Sword Woman and Other Historical Adventures
Publication date: January 2011
Introduction
This is a great compendium of Howard’s fiction and poetry. These adventures, set in medieval-era Europe and the Near East, are among the most gripping Howard ever wrote, full of pageantry, romance, and battle scenes worthy of Tolstoy himself. Most of all, they feature some of Howard’s most unusual and memorable characters, including Cormac Fitzgeoffrey, a half-Irish, half-Norman man of war who follows Richard the Lion-hearted to twelfth-century Palestine—or, as it was known to the Crusaders, Outremer; Diego de Guzman, a Spaniard who visits Cairo in the guise of a Muslim on a mission of revenge; and the legendary sword woman Dark Agnès, who, faced with an arranged marriage to a brutal husband in sixteenth-century France, cuts the ceremony short with a dagger thrust and flees to forge a new identity on the battlefield.
Lavishly illustrated by award-winning artist John Watkiss and featuring miscellanea, informative essays, and a fascinating introduction by acclaimed historical author Scott Oden, Sword Woman and Other Historical Adventures is a must-have for every fan of Robert E. Howard, who, in a career spanning just twelve years, won a place in the pantheon of great American writers.
Notes
Edited by Rusty Burke
Art Directors: Jim & Ruth Keegan
Typographer: Stuart Williams
The texts for this edition were based on Howard's original typescripts or the first published appearance if a typescript was unavailable.
"Mistress of Death"
There are two drafts of this story. The final paragraphs of the first draft appear to be a synopsis of the stories conclusion. The second draft stops abruptly as John and Agnes are about to run off to the house of Francoise de Bretagny. In SWORD WOMAN, the final paragraphs from the first draft were used to provide some closure.
Full number line on the copyright page indicates first printing.
"A Del Rey Trade Paperback Original" on copyright page.
Cover artist credited on back cover; interior art credited on front cover and title page.
Edition and production details
- Format details
- Trade paperback
- Format
- Trade paperback
- Publication date
- January 2011
- Identifiers
- ISBN-13: 978-0-345-50545-0
- Pages
- xxii plus 547
- Publisher / imprint
- Ballantine Books - Del Rey
- Cover art
- John Watkiss
- Illustrations
- John Watkiss
28 linked Howard works
- A Thousand Years Agoverse
- Blades for Francestory
- Gates of Empirestory
- Hawks of Outremerstory
- Hawks Over Egyptstory
- Lord of Samarcandstory
- Mistress of Deathstory
- Recap of Harold Lamb’s "The Wolf Chaserstory
- Red Blades of Black Cathaystory
- Spears of Clontarfstory
- Sword Womanstory
- The Blood of Belshazzarstory
- The Lion of Tiberiasstory
- The Outgoing of Sigurd the Jerusalem-Farerverse
- The Road of Azraelstory
- The Road of the Eaglesstory
- The Shadow of the Vulturestory
- The Sign of the Sickleverse
- The Skull in the Cloudsverse
- The Slave-Princessstory
- The Slave-Princessstory
- The Sowers of the Thunderstory
- The Track of Bohemundstory
- The Way of the Swordsstory
- Timur-Langverse
- Untitled (He knew De Bracy, they having fought against the Saracens …)story
- Untitled (The Persians had all fled …)story
- Untitled (The wind from the Mediterranean wafted …)story
65 contents entries
- "Artists' Forward" by John Watkiss
- Sword Woman and Other Historical Adventures • (2011) • interior artwork by John Watkiss artwork
- "Introduction" by Scott Oden
- Artist's Foreword (Sword Woman and Other Historical Adventures) • (2011) • essay by John Watkiss xv · introduction
- "Spears of Clontarf"
- Introduction (Sword Woman and Other Historical Adventures) • (2011) • essay by Scott Oden xvii · introduction
- "Hawks Over Egypt"
- Spears of Clontarf • non-genre • [Turlogh O'Brien] • (1978) • novelette by Robert E. Howard 1 · novelette
- "The Outgoing of Sigurd the Jerusalem-Farer" (poem)
- Hawks Over Egypt • (1979) • novelette by Robert E. Howard 33 · novelette
- "The Road of Azrael"
- The Outgoing of Sigurd the Jerusalem-Farer • (1975) • poem by Robert E. Howard 69 · poem
