The 2nd, edition Ace book. ‘Worms of the Earth’ is a short story by American fantasy fiction writer Robert E. Howard. It was originally published in the magazine Weird Tales in November 1932, then again in this collection of Howard’s short stories. The story features one of Howard’s recurring protagonists, Bran Mak Morn, a legendary king of the Picts. 

Also contains the Dark Man with Turlogh O’Brien and several other Bran Mak Morn stories.

Contents

•  Worms of the Earth • (1974) • interior artwork by David Ireland
• 9 • Foreword (Worms of the Earth) • (1932) • essay by Robert E. Howard
• 17 • The Lost Race • [Bran Mak Morn] • (1927) • short story by Robert E. Howard
• 38 • Men of the Shadows • [Bran Mak Morn] • (1969) • novelette by Robert E. Howard
• 74 • Kings of the Night • [Bran Mak Morn] • (1930) • novelette by Robert E. Howard
• 130 • A Song of the Race • [Bran Mak Morn] • (1969) • poem by Robert E. Howard
• 133 • Worms of the Earth • [Bran Mak Morn] • (1932) • novelette by Robert E. Howard
• 175 • Untitled fragment (“A grey sky arched over…”) • [Bran Mak Morn] • (1969) • short story by Robert E. Howard
• 191 • The Dark Man • [Turlogh O’Brien] • (1931) • novelette by Robert E. Howard

Notes

Cover art by Sanjulian on copyright page, no visible signature on the artwork
“Illustrated by David Ireland” on title page, none of the four full-page drawings are signed

Photo-offset from the Donald M. Grant edition including the David Ireland black & white illustrations.
“The Drums of Pictdom” appears in the Author’s Foreword.
The following three poems are included as untitled verse in “Men of the Shadows”:
“Chant of the White Beard”
“Rune”
“Song of the Pict”