It was about two months ago I made my first blog post here at REHupa.com. It had to do with never seeming to have enough time to read all of the Howard-related work out there these days. I made a promise into the Interwebs that I would review a book every two months. Therefore I present to you, my first book review:

            “Sentiment: An Olio of Rarer Works” is a collection of Howard stories that run the gamut from western tale to comic parody. If anyone ever wanted to get a good idea of what an eclectic writer Mr. Howard was, I would highly recommend this tome. Published by the Robert E. Howard Foundation Press (www.REHFPress.com), it provides the reader with samples of Howard’s work, finished and unfinished, titled and untitled, that are glimpses of the genius who created Conan the Cimmerian. Some tales are taken from his private letters, from teenage publications, homework assignments, and some that were found among his papers after his death.

As I read some of these stories it became apparent to me the development of the “Deus ex Machina”, the inner guts of the work. This development was essential in providing Bob with the skills and tools he would need in order to make a living writing his “junk”. “Sentiment” is the writing student at play. It’s the genius doodling in the margins. And it’s just glorious to read.

The book is broken up into sections: Adventure Tales; The Adventures of Steve Bender; Detective Parodies; Humor; Confessionals & Other Contemporary Fiction; Commentary on the World; and The Right Hook.  I will attempt to discuss certain highlights of each section.

Adventure Tales:

The “Adventure Tales” section’s crowning jewel is the first story in the book: “Wild Water”. Including actual weather events in Brownwood, Texas (a town about 30 miles south of Cross Plains, where Bob lived). It is the story of vengeance, murder, and insanity culminating in a battle during a raging torrent beside a dam in the middle of the post oak country. Why this was never published back in Howard’s day is beyond me. The hellish storm takes on a personality of its own, becoming a character in the story along with the rest.

The Adventures of Steve Bender:

            I have a confession to make: I love the young Steve Bender. And I don’t say that lightly. I came into Howard through his boxing tales and I’ve never regretted a day. But Steve is just precociously delightful. I first read of his adventures in a short story entitled “The Ghost with the Silk Hat” which is also in this book. Upon rereading it, I find that I’m still enamored with the little kid. Of course, “Bill Smalley and the Power of the Human Eye” would be nothing without that grown-up Steve attempting to help out his puffed-up friend Bill get out of his own bear trap. But I still delight in the young boy out for an adventure, cooking up schemes, plotting daring investigations. There’s something about young kid’s adventures that just goes right to my heart. It makes me wish I had grown up with Steve, Weary, and the Whale.

            Howard has fun with these boys as much as you will. For mystery and adventure, I recommend: “The Ghost with the Silk Hat” and “The Wild Man”. But if you want to see inside a boy’s heart, go read: “Friends”.

            The most contrived of the series has to be “The Hand of Obeah”. I cringed a bit at the prolific and mostly casual use of the “n” word throughout: reader beware. Another sin was the use of dialect speech for a few of the characters. It was confusing (and more than a little insulting by today’s standards). Not to mention there were a few sentences that would offend the more culturally sensitive reader. This is to be expected in a story written in those times, but all this aside, I find that the biggest disappointment of all was that Howard took off the childhood coloring of his three main characters and tossed them into an international murder/theft mystery.  It was totally incongruous and unnecessary. But then, this is Early Howard.

Detective Parodies:

            Here is a bit of fluff and fun. Written primarily to amuse his close friends and himself, these stories take classic characters like Sherlock Holmes and Fu Manchu and turn them on their heads. And then bend them into a pretzel. And then pull their pants down. And then tar and feather them. And then let them loose in the monkey cage. Prepare yourself for the utter insanity. It’s SO worth it.

Humor:

You can certainly tell a lot about a man through his sense of humor. There is much of the cynic in Howard. “King Hootus” is a prime example of how Howard’s clever writing weaves comedy together with his personal opinions of certain writers of the day. Yet the cynical irony that the young Robert E. Howard carried with him throughout his life comes out in certain stories over others in this section. Ideal examples can be found in “The Weaker Sex” and “The Heathen”. Also within this section is a highly sarcastic letter entitled, “The Influence of the Movies”.

Confessionals and Other Contemporary Fiction:

             In this section Howard covers such contemporary problems as adultery, revenge, insanity, betrayal, avarice, bootlegging, and white slavery. For sheer gore, nothing tops a story entitled, “Revenge”. For a story that traces the downward spiral of a prominent businessman, read “The Curse of Greed”. For psychological exploration, read “The Nut’s Shell”; or “The Block”. And for race relations and murder, read “The Voice of the Mob”. All of these stories have great merit and warn against the dangers that modern society can hold.

Commentary on the World

            These are stories taken from Howard’s private letters, youth publications, and even homework assignments.  One of the highlights is “The Ghost of Camp Colorado”, the history of the ruins of an old post in Texas. Howard had often said that he didn’t have the talent to write a complete history of the west. This history, written in Howard’s voice, begs to differ. Howard not only had the talent, he had the heart. This story shows that heart.

