Beyond the Black River” is one of the original short stories about Conan the Cimmerian. First published in Weird Tales magazine, May-June 1935. The story was republished in the collections King Conan (Gnome Press, 1953) and Conan the Warrior (Lancer Books, 1967). It has since been published a numerous times in many languages. It’s set in the pseudo-historical Hyborian Age and concerns Conan’s battle against a savage tribe of Picts in the unsettled lands beyond the infamous Black River. | Conan | 1935-05-00 | Sword & Sorcery | $ ? | |
| Black Colossus | “Black Colossus” is one of the original short stories about Conan the Cimmerian. First published in Weird Tales magazine, June1935. It has since been published a numerous times in many languages. During the pseudo-historical Hyborian Age, Conan leads the army of Khoraja against an evil sorcerer named Natohk, “the Veiled One.” This story formed part of the basis for the later Conan novel, The Hour of the Dragon. | Conan | 1932-10-04 | 1933-06-00 | Sword & Sorcery | $130.00 |
| The Black Stranger (synopsis A) | Synopsis A. “The Black Stranger” is a fantasy short story by American writer Robert E. Howard, one of his works featuring the sword & sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian. It was written in the 1930s, but not published in his lifetime. When the original Conan version of his story failed to find a publisher, Howard rewrote “The Black Stranger” into a piratical Terence Vulmea story entitled “Swords of the Red Brotherhood”. | Conan | Sword & Sorcery | |||
| The Black Stranger (synopsis B) | Synopsis B. “The Black Stranger” is a fantasy short story by American writer Robert E. Howard, one of his works featuring the sword & sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian. It was written in the 1930s, but not published in his lifetime. When the original Conan version of his story failed to find a publisher, Howard rewrote “The Black Stranger” into a piratical Terence Vulmea story entitled “Swords of the Red Brotherhood”. | Conan | Sword & Sorcery | |||
| The Black Stranger | “The Black Stranger” is a fantasy short story by American writer Robert E. Howard, one of his works featuring the sword & sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian. It was written in the 1930s, but not published in his lifetime. When the original Conan version of his story failed to find a publisher, Howard rewrote “The Black Stranger” into a piratical Terence Vulmea story entitled “Swords of the Red Brotherhood”. This story was also not accepted. | Conan | 1935-01-00 | Sword & Sorcery | ||
| Conan the Conqueror | Alternative title: ‘The Hour of the Dragon’. The Hour of the Dragon, also known as Conan the Conqueror, is a fantasy novel by American writer Robert E. Howard features his sword and sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian. It was one of the last Conan stories published before Howard’s suicide, although not the last to be written. | Conan | Sword & Sorcery | |||
| The Devil in Iron | ‘The Devil in Iron’ is one of the original stories by Robert E. Howard about Conan the Cimmerian, first published in Weird Tales in August 1934. Howard earned $115 for the publication of this story. The plot concerns the resurrection of a mythical demon, the theft of a sacred dagger, and an unrelated trap that lures Conan to the island fortress roamed by the demon. The story borrowed elements from ‘Iron Shadows in the Moon’. | Conan | 1933-10-00 | 1934-08-00 | Sword & Sorcery | $115.00 |
| Drums of Tombalku | “Drums of Tombalku” is an American fantasy short story, one of the original ones written in the 1930s by Robert E. Howard featuring Conan the Cimmerian. Howard left it as an untitled synopsis that was not published in his lifetime. The tale was finalized by L. Sprague de Camp and in this form first published in the collection Conan the Adventurer (1966). It has first been published in its original form in the collection The Pool of the Black One (Donald M. Grant, 1986) and later in The Conan Chronicles Volume 1: The People of the Black Circle (Gollancz, 2000) and Conan of Cimmeria: Volume Two (1934) (Del Rey, 2005). Fragment and a synopsis. The fragment in The Pool of the Black One was bowdlerized when it appeared. | Conan | Sword & Sorcery | |||
| The Frost-Giant’s Daughter | Originally written by REH as a Conan story “The Frost-Giant’s Daughter”(REH1). The story was not accepted, so REH rewrote it with a different hero (Amra), and changed the title to “The Frost King’s Daughter” (REH2). When published by The Fantasy Fan, they changed the title to “Gods of the North”. L. Sprague de Camp found the original manuscript, but extensively rewrote it, and called it “The Frost Giant’s Daughter” (REH/LSDC). | Conan, Atali, Heimdull, Horsa, Old Gorm, Ymir | 1932-02-00 | Sword & Sorcery | ||
