Two-Gun Bob's Saloon - The Pulps of Robert E. Howard 1 1

[jimjum12]

On 7/11/2020 at 2:20 PM, RedFury said:

"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.

 

I did a re-reading of Howard's work, after more than 40 years and was surprised at how much more sophisticated it seemed on the second pass. I liked it the first time, but the second time opened my eyes a little. I understand that REH is receiving more critical acclaim from the mainstream, as is Lovecraft.. GOD BLESS....

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

Edited July 27, 2020 by jimjum12

[Pat Calhoun]

here is a Solomon Kane yarn from WT June 1929 that shows many of REH's many virtues in a short span

[RedFury]

Great to re-read that one, it's been a while.  Thanks Pat!

Here the June 1929 Weird Tales it's from.

[OtherEric]

24 minutes ago, RedFury said:

Great to re-read that one, it's been a while.  Thanks Pat!

Here the June 1929 Weird Tales it's from.

If anybody who doesn't have the issue wants to see it, it's available at the Internet Archive.  As are, as near as I can tell, ALL the original run of Weird Tales.  I love it when the public domain and the internet meet, and Weird Tales was never renewed.

https://archive.org/details/Weird_Tales_v13n06_1929-06_AT-sas/mode/2up

[KirbyJack]

For me, pulps are like original art: I have one huge need in each category, but I don’t collect either. For pulps, it is a Conan story. Beyond the Black River is one of my favorite Howard stories. 

[RedFury]

Fight Stories, Feb 1930

Features a Sailor Steve Costigan story, "The Bulldog Breed", by Robert E. Howard.

I've been chasing the Howard issues of Fight Stories and I'm up to 6 out of the 13 now. 

Cover by Earle K. Bergey

[RedFury]

Two new Howard related pieces for my walls!  Solomon Kane by Bernie Wrightson (circa early 70s) and King Kull by Wally Wood and Dan Adkins (circa 1971).

[Xaltotun]

Oh, I just discovered this thread... (been gone a looong time from this board).

This one has one of Howard's best westerns, one of his best tales ever, even. Smashing Novels Magazine, December 1936. Published a few months after Howard's death. Howard had written two endings to the story. They published both.

[Xaltotun]

Action Stories, October 1931.

This contains "Blow the Chinks Down", A so-called Steve Costigan story, but which originally featured Mike Dorgan and Bill McGlory, and was turned into a Costigan by the editors without telling Howard. Original title was "The House of Peril". This copy used to belong to Darrell C. Richardson.

[Xaltotun]

Not a pulp, I know, but....one of my latest acquisititions, the original print to the most famous REH photo of all times, signed by Howard's father and sent to E Hoffman Price in 1945, and since featured on dozens and dozens of publications/books/etc.

Only two original prints of that particular photo survive, the other one unsigned. That second print is also in my collection. (A third one, formerly belonging to Howard's girlfriend Novalyne Price, was stolen from her by an unscrupulous fan, and subsequently disappeared. It has never resurfaced in close to 50 years.)

Edited March 30, 2021 by Xaltotun

[RedFury]

Wow, wow, wow!  What an amazing addition to the collection, Patrice!

[Xaltotun]

"Desert Blood" by "Sam Walser", aka REH

[Xaltotun]

Spicier even: "The Dragon of Kao-Tsu".

 

[Xaltotun]

Fight Stories, July 1929, the very first Steve Costigan story, in beautiful condition, and which cost me a whopping $4 (+ postage) ten years or so ago.

 

Edited April 3, 2021 by Xaltotun

[Xaltotun]

Fight Stories, Feb 1930, my favorite Costigan story, "The Bulldog Breed".

 

[Xaltotun]

On 7/26/2020 at 5:26 PM, RedFury said:

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.

 

"Gates of Empire" was written between November 1932 and October 1933 and was sent to Magic Carpet Magazine, which accepted it and announced it in the final issue of the mag (Jan 1934). Sometime after MCM folded for good, the ts. was sent back to Howard, subsequently landed in his agent's hands, who then sold it to Golden Fleece after Howard's death.

I rather like the story, but I don't think any Howard scholar would put this in the top tier of Howard's best Orientals. Most oft-mentioned stories would be "The Shadow of the Vulture", "Lord of Samarcand" and "The Sowers of the Thunder". Those last three definitely belong to my top-20 favorite Howard stories ever.

[Xaltotun]

Fight Stories, March 1930, "Sailors' Grudge", the third Steve Costigan story.

[OtherEric]

Might as well show these here, now that I've got the complete serial:  "Red Nails", all 3 parts:

[Xaltotun]

You guessed it... Fight Stories, May 1930, "Fist and Fang", the 4th Steve Costigan story.

And if you happen to have high grade copies of the June and July 1930 for sale/trade, do PM me!

 

 

[Xaltotun]

Not a surprise, but... Fight Stories, September 1930, with "Waterfront Fists" in a stunning copy.