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Cover of The Hardboiled Manuscripts, Volume 2
Contains Robert E. Howard’s work
REH World editorial overlay

The Hardboiled Manuscripts, Volume 2

REH Foundation Press

2026
Edition format
HardcoverPaperback
Contains
Stories

Publication date: 2026 (forthcoming)

Series / set

Two-volume First Cuts collection of Robert E. Howard’s detective manuscripts. Forthcoming.

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Publication relationships

Related publications

Introduction

Forthcoming. Official publication is planned for the week of 12 October 2026; the exact release date has not yet been confirmed.

The Hardboiled Manuscripts, Volume 2 continues First Cuts: The Drafts and Fragments, compiled and transcribed by Ståle Gismervik and published by REH Foundation Press. The volume presents Steve Harrison material for The Silver Heel, the untitled synopsis beginning “Steve Harrison Received a Wire . . .,” and Graveyard Rats, followed by the Gorman and Kirby stories The Hand of the Black Goddess and Sons of Hate.

Notes

Includes Dierk Günther’s essay “Barbarism and Detective Fiction: REH’s Steve Harrison Stories,” “On Editing Robert E. Howard: A Note on Language, Style, and Fidelity,” the character timeline for The Silver Heel, and the appendix “Notes on Gorman and Kirby.”

The appendix names its characters Bill Gorman and John Stalbridge Kirby.

The cover and box images shown are design mockups.

Works in REH Writings

Edition and production details

Language
English
Edition
First edition — forthcoming
Edition format
Paperback
Publication date
2026 (forthcoming; official publication planned for week of 12 October)
Identifiers
ISBN 978-1-955446-86-0
Pages
510
Publisher / imprint
REH Foundation Press
Editor
Ståle Gismervik (compiler and transcriber)
Cover art
Adapted from an uncredited illustration in Strange Detective Stories, February 1934; artist unknown
Illustrations
Frontispiece by Mark Wheatley, created for this edition
Edition
First edition — forthcoming
Edition format
Hardcover
Publication date
2026 (forthcoming; official publication planned for week of 12 October)
Identifiers
ISBN 978-1-955446-85-3
Pages
510
Publisher / imprint
REH Foundation Press
Editor
Ståle Gismervik (compiler and transcriber)
Cover art
Adapted from an uncredited illustration in Strange Detective Stories, February 1934; artist unknown
Illustrations
Frontispiece by Mark Wheatley, created for this edition

29 Howard works in this publication

37 contents entries

  1. Acknowledgments v · Front matter
  2. Barbarism and Detective Fiction: REH’s Steve Harrison Stories xi · Essay · Dierk Günther
  3. On Editing Robert E. Howard: A Note on Language, Style, and Fidelity xxi · Editorial essay · Ståle Gismervik
  4. The Silver Heel — character timeline 2 · Character timeline · Separate preparatory document; TSS 90412
  5. The Silver Heel — editorial notes 3 · Editorial notes · Ståle Gismervik
  6. The Silver Heel — synopsis 1 5 · Synopsis · Untitled; complete
  7. The Silver Heel — synopsis 2 9 · Synopsis · Untitled; complete
  8. The Silver Heel — synopsis 3 13 · Synopsis · Untitled; incomplete: first two pages missing
  9. The Silver Heel — synopsis 4 15 · Synopsis · Titled; complete
  10. The Silver Heel — synopsis 5 21 · Synopsis · Final synopsis; titled; complete; word count
  11. The Silver Heel — draft 1 29 · Draft · Titled; complete; dwindles into synopsis form
  12. The Silver Heel — draft 2 51 · Draft · Titled; complete; dwindles into synopsis form
  13. The Silver Heel — draft 3 85 · Draft · Titled; complete
  14. “Steve Harrison Received a Wire . . .” — editorial notes 131 · Editorial notes · Ståle Gismervik
  15. “Steve Harrison Received a Wire . . .” — synopsis 133 · Synopsis · Complete two-page untitled synopsis; no story typescript known to survive
  16. Graveyard Rats — editorial notes 137 · Editorial notes · Ståle Gismervik
  17. Graveyard Rats — draft 1 139 · Draft · Untitled; incomplete; carbon; first page and ending material missing
  18. Graveyard Rats — draft 2 171 · Draft · Untitled; incomplete; two surviving pages numbered 10 and 11
  19. Graveyard Rats — draft 3 173 · Draft · Titled carbon of final draft; incomplete because words are missing on page 24
  20. The Hand of the Black Goddess — editorial notes 203 · Editorial notes · Ståle Gismervik
  21. The Hand of the Black Goddess — draft 1 205 · Draft · Untitled; unfinished; dwindles into synopsis form
  22. The Hand of the Black Goddess — draft 1-1 221 · Draft · Untitled; unfinished; overlaps Draft 1; dwindles into synopsis form
  23. The Hand of the Black Goddess — draft 1-2 237 · Draft · Untitled; incomplete
  24. The Hand of the Black Goddess — draft 2 249 · Draft · Untitled; complete
  25. The Hand of the Black Goddess — draft 3 281 · Draft · Titled; complete
  26. The Hand of the Black Goddess — draft 3 false start 1 317 · False start · Page 9; TSS 45081
  27. The Hand of the Black Goddess — draft 3 false start 2 319 · False start · Page 14; TSS 28565
  28. Sons of Hate — editorial notes 323 · Editorial notes · Ståle Gismervik
  29. Sons of Hate — synopsis 1 325 · Synopsis · Untitled; early portion differs from final narrative
  30. Sons of Hate — synopsis 2 327 · Synopsis · Untitled; partial early version differs from final narrative
  31. Sons of Hate — synopsis 3 329 · Synopsis · Untitled; later portion differs from final narrative
  32. Sons of Hate — draft 1 331 · Draft · Untitled; complete; dwindles into synopsis form
  33. Sons of Hate — draft 2 347 · Draft · Untitled; incomplete
  34. Sons of Hate — draft 3 363 · Draft · Untitled; complete; 40 pages
  35. Sons of Hate — draft 4 401 · Draft · Untitled; incomplete; pages 11–20 missing
  36. Sons of Hate — draft 5 435 · Draft · Titled; complete; bylined
  37. Notes on Gorman and Kirby 479 · Character notes · Appendix; TSS 90363; names in this note are Bill Gorman and John Stalbridge Kirby

Contributors

Ståle Gismervik
Compiler and transcriber; editorial notes
Dierk Günther
Essay author
Mark Wheatley
Frontispiece illustrator

Characters / Featuring

Steve HarrisonBrent KirbyButch Gorman

Subjects and genres

Detective fictionCrime fictionManuscriptsTextual scholarshipDrafts and fragments

Bibliographic and editorial layers

Bibliographic source layer

Title
The Hardboiled Manuscripts, Volume 2
Publisher
REH Foundation Press
Date
2026 (forthcoming)
Source file
reh-world-local-9000000202.html

REH World editorial layer

Title
The Hardboiled Manuscripts, Volume 2
Publisher
REH Foundation Press
Date
2026 (forthcoming)
Source provenance

This record combines the preserved source bibliography with a reviewed REH World editorial overlay. Editorial values are displayed when present; the imported bibliography remains the source fallback.