            In this section he doesn’t keep his commentary to the history of the west. He broaches subjects that range from the commercialization of the circus, to the Bible and its teachings; from his observations about the different cats that visit his farm, to the differing views of Man from the scientific to religious, idealistic to elemental. There’s even a movie and book review thrown in there. He comments on rattlesnakes and Lindberg-mania; sings the praises of the American South and warns against the rise of the Far East nations. In short, Howard shows us that he can converse on an intellectual level on almost every subject. Impressive for a young boy from a boom town.

The Right Hook:

            This was a homemade publication produced by Howard and published to a small group of friends, one of whom contributed. There were only 3 issues, but they were filled with all things pugilistic. Commentary on the rightful heir to the wrestling crown, fanciful stories surrounding the lives of Jim Jeffries and James J. Corbett, and original stories were all included in each issue. Meant for communication as well as entertainment, these issues were another outlet for Howard’s creativity.

“Sentiment: An Olio of Rarer Works” is a book to be cherished not only by Howard scholars, but by anyone who wants to know Howard better. A word to the wise: not all subjects are very politically correct and some of the language and thoughts expressed are quite outdated, but that is to be expected in material written in the early half of the last century. What you do get however is a glimpse of Howard’s highs, his lows, his anger, and his joy in between each line. You can rarely find a better glimpse of Howard the Man. I sincerely hope you purchase it and enjoy exploring the psyche of My Favorite Author as much as I did.

The Book of Robert E. Howard was a pivotal book for me. That book transformed me from a Conan fan into a Robert E. Howard fan. The pump had been primed already by first exposure through the Berkley paperbacks edited by Karl Edward Wagner. Wagner’s focus was squarely on Robert E. Howard and Weird Tales. Wagner is partially responsible for my pulp buying habit.

The Book of Robert E. Howard was in print when I first read it.  A guy on my floor in the college dormitory lent it to me over Christmas break. This Glenn Lord guy wrote understated introductions that were packed with information. There was no editorializing in contrast to Wagner and de Camp.  I became aware of the wide range of pulp magazines.  Weird Tales, All-Story Magazine, and the science fiction magazines were all known to me but I had no idea about detective, boxing, western, or weird menace.  Glenn did not use any story that was in print with any paperback or hardback at the time of first publication in 1976. This was the first time I ever read a fictional western (“Knife, Bullet, and Noose”) and I liked it. Ditto for boxing, weird menace, and spicy. “Pigeons From Hell” might be the first adult horror story I ever read. This book was a gateway to new worlds. “The Voice of El-Lil” was not the first first “lost race” story I ever read but it was more intense than any of Tarzan’s visitations to Opar.

I was a confirmed Robert E. Howard fan when I finished that book. The multiple solid punches of “Red Blades of Black Cathay,” “The Voice of El-Lil,” “Knife, Bullet, and Noose,” “Black Wind Blowing,” and “Curse of the Golden Skull” converted me from being a Conanist to a Howardist in 240 pages.

The Second Book of Robert E. Howard included my first introduction to Kull and Solomon Kane.  “Two Against Tyre” remains a favorite of mine to this day. I would have liked to have seen more adventures of Eithriall the Gaul. I had no use for poetry up until then. Reading “The Gold and the Gray” and “The Song of Horsa’s Galley” made me begin to rethink the worth of verse.

There were some other pulp writers who could write in various genres. The idea of an omnibus collection exploring different genres is an excellent one. The Louis Lamour collection, Yondering, comes to mind of being in a similar vein. In an alternate universe, Zebra Books continued the idea with a series of books of pulp generalists. I will investigate that idea in future posts and who could have fit the bill.

Oh–My wife can blame Glenn Lord ultimately for my pulp buying habit. Glenn really introduced me into that wonderful (and sometimes expensive) world.

The seven week countdown to Robert E. Howard Days in Cross Plains starts today. I’ve been periodically updating the REH Days 2010 Information Page, so you might want to check that out by clicking on the tab at the top of this page…if you would.

And how can you help out REH Days this year, you ask? Howzabout going through your “stuff” and donating Howard and Howard-related items to the Silent Auction, held every year at the Celebration Banquet at Howard Days? We’ve all got extras or dupes of Howard matter in our collections, and what better way to help out the fine folks of Project Pride in Cross Plains than to donate a few of those books or magazines or fanzines or posters or artwork or the odd things we’ve all acquired but really don’t need anymore. It’s a very good thing to perpetuate the Legacy of Robert E. Howard, and that’s exactly what Project Pride does with the Robert E. Howard Museum. It’s an all volunteer outfit, folks, so you’d be doing them a great favor by sending items to the Silent Auction. So box that stuff up today and send it to: Project Pride, POB 534, Cross Plains, TX 76443. Or, you can bring it with you to Howard Days, and we’ll find room! Indy sez Thanks!

