The Veiled Manuscripts is part of First Cuts: The Drafts and Fragments series and collects Robert E. Howard’s surviving drafts, synopses, and fragments connected to his spicy adventure stories. Several of the drafts included here have never been published before, making this volume a rare look at Howard’s working process in one of the most unusual corners of his career.
Presented from the original typescripts, the book includes editorial notes for each story, outlining publication history, known draft material, and available payment records where known. Footnotes document corrections, insertions, and other textual details. Designed as a companion to Spicy Adventures: The Ultimate Edition, this 500-page paperback edition also includes pulp-era illustrations connected to the stories.
The paperback edition is available first. A collector’s hardcover edition is also planned, following the style of the First Cuts Breckinridge project. This edition is expected to include a slipcase, foiled edges, ribbon marker, and head and tail bands. It will be available sometime after Howard Days, most likely in early fall.
Contents
- iii • Acknowledgments
- xi • Splashing the Field • Introduction by Ståle Gismervik
- xvii • On Editing Robert E. Howard • A Note on Language, Style, and Fidelity
The Girl on the Hell Ship
- 3 • The Girl on the Hell Ship • Editorial Notes
- 5 • The Girl on the Hell Ship — draft 1 • (untitled, complete)
- 21 • The Girl on the Hell Ship — draft 2 • (untitled, complete)
- 41 • The Girl on the Hell Ship — draft 3 • (untitled, complete)
Ship in Mutiny
- 61 • Ship in Mutiny • Editorial Notes
- 63 • Ship in Mutiny — synopsis • (untitled)
- 67 • Ship in Mutiny — draft 1 • (untitled, complete)
- 77 • Ship in Mutiny — draft 2 • (untitled, complete)
- 91 • Ship in Mutiny — draft 3 • (untitled, complete)
- 109 • Ship in Mutiny — draft 4 • (untitled, complete)
Desert Blood
- 129 • Desert Blood • Editorial Notes
- 131 • Desert Blood • (character notes)
- 133 • Desert Blood — draft 1 • (untitled, complete)
- 143 • Desert Blood — draft 2 • (untitled, complete)
- 157 • Desert Blood — draft 3 • (untitled, incomplete)
- 175 • Desert Blood — draft 4 • (untitled, complete)
- 193 • Desert Blood — draft 4 • (incomplete, false start – page 7)
The Purple Heart of Erlik
- 197 • The Purple Heart of Erlik • Editorial Notes
- 199 • The Purple Heart of Erlik — synopsis • (untitled)
- 203 • The Purple Heart of Erlik — draft 1 • (untitled, complete)
- 219 • The Purple Heart of Erlik — draft 2 • (untitled, complete)
- 237 • The Purple Heart of Erlik — draft 3 • (untitled, complete)
Daughters of Feud
- 257 • Daughters of Feud • Editorial Notes
- 259 • Daughters of Feud — synopsis • (untitled)
- 261 • Daughters of Feud — draft 1 • (untitled, complete)
- 279 • Daughters of Feud — draft 2 • (untitled, incomplete)
- 283 • Daughters of Feud — draft 3 • (untitled, complete)
Guns of Khartum
- 301 • Guns of Khartum • Editorial Notes
- 303 • Guns of Khartum — draft 1 • (untitled, complete)
- 321 • Guns of Khartum — draft 2 • (untitled, complete)
- 339 • Guns of Khartum — draft 2 • (untitled, incomplete – page 5 variant)
- 341 • Guns of Khartum — draft 2 • (untitled, incomplete – page 10 false start)
The Dragon of Kao Tsu
- 345 • The Dragon of Kao Tsu • Editorial Notes
- 347 • The Dragon of Kao Tsu — draft 1 • (untitled, complete)
- 363 • The Dragon of Kao Tsu — draft 2 • (untitled, incomplete)
- 369 • The Dragon of Kao Tsu — draft 3 • (untitled, complete)
- 389 • The Dragon of Kao Tsu — draft 4 • (untitled, complete)
Murderer’s Grog
- 409 • Murderer’s Grog • Editorial Notes
- 411 • Murderer’s Grog — synopsis • (untitled)
- 413 • Murderer’s Grog — draft 1 • (untitled, complete)
- 423 • Murderer’s Grog — draft 2 • (untitled, complete)
- 439 • Murderer’s Grog — draft 3 • (untitled, complete)
- 457 • Murderer’s Grog — draft 3-1 • (false start #1 – page 18)
