The Tower of the Elephant: Typescript - Early Draft

Composed circa April 1932,  THE TOWER OF THE ELEPHANT was written on the heels of THE HYBORIAN AGE, the essay in which Howard delineated the background of the pseudo-historical world in which the Conan series is set. It is thus the first Conan tale was conceived after Howard had a clear view of the history, geography, and peoples of his Hyborian world, as testify the opening chapter and Yag-kosha's monologue later on.While it had taken the Texan several versions to be satisfied With "The Phoenix on the Sword" and God in the Bowl," "Tower" necessitated only one draft before he composed his final version. This was not a case of haste or indifference: Howard obviously knew the story he wanted to tell from the very first page, and the Hyborian background was quite fresh in his mind. "Tower" was quickly bought by Farnsworth Wright and published in the March 1933 issue of Weird Tales. The differences between the two texts are rather minimal, but we thought you'd enjoy seeing the first draft of a story that has since become a classic. —Patrice Louinet

Prepared for publication for Worldcon 2013 by Rob Roehm

Mailed to REHF Legacy Circle members with The Robert E. Howard Newsletter Volume 7 Number 3. Also available for individual sale at World Con 2013. Not available for individual sale.

This newsletter was provided to Friends of REH and Legacy Circle members of the Robert E. Howard Foundation.
It is a limited edition and all surplus copies will be destroyed at year’s end.