The Book of Robert E. Howard

by Robert E. Howard, Glenn Lord (Editor), Jeff Jones (Illustrator)

From the mighty pen that created Conan, Kull and Cormac comes this sweeping collection of stories of sword and sorcery; trembling tales of horror; fantasies so weird they defy description. Here is some of Howard's best work.

Contents:

"Introduction" by Glenn Lord
"Pigeons From Hell"
"Recompense" (poem)
"The Pit of the Serpent"
"Empire" (poem)
"Etchings in Ivory" (prose poems)
"Proem"
"Flaming Marble"
"Skulls and Orchids"
"Medallions in the Moon"
"The Gods That Men Forget"
"Bloodstones and Ebony"
"Thor's Son" (poem)
"Cimmeria" (poem)
"A Sonnet of Good Cheer" (poem)
"Red Blades of Black Cathay"
"The Dust Dance" (poem)
"The Bar by the Side of the Road" (poem)
"Knife, Bullet and Noose"
"The Gold and the Grey" (poem)
"Gents on the Lynch"
"A Song Out of Midian" (poem)
"She Devil"
"The Day That I Die" (poem)
"The Voice of El-Lil"
"Black Wind Blowing"
"The Curse of the Golden Skull"
"Black Talons"
Notes

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Horror, Pulp, Fiction, Poetry, Adventure

345 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Robert Ervin Howard was an American pulp writer of fantasy, horror, historical adventure, boxing, western, and detective fiction. Howard wrote "over three-hundred stories and seven-hundred poems of raw power and unbridled emotion" and is especially noted for his memorable depictions of "a sombre universe of swashbuckling adventure and darkling horror."

He is well known for having created—in the pages of the legendary Depression-era pulp magazine Weird Tales—the character Conan the Cimmerian, a.k.a. Conan the Barbarian, a literary icon whose pop-culture imprint can only be compared to such icons as Tarzan of the Apes, Count Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, and James Bond.

—Wikipedia

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good sampler of Howard's work other than the most popular series such as the Conan stories. Lord assembled a lot of his poetry and included a horror story (the classic Pigeons From Hell), a boxing story, a spicy/detective story, a humorous Western tall-tale, etc. Lord included story introductions that were informative and interesting. It's a fine showcase for Howard's broad pulp range, and offers something for almost everybody. It's a fine REH primer.

[Leothefox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much like “The Second Book of Robert E. Howard”, which I read first, this was well worth the read. It's another Glenn Lord edited Zebra collection with Jeff Jones art, full of stuff that hadn't been put in collections yet at that time. A major advantage to that is the broad variety of genres on display here, unlike most Howard collections which focus on the sword and sorcery with some horror and general adventure tossed on to pad things out.

This one has got historical romance, boxing stories, comedic westerns, weird menace, detective stuff, and some weird variations! There's even a bizarro historical thing called “Etchings in Ivory” that was unexpected to say the least.

The prologue is up front about the lack of Conan and Solomon Kane stories, which I think is a good thing since those have been printed ad nauseum. There is a Kull story, although Kull isn't really in it.

There are also poems. Tons of poems! In general I'm not too crazy for poems, but a couple of the ones here were actually pretty sweet in that they sounded exactly like metal lyrics. Hell, one of them I sang to myself like Bruce Dickinson and it was awesome!

Robert E. Howard wrote a lot, he pretty much shat stories, and he made a living at it. Because of this, he did repeat himself a tad, and my only real issue with his writing is that sometimes I'm not sure which of his stuff I have and haven't read. Titles change and setting and characters get hard to tell apart sometimes. With the weird menace stories I pop into the story at night in the country among the pines where a muscled guy who is quick to anger encounters an evil of some form or another, and I think “where have I seen this before?”. Of course, it's all fun for me in spite of that, so I keep coming back.

Genghis Khan appears in one story, there's also a pirate “spicy” adventure, a Pike Bearfield story in the form of a letter, and some supernatural horror. Highlights include “The Voice of El-Lil”, “Black Talons”, “Pigeons from Hell”, and “Etchings in Ivory”. The whole book was thoroughly awesome and you should read it.

[Little Timmy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is another of the heavily edited collections of Robert E. Howard's stories. I am a purist when it comes to a writers works. I know some of these stories are no longer PC but they should be read as Howard wrote them and understood that he wrote in another time period. Don't read this book unless you just can't find any others of Howard's unedited books to read. Message me if you need a list of what is good from this awesome fantasy and action writer.

