Great job! As a young reader, I was quickly able to discern the difference of writing styles between REH and everyone else. I do appreciate the attempts of the other authors to “fill in the gaps” of the chronology; however, NO ONE can write Conan like REH.
I had to order in The Complete Chronicles Of Conan ($65 Australian) through a book shop as I couldn't find a single copy in any store at the time. Its lack of presence in local book shops is kind of odd as H.P. Lovecraft is everywhere.
I think Roy Thomas is hugely unsung for his contribution to Marvel etc. Unfortunately overshadowed by Stan, but then who wasn't? I doubt even God could dim Stan's wattage. They say it's obvious when some people enter a room. Stan WAS the room!
The precursors to the Marvel comics were a really in depth series of novels and compilations of short stories published by Lancer and beginning with "Conan the Adventurer" collection of short stories which came out in the early 60's. (I know this because that was my first introduction not only to Conan but also to Frank Frazetta's who painted the cover of the paperback collection. I was 13 years old...now I'm 74.) It had four of the Howard short stories. It was followed by "Conan the Usurper" another collection of Howard stories and included "The Phoenix on the Sword" (which was a reworked Kull story.) In all there were 12 Lancer publications with full novels and collections of original Howard stories and pastiches based on surviving Howard outlines and notes, principally written by L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter. Frazetta's cover art dominated most of these publications although some were done by Boris Vallejo. Ironically the last painting done by Frazetta for Lancer's Conan series, "Conan of Aquilonia" was sent to the Lancer offices in 1978 but Frazetta never got paid. Lancer went bankrupt and the original Frazetta painting was stolen from the Lancer offices and has never been recovered. It would probably be worth millions today...one of Frazetta's paintings, "Dark Kingdom" done for Karl Edward Wagner's "Dark Crusade" novel sold for over six million dollars, edging out his previously highest value painting "Egyptian Queen" done in 1969 which sold for 5.4 million dollars in 2019.
This Conan series led me to Robert E Howard, Casca series and The Destroyer series. Had listened to SSGT Sadler's records for years as my dad served with him. Supposedly, I met him, sat in his lap while stealing sips from dad's 🍺.
I was lucky enough to get the chronicles at a second hand store for $4 aus. Feeling very lucky at the moment. Thank you for your review. Reading at the moment
Overall, I think L. Sprague DeCamp did more good than bad. He actually took the character's tales and put them into a chronological order (Howard wrote them randomly). Thus, we were able to follow Conan's life from about 19 years old until 70 or so. I enjoyed the fact that he converted some REH stories into Conan tales because Howard only wrote about19 stories or so. The stories by DeCamp and Carter were not bad ones either. DeCamp seemed to be a bit possessive, and passionate about the REHestate/ library, but at the same time, strangely disrespectful. But he did spread the good word of Conan in the 60s and 70s. THE DEL REY EDITIONS CONTAIN SOME GREAT TOP NOTCH ART / ILLUSTRATIONS ALSO!! Go and get 'em!
I remember back in the 1990s, before the internet bookstores carried stacks of the paperbacks. People would keep them in a front jacket pocket and read them.
I started with the Le Sprague de Camp series back in the 60s, and spread out to the Kull series, Brak Morn and others. I also read Wagner and Robert Jordan and Solomon Kane.
Very good, and helpful. Have just been buying the 70’s paperbacks - for the Frazetta artwork, as they hold much nostalgic feeling for my youth, and can’t help but see F.F.’s paintings as part of the ‘real deal’, as you say. No other visualisations capture that arcane undercurrent, for me - ‘tho I appreciate the text itself is corrupted.
One of the pivotal moments of my life was coming upon the Lancer Books' "Conan the Adventurer" with its Frazetta cover in the spinning book rack at my local convenience store when I was in my early teens.
Actually Wandering Star did finish the Conan series. They are three volumes which collect the entire REH Conan library. Each volume is hardcover, it has colored illustrations, with artist signatures and protected by slip case. I have had these three volumes for over a decade and they are still the best Conan edition on the market. The Del Ray versions have the identical content but the illustrations are in black and white only.
