Friends of REH and Legacy Circle members will find two of these “new” items in the Fall Newsletter. While doing some research on Brownwood this year, I stumbled upon two previously undocumented, humorous items by Howard. Unknown to bibliographers, scholars, and fans, both will make their first appearance since the 1920s in the next Newsletter. Sign up now!
As the year ends, the Newsletter will begin featuring items discovered by Paul Herman in the Tevis Clyde Smith Collection at Texas A&M. Several of these have never been published and were completely unknown. Thanks to Paul’s digging, we now have one new poem, one new letter, and one new drawing. And there may be even more interesting finds as he sorts through the stacks.
In book news, we have several exciting volumes in the works. First up is a double whammy: Steve Harrison’s Casebook and Tales of Weird Menace. These two volumes collect all of Howard’s “Yellow Peril” and “Weird Menace” yarns; the projected contents of each volume is at the end of this post. As in the past, to reserve a number and help us gage interest in the titles, please drop us a line at info@rehfoundation.org. We hope to have these available in time for Christmas. Look for pre-ordering information late in September or early in October.
Another project looming on the horizon is the collected boxing stories. This will be a multi-volume collection featuring all of Howard’s boxing fiction, including Sailor Steve Costigan and Kid Allison. We’ll release more details in the coming weeks.
Steve Harrison’s Casebook
Lord of the Dead
People of the Serpent (aka Fangs of Gold)
The Tomb’s Secret
The Black Moon
The Voice of Death
The House of Suspicion
Names in the Black Book
The Silver Heel
Graveyard Rats
Miscellanea
The Mystery of Tannernoe Lodge
Untitled synopsis (“Steve Harrison received a wire. . .”)
The Silver Heel (synopsis)
Graveyard Rats (draft)
Tales of Weird Menace
Skull-Face
The Noseless Horror
The Brazen Peacock
Black John’s Vengeance (aka The Black Bear Bites)
Talons in the Dark
The Hand of the Black Goddess
Sons of Hate
Moon of Zambebwei
Black Hound of Death
The Devils of Dark Lake
Guests of the Hoodoo Room
Black Wind Blowing
Miscellanea
The Red Stone
Untitled (“The night was damp. . .”)
The Ivory Camel
Yellow Laughter
The Story Thus Far . . .
Taverel Manor
The Jade God
The Return of the Sorcerer
Untitled synopsis (“James Norris”)
Spectres in the Dark
The Spell of Damballah
Partial synopsis (Sons of Hate)
Untitled synopsis (The Devils of Dark Lake)
The House of Om (synopsis)
On Friday, June 11, 2010, the first annual Foundation Awards Ceremony took place after the banquet during Howard Days. The ceremony covered two years worth of awards as no awards were given last year. To see the list of winners and nominees, go here.
We’ve received a few questions about book availabilty. The Collected Poetry of Robert E. Howard is SOLD OUT, but copies remain of all our other publications.
For members who couldn’t make it to Howard Days this year, start checking your mailboxes for the latest Newsletter; Legacy Circle members can also look forward to the never before published alternate version of “Black Canaan,” which we made a nifty little booklet of and handed out (with this year’s membership pin) at the Legacy Circle luncheon in Cross Plains.
FORTHCOMING 2012 FROM EDWIN MELLEN PRESS
More than Human: The Evolutionary Heroes of Robert E. Howard
Approx. 350 pps, approx. $150.00 hardback
A critical work by
Justin Everett, Ph.D. and Deirdre Pettipiece, Ph.D.
Abstract:
Known best for the sword and sorcery stories he produced for the pulp fiction magazines of the 1930s, Robert E. Howard created a huge body of work that consisted of “around 3.5 million words” (Robert E. Howard Foundation, The Last of the Trunk), most of which focused on the creation of fantastic heroes of a depth and breadth unmatched by any writer before or since. Conan, King Kull, Solomon Kane and other complex characters populate civilizations Howard constructed and reconstructed in a wide-array of alternative worlds governed by competing principles of combat, survival, loyalty, and revenge. Tracing these heroes and the texts they occupy over the course of Howard’s interactions with evolutionary theories of human origin and behavior, Everett and Pettipiece reveal his dynamic and often conflicted engagement with ideas that changed the world. Howard’s interaction with the ideas of Darwin, Spencer, Freud and others who articulated fundamental principles of human behavior and social organization can be seen not only in the developing identities of his heroes, but also in the critical discussions he undertook with H.P. Lovecraft and other contemporaries. His intellectual engagement with some of the most important theories and philosophies of the 19th and 20th centuries demonstrates that Howard and his body of work are sufficiently representative of important themes and tropes to recognize him as part of the American canon. This volume therefore addresses the gap in the critical discussion of American literary production of the first half of the 20th century by presenting Howard and his heroes and the evolution they both undertook over the course of his active career.