| The God in the Bowl | “The God in the Bowl” is one of the original short stories featuring the sword and sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E. Howard but not published during his lifetime. Set during the fictional Hyborian Age, the plot sees Conan robbing a temple museum only to become the prime suspect in a murder mystery. The story first saw publication in September 1952 in Space Science Fiction and has been reprinted many times since. In the Nemedian municipality of Numalia, the second largest city of Nemedia, Conan enters a museum and antique house called the Temple of Kallian Publico. While robbing the museum, Conan becomes embroiled in a murder investigation. The strangled corpse of the temple’s owner and curator, Kallian Publico, is found by a night watchman. Though the Cimmerian is the prime suspect, the investigating magistrate, Demetrio, and the prefect of police, Dionus, show forbearance. The two allow Conan to remain free and keep his unsheathed sword while their men search the premises. A combination of Conan’s physique, his glare, and his insistence that he’ll disembowel the first person who tried to apprehend him keeps the guards at bay. | Conan | 1932-03-00 | Sword & Sorcery | ||
| The Hall of the Dead | “The Hall of the Dead” is a fantasy short story by American Robert E. Howard, one of his tales featuring the fictional sword and sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian. A fragment began in the 1930s but was not finished or published in Howard’s lifetime. L. Sprague de Camp wrote an entire story based on this untitled synopsis. | Conan | Sword & Sorcery | |||
| The Hand of Nergal | “The Hand of Nergal” is one of the original short stories by American author Robert E. Howard starring the sword and sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian, an untitled fragment begun in the 1930s but not finished or published in Howard’s lifetime. It was completed and titled by Lin Carter. | Conan | Sword & Sorcery | |||
| The Hour of the Dragon | The Hour of the Dragon, also known as Conan the Conqueror, is a fantasy novel by American writer Robert E. Howard features his sword and sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian. It was one of the last Conan stories published before Howard’s suicide, although not the last to be written. | Conan | 1934-03-00 | 1935-12-00 | Sword & Sorcery | $160.00 (part 1), $170.00 (part 2) |
| The Hour of the Dragon (notes) | Various notes about The Hour of the Dragon. | Conan | Sword & Sorcery | |||
| The Hyborian Age | “The Hyborian Age” is an essay by Robert E. Howard pertaining to the Hyborian Age, the fictional setting of his stories about Conan the Cimmerian. It was written in the 1930s but only partly published during Howard’s lifetime. Its purpose was to maintain consistency within his fictional setting. The essay sets out in detail the major events of Howard’s pseudohistorical prehistory, both period before and after the time of the Conan stories. In describing the cataclysmic end of the Thurian Age, the period described in his Kull stories, Howard links both sequences of stories into one shared universe. The names he gives his various nations and peoples of the age borrow liberally from actual history and myth. The essay also sets out the racial and geographical heritage of these fictional entities, making them progenitors of modern nations. For example, Howard makes the Gaels descendants of his own Cimmerians. | Conan | Sword & Sorcery | |||
| Iron Shadows in the Moon | IRON SHADOWS IN THE MOON. First published in Weird Tales magazine in April 1934, but under the name SHADOWS IN THE MOONLIGHT. This is one of the original short stories starring Conan. The story It’s set in the pseudo-historical Hyborian Age and concerns Conan escaping to a remote island in the Vilayet Sea where he encounters the Red Brotherhood, a skulking creature, and mysterious iron statues. | Conan | 1932-11-00 | Sword & Sorcery | ||
| Jewels of Gwahlur | “Jewels of Gwahlur” is one of the original short stories starring the fictional sword and sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E. Howard. Set in the pseudo-historical Hyborian Age, it concerns several parties, including Conan, fighting over and hunting for the eponymous treasure in Hyborian Africa. The tale was first published in the March 1935 issue of Weird Tales. Howard’s original title for the story was “The Servants of Bit-Yakin”. | Conan, Muriela, Gorulga, Thutmekri, Zargheba, Gwarunga, Yelaya | 1934-06-00 | 1935-03-00 | Sword & Sorcery | $155.00 |