Totally agree with you, i have 2 copies of all the editions they brought out (leather bound/hardbacks all signed by the artists). Unfortunately i have tried selling my spare copies for about 2 years now with no takers. Madness
Those Del Rey editions were how I first read Conan back in high school. I still have them, and they are indeed wonderful, so there's no need for me to have that Gollancz edition, but it's so damn beautiful that I'm almost tempted to buy it. XD
Hello, very helpful vid, your enthusiasm is infectious. Just ordered the Complete Chronicles to start my Conan journey. I read the Conan, Hulk, Avengers comics as a kid here in the U.K back in the 70s. I also picked up a fantasy book about the Frazetta artworks today. When i was 14 all my comic collection was obliterated in a flood, i was heartbroken and never bought a comic again and switched my passions to vinyl. You have inspired an old timer to start reading Conan again. I am getting the same buzz i used to get waiting for my comics to be delivered every Saturday morning. All the best from England U.K.
Komiksy są już wymyślone tak jak kilkudziesięciu autorów co kontynuowało historię o Conanie ...tylko orginalne napisane przez twórcę co wymyśl swojego bohatera z Cymeri Roberta Howarda są najlepsze nie ujmując .Wagnerowi , Jordanowi , Campowi i innym 📚📚👋👍
I cant like this video enough. Ive been a fan of Conan for so long, keep em coming! ps Im so getting that black book you showed. Doesn't matter how long it takes!
What a great video , i really enjoyed watching it. I love Robert E Howards writings, his Conan stories are excellent and Soloman Kane is also fantastic . Howards writing style is wonderful . I have the hard cover complete chronicles edition.
I have all the Conan paperbacks you mentioned but pride of place in my collection is my first edition hard cover of And Their Memory Was a Bitter Tree...
I have been looking for this type of information for a while. After I read Hour of the Dragon, I fell in love with the world of Conan. But I knew I just wanted Howards authentic works. Thank you for getting all this info together!
I got the complete chronicles leatherbound in a South Carolina bookstore last year, and man am I lucky it was a decent price AND was a good edition. I also got some of the paperbacks by Lin Carter just for the extra stories.
I just discovered your video blog a few days ago. What could i say? Let's be honest! One of the best video blog of books i've ever seen! And yeah, i was a big fan of the Conan movie from my childhood, but i didn't underdtand its philosophy back than, didn't know what the riddle of steel really is. Later when i was around 10 i belive, i started to read more and more books etc etc.. This was relly limited cos i'm from hungary and at time i didn't even speak english :D 3 years ago i moved to Scotland and maybe that is why i tried to read english books, and i told myself: why not? So as i said i just discovered your blog and i enjoy totally! I will watch all your videos as i can do, but Honestly you have lots of good themes. And why am i here? Cos of conan! Hats off and Respect sir. Thank you i can be a part of your subscribers! Cheers from Edinburgh!
Hi Michael! Great video, I enjoyed it a lot! Just a couple of things: Wandering Star DID publish the whole Conan, but not all Howard. The Fantasy Masterwork editions has all Conan but not in the order of publication (it's a sort of Conan chronological life order), whereas the Gollancz Black book has all the Conan in the order the stories were published. Cheers!
I had those original De Camp paperbacks and recently sold them all on eBay because I already have all the Frazetta Conan art in several Frazetta books, and the stories in the Wandering Star/Del Rey editions.
SUBSCRIBED!!! You answered what ive been trying to self google search for WEEKS!! I honestly didnt want you to stop talking, Cannot wait for the next video of the Phoenix and the sword. Cheers My Friend
I like the 2011 Gollancz reprint of the FM/Chronicles in a 3-volume set, released for the 2011 movie reboot. I like them because they are cheap (at least in UK), are smaller in size than the Del Rey's, FM an Chronicles at 13cm x 20cm and most importantly printed on cream paper for less eye fatigue. The Dey Rey's are big and floppy, and printed on laser-white printer paper for illustration contrast. If you can get/resize the Del Rey pdf's they would make a great Lulu print project though!
Agree on those issues with the Del Rey editions, only question for me before I take the plunge is do the Gollancz 3 volume set include the same pictures as the Del Rey as these do seem to bring it to life?
@@crom9741 No, unfortunately the 3-book Gollancz version has no illustrations. The 1-tome Complete Chronicles of Conan has some sparse illustrations but not the same ones as the Del Rey ones. The Kindle versions of Del Rey's and CCoC include images from the print books and that's how I enjoy those. Not sure if the FM version has illustrations, but I doubt it.
