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Two-Gun Bob's Saloon - The Pulps of Robert E. Howard
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118 posts in this topic

3 hours ago, BitterOldMan said:

I will post the Weird Tales that I was happy to buy from mistermystery.

One of you guys must have the Breckinridge Elkins stories from Action Stories pulps?

I have one Action Stories with Howard, but it's earlier than the Breckinridge Elkins tales.  This one's from Jan 1932 and features one of his Sailor Steve Costigan stories, "Dark Shanghai".

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I have never read a Howard story even though I have several of them. Anyone suggest a couple to pop my cherry on? The stories I usually try to read are the shudder and detective stories. Was never much a fan of Conan or western tales. These are the ones I usually associate him with. 

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14 minutes ago, Robot Man said:

I have never read a Howard story even though I have several of them. Anyone suggest a couple to pop my cherry on? The stories I usually try to read are the shudder and detective stories. Was never much a fan of Conan or western tales. These are the ones I usually associate him with. 

"Pigeons From Hell" is generally considered his best horror story, but my personal favorite is "The Horror From the Mound" (but this one is western horror, perhaps the first).

His Sailor Steve Costigan stories are fun, humorous fight stories about a sailor on a tramp steamer fighting his way around the ports of Asia, jumping from one ridiculous predicament to another with his trusty bulldog at his side.

His Breckinridge Elkins tales are humorous western tall tales, fun to read.

He was a good writer.  He's best remembered for sword and sorcery (which he created) but he was very adept at other genres too.

 

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1 hour ago, Robot Man said:

Did you get that at the paperback show Hap? I remember that guy having a lot of those. All the lovely ladies distracted me too much...:roflmao:

No, Had this for about a decade bought in a estate sale in San Diego.

 

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4 hours ago, Robot Man said:

Anyone suggest a couple to pop my cherry on?

Just reread, "The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune" in that Avon Fantasy Reader #2 I got. It's Kull but kind of a philosophical sword and sorcery.  Even more powerful now that i'm older than when I first read it.

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1 hour ago, Surfing Alien said:

Just reread, "The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune" in that Avon Fantasy Reader #2 I got. It's Kull but kind of a philosophical sword and sorcery.  Even more powerful now that i'm older than when I first read it.

The only non-reprint Kull I have is a poem; published several years after Howard's death.  Not what I would normally call a good starting point, but since I scanned the page a while back I can post the whole thing here.  It stands on its own well enough:

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12 hours ago, OtherEric said:

It stands on its own well enough:

I find that Howard strikes this Elegiac mood more with Kull than with Conan. Especially the period when the older Kull becomes King. The heavy weight of the crown, constant threat of usurpation and brooding on the fate of all men create an aura of wisdom and wondering well suited to front a backdrop of ancient lands, men and mythical beings that Howard so poetically describes.

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Golden Fleece, Jan 1939

Howard's story in this one is Gates of Empire, an historical fiction tale set during the crusades.  I think it was probably written in the early 1930s when Howard was trying (unsuccessfully) to break into Adventure and contributing to Oriental Stories and Magic Carpet.  Even though Gates of Empire is considered by many Howard's best historical fiction story, I suppose it was rejected by all the aforementioned titles because it was not published until 1939, a few years after his death.

The cover illustration by Harold De Lay is not for the Howard story, but for Farley's.

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