The Conan Swordbook is a 1969 collection of essays 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 other two volumes of material from Amra, The Conan Reader (1968) and The Conan Grimoire (1972). 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).
From The San Francisco Examiner, California, Sunday May 17, 1970
The Conan Swordbook is a 1969 collection of essays 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 other two volumes of material from Amra, The Conan Reader (1968) and The Conan Grimoire (1972). 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
- The Conan Swordbook • interior artwork by Dian Girard [as by Dian Pelz]
- The Conan Swordbook • interior artwork by Gray Morrow
- ii • The Conan Swordbook (frontispiece) • interior artwork by Larry Ivie (variant of cover art for Amra V2n9, January 1960 1960)
- ix • Swords and Sorcery • essay by Dick Eney [as by Richard H. Eney]
- ix • Swords and Sorcery • interior artwork by Roy G. Krenkel [as by Roy Krenkel]
- 3 • Letter to Harold Preece, no date (“Well, Harold, I’m sorry to hear your nose…”) • [Letters to Harold Preece] • (1964) • essay by Robert E. Howard
- 3 • Letter to Harold Preece • interior artwork by Roy G. Krenkel [as by Roy Krenkel]
- 11 • Letter to August Derleth (“Dear Mr. Derleth: I was much interested…”) • [Letters to August Derleth] • essay by Robert E. Howard (variant of Letter to August Derleth, ca. January 1933 (“Dear Mr. Derleth: / I was much interested in your accounts…”) 1964)
- 11 • Letter to August Derleth • interior artwork by James Cawthorn [as by Jim Cawthorn]
- 18 • Letter to August Derleth • interior artwork by Roy G. Krenkel [as by Roy Krenkel]
- 21 • The Art of Robert Ervin Howard • (1959) • essay by Poul Anderson
- 21 • The Art of Robert Ervin Howard • interior artwork by Roy G. Krenkel [as by Roy Krenkel]
- 27 • A Gent from Cross Plains • (1959) • essay by Glenn Lord
- 27 • A Gent from Cross Plains • interior artwork by Roy G. Krenkel [as by Roy Krenkel]
- 33 • Who Were the Æsir? • (1959) • essay by Poul Anderson
- 33 • Who Were the Æsir? • (1959) • interior artwork by Dan Adkins
- 36 • Who Were the Æsir? • interior artwork by Roy G. Krenkel [as by Roy Krenkel]
- 43 • Who Was Crom? • (1960) • essay by Albert E. Gechter
- 43 • Who Was Crom? • interior artwork by James Cawthorn [as by Jim Cawthorn]
- 49 • Lord of the Black Throne • (1961) • essay by P. Schuyler Miller
- 49 • Lord of the Black Throne • interior artwork by Dan Adkins
- 52 • Lord of the Black Throne • interior artwork by Raul Garcia Capella [as by Ray Garcia-Capella]
- 57 • Conan of the Khyber Rifles • (1961) • essay by Chuck Hansen and Norm Metcalf [as by Chuck Hansen and Norman Metcalf]
- 57 • Conan of the Khyber Rifles • (1961) • interior artwork by Robert Sheridan
- 59 • Conan of the Khyber Rifles • interior artwork by Roy G. Krenkel [as by Roy Krenkel]
- 61 • Howard’s Detective Stories • (1961) • essay by Glenn Lord
- 61 • Howard’s Detective Stories • interior artwork by Doug Brown
- 65 • Conan on Crusade • (1963) • essay by Allan Howard
- 65 • Conan on Crusade • interior artwork by Raul Garcia Capella [as by Ray Garcia-Capella]
- 75 • Howard’s Cthuloid Tales • (1966) • essay by Ben Solon
- 75 • Howard’s Cthuloid Tales • interior artwork by B. B. Sams
- 81 • Editing Conan • (1968) • essay by L. Sprague de Camp
- 81 • Editing Conan • interior artwork by Roy G. Krenkel [as by Roy Krenkel]
- 95 • The Novels of Eric Rücker Eddison • (1959) • essay by John Boardman
- 95 • The Novels of Eric Rücker Eddison • interior artwork by Roy G. Krenkel [as by Roy Krenkel]
- 101 • John Carter: Sword of Theosophy • (1959) • essay by Fritz Leiber