Brief table of contents:
1. Preface
2. Forward by Terence McVicker
3. Introduction: Why American Literary Studies Need Robert E. Howard
4. Chapter one: Early Influences and the Little Blue Books
5. Chapter two: Engaging with Ideas: What Howard Read and Its Impact on Howard’s Emerging Philosophy
6. Chapter three: Sex and Sinews: Sexual Selection, Secondary Sex Characteristics and Howard
7. Chapter four: Howard’s Men and Women and Their Potential Sources in Literature and Life
8. Chapter five: Isolation and Community, Civilization and Barbarism: Binary Forces in Howard’s fiction
9. Chapter seven: Conclusions and Continuing Questions
Expected late 2010. I’d add, these two will be presenting on a panel at Howard Days. I’ve corresponded with these two several times, very serious REH fans, and serious academics, they have been promoting REH out there on the academic circuit. So I am looking forward to this book.
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Just in time for Howard Days, the Robert E. Howard Foundation is proud to present The Brownwood Connection: A Guide for Robert E. Howard Fans.
The Central Texas town of Brownwood has changed a lot since Robert E. Howard’s time, but traces of the 1920s and ’30s can still be found, if you know where to look. The Brownwood Connection not only provides directions to all of the important locations, it also describes Howard’s relationship with the Texas town, from his high school days to his college experiences and beyond. Part biography, part travelogue, this volume explores the remnants of Howard’s home-away-from-home with photos — both modern and period — as well as pictures and scans of pertinent documents: college catalogues, yearbooks, report cards, maps and more. Every detail of Howard’s life in Brownwood is explored, from his trips to Stone’s Ranch to his relationships with his Brownwood friends. Also included are letters written to Howard from his mother, a section on Novalyne Price, items from the Cross Plains Review, and more.
And if that wasn’t enough, The Brownwood Connection also contains the most in-depth look at Howard’s experiences with the railroad ever published. Every known train ride is analyzed, including his trip on the long defunct Brownwood North & South line. This section also includes photos and scans of schedules, depots, and other pertinent data. A small preview of The Brownwood Connection is available at the Lulu Press web page.
The Brownwood Connection is a 107 page (plus viii) paperback with black and white interior and divided into three sections: “Robert E. Howard in Brownwood,” by Rob Roehm; “Robert E. Howard Rides the Rails,” by Rob’s father and partner in crime, Bob Roehm; and four appendices: ”Novalyne Price,” “Documents,” “Cross Plains Review,” and “GPS Coordinates.”
Ordering Information
Non-members can purchase the book at our Lulu store for $20.00; Lulu’s shipping prices in the U.S. are $4.00 for Media Mail and $9.00 for Priority; other options, including foreign shipping, are available at checkout. Membership information is here.
Foundation members will want to take advantage of their discount by sending $18, plus $4.00 for Media Mail or $9.00 for Priority ($5.00 or $11.00 for European shipping) to paypal@rehfpress.com; or pay via check (personal or cashier’s) or money order sent to: The REH Foundation Press, PO Box 251242, Plano, TX 75025. ALL PAYMENTS MUST BE IN US DOLLARS.
Please write “Brownwood Connection” on the memo section of your check or paypal payment.
]]>The 2nd printing of The Early Adventures of El Borak should arrive around the end of April. To pre-order, look here.
]]>The Collected Poetry of Robert E. Howard is officially SOLD OUT. There are no plans at present for another printing, but let us know if you missed out. If enough people want one, we’ll see what we can do about another edition.
The first printing of The Early Adventures of El Borak is also SOLD OUT. We will probably do another printing soon.
The second printing of Sentiment: An Olio of Rarer Works is available for purchase here.
The nominees for the 2009 and 2010 Foundation Awards can be found here. The rules for voting are at the end of each year’s nominees. For this year only, anyone who was a member of the Foundation (Supporting, Friend, or Legacy Circle) at any time prior to January 1, 2010 can vote. The 2011 awards will be decided by those who were members in 2010.
Browse the categories and nominees, read the rules for voting, and send your ballots to REHFAwards@gmail.com Be sure to include your name with your ballot if you want your votes to count. Polls close March 31, 2010. Winners will be announced at Robert E. Howard Days in June.
]]>Sentiment: An Olio of Rarer Works – The first printing is sold out; however, we have ordered a second printing of 50 copies. These should arrive at REH Central in late March. We are accepting pre-orders. Use the information here to place your order.
The Collected Poetry of Robert E. Howard – At the time of this writing, there are three copies left. Please email info@rehfoundation.org before sending payment as we may sell out at any moment.
The Early Adventures of El Borak – Of the 150 copies that will soon be available, 28 are still homeless. Pre-order information here.
A Rhyme of Salem Town, all three volumes of The Collected Letters of Robert E. Howard, and The Last of the Trunk are all still available, with more than 30 copies of each.
]]>There are still a few copies of Collected Poetry available, but email your interest and check the availability before sending payment.
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