Robert E. Howard bibliography
A list of prose works by Robert E. Howard. The works are sorted by genre, by series and then alphabetically. Untitled works and fragments are listed separately by their opening line.
Additional information is included where available, covering publication date and place, the amount Howard earned for the sale of the piece, any alternative titles and whether the work is in the public domain. Links to the freely available source texts, on wikisource or Project Gutenberg of Australia, are included in a separate column. These are marked with the appropriate icons.
Fantasy stories
[Conan the Barbarian]
Howard's most famous creation, the Cimmerian barbarian, thief, pirate and eventual King of Aquilonia during the pre-Ice Age Hyborian Age.Many of the [|Conan] stories not published during Howard's lifetime were edited by other authors before publication. The Fragment stories have all been completed by others since. Where either has occurred before the publication of the original material, this date is noted after the original material's publication date.
| Title | First published | Cover | Source text | Notes |
| Beyond the Black River | Weird Tales 1935, May–June serial, two parts | "" | Public Domain | |
| Black Colossus | Weird Tales 1933, June | "" | Sold for $130 | |
| The Black Stranger | Echoes of Valor 1987, February | Re-written by Howard as the [|Black Vulmea] story Swords of the Red Brotherhood which was itself rewritten by L. Sprague de Camp into the Conan story The Treasure of Tranicos, first published in Fantasy Fiction Magazine, March 1953 | ||
| Cimmeria | The Howard Collector #7 1965, Winter | Poem; Written in February 1932 | ||
| The Devil in Iron | Weird Tales 1934, August | "" | ||
| The Frost Giant's Daughter | Fantasy Fan 1934, March as Gods of the North | "" | Alternate titles: Gods of the North, The Frost King's Daughter. Gods of the North is in the Public Domain | |
| The God in the Bowl | The Tower of the Elephant 1975 | Edited version by L. Sprague de Camp first published in Space Science Fiction, September 1952 | ||
| The Hall of the Dead | Fantasy Crossroads #1 1974, November | Synopsis; Completed version by L. Sprague de Camp first published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, February 1967 | ||
| The Hand of Nergal | The Last Celt 1976 | Fragment; Completed version by Lin Carter first published in Conan, 1968 | ||
| The Hour of the Dragon | Weird Tales 1935, December | "" | Novel; published in book form as Conan the Conqueror. Sold for approximately $500 | |
| Iron Shadows in the Moon | Weird Tales 1934, April | "" | Alternate title: Shadows in the Moonlight. Sold for $120; Public Domain | |
| Jewels of Gwahlur | Weird Tales 1935, March | "" | Alternate titles: Teeth of Gwahlur, The Servants of Bit-Yakin. Sold for $155; Public Domain | |
| The People of the Black Circle | Weird Tales 1934, September–November serial, three parts | "" | Novel; Sold for $250; Public Domain | |
| The Phoenix on the Sword | Weird Tales 1932, December | "" | Sold for $85 | |
| The Pool of the Black One | Weird Tales 1933, October | "" | Sold for $110 | |
| Queen of the Black Coast | Weird Tales 1934, May | "" | Sold for $115; Public Domain | |
| Red Nails | Weird Tales 1936, July—October serial, three parts | "" | Sold for $115; Public Domain | |
| Rogues in the House | Weird Tales 1934, January | "" | Sold for $100 | |
| The Scarlet Citadel | Weird Tales 1933, January | "" | Sold for $140 | |
| Shadows in Zamboula | Weird Tales 1935, November | "" | Alternate title: The Man-Eaters of Zamboula. Sold for $120; Public Domain | |
