The Collected Letters of Robert E. Howard reveals a side of his personality that readers of his fiction might not suspect existed. Full of humor, philosophical musings, travelogue, historical sketches, and opinions on contemporary politics and events – local, national, and international – Howard’s letters provide important insight into the life and times of one of the most influential pulp-era writers of the twentieth century.
This three-volume, limited-edition series collects all the known letters written by REH. The collection includes dozens of previously unpublished letters and hundreds of poems that made their initial appearance in these volumes. This three-volume set collects more than 330 letters, from the early ones to his Texas friends, most notably Tevis Clyde Smith, and continuing through correspondence with fellow writers Clark Ashton Smith, E. Hoffmann Price, and others. Also included are Howard’s letters to H. P. Lovecraft, which constitute one of the most intriguing correspondence cycles in the history of fantasy fiction.
This is the “Ultimate Edition” which just means that it’s print on demand. Each volume is printed in hardback with dust jacket. Cover design and artwork is by Mark Wheatley. The first edition can be seen here.
Contents
- Introduction by Rusty Burke
- First Edition Acknowledgements by Rob Roehm
- First Edition Notes on the Text by Rob Roehm
- Second Edition Notes from the Editor by John Bullard
- List of First Edition Letter Numbers with Their New Second Edition Numbers
- Second Edition Acknowledgements
1923
| 001 | To Tevis Clyde Smith (handwritten), June 8, 1923 (“Hello Clyde, / May the blessings …”) |
| 002 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, June 22, 1923 (“Clyde sahib, greeting: / I found your first letter …”) |
| 003 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, July 7, 1923 (“To Clyde bahadur – sahib, greeting: / I got your letter.”) – includes “The Dook of Stork“ |
| 004 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, July 30, 1923 (“Clyde sahib, bohut salaam, bahadur; / The picnic has come …”) |
| 005 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, August 4, 1923 (“Clyde sahib; / You say I’ll be in …”) |
| 006 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, postmarked August 21, 1923 (“Salaam, Clyde sahib, / I haven’t got any answer …”) |
| 007 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, August 24, 1923 (“Bohut salaam, Clyde sahib; / I was all ready to …”) |
| 008 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, September 9, 1923 (“Clyde sahib; / First off I must apologize …”) |
| 009 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, October 5, 1923 (“Salaam, Clyde; / Maybe you think I’ve moved …”) |
| 010 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, November 4, 1923 (“Bohut salaam, Clyde bahadur; / It’s been quite a while …”) |
| 011 | To Adventure, ca. late 1923, Published in pulp in February 1924 (“I am writing for information …”) |
1924
| 012 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, April 21, 1924 (“Salaam, Clyde sahib; / I should have written …”) |
| 013 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, June 19, 1924 (“Salaam, Clyde sahib; / I suppose you think I’m rather slow …”) |
| 014 | To Adventure, ca. July 1924 (“1. At what period did the feudal …”) |
| 015 | To Tevis Clyde Smith (handwritten), September 7, 1924 (“Salaam, Clyde, / You ought to be here.”) |
| 016 | To Western Story, ca. fall 1 |
1925
| 017 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, January 7, 1925 (“Salaam, Clyde sahib; / I was in Brownwood the …”) |
| 018 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, January 30, 1925 (“Salaam, sahib; / I’m sending you a lot of junk.”) |
| 019 | To Robert W. Gordon, February 4, 1925 (“Dear Sir; / I am sending you a few songs.”) |
| 020 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, February 25, 1925 (“Salaam, sahib; / Chapter XIX / Writers of the Bunkorian Age”) |
| 021 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, March 17, 1925 (“The top o’ the marnin’ O’Clydo; / Faith and bejabbers!”) – Contains “The Sappious Few Menchew“ |
| 022 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, April 6, 1925 (“Salaam, sahib; / What Ho!”) – Contains “The Post of the Sappy Skipper” and “The bore of the cowed“ |
| 023 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, May 24, 1925 (“Salaam; / Hot zowie, old topper, …”) |
| 024 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, ca. June 1925 (“Know all men …”) |
| 025 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, ca. before July 1925 (“King Bahthur’s Court”) |
| 026 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, July 7, 1925 (“Salaam, Sahib; / I believe you owe me a letter.”) |
| 027 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, July 16, 1925 (“Salaam, sahib; / What ho, milord!”) |
| 028 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, ca. post July 20, 1925 (“Salaam; Clyde; / Old boy, I got your letter.”) |
| 029 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, August 6, 1925 (“Salaam; I’m glad you passed the exams.”) |
| 030 | To Farnsworth Wright, (unsent), August 21, 1925 (“Dear Sir; / I am preparing a mss. …”) |
| 031 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, August 26, 1925 (“Salaam; / I’ve been thinking.”) |