- 459 • Murderer’s Grog — draft 3-2 • (alternative ending – page 17-19)
- 463 • Murderer’s Grog — draft 3-3 • (partial alternative ending – page 17-18)
| Publisher: | The REH Foundation Press |
| Year : | June 2026 |
| Type: | Paperback and upcoming collector’s hardcover edition |
| ISBN: | ISBN 978-1-955446-82-2 (Paperback) ISBN 978-1-955446-81-5 (Hardcover) ISBN 961-9-467000-01-3 (Slipcase Edition) |
| Edition : | First Cuts: The Drafts and Fragments – The Veiled Manuscripts |
| Format : | 6″ × 9″ paperback, perfect bound, matte cover. Collector’s hardcover edition planned with slipcase, foiled edges, ribbon marker, and head and tail bands. |
| Pages : | 500 |
| Cover : | Cover illustration by H. L. Parkhurst. Adapted from an illustration originally published in Spicy-Adventure Stories, Vol. 5, No. 3, December 1936, Culture Publications, Inc. Design and layout by Ståle Gismervi |
| Illustrations : | Several illustrations from pulp magazines – color photos of the pulp magazines where stories were published. Two illustrations by Clyde Caldwell |
Notes
Fun fact: the AI-cover test copies:
The covers below show the version of The Veiled Manuscripts that almost was.
This cover was initially approved for use by the REH Foundation Press. The covers for the Ultimate Edition series are all created by Mark Wheatley, whose work I greatly admire, but those covers are done for us free of charge and Mark is, understandably, a very busy man. Since The Veiled Manuscripts is a special side-project in the First Cuts series, I decided not to trouble him with this one and instead experimented with using AI as part of the cover process.
That, of course, opened the usual can of worms. Many people still believe that AI art is simply “stealing from artists,” even in a case like this where no artist was replaced, no paid commission was cancelled, and nobody lost a job. After some discussion, the board of directors of the Robert E. Howard Foundation decided that AI-generated artwork would not be used on covers published by the Foundation or the REH Foundation Press.
Because of that decision, this version of The Veiled Manuscripts was never officially published. A few test copies had already been ordered, so a small number of these “could-have-been” editions exist, but they are not part of the official release.
They are shown here simply as a curiosity — a glimpse at the version that almost made it through the veil before being heroically rescued from the terrible clutches of modern technology.
Numbers printed:
Only a very small number of copies were produced with this original AI-assisted cover before the decision was made not to use it for the official release. These were test copies and presentation copies only, and the edition was never officially published.
A total of 10 paperback copies were printed:
- 1 copy for Paul Herman
- 1 copy for John Bullard
- 2 copies for Ståle Gismervik
- 5 copies for Howard Days (whether they will be sold or not depens on Paul or if anyone asks about them)
It seems the REH Foundation’s board of directors has decided to burn these books. It’s not a decision I agree on. It might decide my future involvement with them. - 1 copy for Clyde Caldwell, as thanks for permission to use two of his illustrations in the book
As for the collector’s hardcover edition, only two copies are known to exist at the time of writing:
- 1 collector’s hardcover without slipcase, given by Ståle Gismervik to Bodo Schäfer. This copy has a slight misalignment of the gold foiling.
- 1 collector’s hardcover with slipcase, still in production at the time of writing and not yet seen in finished form.
So while this version of The Veiled Manuscripts was never officially released, the few AI-cover test copies that do exist may one day become an odd little rarity in the history of the First Cuts series.