| The Man-Eaters of Zamboula | “Shadows in Zamboula” is one of the original stories by Robert E. Howard about Conan the Cimmerian, first published in Weird Tales in November 1935. Its original title was “The Man-Eaters of Zamboula”. | Conan, Aram Baksh, Nafertari, Jungir Khan, Baal-Pteor, Totrasmek | 1935-03-00 | Sword & Sorcery | ||
| The Man-Eaters of Zamboula (early draft) | “Shadows in Zamboula” is one of the original stories by Robert E. Howard about Conan the Cimmerian, first published in Weird Tales in November 1935. Its original title was “The Man-Eaters of Zamboula”. This typescript was provided to Legacy Circle members of the Robert E. Howard Foundation. | Conan | 1935-03-00 | Sword & Sorcery | ||
| The Man-Eaters of Zamboula (synopsis) | Synopsis of “Shadows in Zamboula”. This is one of the original stories by Robert E. Howard about Conan the Cimmerian, first published in Weird Tales in November 1935. Its original title was “The Man-Eaters of Zamboula”. | Conan | 1935-03-00 | Sword & Sorcery | ||
| The People of the Black Circle | “The People of the Black Circle” is one of the original novellas about Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E. Howard and first published in Weird Tales magazine in three parts over the September, October and November 1934 issues. Howard earned $250 for the publication of this story. It’s set in the Hyborian Age and concerns Conan kidnapping an exotic princess from Vendhya (prehistoric India) while foiling a nefarious plot of world conquest by the Black Seers of Yimsha. Due to its epic scope and atypical Hindustan flavor, the story is considered an undisputed classic of Conan lore and is often cited by Howard scholars as one of his best tales. It is also one of the few Howard stories where the reader is treated a deeper insight into magic and magicians beyond the stereotypical Hyborian depiction as demon conjurer-illusionist-priests. | Conan, Devi Yasmina, Kerim Shah, Yar Afzal, Khemsa, Gitara | 1934-09-00 | Sword & Sorcery | $250.00 | |
| The People of the Black Circle – The story thus far… | The October and November 1934 installments of “The People of the Black Circle” in WEIRD TALES were headed by a short recap of the preceding chapters. | Conan | Sword & Sorcery | |||
| The Phoenix on the Sword | “The Phoenix on the Sword” is one of the original short stories about Conan the Cimmerian was written by Howard and first published in Weird Tales magazine in December 1932. The tale, in which Howard created the character of Conan, was a rewrite of the unpublished Kull story “By This Axe I Rule!”, with long passages being identical. | Conan, Ascalante, Epimetreus, Prospero, Rinaldo, Thoth-amon, Dion, Gromel | 1932-02-00 | 1932-12-00 | Sword & Sorcery | $85.00 |
| The Phoenix on the Sword (first submitted draft) | The Phoenix on the Sword (first submitted draft). | Conan | Sword & Sorcery | |||
| The Pool of the Black One | “The Pool of the Black One” is one of the original short stories starring the sword and sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E. Howard. It’s set in the pseudo-historical Hyborian Age and concerns Conan becoming the captain of a pirate vessel while encountering a remote island with a mysterious pool that has the power of transmutation. First published in Weird Tales in October 1933, the story was republished in the collections The Sword of Conan (Gnome Press, 1952) and Conan the Adventurer (Lancer Books, 1966). | Conan | 1932-11-00 | 1933-10-00 | Sword & Sorcery | $110.00 |
| Queen of the Black Coast (early draft) | Partial early draft, typescript reproduction. In this version, the Queen is named Tameris, not Bêlit. | Tameris, Conan | Sword & Sorcery | |||
| Queen of the Black Coast | “Queen of the Black Coast” is one of the original short stories about Conan the Cimmerian. First published in Weird Tales magazine in May 1934. Conan becomes a notorious pirate and plunders the coastal villages of Kush alongside Bêlit, a head-strong femme fatale. | Bêlit, Conan | 1932-08-00 | 1934-05-00 | Sword & Sorcery | $115.00 |
| Red Nails | “Red Nails” is the last of the stories featuring Conan the Cimmerian written by American author Robert E. Howard. A novella, it was originally serialized in Weird Tales magazine from July to October 1936, the months after Howard’s suicide. It is set in the pseudo-historical Hyborian Age and concerns Conan entering a lost city whose degenerate inhabitants are entangled in a murderous blood feud. Due to its dark themes of decay and death, the story is considered a classic of Conan lore while also cited by Howard scholars as one of his best tales. | Conan, Valeria of the Red Brotherhood | 1935-07-00 | 1936-07-00 | Sword & Sorcery | $ ? |
