The Conan Grimoire is a 1972 collection of essays, poetry and fiction edited by L. Sprague de Camp and George H. Scithers, published in hardcover by Mirage Press. The essays were originally published as articles in Scithers’ fanzine Amra. The book is a companion to Mirage’s previous two volumes of material from Amra, The Conan Reader (1968) and The Conan Swordbook (1969). Most of the material in the three volumes, together with some additional material, was later reprinted in two de Camp-edited paperback anthologies from Ace Books; The Blade of Conan (1979) and The Spell of Conan (1980).

Contents

• 1 • Introduction: Swordsmen and Sorcerers at Play • (1971) • essay by Lin Carter
• 1 •  Introduction: Swordsmen and Sorcerers at Play • interior artwork by Roy G. Krenkel
• [2] •  The Conan Grimoire (frontispiece) • interior artwork by Roy G. Krenkel
• 13 •  Letters to Clark Ashton Smith • essay by uncredited
• 13 •  Letters to Clark Ashton Smith • interior artwork by James Cawthorn [as by Jim Cawthorn]
• 14 •  Letter to Clark Ashton Smith, postmarked July 22, 1933 (“Dear Mr. Smith: / I can hardly find words to express the pleasure…”) • [Letters to Clark Ashton Smith] • (1966) • essay by Robert E. Howard
• 15 •  Letter to Clark Ashton Smith, postmarked December 14, 1933 (“Dear Mr. Smith: / Only the fact that I have been sick…”) • [Letters to Clark Ashton Smith] • essay by Robert E. Howard
• 17 •  Letter to Clark Ashton Smith, postmarked January 20, 1934 (“Dear Mr. Smith / Thanks very much for the kind things you said…”) • [Letters to Clark Ashton Smith] • essay by Robert E. Howard (variant of Letter to Clark Ashton Smith, circa October 1933 (“Dear Mr. Smith: / Thanks very much for the kind things you said…”) 1991)
• 19 •  Letter to Clark Ashton Smith, ca. first half of 1934 (“Dear Mr. Smith / I am sorry to hear you have been indisposed…”) • [Letters to Clark Ashton Smith] • essay by Robert E. Howard (variant of Letter to Clark Ashton Smith, circa March 1934 (“Dear Mr. Smith: / I am sorry to hear you have been indisposed…”) 1965)
• 22 •  Letter to Clark Ashton Smith, no date (“Dear Mr. Smith: / Thanks again for the drawing of a wizard…”) • [Letters to Clark Ashton Smith] • essay by Robert E. Howard (variant of Letter to Clark Ashton Smith, circa January 1934 (“Dear Mr. Smith: / Thanks again for the drawing of the wizard…”) 1991)
• 23 •  Letter to Clark Ashton Smith, July 23, 1935 (“Dear Mr. Smith: / I’m ashamed of my long delay in answering…”) • [Letters to Clark Ashton Smith] • essay by Robert E. Howard
• 25 • Balthus of Cross Plains • (1959) • essay by George H. Scithers
• 25 •  Balthus of Cross Plains • interior artwork by George H. Scithers
• 29 •  Something about Eve • interior artwork by George Barr
• 29 •   Review: Something about Eve by James Branch Cabell • (1930) • review by Robert E. Howard
• 33 • Howard’s Style • (1961) • essay by Fritz Leiber
• 33 •  Howard’s Style • interior artwork by George Barr
• 41 • Untitled fragment (“The wind from the Mediterranean …”) • (1959) • short fiction by Robert E. Howard
• 41 •  Untitled fragment (“The wind from the Mediterranean …”) • interior artwork by George Barr
• 47 • John Carper and His Electric Barsoom • (1956) • short story by Robert Coulson [as by Thomas Stratton]