| The Snout in the Dark | Jewels of Gwahlur 1979 | Fragment & Synopsis; Completed version by L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter first published in Conan of Cimmeria, 1969 | ||
| The Tower of the Elephant | Weird Tales 1933, March | "" | Sold for $95 | |
| The Vale of Lost Women | Magazine of Horror #15 1967, Spring | "" | Disputed/unknown copyright status | |
| A Witch Shall be Born | Weird Tales 1934, December | "" | Sold for $155; Public Domain | |
| Wolves Beyond the Border | The Conan Chronicles, Volume 2 2001 | Fragment & Synopsis; Completed version by L. Sprague de Camp first published in Conan the Usurper, 1967 | ||
| Xuthal of the Dusk | Weird Tales 1933, September | "" | Alternate title: The Slithering Shadow. Sold for $120 | |
| Two Against Tyre | The Howard Collector #12, Spring 1970 | - |
Kull">Kull of Atlantis">Kull
An Atlantean barbarian and King of Valusia in the ancient Thurian Age. He appears in the [|Bran Mak Morn] story "Kings of the Night."| Title | First published | Alternate Titles | Source Text | Notes |
| The Altar and the Scorpion | 1967, King Kull | |||
| The Black City | 1967, King Kull | The Black Abyss | ||
| By This Axe, I Rule | 1967, King Kull | Re-written by Howard into the Conan story The Phoenix on the Sword) | ||
| The Curse of the Golden Skull | 1967, Spring, The Howard Collector #9 | |||
| Delcardes' Cat | 1967, King Kull | The Cat and the Skull | ||
| Exile of Atlantis | 1967, King Kull | Originally untitled, title created by Glenn Lord | ||
| The King and the Oak | Poem | |||
| The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune | 1929, September, Weird Tales | "" | Sold for $20; Public Domain | |
| The Shadow Kingdom | 1929, August Weird Tales | "" | Sold for $100; Public Domain | |
| The Skull of Silence | 1967, King Kull. | The Screaming Skull of Silence | ||
| The Striking of the Gong | 1976, The Second Book of Robert E. Howard | Edited version by Lin Carter first published in 1967, King Kull | ||
| Swords of the Purple Kingdom | 1967, King Kull | |||
| "Wizard and Warrior | 1978, Kull | |||
| "Riders Beyond the Sunrise" | 1978, Kull |
[Solomon Kane]
A Tudor-period puritan adventurer, wandering across Europe and Africa.| Title | First published | Alternative title | ||
| The Castle of the Devil | Red Shadows, 1968 | Fragment; Also features John Silent. Completed by Ramsey Campbell. | ||
| The Children of Asshur | Red Shadows, 1968 | Fragment. Completed by Ramsey Campbell. | ||
| Death's Black Riders | The Howard Collector #10, Spring 1968 | Fragment | ||
| The Footfalls Within | Weird Tales, September 1931 | "" | Sold for $56 | |
| Hawk of Basti | Red Shadows, 1968 | Fragment. Completed by Ramsey Campbell. | ||
| The Hills of the Dead | Weird Tales, August 1930 | "" | Sold for $70 | |
| The Moon of Skulls | Weird Tales, June–July 1930 | "" | Sold for $200 | |
| The One Black Stain | Poem | |||
| Rattle of Bones | Weird Tales, June 1929 | "" | Sold for $20; Public Domain | |
| Red Shadows | Weird Tales, August 1928 | [|Solomon Kane] | "" | Sold for $20; Public Domain |
| The Return of Sir Richard Grenville | Poem | |||
| The Right Hand of Doom | Red Shadows, 1968 | |||
| Skulls in the Stars | Weird Tales, January 1929 | "" | Sold for $30; Public Domain | |
| Solomon Kane's Homecoming | Poem | |||
| Wings in the Night | Weird Tales, July 1932 | "" | Sold for $134 |
[Bran Mak Morn]
The King of the Picts during the Roman invasion of Britain, eventually becoming the subject of a Cthulhu Mythos cult as the "Dark Man". He is referenced in the Kirowan story "The Children of the Night" and features in the Turlough O'Brien story "The Dark Man".[Turlogh Dubh O'Brien]
