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Cover of Breckinridge Elkins - First Cuts: The Drafts and Fragments - Rough Trails 3
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Breckinridge Elkins - First Cuts: The Drafts and Fragments - Rough Trails 3

REH Foundation Press

2026
Edition format
HardcoverPaperback
Contains
Stories

Publication date: March 2026

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Introduction

For the first time ever, a collection featuring all of Howard's drafts and fragments. The third volume in a four-part series from the REH Foundation Press collects all the drafts for the last six of Howard's Breckinridge Elkins short stories. All from Howard’s original typescripts, manuscripts, and carbons. Howard's raw text, including typos and weird spellings, is preserved. Footnotes describe where Howard inserted text either by typing in between lines or by hand.These books will be print-on-demand, and the first release is a beautiful boxed set featuring four hardcover books with matching covers, gold-foiled dust jackets, and sprayed edges. Later, there will be more regular, normally priced hard- and softcover books. For the third volume, Howard scholar and professor Dierk Günther wrote the essay.Contents
  • iii • Acknowledgments
  • ix • Editor’s Note
  • ix • A Note on Language, Style, and Fidelity
  • xi • Bruises, Broken Bones and LOLs • by Dierk Günther
Pistol Politics
  • 5 • Editorial Notes
  • 5 • Pistol Politics • (notes written by REH)
  • 7 • Pistol Politics - draft 1 • (untitled, incomplete)
  • 13 • Pistol Politics - draft 2 • (untitled, complete)
  • 27 • Pistol Politics - draft 3 • (untitled, incomplete)
  • 33 • Pistol Politics - draft 4 • (untitled, incomplete)
  • 35 • Pistol Politics - draft 5 • (untitled, complete)
  • 53 • Pistol Politics - draft 6 • (untitled, complete)
  • 71 • Pistol Politics • (false start #1)
  • 73 • Pistol Politics • (false start #2 and #3)
Evil Deeds at Red Cougar
  • 79 • Editorial Notes
  • 79 • Evil Deeds at Red Cougar • (untitled synopsis)
  • 81 • Evil Deeds at Red Cougar - draft 1 • (untitled, complete)
  • 99 • Evil Deeds at Red Cougar - draft 2 • (untitled, complete)
  • 119 • Evil Deeds at Red Cougar - draft 2-1 • (untitled, alternate ending)
  • 121 • Evil Deeds at Red Cougar - draft 2-2 • (untitled, alternate ending)
  • 123 • Evil Deeds at Red Cougar - draft 3 • (untitled, complete)
  • 143 • Evil Deeds at Red Cougar • (false start #1)
  • 145 • Evil Deeds at Red Cougar • (false start #2)
Gents on the Rampage
  • 151 • Editorial Notes
  • 151 • Gents on the Rampage • (untitled synopsis)
  • 153 • Gents on the Rampage - draft 1 • (untitled, incomplete)
  • 165 • Gents on the Rampage - draft 2 • (untitled, complete)
  • 181 • Gents on the Rampage - draft 3 • (titled and complete)
  • 201 • Gents on the Rampage • (false start)
Gents in Buckskin
  • 207 • Editorial Notes
  • 207 • Gents in Buckskin - draft 1 • (untitled, complete)
  • 215 • Gents in Buckskin - draft 2 • (untitled, complete)
  • 231 • Gents in Buckskin - draft 3 • (untitled, complete)
  • 253 • Gents in Buckskin - draft 4 • (titled and complete)
Politics at Lonesome Lizard
  • 277 • Editorial Notes
  • 277 • Politics at Lonesome Lizard - draft 1 • (untitled, complete)
  • 283 • Politics at Lonesome Lizard - draft 2 • (untitled, complete)
  • 297 • Politics at Lonesome Lizard - draft 3 • (titled and complete)
Sharp's Gun Serenade
  • 319 • Editorial Notes
  • 319 • Sharp's Gun Serenade - draft 1 • (untitled, incomplete)
  • 323 • Sharp's Gun Serenade - draft 2 • (untitled, incomplete)

Notes

All of the Howard stories, poems and portions thereof contained in First Cuts: The Drafts and Fragments - Breckinridge Elkins Rough Trails 3 come from Howard’s original typescripts, manuscripts, and carbons. Virtually all of the typescripts were scanned from the Glenn Lord collection, now at the University of Texas, Austin; the Robert E. Howard collection at Texas A&M University; or the typescript collection at Cross Plains Library. 
 
Concept, transcriptions, layout and project development by Ståle Gismervik, Savage Studios.
 