• 47 •  John Carper and His Electric Barsoom • interior artwork by James Cawthorn and Juanita Coulson [as by Jim Cawthorn and Juanita Coulson]
• 55 • The Agent • (1959) • short story by Björn Nyberg
• 55 •  The Agent • interior artwork by Dan Adkins
• 59 • When Set Fled • (1961) • short story by Fritz Leiber
• 59 •  When Set Fled • interior artwork by Edwin Kuniyoshi
• 63 • The Testament of Snefru • (1961) • short story by John Boardman
• 63 •  The Testament of Snefru • interior artwork by James Cawthorn [as by Jim Cawthorn]
• 69 • The Lion’s Bridge • (1963) • short story by Raul Garcia Capella [as by Ray Capella]
• 69 •  The Lion’s Bridge • interior artwork by Raul Garcia Capella [as by Ray Capella]
• 83 • Eddison’s Zimiamvian Trilogy • (1959) • essay by Robert E. Briney
• 83 •  Eddison’s Zimiamvian Trilogy • interior artwork by Roy G. Krenkel
• 89 • Of Worms and Unicorns • (1968) • essay by David Hulan
• 89 •  Of Worms and Unicorns • interior artwork by Roy G. Krenkel
• 99 •   Review: The Dying Earth by Jack Vance • (1961) • review by Robert E. Briney
• 99 •  The Dying Earth • interior artwork by James Cawthorn [as by Jim Cawthorn]
• 100 •  The Dying Earth (Map of Grand Motholam) • interior artwork by Robert E. Briney
• 103 • Fafhrd and Me • (1963) • essay by Fritz Leiber
• 103 •  Fafhrd and Me • (1963) • interior artwork by James Cawthorn [as by Jim Cawthorn]
• 103 •  Farhrd and Me (Map of Lankhmar) • interior artwork by Tim Kirk (variant of A Portion of Lankhmar (map) 1969)
• 123 • A Man Named John • (1964) • essay by John Pocsik
• 123 •  A Man Named John • interior artwork by Roy G. Krenkel
• 133 • Transposition • (1963) • poem by L. Sprague de Camp
• 133 •  Transposition • interior artwork by Roy G. Krenkel
• 134 •  Transposition • interior artwork by Robert E. Gilbert
• 135 • The Gray Mouser: 1 • [Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser] • (1959) • poem by Fritz Leiber
• 135 •  The Gray Mouser: 1 • interior artwork by Raul Garcia Capella [as by Ray Capella]
• 136 • The Gray Mouser: 2 • [Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser] • (1959) • poem by Fritz Leiber
• 136 •  The Gray Mouser: 2 • (1959) • interior artwork by James Cawthorn [as by Jim Cawthorn]
• 137 • I Remember Conan • (1960) • poem by Grace Adams Warren [as by Grace A. Warren]
• 137 •  I Remember Conan • interior artwork by Karen Anderson and Terry Carr
• 139 • Stamford Bridge • (1962) • essay by Poul Anderson
• 139 •  Stamford Bridge • (1962) • interior artwork by James Cawthorn [as by Jim Cawthorn]
• 143 • The Free-Speaking Verses • (1964) • essay by Poul Anderson
• 143 •  The Free-Speaking Verses • interior artwork by Raul Garcia Capella [as by Ray Capella]
• 147 • The Loss of a Son • (1970) • poem by Poul Anderson
• 147 •  The Loss of a Son • interior artwork by Roy G. Krenkel
• 155 • Woe Is Me • poem by Avram Davidson (variant of Woe Is Me! 1961)
• 155 •  Woe Is Me • interior artwork by Bjo Trimble
• 157 • Carter’s Little Whiskey Stills • (1963) • poem by John Boardman
• 157 •  Carter’s Little Whiskey Stills • interior artwork by Tim Kirk
• 159 • The Thong of Thor • (1962) • poem by John Boardman
• 159 •  The Thong of Thor • interior artwork by James Cawthorn [as by Jim Cawthorn]
• 160 •  The Thong of Thor • interior artwork by Domingo Orejudos [as by Dom Orejudos]
• 161 • Ghost Ships • (1968) • poem by L. Sprague de Camp