An 11th-century Irish outcast.James Allison">James Allison (Robert E. Howard)">James Allison
A 1930s Texan who recalls his past lives as ancient heroes. Not to be confused with Kid Allison.| Title | First published | Alternative title | Source text | Notes |
| Black Eons | The Howard Collector #9, Spring 1967 | Fragment; Originally untitled, title created by Robert M. Price | ||
| Brachen the Kelt | The New Howard Reader #1, June 1998 | Fragment; Completed version first published in The Barbarian Swordsman, 1981 | ||
| The Garden of Fear | Marvel Tales, July–August 1934 | "" | Public Domain | |
| Genseric's Fifth-Born Son | Fantasy Crossroads #10/11, March 1977 | Ghor, Kin-Slayer | Fragment; Completed version of 16 chapters further chapters, each by a different author, first published in full in Ghor, Kin-Slayer, 1997 | |
| The Guardian of the Idol | The Howard Reader #8, 2003 | Fragment & Synopsis; Completed version by Gerald W. Page first published in Weird Tales #3, Fall 1981 | ||
| Marchers of Valhalla | Marchers of Valhalla, 1972 | |||
| The Tower of Time | The New Howard Reader #2, August 1998. | Akram the Mysterious | Fragment; Completed version by Lin Carter first published in Fantastic Stories, June 1975 | |
| The Valley of the Worm | Weird Tales, February 1934 | "" | Public Domain |
Other Fantasy
Boxing stories
[Sailor Steve Costigan]
A 1930s sailor and boxer, travelling between ports aboard the tramp steamer Sea Girl.[Sailor Dennis Dorgan]
A renamed version of Sailor Steve Costigan sailing in the Python, published under the pseudonym Patrick Ervin.| Title | First published | Alternative title | Source text | Notes |
| Alleys of Darkness | Magic Carpet Magazine, January 1934 | Alleys of Singapore | "" | Sold for $45–54; Public Domain |
| Alleys of Treachery | The Howard Collector #8, Summer 1966 | The Mandarin Ruby | ||
| The Destiny Gorilla | The Incredible Adventures of Dennis Dorgan, 1974 | Sailor Costigan and the Destiny Gorilla, Sailor Dorgan and the Destiny Gorilla | ||
| In High Society | The Incredible Adventures of Dennis Dorgan, 1974 | Cultured Cauliflowers | ||
| A Knight of the Round Table | The Incredible Adventures of Dennis Dorgan, 1974 | Iron-Clad Fists | ||
| Playing Journalist | The Incredible Adventures of Dennis Dorgan, 1974 | A New Game for Costigan, A New Game for Dorgan | ||
| Playing Santa Claus | The Incredible Adventures of Dennis Dorgan, 1974 | A Two-Fisted Santa Claus | ||
| Sailor Dorgan and the Jade Monkey | The Howard Collector #14, Spring 1971 | Sailor Costigan and the Jade Monkey, The Jade Monkey | ||
| The Turkish Menace | The Incredible Adventures of Dennis Dorgan, 1974 | Sailor Dorgan and the Turkish Menace, Sailor Costigan and the Turkish Menace | Sold for $67 to Magic Carpet Magazine in May 1933 but the magazine was suspended before publication | |
| The Yellow Cobra | The Incredible Adventures of Dennis Dorgan, 1974 | Sailor Dorgan and the Yellow Cobra, A Korean Night, A Night Ashore |
[Kid Allison]
Not to be confused with James Allison.[Ace Jessel]
A black, happy-go-lucky boxer.| Title | First published | Alternative title | Source text | Notes |
| The Apparition in the Prize Ring | Ghost Stories, April 1929 | The Spirit of Tom Molyneaux | "" | Sold for $95; Public Domain |
| Double Cross | Bran Mak Morn: A Play & Others, 1983 |
Other Boxing stories
Western stories
[Breckinridge Elkins]
Humorous stories of a kind, strong but not very smart cowboy.All stories with the note "" were later edited together to become part of the 1937 novel A Gent from Bear Creek.