- "The Lion of Tiberias"
- The Road of Azrael • (1976) • novelette by Robert E. Howard 71 · novelette
- "Gates of Empire"
- The Lion of Tiberias • non-genre • (1933) • novelette by Robert E. Howard 107 · novelette
- "Hawks of Outremer"
- Gates of Empire • (1939) • novelette by Robert E. Howard 135 · novelette
- "The Blood of Belshazzar"
- Hawks of Outremer • non-genre • [Cormac FitzGeoffrey] • (1931) • novelette by Robert E. Howard 169 · novelette
- "Red Blades of Black Cathay"
- The Blood of Belshazzar • non-genre • [Cormac FitzGeoffrey] • (1931) • novelette by Robert E. Howard 197 · novelette
- "The Sowers of the Thunder"
- Red Blades of Black Cathay • non-genre • (1931) • novelette by Robert E. Howard and Tevis Clyde Smith 225 · novelette
- "The Skull in the Clouds" ( poem )
- The Sowers of the Thunder • non-genre • (1932) • novelette by Robert E. Howard 253 · novelette
- "A Thousand Years Ago" ( poem )
- The Skull in the Clouds • (1962) • poem by Robert E. Howard 291 · poem
- "Lord of Samarcand"
- A Thousand Years Ago • (1976) • poem by Robert E. Howard 293 · poem
- "Timur-Lang" ( poem )
- Lord of Samarcand • non-genre • (1932) • novelette by Robert E. Howard 295 · novelette
- "Sword Woman"
- Timur-Lang • (1964) • poem by Robert E. Howard 329 · poem
- "Blades for France"
- Sword Woman • [Agnes de Chastillon] • (1975) • novelette by Robert E. Howard 331 · novelette
- "The Shadow of the Vulture"
- Blades for France • non-genre • [Agnes de Chastillon] • (1975) • novelette by Robert E. Howard 365 · novelette
- "The Road of the Eagles"
- The Shadow of the Vulture • non-genre • (1934) • novelette by Robert E. Howard 387 · novelette
- Miscellanea
- The Road of the Eagles • (2005) • novelette by Robert E. Howard 423 · novelette
- Untitled Fragment "The Track of Bohemund"
- The Track of Bohemund (unfinished draft) • (2005) • short fiction by Robert E. Howard 459 · story
- Untitled Synopsis "The Slave-Princess"
- The Slave-Princess (synopsis) • non-genre • [Cormac FitzGeoffrey] • (2005) • short fiction by Robert E. Howard 475 · story
- Untitled Fragment "The Slave-Princess"
- The Slave-Princess • non-genre • [Cormac FitzGeoffrey] • (2005) • short fiction by Robert E. Howard 477 · story
- Untitled Fragment "He knew de Bracy …"
- Untitled Fragment ("He knew de Bracy ...") • (2005) • short fiction by Robert E. Howard 495 · story
- Untitled Fragment "The wind from the Mediterranean …"
- Untitled fragment ("The wind from the Mediterranean ...") • (1959) • short fiction by Robert E. Howard 497 · story
- Recap of Harold Lamb’s "The Wolf Chaser"
- Recap of Harold Lamb's "The Wolf Chaser" • (2005) • short fiction by Robert E. Howard 499 · story
- Untitled Fragment "The Persians had all fled …"
- Untitled Draft ("The Persians had all fled ...") • (2005) • short fiction by Robert E. Howard 501 · story
- "The Sign of the Sickle" (poem)
- The Sign of the Sickle • (2002) • poem by Robert E. Howard 503 · poem
- "Mistress of Death" (See Notes)
- Mistress of Death • (2011) • short fiction by Robert E. Howard 505 · story
- Appendices
- Howard's Journey • (2011) • essay by Howard Andrew Jones 515 · essay
- "Howard's Journey" by Howard Andrew Jones This article contains brief excerpts from two REH letters: To H.P. Lovecraft, ca. December 1930, "As always, your letter proved highly …" To H.P. Lovecraft, ca. April 1932, "At last I’ve gotten around …"
- Notes on the Original Howard Texts (Sword Woman and Other Historical Adventures) • (2011) • essay by uncredited 537 · essay
- Notes on the Original Howard Texts
Contributors
- John Watkiss
- Cover artist, Illustrator
Additional related terms
Preserved from the former REH World tagging system; these terms have not yet been assigned as contributors, characters or subjects.
Bibliographic and editorial layers
Howard Works source layer
- Title
- Sword Woman and Other Historical Adventures
- Publisher
- Ballantine Books - Del Rey
- Date
- January 2011
- Source file
- swordwomanandotherhistoricaladventures.html
REH World editorial layer
- Title
- Sword Woman and Other Historical Adventures
- Publisher
- Ballantine Books - Del Rey
- Date
- January 2011