| Red Nails (draft) | A draft of “Red Nails”. | Conan, Valeria of the Red Brotherhood | Sword & Sorcery | |||
| Rogues in the House | “Rogues in the House” is one of the original short stories starring Conan. First published in Weird Tales magazine in January 1934. It is set in the pseudo-historical Hyborian Age and concerns Conan inadvertently becoming involved in the struggle between two powerful men fighting for control of a city-state. It was the seventh Conan story Howard had published. It features a fight between Conan and an intelligent ape-like hominid. It is famous for the fight scene between Conan and an ape, often known as the cover by artist Frank Frazetta. | Conan | 1933-01-00 | 1934-01-00 | Sword & Sorcery | $100.00 |
| The Scarlet Citadel | “The Scarlet Citadel” is one of the original short stories starring the Conan the Cimmerian. First published in the January 1933 issue of Weird Tales magazine. In the pseudo-historical Hyborian Age, a middle-aged Conan battles rival kingdoms. The wizard Tsotha-lanti ensnares King Conan, who escapes a dungeon with unexpected aid. | Conan, Tsotha-Lanti, King Strabonus of Koth, King Amalrus of Ophir, Arbanus, Kothian general, Shukeli, eunuch servant of Tsotha, Pelias, Kothian wizard, Trocero, Prince Arpello of Pellia, Publius, chancellor of Aquilonia, Athemides, Aquilonian student, Prospero | 1932-04-00 | 1933-01-00 | Sword & Sorcery | $140.00 |
| The Servents of Bit-Yakin | Howard’s original title for the story was “The Servants of Bit-Yakin”, but it was as “Jewels of Gwahlur” the tale was first published in the March 1935 issue of Weird Tales. Alternate titles: JEWELS OF GWAHLUR and TEETH OF GWAHLUR. | Conan, Gorulga, high priest, Gwarunga, priest, Muriela, Thutmekri, Zargheba | 1934-06-00 | Sword & Sorcery | ||
| Shadows in the Moonlight | “Iron Shadows in the Moon” is one of the original short stories starring Conan. First published in Weird Tales magazine in April 1934, but then under the name “Shadows in the Moonlight”. Howard originally named his story “Iron Shadows in the Moon”. It’s set in the pseudo-historical Hyborian Age and concerns Conan escaping to a remote island in the Vilayet Sea where he encounters the Red Brotherhood, a skulking creature, and mysterious iron statues. Alternate title: IRON SHADOWS IN THE MOON. | Conan | 1932-11-00 | 1934-04-00 | Sword & Sorcery | $120.00 |
| Shadows in Zamboula | “Shadows in Zamboula” is one of the original stories by Robert E. Howard about Conan the Cimmerian, first published in Weird Tales in November 1935. Its original title was “The Man-Eaters of Zamboula”. | Conan, Aram Baksh, Nafertari, consort of Jungir Khan, alias Zabibi, Jungir Khan, Turanian satrap, alias Alafdahl, Baal-Pteor, Kosalan priest, Totrasmek, Turaninan priest | 1935-03-00 | 1935-11-00 | Sword & Sorcery | $120.00 |
| The Slithering Shadow | “The Slithering Shadow” is one of the original short stories starring Conan. First published in the September 1933 issue of Weird Tales magazine. “The Slithering Shadow” is the original title, but the story is also known as “Xuthal of the Dusk” in further publications. It is set in the pseudo-historical Hyborian Age, and concerns Conan discovering a lost city in a remote desert while encountering a Lovecraftian demon known as Thog. | Conan | 1933-09-00 | Sword & Sorcery | $120.00 | |
| The Snout in the Dark | “The Snout in the Dark” is one of the original short stories by Robert E. Howard about Conan the Cimmerian, an untitled fragment begun in the 1930s but not finished or published in Howard’s lifetime. It was completed and titled by L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter and in this form first published in the collection Conan of Cimmeria (1969). | Conan | Sword & Sorcery | |||
| The Teeth of Gwahlur | The Teeth of Gwahlur is another name for “Jewels of Gwahlur” and is one of the original short stories starring the fictional sword and sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E. Howard. Set in the pseudo-historical Hyborian Age, it concerns several parties, including Conan, fighting over and hunting for the eponymous treasure in Hyborian Africa. The tale was first published in the March 1935 issue of Weird Tales. Howard’s original title for the story was “The Servants of Bit-Yakin”. | Conan | 1934-06-00 | Sword & Sorcery | ||
| The Tower of the Elephant | THE TOWER OF THE ELEPHANT is one of the original short stories starring the fictional sword and sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E. Howard. Set in the pseudo-historical Hyborian Age, it concerns Conan infiltrating a perilous tower to steal a fabled gem from an evil sorcerer named Yara. Its unique insights into the Hyborian world and atypical science fiction elements have led the story to be considered a classic of Conan lore and is often cited by Howard scholars as one of his best tales. | Conan, Yag-Kosha, Yara, Taurus | 1932-03-00 | 1933-03-00 | Sword & Sorcery | $95.00 |