[Frankie Roxx · Rating 4 out of 5]

While as a whole I prefer the collected stories contained within The Second book of Robert E. Howard more so than I do this particular collection I still consider this an excellent and well put together portfolio of Howard's writing. Sporting an introduction from Glenn Lord just as it's “sequel” collection did this book does not, and sadly so in my opinion, follow it up with a letter from Howard as the Second book did. It might seem a minor complaint but as I mentioned in my review of the Second book; the letter itself added immensely to my overall enjoyment of the collection and I greatly enjoyed the insight it gave us into Howard's life and thoughts.

Following this-- this collection kicks things off in a big way, so to speak, with what's arguably the best horror story that Howard ever wrote, “Pigeons from Hell”. Now personally I love the tale and have ever since I first read my way through the stark tapestry of horror it paints out for us via Howard's prose. I'm saving the majority of my thoughts on this particular tale for a latter planned review of the Zebra released book of the same name. Next to come in a well versed bit of poetry followed by one of the true gems of this collection; a boxing tale as only Howard could write starring Sailor Steve Costigan. Now over the years I've read quite a bit of Howard's boxing tales both the comedic and the more somber and while I tend to enjoy both it's the more comedic (Sailor Steve and Dennis Dorgan) type pugilistic tales that I prefer from Howard. So to say that “The Pit of the Serpent” was easily one of my favorite tales in this collection is an understatement.

Next a few poems follow two of which, “Thor's Son” and “Cimmeria” I enjoyed immensely. Along with these are a small collection of prose poems gathered together under the title “Etchings in Ivory”. Some excellent material that paints vivid imagery of savagery and barbarism in all their glory. This all serves to wet the appetite yet not sate it; the book is quick to correct that, however, with a fantastic bit of historical fiction in the form of “Red Blades of Black Cathay” which is yet another gem in this collection and one of my favorite tales contained herein. A rousing tale filled with gloriously depicted scenes of battle and majesty; the kind of writing that Howard excelled at. While this book contains some excellent stories and poems within it's pages this tale, by far, stands out midst the rest and is worth tracking down and diving headlong into.

Two more poems follow before we're treated to one of Howard's straight (as opposed to his more comedic) Western's, “Knife, Bullet, and Noose” starring the Sonora Kid. I've noticed that some Howard fans have shown less interest in his more serious Western's though for me personally I've always considered them a treat. A huge fan of Western books, comics and films (especially Spaghetti Westerns!!!) I enjoyed this tale and was glad to see it contributed as part of the collection and felt it only added to the over all enjoyability of the book.

Two excellent poems,”The Gold and the Grey” & “A Song out of Midian” follow along with one of Howard's always enjoyable humorous Western yarns starring the Breckinridge Elkins like character Pike Bearfield of Wolf Mountain, Texas. The tale “Gents on the Lynch” does not disappoint and left me wanting to read the scant few other Pike Bearfield tales that Howard wrote before his suicide. In a wise editorial move the tale and poems are followed up by the incredibly written spicy adventure tale “She Devil”. Much like with Pigeons from Hell I'll be saving the majority of my thoughts on this particular tale for a later review on the Ace release of the same title.

Two more tales, “The voice of El-Lil” & “Black Wind Blowing” follow. Both enjoyable enough though neither particularly stood out for me. In retrospect I intend to go back and read both again to see if I can fall in love with them so to speak as both deserve more attention than I initially gave them. The last two additions to the collection are “The Curse of the Golden Skull” a Kull era tale depicting dark sorcery and a long awaited bit of vengeance (so to speak) from a dying man and, lastly, a well written detective tale in the form of “Black Talons”. For the most part I enjoyed this collection and there were certain stories, and poems, I especially loved. Still in my opinion it's not quite as good as the Second Book of Robert E. Howard. Still it's got it's gems without a doubt and is worth tracking down and reading.

[Derek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Berkley Book's Black Canaan collection was a set of miscellanea scraped together as a curiosity for the truly devoted. This has a taint of that, but is less picked over and more 'sampler'. It really is a little of everything--boxing story, weird horror, farcical adventure, western, 'spicy adventure', and poetry--with the caveat that Glenn Lord was going for pieces that haven't been published and which weren't tied up by Lancer Books at the time.

It has the sampler problem, where a reader is almost certain to find an amount of "not my thing" material, and possibly into the realm of a piece or two that is actually displeasing.

Personally, the poetry wasn't doing it for me, nor were the pieces that had a comic tone. Or the boxing story, "The Pit of the Serpent".