Paul Sammon (author of Conan the Phenomenon) will be joining us this year to enhance the already fun-filled dance-card that is Howard Days. He will really help to round out this year’s theme, The Illustrators of REH, by joining our 2010 Guests of Honor Jim and Ruth Keegan on a couple of panels. Conan the Phenomenon is an award-winning book chock full of fantastic REH graphics, and if you haven’t checked it out yet, Crom may not be ignoring you… Plus, the erudite Mr. Sammon has worked on ALL THREE Conan movies, so you know he’s got some good stories. And he even told me he won’t charge his usual fee for autographs!

Arlene Stephenson of Project Pride tells me there will be a new t-shirt for sale this year, plus a new hat design and a polo shirt available in the Gift Shop at the Howard House. This year’s Keegan design for the Postal Cancellation is a wonderful addition to that ongoing collection, and there’s always some goodies at the Swap Meet held at the Pavilion as well.

Things are shaping up nicely for another great REH Days, so bring your sunscreen and Howard stuff, be prepared for a surprise or two (aren’t there always?) and we’ll see y’all real soon!

In the later part of the 16th Century, the Tudor royal family of England embarked on the reconquest of Ireland. The English had lost control of Ireland after Henry II’s addition of Ireland to his domains in 1171 A.D. The original invading Normans intermarried with the native Irish and their descendants went Irish themselves. One particular group of Norman reprobates were the de Burgho family. In time, they became the Burkes. With reconquest, many an Irishmen took service in the armies of Spain, France, Austria, Prussia, and even Poland.

One such member of the “Wild Geese” was Denis Burke as chronicled by H. Bedford-Jones. Bedford-Jones (1887-1949) has been billed as “King of the Pulps.” He specialized in historical yarns of swashbuckling adventure. The Errol Flynn movies of the 1930s are closer to Bedford-Jones then they are to Rafael Sabatini.

Denis Burke serving in an Irish Regiment in the French army falls afoul of the authorities. He escapes and becomes a buccaneer.  His adventures include “Escape” (Argosy, Nov. 7, 1931), “Luck of the Sea Burkes” (Argosy, Jan. 9, 1932), “Spanish Gold” (Argosy, March 19, 1932), “Buccaneer Blood” (Argosy, Sept. 10, 1932), and “Spanish Blood is Proud Blood” (Argosy, March 25, 1933). There are enough stories to fill out a book. With all the piratemania the past few years, this should be a natural reprint.

George Scithers, editor of Amra, the Conan and Sword and Sorcery fanzine and later the editor of the revived Weird Tales, passed away on April 19:

Writer, editor, and publisher George H. Scithers passed away yesterday at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, from complications following a massive heart attack suffered the morning of April 17. He was 80. He had been in declining health for the last few years, due to complications from diabetes and a heart condition.

Scithers was a writer, editor, publisher and military engineer (with the US Army 1946-1973, retiring with the rank of Colonel). He began publishing fiction of genre interest with “Faithful Messenger” for If  in 1969, and wrote a spoof cookery book (suggested by Damon Knight’s famous 1950 Galaxy story), To Serve Man: A Cookbook for People (1976) as Karl Würf; but his main sf activities were as an editor and publisher. He began his active involvement with sf and fantasy in 1959 as editor of the famous fanzine Amra (1959-1982), which specialized in Sword and Sorcery, particularly the work of Robert E. Howard; it won Hugos in 1964 and 1968. Scithers published two Mirage Press anthologies drawn from it: The Conan Swordbook: 27 Examinations of Heroic Fantasy (1969) and The Conan Grimoire (1972), both with L. Sprague de Camp, co-founder with him of The Hyborean Legion, a group devoted to Howard studies; earlier, De Camp alone had been responsible for the Amra-derived The Conan Reader (1968). In 1973 Scithers founded the Owlswick Press, which continued intermittently to publish sf and other material of quality until 1993.

Laurie Powers is the grand-daughter of pulp writer, Paul S. Powers. She wrote a biography of her grand-father entitled Pulp Writer: Twenty Years in the American Grub Street. Mark Finn, author of Blood & Thunder: The Life & Art of Robert E. Howard just read Pulp Writer and was just raving about it to me. Mark really likes Laurie’s biography.

Paul S. Powers had four stories in Weird Tales: “The Monsters of the Pit” (June 1925),  “The Death Cure” (July 1925), “The Jungle Monsters” (March 1926), and “The Life Serum” (June 1926).

Laurie Powers has her own blog and has started a new series called “My Favorite Pulps.” She has invited pulp fans to contribute their five favorite pulp magazines and covers. I took the plunge.  Go to http://lauriepowerswildwest.blogspot.com/2010/04/morgan-holmes-my-favorite-pulps.html.