| 032 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, August 28, 1925 (“Salaam; / I’ve been thinking.”) |
| 033 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, October 9, 1925 (“Salaam, sahib; Say, bo, you’re developing into a real poet.”) |
| 034 | To Herbert Klatt, ca. fall 1925 (“Bohut salaam …”) |
| 035 | To Weird Tales, ca. late 1925, Published in magazine in January 1926 (“These are sheer masterpieces.”) |
1926
| 036 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, January 14, 1926 (“Salaam, bahadur, bohut salaam; / By Baal I am joyed …”) |
| 037 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, January 14, 1926 (“Salaam; / This is a habit of mine, always was.”) |
| 038 | To Farnsworth Wright, January 23, 1926 (“Dear Sir; / I have no carbon copy of ‘Wolfshead’.”) |
| 039 | To Robert W. Gordon, February 15, 1926 (“Dear Mr. Gordon; / I was delighted to receive your letter, …”) |
| 040 | To Weird Tales, ca. March 1926 (“The Saga of Grettir …”) |
| 041 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, ca. Spring, 1926 (“If you don’t publish this …”) |
| 042 | To The Ring, ca. early 1926 (“Here is my opinion on the greatest heavyweights of all time:”) |
| 043 | To Robert W. Gordon, April 9, 1926 (“Dear Sir; / I must really ask your pardon …”) |
| 044 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, April 14, 1926 (“Salaam; / Being in an (un)poetical poetical mood, …”) |
| 045 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, May 7, 1926 (“Salaam; / I’m sending you a flock of poetry.”) |
| 046 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, June 23, 1926 (“Salaam; / I’m trying to write again, …”) |
| 047 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, August 6, 1926 (“Salaam, sahib; / In the first place, …”) |
| 048 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, August 21, 1926 (“Bohut salaam, sahib; / I think you owe me one, two, …”) |
| 049 | To Edna Mann, October 30, 1926 (“Dear Friend; / As usual I have to start my letter with an apology, …”) |
1927
| 050 | To Robert W. Gordon (handwritten), January 2, 1927 (“My dear Mr. Gordon; / Upon seeing a request …”) |
| 051 | To Robert W. Gordon, March 17, 1927 (“Dear Mr. Gordon; / This time I have an excuse …”) |
| 052 | To Weird Tales, ca. April 1927 (“Your last three issues have been very fine.”) |
| 053 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, ca. mid-September 1927 (“Salaam: / Having just got your letter …”) |
| 054 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, ca. mid-to late-September 1927 (“Salaam: / Seeking cognizance of thing …”) includes “The Fastidious Fooey Mancucu“ |
| 055 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, ca. October 1927 (“ARE YOU THE YOUNG MAN …”) The Legend – Revenge – Where Strange Gods Squall (part 1) |
| 056 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, ca. fall 1927 (“Salaam: / Then the little boy said to Goofus Gorilla, …”) Where Strange Gods Squall (part 2) |
| 057 | To Harold Preece, December 22, 1927 (“With Best Wishes …”) |
| 058 | To Unknown Recipient, ca. late 1927, unsent (“Salaam; / Seems that you owe me a letter …”) |
1928
| 059 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, ca. probably late 1927, early 1928 (“I wasn’t lying to you Saturday evening when I said …”) |
| 060 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, ca. January 1928 (“Salaam: / Listen, you crumb, I think you already owe me …”) – Contains “Wolfsdung“ |
| 061 | To Harold Preece, ca. January-February 1928 (“Salaam: / Say, listen, tramp, you owe me a letter …”) |
| 062 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, week of February 20, 1928 (“The fellow who wrote The Kasidah …”) contains “Untitled play (A typical small town drugstore . . .)“ |
| 063 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, ca. between 1926 and March 1928 ( “Ha ha! You’re not going to get off so easily; …”) |
| 064 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, ca. March 1928 (“The only reason for writing this letter …”) |
| 065 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, ca. March 1928 (“Salaam: / Not having much of anything specially …”) |
| 066 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, ca. March 1928 (“Salaam: / Glad you’re writing these days.”) |
| 067 | To Harold Preece, ca. early 1928 (“Salaam: / You’ll have to pardon me for not …”) |
| 068 | To Weird Tales, ca. March 1928 (“Mr. Lovecraft’s latest story, ‘The Call of Cthulhu’, …”) |
| 069 | To Robert W. Gordon, postmarked May 14, 1928 (“Dear Mr. Gordon: / Many thanks for the letter, …”) |
| 070 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, ca. May 1928 (“Salaam: / So Klatt has gone West.”) |
| 071 | To Merlin Wand, date stamped May, 26, 1928 (unsent) (“CONTACTS LISTING FORM”) |
| 072 | To Harold Preece, postmarked June 4, 1928 (Postcard with drawing only) |
| 073 | To Harold Preece, ca. June 1928 (Postcard of Piedras Negras Customs House) |
| 074 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, ca. June 1928, handwritten (“Not even a movie in this god forsaken town.”) |
| 075 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, ca. June 1928 (“Salaam; / Ho, ho, the long lights lift amain …”) – Contains “The Rump of Swift“ |
| 076 | To Harold Preece, ca. June 1928 (“Salaam: / No, I was not trying to catch flies.”) |