Edition and production details

Language
English
Edition
First Cuts: The Drafts and Fragments - Breckinridge Elkins Rough Trails 3
Edition format
hardcover
Publication date
March 2026
Identifiers
961-9-467000-05-1 (collector's HC) 978-1-955446-77-8 (regular hardcover) 978-1-955446-78-5 (paperback)
Pages
xxviii plus 326
Publisher / imprint
The REH Foundation Press
Cover art
Design by Ståle Gismervik / illustration by Leslie Ross.
Illustrations
Several illustrations from pulp magazines
Media details
Hardcover w/dust jacket, Paperback and hardcover in a boxed 4-volume set
Edition
First Cuts: The Drafts and Fragments - Breckinridge Elkins Rough Trails 3
Edition format
paperback
Publication date
March 2026
Identifiers
961-9-467000-05-1 (collector's HC) 978-1-955446-77-8 (regular hardcover) 978-1-955446-78-5 (paperback)
Pages
xxviii plus 326
Publisher / imprint
The REH Foundation Press
Cover art
Design by Ståle Gismervik / illustration by Leslie Ross.
Illustrations
Several illustrations from pulp magazines
Media details
Hardcover w/dust jacket, Paperback and hardcover in a boxed 4-volume set

12 linked Howard works

50 contents entries

  1. Acknowledgments
  2. Editor’s Note
  3. "On Editing Robert E. Howard: A Note on Language, Style, and Fidelity"
  4. A Note on Language, Style, and Fidelity ix
  5. "Bruises, Broken Bones and LOLs" by Dierk Günther
  6. Pistol Politics
  7. Editorial Notes
  8. "Pistol Politics" (notes written by REH)
  9. "Pistol Politics" (Draft 1 , untitled, incomplete, typescript page scan)
  10. "Pistol Politics" (Draft 1 , untitled, incomplete)
  11. "Pistol Politics" (Draft 2 , untitled, complete)
  12. "Pistol Politics" (Draft 3 , untitled, incomplete)
  13. "Pistol Politics" (Draft 4 , untitled, incomplete)
  14. "Pistol Politics" (Draft 5 , untitled, complete)
  15. "Pistol Politics" (Draft 6 , untitled, complete)
  16. "Pistol Politics" (false start #1)
  17. "Pistol Politics" (false start #2 and #3)
  18. Evil Deeds at Red Cougar
  19. Editorial Notes
  20. "Evil Deeds at Red Cougar" (untitled synopsis)
  21. "Evil Deeds at Red Cougar" (Draft 1 , untitled, complete)
  22. "Evil Deeds at Red Cougar" (Draft 2 , untitled, complete)
  23. "Evil Deeds at Red Cougar" (Draft 2-1 , untitled, alternate ending)
  24. "Evil Deeds at Red Cougar" (Draft 2-2 , untitled, alternate ending)
  25. "Evil Deeds at Red Cougar" (Draft 3 , untitled, complete)
  26. "Evil Deeds at Red Cougar" (false start #1)
  27. "Evil Deeds at Red Cougar" (false start #2)
  28. Gents on the Rampage
  29. Editorial Notes
  30. "Gents on the Rampage" (untitled synopsis, typescript page scan)
  31. "Gents on the Rampage" (untitled synopsis)
  32. "Gents on the Rampage" (Draft 1 , untitled, incomplete)
  33. "Gents on the Rampage" (Draft 2 , untitled, complete)
  34. "Gents on the Rampage" (Draft 3 , titled and complete)
  35. "Gents on the Rampage" (false start)
  36. Gents in Buckskin
  37. Editorial Notes
  38. "Gents in Buckskin" (Draft 1 , untitled, complete)
  39. "Gents in Buckskin" (Draft 2 , untitled, complete)
  40. "Gents in Buckskin" (Draft 3 , untitled, complete)
  41. "Gents in Buckskin" (Draft 4 , titled and complete)
  42. Politics at Lonesome Lizard
  43. Editorial Notes
  44. "Politics at Lonesome Lizard" (Draft 1 , untitled, complete)
  45. "Politics at Lonesome Lizard" (Draft 2 , untitled, complete)
  46. "Politics at Lonesome Lizard" (Draft 3 , titled and complete)
  47. Sharp’s Gun Serenade
  48. Editorial Notes
  49. "Sharp’s Gun Serenade" (Draft 1 , untitled, incomplete)
  50. "Sharp’s Gun Serenade" (Draft 2 , untitled, incomplete)

Contributors

REH)
Essayist
Leslie Ross
Cover artist

Characters / Featuring

Breckinridge Elkins

Additional related terms

Preserved from the former REH World tagging system; these terms have not yet been assigned as contributors, characters or subjects.

Dierk GüntherPaul HermanRobert E. HowardStåle Gismervik

Bibliographic and editorial layers

Bibliographic source layer

Title
First Cuts: The Drafts and Fragments Breckinridge Elkins: Rough Trails Volume 3
Publisher
REH Foundation Press
Date
April 2026 (Trade paperback) TBD 2026 (Hardcover)
Source file
Breckinridge_Elkins-Rough_Trails-Volume3-REHFPress.html

REH World editorial layer

Title
Breckinridge Elkins - First Cuts: The Drafts and Fragments - Rough Trails 3
Publisher
REH Foundation Press
Date
March 2026
Source provenance

This record combines the preserved source bibliography with a reviewed REH World editorial overlay. Editorial values are displayed when present; the imported bibliography remains the source fallback.