• 161 •  Ghost Ships • interior artwork by Johnny Chambers
• 163 • Tiger in the Rain • (1970) • poem by L. Sprague de Camp
• 163 •  Tiger in the Rain • (1970) • interior artwork by George Barr
• 165 • What Really Happened • (1968) • poem by Chris Hebron [as by C. C. Hebron]
• 165 •  What Really Happened • (1968) • interior artwork by Roy G. Krenkel
• 175 • One Man’s BEM • (1960) • essay by Reginald Bretnor [as by R. Bretnor]
• 175 •  One Man’s BEM • interior artwork by Tim Kirk
• 183 • Kush • (1960) • essay by L. Sprague de Camp
• 183 •  Kush • interior artwork by George Barr
• 191 • A Furthest Note on the Red Planet • (1966) • essay by E. Hoffmann Price [as by E. Hoffman Price]
• 191 •  A Furthest Note on the Red Planet • interior artwork by James Cawthorn [as by Jim Cawthorn]
• 192 •  A Furthest Note on the Red Planet • interior artwork by Roy G. Krenkel
• 195 • Arming the Incomplete Enchanter • (1967) • essay by Jerry Pournelle [as by Jerry E. Pournelle]
• 195 •  Arming the Incomplete Enchanter • (1967) • interior artwork by James Cawthorn [as by Jim Cawthorn]
• 197 •  Arming the Incomplete Enchanter • interior artwork by Philip Hawkins [as by Phil Hawkins]
• 204 •  Arming the Incomplete Enchanter • interior artwork by Tim Kirk
• 207 • Richard the Lion Hearted Is Alive and Well in California • (1969) • essay by Poul Anderson
• 207 •  Richard the Lion Hearted Is Alive and Well in California • (1969) • interior artwork by James Cawthorn (variant of Richard the Lion Hearted is Alive and Well in California) [as by Jim Cawthorn]
• 215 •  Richard the Lion Hearted Is Alive and Well in California • interior artwork by Roy G. Krenkel
• 221 • Mundy’s Vendhya • (1970) • essay by L. Sprague de Camp
• 221 •  Mundy’s Vendhya • (1970) • interior artwork by Tim Kirk
• 231 • Young Man Mulligan, with Key • essay by Karen Anderson and John Boardman and Lin Carter and James Cawthorn and Juanita Coulson and Ron Ellik and Dick Eney and David McDaniel and Bruce Pelz and George H. Scithers (variant of Young Man Mulligan 1962) [as by Karen Anderson and John Boardman and Lin Carter and Jim Cawthorn and Juanita Coulson and Ron Ellik and Dick Eney and George Heap and Ted Johnstone and Bruce Pelz and George H. Scithers]
• 231 •  Young Man Mulligan, with Key • interior artwork by James Cawthorn (variant of Young Man Mulligan 1962) [as by Jim Cawthorn]
• 255 • Drinking Song from Silverlock • essay by Karen Anderson and Gordon R. Dickson and John Myers Myers [as by John Myers Myers]
• 255 •  Drinking Song from Silverlock • (1962) • interior artwork by James Cawthorn [as by Jim Cawthorn]
• [263] •  The Conan Grimoire • interior artwork by James Cawthorn [as by Jim Cawthorn]

Cover: The Conan Grimoire by Bernie Wrightson

Notes

First printing (not stated) limited to 1500 numbered copies had a dust wrapper inked in gray.
“One thousand five hundred copies of this book have been printed and bound.”
A second printing limited to 256 copies and with a dust wrapper inked in blue was produced in 1974.
Edited by L. Sprague de Camp and George H. Scithers
The Voyager Series V-106

“Stamford Bridge” and “The Free-Speaking Verses” are overall essays, but contain 6 and 4 Old Norse poems, respectively, translated by Anderson.
“The Loss of a Son” is also an Old Norse poem translated by Anderson.