| 077 | To The Brownwood Bulletin, July 18, 1928 (“Arthur ‘Kid’ Dula is due …”) |
| 078 | To The Fort Worth Record, ca. July 1928 (“Tunney can’t win.”) |
| 079 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, ca. July 1928 (“Salaam: / A Warning to Orthodoxy”) |
| 080 | To Harold Preece, ca. August 1928 (“Salaam: / Glad you enjoyed our reunion …”) |
| 081 | To Harold Preece, postmarked September 5, 1928 (“Salaam: / Yes, I like the idea of Eldorado …”) |
| 082 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, ca. probably late 1928 (“Salaam: Shadows of Dreams”) |
| 083 | To Harold Preece, ca. September 1928 (“Salaam: / Tunney sure gave Heeney a tough beating …”) |
| 084 | To Harold Preece, postmarked September 23, 1928 (“Salaam: / The tang of winter is in the air …”) |
| 085 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, ca. October 1928 (“Salaam; / I could have gone with you …”) |
| 086 | To Harold Preece, received October 20, 1928 (“Salaam: / Your stationery is alright.”) |
| 087 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, ca. October 1928 (“Salaam: / The reason I’m sending The Junto to you …”) |
| 088 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, ca. November 1928 (“Salaam: / Listen you goddamn so forth and so on, …”) |
| 089 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, ca. November 1928 (“Salaam: / I’ll swear you’re the only galoot …”) |
| 090 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, ca. November 1928 (“Salaam: / I got such a laugh out of your parody …”) – Contains “Tumba Hooey” |
| 091 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, ca. November 1928 (“Heh heh! At last I’ve sold a story …”) |
| 092 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, ca. November-December 1928 (“Salaam: / Heh heh! Sappho, the Grecian hills …”) |
| 093 | To Harold Preece, ca. December 1928 (“Salaam: / You’re right; women are great actors.”) |
| 094 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, ca. late 1928 (“Salaam: / I’ll swear, if I’d laughed much more …”) – Contains “The People of the Winged Skull“ |
| 095 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, ca. probably late 1928, early 1929 (“Salaam: /I have forgotten whether your or Truett …”) |
| 096 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, ca. December 1928 (“Salaam: / Out in front of Goldstein’s, …”) |
| 097 | To Unknown Recipient, undated, unsent, ca. probably late 1928. (“Show this to Truett …”) |
| 098 | To Unknown Recipient, undated, ca. 1926-1928. (“Here I’ve been working days and nights …”) |
1929
| 099 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, ca. after July 1925, before 1930, probably ca. early 1929 (“Salaam: / There once was a wicked old elf …”) |
| 100 | To Weird Tales (unsent), ca. January 1929 (“. . . whatever to do with beetles, except …”) |
| 101 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, ca. February 1929 (“Salaam: / Ancient English Balledel”) |
| 102 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, ca. February 1929 (“Salaam: / Last night the Sunday School class …”) |
| 103 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, ca. March 1929 (“Salaam: / Black Dawn”) – Contains “Songs of Bastards“, “Bastards All“, “Hatrack!“ |
| 104 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, ca. early to mid-1929 (“Salaam: / Life is a yellow mist among the stars.”) |
| 105 | To Harold Preece, ca. March 1929 (“Salaam: / I’ve been very neglectful of my correspondence lately.”) |
| 106 | To Argosy All-Story Weekly, ca. spring 1929 (“I was born in Texas about twenty-three …”) |
| 107 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, ca. April 1929 (“The iron harp that Adam christened Life”) |
| 108 | To Thrills of the Jungle Magazine, ca. June to late 1929 (“Editor Thrills of the Jungle Magazine, …”) |
| 109 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, ca. June 1929 (“Salaam: / I received an announcement from Chicago: …”) |
| 110 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, ca. July 1929 (“Salaam: / The main reason I’m writing this letter …”) |
| 111 | To Harold Preece, ca. week of August 19, 1929 (“Salaam: / I’ve been reading Destiny Bay …”) |
| 112 | To Harold Preece, postmarked September 18, 1929 (“I don’t remember saying anything …”) |
| 113 | To Weird Tales, ca. September 1929 (“I have just been reading the September Weird Tales, …”) |
| 114 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, ca. late December 1929 (“Well: / Here I am doing business …”) |
| 115 | To Tevis Clyde Smith, ca. before 1930; probably late 1928, late 1929 (“Salaam: / As my dear public remembers, …”) Contains: Untitled story (As my dear public remembers . . .) |
| Publisher: | REH Foundation Press |
| Year : | June 2021 (Hardcover) January 2022 (Trade paperback) |
| Book No. : | ISBN-13: 9781955446006 (Hardcover) ISBN-13: 9781955446013 (Trade paperback) |
| Edition : | 2nd edition, version 1 |
| Format : | Hardcover with dust jacket (6.3 x 9.4 inches) Trade paperback (6 x 9 inches) |
| Pages : | 415 plus xxi |
| Cover : | Mark Wheatley |
| Illustrations : | None |
Notes
- Edited by Rob Roehm & John Bullard
- Annotations by Rusty Burke
- Print on demand “Ultimate Edition”
Notes
- Edited by Rob Roehm & John Bullard
- Annotations by Rusty Burke
- Print on demand “Ultimate Edition”
The other volumes
The first editions
