Etchings in Ivory: Poems in Prose

Poetry collection. Edited by Glenn Lord. These poems are reprinted in THE BOOK OF ROBERT E HOWARD (Berkley & Zebra). Exposing a Noteworthy Forgery: Glenn Lord's 'Etchings in Ivory'A remarkable discovery in the world of REH collectibles surfaced with the identification of a forgery of Glenn Lord’s poetry chapbook "Etchings in Ivory" (1968). Initially mistaken for the original on an online auction, this copy represents a curious facet of REH memorabilia. The forgery, even featured on the bibliographic site HowardWorks.com, was sold for approximately $100, aligning with the market value of the authentic chapbook.Glenn Lord himself brought attention to this counterfeit in his fanzine, as documented in the REHeapa Winter Solstice 2018 issue. He outlined the key differences: the original's cover is olive-gold, in contrast to the forgery's tannish-brown; the paper of the original bears an ivory hue, whereas the counterfeit is noticeably whiter. A striking difference is evident in the cover lettering - the original showcases Howard’s name in 4mm high capitals, while the forgery combines 6mm capitals and 4mm lowercase letters.

There is a very good forgery of the little Howard booklet that I published in 1968 under title Etchings in Ivory, so if anyone is offered copies at what seems a good price ‒ beware! The differences are as follow: the original cover was an olive-gold while the forgery is a tannish-brown; the original paper is an ivory shade while the forgery is much whiter. The most obvious difference is the cover lettering; there is no discernible difference in the title, but in the original Howard’s name was in 4mm high capital letters, while: the forgery is in both caps (6mm) and lower case (4mm). Stuart Schiff plans to publicize this matter in Whispers. (Glenn Lord's The Howard Collector #19, p. 2)

The mastermind behind this sophisticated forgery was revealed by chapbook and fanzine publisher George T. Hamilton as Fred Cook from Wadsworth, Ohio. Cook was known for publishing counterfeits of Lord's "The Howard Collector" journal, with discrepancies such as black ink for the cover title lettering instead of the original red (used in Lord’s first seven issues). This detail is not widely known, even on HowardWorks.com. Public records identify Fred S. Cook (1929-1997) as the individual behind these forgeries. Cook had also published "Bronze Shadows," a pulp zine featuring at least 14 issues, including an article on Conan in its 13th issue.