Xaltotun

From one Frenchman to another: désolé!

This is the cover to the "Cahier de l'Herne - HP Lovecraft", a massive, comprehensive, look at HPL, probably the first book in the world devoted to HPL criticism. Published in 1969.

Those are French editions, but you probably know that.

Basically, Boots is/was a pharmacy, but in those days they had a thing called "Boots Booklovers." You would borrow a book and return it the next time you ran your errands. Here are a few screens of stickers found on one of the Jenkins Gents.

Here's one of the crown jewels of my Howard collection. The latin expression translates as "to each is own"

Action Stories, Oct 1931

Action Stories, January 1932, "One Shangai Night", published as "Dark Shangai"

There's also this classic of classic, with REH, CAS and HPL inside, the latter with a reprint of "The Festival".

Action Stories, Sept 1936, "No Cowherders Wanted"

This one has a funny story to go with it. I obtained it with a bunch of credit slips issued by Howard's father. At first, I didn't notice anything special about it, and it was only when I scanned and catalogued it that I realized what it is. For this is more than Howard cashing a check: *he* signed the document "Robt Howard" (how many times have you seen a "Robt Howard" signature?). But there's more. This is for a $100 check, deposited Sep 1. Howard sold two stories for that amount in 1929, and one was a boxing story for which we know he was paid in the spring at the latest. So... what was the other story? Well, it appeared in a mag that paid upon publication, not acceptance. Weird Tales. This is thus the deposit slip of his check for the story that had appeared in Weird Tales in August, "The Shadow Kingdom", no less!

Here's one gloomy document. Two surviving copies for this, one held at the Harry Ransom Center with the rest of the Howard papers, the other in my collection. Obviously prepared by Howard's father, which he then had printed by the local paper, and distributed to locals and family.

Action Stories, Aug 1936, "High Horse Rampage"

Action Stories, Oct 1936, with "Politics at Blue Lizard" (as "The Conquerin' Hero of the Humbolts").

Terror by Night, This is volume 10 in the Not at Night series, published in 1934. Notable for being the very first hardcover appearance of a Conan story ("Rogues in the House"). Also contains "The Horror in the Museum" by Hazel Heald (and HPL (uncredited).) These babies are tough to find in any condition, and with the dustjacket. Very fragile books. There were some reprints over the years, not indicated as such, but which can be deduced by a) the titles on the back cover, b) the boards of the book (my research on that is as yet incomplete, but I have some data). This copy came from an original owner's collection, and has a "8/34" penciled in on the last leaf), so it was bought new, hence the condition.

Action Stories, Oct 1935, "The Riot at Cougar Paw, another Breckinridge Elkins tale.

Action Stories, October 1934, "A Gent from Bear Creek"

The guys on the right are about to eat dinner. There are a few girls in the pantry. Since the guys on the left are real hungry, those on the rights are prepping another one. Meanwhile, the dude at the window is either trying to save a girl or going to lower her down so that they have more to eat, just in case. Right?

Another rarity, The Fantasy Fan, March 1934, with "Gods of the North", aka "The Frost King's Daughter", aka the Conan tale "The Frost Giant's Daughter" with the hero's name changed to Amra. Extremely low print run, maybe 60 copies.

Cowboy Stories, July 1937, with "Knife-River Prodigal" yet another tough to find REH pulp, let alone in this condition. Strasser pedigree copy (with a tip of the hat to RedFury!)

Another cool item. Singers in the Shadows. This was published in 1970 by Donald M. Grant in an edition of 549 copies, which is not a lot. But my copy has a little extra to go with it...

I read somewhere that they would print between 75 and 200 copies max. They are now really hard to come by, especially the Weird Tales. Cheap plug: I am selling a bunch of those in the pulp marketplace section.

Yeah, they have suspended publication. I don't have a catalog, don't even know if there ever was one.

Inside covers would have a Girasol ad, and paper white and way thicker

$300 is a good deal. In my experience, many of the mid-thirties Weird Tales had little or no overhang.

For certain !