| The Treasure of Tranicos | The Treasure of Tranicos is L. Sprague de Camp’s rewrite of “The Black Stranger”. Howard wrote THE BLACK STRANGER as a Conan story. When the original Conan version of his story failed to find a publisher, Howard rewrote “The Black Stranger” into a piratical Terence Vulmea story entitled “Swords of the Red Brotherhood”. This story was also not accepted. | Conan | Sword & Sorcery | |||
| The Vale of Lost Women | THE VALE OF LOST WOMEN is a fantasy short story by Howard and one of his original short stories about Conan the Cimmerian. It was not published during his lifetime. The Magazine of Horror first published the story in its Spring, 1967 issue. | Conan, Livia, Bajujh, king of the Bakalah tribe, Aja, Bakalah war chief | 1933-02-00 | Sword & Sorcery | ||
| A Witch Shall Be Born | A WITCH SHALL BE BORN is one of the original sword and sorcery novellas by Robert E. Howard about Conan the Cimmerian. It was written in only a few days in the spring of 1934 and first published in Weird Tales in December 1934. Queen Taramis of Khauran awakens one day to find her identical twin sister, Salome, staring her in the face. As an infant, Salome was deemed a witch due to a crescent-shaped birthmark on her chest. This birthmark was believed to be a sign of evil, so she was left in the desert to die. However, a magician from Khitai (China) found Salome, brought her up, and instructed her in the art of sorcery. | Conan, Queen Taramis of Khauran, Salome, Olgerd Vladislav | 1934-05-00 | 1934-12-00 | Sword & Sorcery | $155.00 |
| Wolves Beyond the Border | WOLVES BEYOND THE BORDER is one of the original Conan stories by Howard featuring. It’s only a fragment begun in the 1930s and was not finished or published in Howard’s lifetime. It is a peripheral story in the canon in that while it takes place in Conan’s “Hyborian Age” and during Conan’s lifetime, Conan does not actually appear, but is merely mentioned. The story was completed by L. Sprague de Camp and in this form first published in the collection Conan the Usurper (1967). It has since been published in its original form. | Conan | Sword & Sorcery | |||
| Wolves Beyond the Border (draft A) | WOLVES BEYOND THE BORDER, draft A | Conan | Sword & Sorcery | |||
| Wolves Beyond the Border (draft B) | WOLVES BEYOND THE BORDER, draft B | Conan | Sword & Sorcery | |||
| Xuthal of the Dusk | “The Slithering Shadow” is one of the original short stories starring Conan. First published in the September 1933 issue of Weird Tales magazine. “The Slithering Shadow” is the original title, but the story is also known as “Xuthal of the Dusk” in further publications. It is set in the pseudo-historical Hyborian Age, and concerns Conan discovering a lost city in a remote desert while encountering a Lovecraftian demon known as Thog. | Conan | 1932-11 | 1933-09-00 | Sword & Sorcery | |
| Untitled draft (Amboola awakened slowly, . . .) | UNTITLED DRAFT. (Amboola awakened slowly, . . .). An untitled draft for a Conan story. | Tuthmes, Amboola, Ageera, Afari, Tananda, Conan | Sword & Sorcery | |||
| Untitled fragment (The battlefield stretched silent, . . .) | UNTITLED FRAGMENT (The battlefield stretched silent, . . .) is one of the original short stories by Howard, starring Conan. An untitled fragment begun in the 1930s but not finished or published in Howard’s lifetime. It was completed and titled by Lin Carter and given the name THE HAND OF NERGAL. | Conan | Sword & Sorcery | |||
| Untitled synopsis (Black Colossus) | UNTITLED SYNOPSIS (Black Colossus). | Conan | Sword & Sorcery | |||
| Untitled synopsis (The Hour of the Dragon) | UNTITLED SYNOPSIS (The Hour of the Dragon). | Conan | Sword & Sorcery | |||
| Untitled synopsis (The People of the Black Circle) | UNTITLED SYNOPSIS (The People of the Black Circle). | Conan | Sword & Sorcery | |||
| Untitled synopsis (The Scarlet Citadel) | UNTITLED SYNOPSIS (The Scarlet Citadel). | Conan | Sword & Sorcery | |||
| Untitled synopsis (The setting: The city of Shumballa, . . .) | UNTITLED SYNOPSIS (The Scarlet Citadel). | Conan | Sword & Sorcery | |||
| Untitled synopsis (A squad of Zamorian soldiers, led . . .) | UNTITLED SYNOPSIS (A squad of Zamorian soldiers, led . . .). | Conan | Sword & Sorcery | |||
| Untitled synopsis (A Witch Shall Be Born) | UNTITLED SYNOPSIS (A Witch Shall Be Born). | Conan | Sword & Sorcery |
Credits, links and more information:
- Image at the top by Alex Ross.
- Wikipedia article about Robert E. Howard