| Title | First published | Alternative title | Source text | Notes |
| The Apache Mountain War | Action Stories, December 1935 | ' | Public Domain | |
| The Conquerin' Hero of the Humbolts | Action Stories, October 1936 | Politics at Blue Lizard, Politics at Lonesome Lizard | ' | Public Domain |
| No Cowherders Wanted | Action Stories, September 1936 | Gents in Buckskin | ' | Public Domain |
| Cupid from Bear Creek | Action Stories, August 1935 | The Peaceful Pilgrim | ' | ; Public Domain |
| The Curly Wolf of Sawtooth | Star Western, September 1936 | A Elston to the Rescue, A Elkins Never Surrenders | Sold for $60 | |
| Evil Deeds at Red Cougar | Action Stories, June 1936 | ' | Public Domain | |
| The Feud Buster | Action Stories, June 1935 | ' | ; Public Domain | |
| A Gent from Bear Creek | Action Stories, October 1934 | ' | Sold for $46–55; Public Domain | |
| A Gent from Bear Creek | A Gent from Bear Creek, 1937 | Novel created by combining several short stories and editing them to fit; Public Domain | ||
| Guns of the Mountain | Action Stories, May–June 1934 | ' | ; Sold for $42–50; Public Domain | |
| The Haunted Mountain | Action Stories, February 1935 | ' | ; Public Domain | |
| High Horse Rampage | Action Stories, August 1936 | Gents on the Rampage | ' | Public Domain |
| Mayhem and Taxes | The Summit County Journal, September 1967 | |||
| Meet Cap'n Kidd | The Summit County Journal, July–October 1968 | |||
| Mountain Man | Action Stories, March–April 1934 | ' | ; Sold for $46–55; Public Domain | |
| Pilgrims to the Pecos | Action Stories, February 1936 | Weary Pilgrims on the Road | ' | Sold for $60; Public Domain |
| Pistol Politics | Action Stories, April 1936 | ' | Public Domain | |
| The Riot at Cougar Paw | Action Stories, October 1935 | ' | Public Domain | |
| The Road to Bear Creek | Action Stories, December 1934 | ' | ; Sold for $42–50; Public Domain | |
| The Scalp Hunter | Action Stories, August 1934 | A Stranger in Grizzly Claw | ' | ; Sold for $51–60; Public Domain |
| Sharp's Gun Serenade | Action Stories, January 1937 | Educate or Bust | ' | ; Public Domain |
| Striped Shirts and Busted Hearts | The Summit County Journal, June 1967 | |||
| War on Bear Creek | Action Stories, April 1935 | ' | ; Sold for $54–60; Public Domain | |
| When Bear Creek Came to Chawed Ear | The Summit County Journal, March–September 1971 |
[Pike Bearfield]
[Grizzly Elkins]
[Buckner Jeopardy Grimes]
[The Sonora Kid]
AKA Steve Allison. He also appears in some of the [|El Borak] stories.Other Westerns
Historical stories
See also Solomon Kane, Bran Mak Morn and [|Turlough Dubh O'Brien] for historical stories with fantasy elements.El Borak">El Borak (Robert E. Howard)">El Borak
A Texan gunman in early 20th Century Afghanistan. Several of the El Borak stories also feature [|The Sonora Kid].[Dark Agnes de Chastillon]
A red-haired swordswoman in 16th Century France.| Title | First published | Alternative title | Source text | Notes |
| Blades for France | Blades for France, 1975 | |||
| Sword Woman | REH:Lone Star Finctioneer #2, Summer 1975 | |||
| Mistress of Death | Witchcraft & Sorcery Volume 1 Number 5, January–February 1971 | Fragment; Completed by Gerald W. Page |
[Cormac Fitzgeoffrey]
A Norman/Gael knight fighting in the Crusades.| Title | First published | Alternative title | Source text | Notes |
| The Blood of Belshazzar | Oriental Stories, Fall 1931 | "" | Sold for $115; Public Domain | |
| The Slave-Princess | Hawks of Outremer, 1979 | Fragment | ||
| Hawks of Outremer | Oriental Stories, April–May–June 1931 | "" | Sold for $120; Public Domain |
[Kirby O'Donnell]
