Introduction

“The Pool of the Black One” is one of the original shorts starring Conan the Cimmerian. Howard earned $110 for this story.

It’s set in the pseudo-historical Hyborian Age and concerns Conan becoming the captain of a pirate vessel while encountering a remote island with a mysterious pool that has the power of transmutation.

First published in Weird Tales in October 1933, the story was republished in the collections The Sword of Conan (Gnome Press, 1952) and Conan the Adventurer (Lancer Books, 1966).

From the letters

From a letter (#259) to H.P. Lovecraft, ca. September or October 1933 Howard talks his tale down:

I liked your “Festival” reprint in the current Weird Tales. Indeed, I believe I like it as well as anything else I ever read of yours. It will quite overshadow my Conan yarn,22 but being overshadowed by your stories is no disgrace.

August Derleth obviously liked it as we learn from a letter (#263) Howard wrote to him, ca. October 1933:

Glad you liked my “Pool of the Black One”. I got a big kick out of Lovecraft’s story, as well as those of Smith, Long etc. I was disappointed at your not being represented in that issue. Hope you have one in the next

Published in:

The L. Sprague de Camp edited version of this story appears in the following places: 

Listen to the story:

Source and credits:

Teaser image by Petar Stanimirov.