This is the definitive critical anthology on the writings of Texan Robert Howard, the originator of Sword & Sorcery fantasy and also of Conan The Barbarian. The essays survey Howard’s work in fantasy, westerns, poetry and supernatural horror tales.

Contents

• ii •  Robert E. Howard, 1930s • interior artwork by uncredited
• 3 • Howard’s Fantasy • (1984) • essay by Fritz Leiber
• 17 • Robert E. Howard: Frontiersman of Letters • (1984) • essay by Donald Sidney-Fryer
• 23 • Barbarian Bard: The Poetry of Robert E. Howard • (1984) • essay by Steve Eng
• 65 • Through Black Boughs: The Supernatural In Howard’s Fiction • (1984) • essay by Dennis Rickard
• 87 •  Robert E. Howard, 1930s [2] • interior artwork by uncredited
• 88 •  A Selection of Howard Publications • interior artwork by uncredited
• 90 • A Boy, a Beehive, and a Chinaman • short story by Robert E. Howard
• 91 •  Downtown Cross Plains, Texas, 1981 • interior artwork by Mary Spoerer
• 91 •  Downtown Cross Plains, Texas, 1981 [2] • interior artwork by Mary Spoerer
• 92 •  Post Oak Country Outside Cross Plains, 1981 • interior artwork by Mary Spoerer
• 92 •  Post Oak Country Outside Cross Plains, 1981 [2] • interior artwork by Mary Spoerer
• 93 •  The Howard Home, Cross Plains, 1965 • interior artwork by Richard L. Tierney
• 93 •  The Driveway Next to the Howard Home, Where Robert E. Howard Committed Suicide • interior artwork by Richard L. Tierney
• 94 •  Letter to Robert E. Howard, June 1, 1932 • (1976) • essay by John F. Byrne
• 95 •  Letter to Robert E. Howard, December 28, 1931 • essay by Farnsworth Wright
• 96 •  Cover for “The Slithering Shadow”, “Weird Tales”, September 1933 • interior artwork by Margaret Brundage
• 97 •  Cover for “A Witch Shall Be Born”, “Weird Tales”, December 1934 • interior artwork by Margaret Brundage
• 98 •  Robert E. Howard and Tevis Clyde Smith, “Beachcomber’s Argument” • interior artwork by uncredited
• 98 •  The Howard Family Grave, Greenleaf Cemetery, Brownwood, Texas • interior artwork by Mary Spoerer
• 99 • The Western Fiction of Robert E. Howard • (1984) • essay by Ben P. Indick
• 117 • Robert E. Howard: Hard-Boiled Heroic Fantasist • (1984) • essay by George Knight
• 135 • Robert E. Howard: Professional Writer • (1984) • essay by Glenn Lord
• 149 • The Dark Barbarian • (1984) • essay by Don Herron
• 183 • Appendix A: Robert E. Howard’s Library • essay by Steve Eng and Don Herron
• 201 • Appendix B: Howard’s Suicide • essay by uncredited
• 205 • Bibliography (The Dark Barbarian) • (1984) • essay by uncredited
• 241 • Notes on Contributors • essay by uncredited