An American posing as a Kurdish mercenary in Central Asia.| Title | First published | Alternative title | Source text | Notes |
| The Curse of the Crimson God | Swords of Shahrazar, 1976 | The Trail of the Blood-Stained God | Edited by L. Sprague de Camp into the Conan story The Blood-Stained God, which was first published in Tales of Conan, 1955 | |
| Swords of Shahrazar | Top-Notch, October 1934 | The Treasure of Shaibar Khan | Sold for $124–147; Disputed/unknown copyright status | |
| The Treasure of Tartary | Thrilling Adventures, January 1935 | Gold From Tartary | "" | Sold for $42–50; Public Domain |
Cormac Mac Art">Cormac Mac Art (fictional)">Cormac Mac Art
An Irish pirate during the Dark Ages.| Title | First published | Alternative title | Source text | Notes |
| The Night of the Wolf | Bran Mak Morn, 1969 | |||
| Swords of the Northern Sea | Tigers of the Sea, 1974 | |||
| The Temple of Abomination | Tigers of the Sea, 1974 | Fragment; Completed by Richard L. Tierney | ||
| Tigers of the Sea | Tigers of the Sea, 1974 | Fragment & Synopsis; Completed by Richard L. Tierney |
[Lal Singh]
[Black Vulmea]
An Irish pirate sailing the Caribbean.| Title | First published | Alternative title | Source text | Notes |
| Black Vulmea's Vengeance | Golden Fleece, November 1938 | "" | ||
| Swords of the Red Brotherhood | Black Vulmea's Vengeance, 1976 | "" | Howard based this on a rewritten Conan story The Black Stranger; It was itself edited into another Conan story, The Treasure of Tranicos, by L. Sprague de Camp, which was first published in Fantasy Fiction Magazine, March 1953; Public Domain |
[Helen Tavrel]
Howard's female pirate of the Caribbean.| Title | First published | Alternative title | Source text | Notes |
| Isle of Pirate's Doom | Isle of Pirate's Doom, 1975 | "" | Although included in the Black Vulmea collection, Vulmea does not appear in this story. |
Other Historical stories
Horror stories
[John Kirowan]
These stories are part of the Cthulhu Mythos| Title | First published | Alternative title | Source text | Notes |
| The Black Stone | Weird Tales, November 1931 | ' | Sold for $56; It does not mention the narrator's name but appears to be a Kirowan story | |
| The Children of the Night | Weird Tales, April–May 1931 | ' | Sold for $60; References Bran Mak Morn & [|Conan the Barbarian] | |
| Dagon Manor | Shudder Stories #4, March 1986 | Fragment; Originally untitled; Completed by C. J. Henderson | ||
| The Dwellers Under the Tombs | Lost Fantasies #4, 1976 | His Brother's Shoes | ||
| The Haunter of the Ring | Weird Tales, June 1934 | Sold for $60; References Conan the Barbarian |
[The Faring Town Saga]
[De Montour]
A Norman werewolf.| Title | First published | Alternative title | Source text | Notes |
| In the Forest of Villefère | Weird Tales, August 1925 | Sold for $8 | ||
| Wolfshead | Weird Tales, April 1926 | " | Sold for $50 | |
| Wolfsdung | Cromlech #3, 1988 |
Weird West
stories are hybrids, a combination of a Western with another genre, usually horror, occult, or fantasy.| Title | First published | Alternative title | Source text | Notes |
| The Dead Remember | Argosy, August 1936 | Sold for $17.50 | ||
| For the Love of Barbara Allen | The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, August 1966 | |||
| The Haunted Hut | Weirdbook Two, 1969 | |||
| The Horror from the Mound | Weird Tales, May 1932 | The Monster from the Mound | Sold for $65 | |
| A Horror in the Night | Cross Plains #3, March 1974 | |||
| The Man on the Ground | Weird Tales, July 1933 | Sold for $20 | ||
| Old Garfield's Heart | Weird Tales, December 1933 | Old Garrod's Heart | Sold for $35 | |
| Pigeons From Hell | Weird Tales, May 1938 | " | ||