Copies of this new collection of all of Howard’s poetry that appeared in Weird  Tales are currently listed on eBay by bookseller Realms of Fantasy Books.  The book is a UK publication from Stanza Press. Here are the details:

When the history of fantasy and horror fiction is being discussed, the pulp magazine Weird Tales is inevitably mentioned. Published on low-grade “pulp” paper, Weird Tales was the first newsstand magazine devoted exclusively to weird and fantastic fiction. It ran for 279 issues, from March 1923 to September 1954.

The three most important and influential writers to have their work published in the title were Rhode Island horror writer H.P. Lovecraft; the Texan creator of Conan the Cimmerian, Robert E. Howard; and the California poet, short story writer, illustrator and sculptor, Clark Ashton Smith.

“The Complete Poems from Weird Tales” series collects their verse in the order that it originally appeared in the pages of “The Unique Magazine”.

THE SINGER IN THE MIST & Others by ROBERT E. HOWARD

“ROBERT E. HOWARD (1906-1936) is best known for his series of stories about Conan the Barbarian. However, Howard was also a prolific writer of fantasy, horror, historical adventure, Westerns, detective, sports stories, true confessions and other genre fiction, including poetry.”
-Stephen Jones

CONTENTS

The Song of the Bats
The Ride of Falume
The Riders of Babylon
Remembrance
The Gates of Nineveh
The Harp of Alfred
Easter Island
Crete
Moon Mockery
Forbidden Magic
The Moor Ghost
Dead Man’s Hate
A Song Out of Midian
Shadows on the Road
Black Chant Imperial
The Song of a Mad Minstrel
The Last Day
Arkham
An Open Window
Autumn
The Soul-Eater
The Dream and the Shadow
Which Will Scarcely Be Understood
Futility
Fragment
Haunting Columns
The Poets
The Singer in the Mist
The Last Hour
Ships
Lines Written in the Realization That I Must Die
Recompense
The Ghost Kings
The King and the Oak
Desert Dawn

Introduction by Stephen Jones

Cover Art by Gary Gianni

47 Pages

300 Copies

For those of you who have some spare time this June while attending Howard Days, you might want to do a bit of wandering around the area surrounding Cross Plains and visit the sites of some historical and notorious events smack dab in the middle of Howard’s old stomping grounds. 

After reading about some of the real life episodes, one can see Howard lived in a part of Texas that saw more than its share of violence and sorrow back in days of the wild frontier when sudden death was cloaked in the guise of the Red Indian.  The blood that flowed through Howard’s veins was much the same as the hale and hearty settlers, soldiers and lawmen that preceded him.  While he did not have to deal with the same day to day death struggles the frontiersmen did, he was certainly made of the same mettle.

No doubt, late at night while working at his typewriter, he could hear the faint sounds of horse hooves pounding across  the plains, the cry of the Indian braves and the thunderous reports of pistols and rifles as the white man pushed the frontier further west. Howard did not have to venture far to find material to write about – the stories were all around him.

My post on the movie adapting F. Van Wyck Mason’s The Barbarians brought forth some information. First the movie is available on DVD from Sinister Cinema under the title of Revak the Rebel.

Timothy Mayer, who has  the great Z-7 headquarters blog contacted me and had further information: Filmed on location in Italy. The pilot, which cost NBC $750,000, making it the most expensive pilot ever produced (at the time) was for a projected ninety-minute series called “The Barbarians.” Although the series never sold, the pilot was released theatrically overseas.

So, I will be ordering the movie (and probably the 50 Warrior sword and sandal pack) and overdose on some early 60s peplum.

F. Van Wyck Mason was a popular writer of historical and spy novels in the 1950s through the 1970s. He had a pulp career before that as F. V. W. Mason. “The Barbarian” is a tale of Cealwyn, a Briton, kidnapped by Carthaginians and made a slave. He escapes and fights the Carthaginians during the First Punic War.  “The Barbarian” was a six part serial in Argosy from May 19, 1934–June 23, 1934. Remember, this was when Conan was helping to keep Weird Tales afloat.

Mason later rewrote the story as a paperback in 1954 as The Barbarians. He added a scene where Cealwyn’s sister is thrown into the sea by the Carthaginians after their capture. The novel moves quickly and is full of action and worth tracking down. The story takes an interesting turn.

In 1960, NBC adapted the novel as a pilot for a T.V. show called “Rivak the Barbarian” starring no less than Jack Palance as Cealwyn renamed as Rivak. Talk about great casting. The movie had a theatrical release in Europe as The Barbarian. I have not been able to find any DVD for this movie nor even a clip anywhere on the world wide web. Decades before Robert E. Howard’s barbarian portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger made it to film, F. Van Wyck Mason’s barbarian in Jack Palance mode got there first.