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Cover of First Passage - Early Drafts of Beloved Yarns
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First Passage - Early Drafts of Beloved Yarns

REH Foundation Press

2026
Edition format
HardcoverPaperback
Contains
Stories

Publication date: March 2026

Introduction

First Passage is a special fundraising volume produced by Dennis McHaney in support of the Robert E. Howard Museum in Cross Plains, Texas. All earnings from this book go directly to the museum.

This book is not part of the Ultimate Edition series. It is an independent project created specifically as a fundraiser for the Museum.

This substantial 504-page hardcover presents early drafts of some of Robert E. Howard’s most celebrated stories, offering readers a rare look at the author’s working process. These drafts reveal revisions, structural changes, tonal shifts, and the development of characters and themes before the stories reached their final published form.

The volume is illustrated by Gary Gianni, with cover design by Jim Keegan, and includes a foreword by Dennis McHaney.

For scholars, collectors, and dedicated readers, First Passage provides valuable insight into Howard’s creative evolution across multiple genres, including adventure, horror, historical fiction, and fantasy.

Notes

Foreword by: Dennis McHaney
Illustrations by: Gary Gianni
Cover design by: Jim Keegan
Length: 504 pages, creme 70, paperback or hardcover with dust jacket
Series: Stand-alone – Not part of the Ultimate Edition series
Purpose: All proceeds benefit the Robert E. Howard Museum, Cross Plains, Texas

 

Edition and production details

Language
English
Edition
1st
Edition format
hardcover
Publication date
March 2026
Identifiers
978-1-955446-73-0 (Paperback) 978-1-955446-72-3 (Hardcover)
Pages
504
Publisher / imprint
The REH Foundation Press
Cover art
Gary Gianni (layout by Jim Keegan)
Illustrations
Illustrated by Gary Gianni
Edition
1st
Edition format
paperback
Publication date
March 2026
Identifiers
978-1-955446-73-0 (Paperback) 978-1-955446-72-3 (Hardcover)
Pages
504
Publisher / imprint
The REH Foundation Press
Cover art
Gary Gianni (layout by Jim Keegan)
Illustrations
Illustrated by Gary Gianni

15 linked Howard works

19 contents entries

  1. "Foreword / Acknowledgements" by Dennis McHaney
  2. Foreword vii · introduction
  3. "Introduction" by Dennis McHaney
  4. Introduction x · introduction
  5. " Black Vulmea’s Vengeance " ( Draft 2 )
  6. " The Cairn on the Headland " ( Draft 2 )
  7. " The Horror from the Mound " ( Draft 1 )
  8. " Pigeons from Hell " ( Draft 3 )
  9. " The Hoofed Thing " ( Draft 2 )
  10. " Old Garfield’s Heart " ( Draft 1 )
  11. " The Dead Remember " ( Draft 1 )
  12. " Kings of the Night " ( Draft 1 )
  13. " The Footfalls Within " ( Draft 1 )
  14. " Wings in the Night " ( Draft 1 )
  15. " The Shadow of the Vulture " ( Draft 3 )
  16. " The Voice of El-Lil " ( Draft 1 )
  17. " Hawks of Outremer " ( Draft 1 )
  18. " Son of the White Wolf " ( Draft 5 )
  19. " Hawk of the Hills " ( Draft 3 )

Contributors

Dennis McHaney
Foreword author, Introduction author
Gary Gianni
Illustrator, Cover artist
Jim Keegan
Cover designer

Additional related terms

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

Robert E. Howard

Bibliographic and editorial layers

Bibliographic source layer

Title
First Passage Early Drafts of Beloved Yarns
Publisher
REH Foundation Press
Date
March 2026
Source file
First_Passage-REHFPress.html

REH World editorial layer

Title
First Passage - Early Drafts of Beloved Yarns
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.