Sword & Fantasy #7

15
May

The front and back cover art is from foreign Robert E. Howard paperback editions. Articles include part two a long analysis of the Robert E. Howard story “Tower Of The Elephant” (profusely illustrated) by Rick McCollum. An eight page folio of illustrations from Robert E. Howard stories printed in pulp magazines. An interview with Karl Edward Wagner from 1980. “H.P.L.: The History” by Lin Carter (from 1950). “An Appreciation of Clark Ashton Smith” by Lin Carter (from 1949). An article on A. Merritt from 1948 (with pulp art by Virgil Finlay and others). And more. Artwork by Rick McCollum, Eduardo Barreto, Mahlon Fawcett, and others.

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Sword & Fantasy #3

13
May

The front cover art is by Joe Jusko (which he sent to Van Hise to use as it previously only appeared on a promo for a statue and was not a SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN cover). The back cover is the color art for the cover of the 1976 British paperback edition of KING KULL. Articles include a lengthy section on the making of the movie KULL THE CONQUEROR, including examinations of three different screenplay drafts, and an interview with screenwriter Charles Edward Pogue (who wrote the original screenplay which was later rewritten by others). There is also a look at the Conan story “Shadows In The Moonlight” (complete with the old WEIRD TALES illo). A 1935 biographical sketch of E. Hoffman Price. A 1951 author profile of L. Sprague de Camp, a WEIRD TALES cover gallery and more, including artwork by Eduardo Barreto, Rick McCollum, Hannes Bok and others.

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Fantasy Crossroads #6

01
May

A fanzine or periodical edited by Jonathan Bacon from 1975. Issue 6 contains ‘The Gondarian Man’ by Howard. The poem ‘Hope Empty of Meaning’ and a letter to Harold Preece, circa February 1930 is also included along with articles and poems by other writers.

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REH: Two-Gun Raconteur #4

01
May

The third issue of REH: Two-Gun Raconteur, from 1976. Contains ‘Conan vs. Conantics’ by Don Herron and ‘The Devil’s Joker’ by Howard. Also several articles and an art portfolio by Gene Day.

In the mid-1970s, when the Robert E. Howard Boom was just beginning, REH: Two-Gun Raconteur was on the cutting edge of Howard Fandom. During those heady days there was a continuous stream of hardback books, paperbacks, magazines, comics, chapbooks, fanzines, art portfolios and one-shot publications all devoted to the gifted author and poet from Cross Plains, Texas. When the Boom eventually faded out in the late eighties, the fans and admirers of Robert E. Howard still carried the torch, waiting for a time when Howard would return and that time has come. While not on as grand a scale as the earlier boom, it is nonetheless a great time to be a Howard fan.

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Tales of Conan

22
Apr

The Return of Conan is the sixth book published by Gnome, but for some reason considered the last in the series. It contains four stories originally written by Howard, but changed into Conan stories by L. Spraque de Camp. Since de Camp was interested in placing the stories chronologically, the four short stories collected as Tales of Conan represent an add-on to Gnome’s Conan series, coming between stories published in the remaining volumes. The first “tale” would fall within the collection The Coming of Conan, the second between that volume and the collection Conan the Barbarian, the third within Conan the Barbarian, and the fourth between that volume and the collection The Sword of Conan.

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The Return of Conan

21
Apr

The Return of Conan is the seventh and last published and contains NO Howard stories (see notes and contents).

The Gnome Press edition of Conan was the first hardcover collection of Howard’s Conan stories, including all the original Howard material known to exist at the time, some left unpublished in his lifetime. Not published in order of previous publication, Gnome’s volumes were organized to present the stories in order of their internal chronology, the sole exception being Tales of Conan, which skipped around to present random episodes from various points in the protagonist’s career. Some stories in two of the later volumes (The Coming of Conan and King Conan) were completed or revised by L. Sprague de Camp; another (Tales of Conan) consisted of non-Conan Howard stories that de Camp rewrote as Conan yarns. The last published volume of the Gnome edition was the first Conan story by an author other than Howard, namely Björn Nyberg, and was revised by de Camp.

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The Coming of Conan

17
Apr

King Conan is the fourth published and contains several Howard stories (see notes and contents).

The Gnome Press edition of Conan was the first hardcover collection of Howard’s Conan stories, including all the original Howard material known to exist at the time, some left unpublished in his lifetime. Not published in order of previous publication, Gnome’s volumes were organized to present the stories in order of their internal chronology, the sole exception being Tales of Conan, which skipped around to present random episodes from various points in the protagonist’s career. Some stories in two of the later volumes (The Coming of Conan and King Conan) were completed or revised by L. Sprague de Camp; another (Tales of Conan) consisted of non-Conan Howard stories that de Camp rewrote as Conan yarns. The last published volume of the Gnome edition was the first Conan story by an author other than Howard, namely Björn Nyberg, and was revised by de Camp.

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Dark Valley Destiny – The Life of Robert E. Howard

11
Apr

This is L. Sprague de Camp and his wife Catherines biography of Robert E. Howard. Considered by many to be full of gossip, psychoanalysis, rumors and tall-tales about Howard. There is a lot of Howard’s family history and upbringing including a family tree and all the places that Bob and his parents have lived over the years of his life before settling in Cross Plains, TX.

If you read this, be sure to read many of the more serious and great biographies that have since been written.

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King Conan

09
Apr

King Conan is the THIRD published and contains five Howard stories.

The Gnome Press edition of Conan was the first hardcover collection of Howard’s Conan stories, including all the original Howard material known to exist at the time, some left unpublished in his lifetime. Not published in order of previous publication, Gnome’s volumes were organized to present the stories in order of their internal chronology, the sole exception being Tales of Conan, which skipped around to present random episodes from various points in the protagonist’s career. Some stories in two of the later volumes (The Coming of Conan and King Conan) were completed or revised by L. Sprague de Camp; another (Tales of Conan) consisted of non-Conan Howard stories that de Camp rewrote as Conan yarns. The last published volume of the Gnome edition was the first Conan story by an author other than Howard, namely Björn Nyberg, and was revised by de Camp.

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