The gem of it all is the Jones artwork, which melds fine ink linework with thick shadowy brushstrokes, so that a portrait of a cowboy melds from precision detail to splotches of suggestive shadow.

[East Bay J · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Book Of Robert E. Howard is a real treat. Published in 1976, it collects several stories and poems that hadn't seen publication in decades.

The selection of stories is outstanding and represents several of the genres outside the sword and sorcery Howard is so well known for. Right out the gate, you get the superb weird tale, "Pigeons From Hell," one of the creepiest stories Howard ever wrote. Also present is the wonderful, somewhat Poe-esque "The Curse Of The Golden Skull." You get a high action "sport story" in "The Pit Of The Serpent," a detective story in "Black Talons," a little humorous tall tale action in "Gents On The Lynch" and a straight western, "Knife, Bullet And Noose." In an attempt to make a living as a writer, Howard tried his hand at many kinds of stories. If not for this financial incentive, we may well have never even heard of Robert E. Howard, who would have been an unknown writing historical fiction. While I would have loved to see more Conan stories from him, this rich variety adds much to Howard's appeal.

I'm also impressed by his poetry. He's really quite good, in my humble opinion, carefully crafting his verses for proper meter and choosing his wording for maximum impact.

Really, if anything sets Howard apart from his pulp fiction peers, it's his outstanding writing ability. Yes, his characters are bigger than life, but that alone wouldn't carry these stories. Howard had a talent for storytelling that transcends any genre his stories might fit in. While many dismiss him as a writer, I would put him on par with any of the classic U.S. authors. In fact, I'd rather read Howard at his worst than that wretched Faulkner at his best.

Glenn Lord's introduction doesn't cover a lot of new ground but his short introductions to each story are interesting.

The Book of Robert E. Howard is a fantastic starting point for anyone interested in Howard's work. It's also a great jumping off point for anyone familiar with Howard's Conan stories and wanting to see what else Howard has to offer. Even longtime Howard fans will enjoy this because it's such a fine collection of stories.

[Chris Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are already some excellent reviews as to the content. Primarily, this is a book for the Howard completest. If you have read the bulk of REH's works and wish to dive into the poems, fragments, letters & etc, this book would be of interest to you. Similarly, seek out The Last Celt, The Book of Robert E. Howard (Book 2), The Howard Collector, and so on.

[DeWayne Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just wrapped this collection of stories, edited by Glenn Lord. I had read many of these, but there were several new ones for me including Red Blades of Black Cathay, The Voice of El-lil, and Black Wind Blowing. I was surprised how much I enjoyed the Black Wind Blowing horror story which is certainly one of my favorites from Howard.

Lord gives some interesting and brief backgrounds before each story and many of these had not been printed prior to 1976. Overall, a great collection of poems and atypical stories.

[Stuart Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good collection of REH's less well-known works. Starts with the popular "Pigeons from Hell" but quickly moves on to less publicized stories. An eclectic lot, with some cowboy stories, some historicals, a boxing tale, a humorous Breckinridge Elkins story with the title character's name changed, and even an attempt at a saucy woman story, though not particularly saucy. An excellent source for people who want the complete REH experience.

[Merriweather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely out of step with present day culture and can be uncomfortable with its sterotypes, but I grew on this stuff. Fun, but still is a reflection of previous generations much like Lovecraft.

[Forked Radish]

"Gents on the Lynch"

[Robert Fenske · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of Howard's rarer short stories from several genres - westerns, horror, historical action, poetry, and a few stories written under a pseudonym. While I enjoyed majority of the stories I appreciate Howard's writing the most when he is tackling the sword & sorcery sub-genre of fantasy.

[Mars · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of hard-to-find tales and stories by Howard
This is a sampling of his work from all sorts of publications. Some boxing stories, some fantasy, some erotic writing, some horrors, a western... What's curious is that almost all of it is easy to read, entertaining, and action-packed. He does use similar tricks to get this to work, but it DOES work so I won't complain.
Now thinking to dig up some classic Conan tales and re-read those, if I can find them...

[Scott Golden · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a strong sampler of Howard's more obscure (not Conan, King Kull, Bran Mak Morn or Solomon Kane) work. Intense, violent, fast-paced pulp fiction; better written and more exciting than the work of many of his contemporaries -- this is what Howard was meant to do.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

My copy from Zebra has a different cover. This book collects some of Howard's stories and poetry.