The Return of Conan is the sixth book published by Gnome, but for some reason considered the last in the series. It contains four stories originally written by Howard, but changed into Conan stories by L. Spraque de Camp. Since de Camp was interested in placing the stories chronologically, the four short stories collected as Tales of Conan represent an add-on to Gnome’s Conan series, coming between stories published in the remaining volumes. The first “tale” would fall within the collection The Coming of Conan, the second between that volume and the collection Conan the Barbarian, the third within Conan the Barbarian, and the fourth between that volume and the collection The Sword of Conan.
The Gnome Press edition of Conan was the first hardcover collection of Howard’s Conan stories, including all the original Howard material known to exist at the time, some left unpublished in his lifetime. Not published in order of previous publication, Gnome’s volumes were organized to present the stories in order of their internal chronology, the sole exception being Tales of Conan, which skipped around to present random episodes from various points in the protagonist’s career. Some stories in two of the later volumes (The Coming of Conan and King Conan) were completed or revised by L. Sprague de Camp; another (Tales of Conan) consisted of non-Conan Howard stories that de Camp rewrote as Conan yarns. The last published volume of the Gnome edition was the first Conan story by an author other than Howard, namely Björn Nyberg, and was revised by de Camp.
Contents
- 4 • Tales of Conan (Map of the world of Conan) • interior artwork by L. Sprague de Camp and David A. Kyle [as by L. Sprague de Camp and David Kyle]
- 9 • Introduction: There’ll Always Be a Conan • essay by P. Schuyler Miller
- 15 • Ghostly Note • essay by L. Sprague de Camp
- 17 • The Blood-Stained God • [Conan] • novelette by L. Sprague de Camp and Robert E. Howard
- 39 • Hawks Over Shem • [Conan] • (1955) • novelette by L. Sprague de Camp and Robert E. Howard
- 83 • The Road of the Eagles • [Conan] • (1955) • novelette by L. Sprague de Camp and Robert E. Howard
- 121 • The Flame Knife • [Conan] • novella by L. Sprague de Camp and Robert E. Howard
Notes
Gray cloth boards.
“First Edition” stated on copyright page.
No date of publication given.
4000 copies according to Laughlin & Levack, De Camp, Underwood-Miller, 1983.
According to Currey and L&L, there were five bindings: originally in red paper boards, but later (1) green cloth, (2) gray cloth, (3) black paper and (4) gray paper. L&L relates that all copies were printed at the same time, but the red boards were the first bound
Source: Wikipedia.
Publisher: | Gnome Press |
Year : | 1955 |
Book No. : | None |
Edition : | 1st |
Format : | Hardcover with dust jacket |
Pages : | 219 |
Cover : | Ed Emshwiller |
Illustrations : | None |