The Lion of Tiberias is one of Howard’s historical Crusader-era stories. Farnsworth Wright returned it for revision in a June 1932 letter, advising Howard to discard much of the historical opening, begin with the capture of Achmet and Norwald, and move the necessary background into a brief flashback. Wright praised the story from that point onward.

The revised story was published in The Magic Carpet Magazine in July 1933. Howard received $110.