| Secret of Lost Valley | Startling Mystery Stories #4, Spring 1967 | The Valley of the Lost | Disputed/unknown copyright status | |
| The Shadow of the Beast | The Shadow of the Beast, 1977 | |||
| The Shadow of Doom | The Howard Collector #8, Summer 1966 |
Other Weird Menace
Other [Cthulhu Mythos] stories
Other Horror stories
Detective stories
Steve Harrison">Steve Harrison (character)">Steve Harrison
A police detective, often coming across weird cases on his River Street patrol.[Butch Gorman & Brent Kirby]
Private detectives.| Title | First published | Alternative title | Source text | Notes |
| Hand of the Black Goddess | Bran Mak Morn: A Play & Others, 1983 | Scarlet Tears | ||
| Sons of Hate | Two-Fisted Detective Stories, May 1984 |
[Steve Bender, Weary McGraw and the Whale]
Comedy stories
Spicy stories
The "Spicy" pulp magazines printed stories that were almost pornography.[Wild Bill Clanton]
Other Spicy stories
"True Adventure" stories
Other stories
Essays and articles
Poetry
Other fragments
- The Atavist
- Age Lasting Love
- The Battling Sailor
- Blue River Blues
- A Boy, a Beehive, and a Chinaman
- The Brand of Satan
- Circus Charade
- The Dominant Male
- The Drawing Card
- The Drifter
- A Faithful Servant
- Fate is the Killer
- The Feminine of the Species
- The Ferocious Ape
- The Fishing Trip
- Fistic Psychology
- The Folly of Conceit
- Friends
- The Funniest Bout
- The Ghost Behind the Gloves
- The Ghost of Bald Rock Ranch
- In His Own Image
- Incongruity
- The Influence of the Movies
- The Ivory Camel
- The Land of Forgotten Ages
- The Lion Gate
- Lobo Volante
- Man
- A Man and a Brother
- A Man of Peace
- The Man Who Went Back
- Mr. Dowser Buys a Car
- Over the Rockies in a Ford
- Pigskin Scholar
- The Punch
- The Recalcitrant
- The Red Stone
- The Slayer
- A South Sea Storm
- The Splendid Brute
- Tallyho!
- Ten Minutes on a Street Corner
- Through the Ages
- The Treasure of Henry Morgan
- A Twentieth-Century Rip Van Winkle
- A Unique Hat
- The Weeping Willow
- What the Deuce?
- The Wheel Turns
- The White Jade Ring
- The Wild Man
- The Wings of the Bat
- Yellow Laughter
Other untitled stories
- "As he approached the two, he swept off his feathered hat..."
- "Better a man should remain in kindly ignorance, than..."
- "Between berserk battle-rages, the black despair of melancholy..."
- "Franey was a fool."
- "From the black, bandit-haunted mountains of Kang..."
- "Help! Help! They're murderin' me!"
- "Huh?" I was so dumbfounded I was clean off..."
- "I", said Cuchulain, "was a man, at least."
- "I'm writing this with a piece of pencil on the backs of old..."
- "It was a strange experience, and I don't expect anyone..."
- "A land of wild, fantastic beauty; of mighty trees..."
- "The lazy quiet of the mid-summer day was shattered..."
- "A man", said my friend Larry Aloysius O'Leary..."
- "The matter seemed so obvious that my only answer..."
- "Maybe it doesn't seem like anything interesting and..."
- "Mike Costigan, writer and self-avowed futilist, gazed..."
- "The next day I was sluggish and inefficient in my work..."
- "Old Man Jacobsen crunched his powerful teeth through..."
- "So I set out up the hill-trail as if on a hunt and..."
- "So there I was..."
- "Spike Morissey was as tough a kid as ever came..."
- "The tale has always been doubted and scoffed at..."
- "that is, the artistry is but a symbol for the thought!"
- "Thure Khan gazed out across the shifting vastness..."
- "Trails led through dense jungle..."
- "Two men were standing in the bazaar at Delhi..."
- "You," said Shifty Griddle, pointing his finger at me..."
- "Joe Rogers had been working the stock markets..."