- 101 • John Carter: Sword of Theosophy • (1959) • interior artwork by James Cawthorn [as by Jim Cawthorn]
- 111 • Hyborians, Be Seated • essay by Raul Garcia Capella (variant of Hyborians Be Seated 1962) [as by Ray Capella]
- 111 • Hyborians, Be Seated • interior artwork by Roy G. Krenkel [as by Roy Krenkel]
- 117 • Titivated Romance • (1966) • essay by Fritz Leiber
- 125 • Titivated Romance • interior artwork by Robert Sheridan
- 131 • Controlled Anachronism • (1966) • essay by Fritz Leiber
- 131 • Controlled Anachronism • interior artwork by James Cawthorn [as by Jim Cawthorn]
- 151 • … And Strange Sounding Names • (1960) • essay by Marion Zimmer Bradley
- 153 • …And Strange Sounding Names • interior artwork by Raul Garcia Capella [as by Ray Garcia-Capella]
- 159 • Weapons of Choice • (1962) • essay by W. H. Griffey
- 159 • Weapons of Choice • interior artwork by Roy G. Krenkel [as by Roy Krenkel]
- 165 • Weapons of Choice • (1962) • essay by Albert E. Gechter
- 165 • Weapons of Choice • interior artwork by James Cawthorn [as by Jim Cawthorn]
- 169 • On Weapons of Choice &/or Necessity • essay by Jerry Pournelle (variant of On Weapons of Choice and/or Necessity 1963)
- 169 • On Weapons of Choice &/or Necessity • interior artwork by Frank Frazetta
- 175 • Son of Weapons of Choice and/or Necessity • (1965) • essay by Jerry Pournelle (variant of Son of Weapons of Choice &/or Necessity)
- 175 • Son of Weapons of Choice and/or Necessity • interior artwork by James Cawthorn [as by Jim Cawthorn]
- 185 • Range • (1965) • essay by L. Sprague de Camp
- 185 • Range • interior artwork by Roy G. Krenkel [as by Roy Krenkel]
- 193 • Sublimated Bloodthirstiness • (1965) • essay by Poul Anderson
- 193 • Sublimated Bloodthirstiness • interior artwork by Raul Garcia Capella [as by Ray Garcia-Capella]
- 197 • … And as for the Admixture of Cultures on Imaginary Worlds • (1965) • essay by Leigh Brackett (variant of And As to the Admixture of Cultures on Imaginary Worlds ….)
- 197 • … And as for the Admixture of Cultures on Imaginary Worlds • interior artwork by Roy G. Krenkel (variant of And As to the Admixture of Cultures on Imaginary Worlds …. 1965) [as by Roy Krenkel]
- 207 • Response • essay by E. Hoffmann Price [as by E. Hoffman Price]
- 207 • Response • interior artwork by James Cawthorn [as by Jim Cawthorn]
- 213 • Ranging Afterthoughts • (1965) • essay by L. Sprague de Camp
- 213 • Ranging Afterthoughts • interior artwork by Roy G. Krenkel [as by Roy Krenkel]
- 221 • Ocean Trade in the Hyborian Age • (1960) • essay by John Boardman
- 221 • Ocean Trade in the Hyborian Age • interior artwork by Harry Douthwaite
- 227 • An Informal Biography of Conan the Cimmerian • (1959) • essay by John D. Clark, Ph.D. and L. Sprague de Camp and P. Schuyler Miller [as by John D. Clark and L. Sprague de Camp and P. Schuyler Miller]
- 227 • An Informal Biography of Conan the Cimmerian • interior artwork by James Cawthorn [as by Jim Cawthorn]
- 257 • Art Work • interior artwork by Dian Girard and Linda Stahoski [as by Dian Pelz and Linda Stahoski]
- bc • Robert E. Howard • interior artwork by George Barr
| Published by: | Mirage Press |
| Book no: | None |
| Year : | 1969 |
| Edition : | 1st |
| Format : | Hardcover with dust jacket |
| Pages : | xiii plus 255 |
| Cover : | George Barr |
| Illustrations : | George Barr, Frazetta, Roy G. Krenkel |
Notes
Limited to 1500 numbered copies. Publishers by Jack L. Chalker and Mark Owings indicates that 1519 copies were printed.
A collection of essays on Robert E. Howard and his colleages.
Edited by L. Sprague de Camp and George H. Scithers
The Voyager Series V-104
Numbered.
Only the first illustration per artist for a given essay has been noted in the contents.