Just got the leather bound edition! Thanks for confirming my wants lol The Easton press is amazing looking Not the price tag though But I’m going to be proud to hang onto this in my book collection for years to come
Hi Michael, thank you very much for this great quick history of the Conan publications. I was looking at the different versions trying to narrow down my selection so this was hugely helpful. I'm going with the Del Rey version (all 3) as a gift for my partner. I really enjoyed your enthusiasm for the subject which made this a fun watch.
Thank you dude! I picked up those three books for 52 bucks on Amazon. Ez pz. Although i was thinking about searching for a video like yours but never actually typed anything about it in yet TH-cam recommended your video so that's kind of weird.
I just purchased the single volume hardback for just under $70 and am still considering getting the three volume Masterworks soft cover series. I can't wait to see the Howard's full works on Conan. BTW, you did such a great job going over these, I subscribed! Now, I'm looking forward to looking through your volumes!
I really enjoyed this, having just discovered your channel. Robert E Howard is my favorite author, and I have quite an extensive collection. I’m in complete agreement with your presenting the Del Rey series of trade paperbacks as the very best of the compilations of REH’s Conan stories, and also the most authentic as well.
I thought Frazetta’s Conan covers were done in the 60’s which popularized Conan enough for a Marvel to do the comic. Also, Boris didn’t do any of those paperback book covers (though I’m sure he would have done a fine job, given his later great covers for SAVAGE SWORD).
Really cool survey. I read the Warren publications, Creepy and Eerie, in the mid 60s which featured my first exposure to Robert E. Howard. Editor/writer Archie Goodwin created a barbarian character called Thane, the hero of a half dozen fantasy stories that ran in Creepy, and the final Thane tale was the subject of an awesome Frazetta cover of issue #27 in 1969. The series received positive feedback in the letter columns, readers favorably compared Thane to REH's Conan. I was 8 or 9 years old, and even at that young age, made a mental note of Howard and Conan. In 1966 /67 Lancer started publishing the Decamp-edited Conan series which would persist into the 70s and the 80s under Ace, and no doubt influenced Goodwin. Ads for the Lancer books appeared in the Warren publications in 1969, and the black and white thumbnails of Frazetta's Conan covers blew my mind. I asked my dad, "What was the Hyborian Age?" LOL A year later he bought me Conan the Conqueror, and I started buying Marvel's Conan comic with issue #4's adaptation of The Tower of the Elephant. Over the next couple of years I completed my collection of the Lancer books. Nerd fanboy culture was a bit more physical back then--- my friends and I played in the woods with machetes, axes, and tomahawks, re-enacting our favorite Conan scenes, and we got into weights inspired by Conan's exploits. The Lancer/Ace Conans were pretty much reprints of the older Gnome Press versions that DeCamp had published in the 1950s. I credit DeCamp with keeping the character alive, despite his mercenary motives and weak stories. in 1996, on the 60th anniversary of Howard's death, I rode my Harley to Cross Plains, TX, for the Howard Day celebration. I met Glenn Lord, viewed original Howard manuscripts and copies of Weird Tales on display at the town library, and camped out in Howard's backyard. It was great that Howard's work was finally treated with respect in those publications you cite. I hope for a similarly respectful film adaptation of Conan one day, as opposed to the garbage Milius movies. Arnold's Conan would piss his diapers if confronted by REH's Conan.
There's only one Milius Conan movie, and it's far from "garbage." The three subsequent Conan films (The Destroyer, Red Sonja and the Jason Mamoa reboot) had no involvement from John Milius.
@@RockandrollNegro Milius had no regard for the Robert E. Howard source material, and the Milius Conan has nothing to do with the REH character. Howard's Conan would die before he submitted to slavery, yet Milius portrayed Conan as a docile slave, groveling at the feet of his 'master." The Milius origin story is insipid, inserting Thulsa Doom---- a KULL nemesis from Atlantis--- into the Hyborian Age which came thousands of years after the sinking of Atlantis. The Howard Conan was born on a battlefield, to a ferocious, and Howard specifically states, an unconquered people, the Cimmerians. Aquilonia, the most powerful Hyborian nation, attempted to invade Cimmeria and were massacred at Venarium. Conan was a barbarian from a thousand generations of barbarians, cunning and powerful. Imagine what a skilled filmmaker could have done with Howard's character. Milius consistently portrays Conan as a pathetic, stupid, sniveling oaf, and further dilutes the character with a succession of lameass sidekicks. I understand that people have affection for this truly awful, garbage movie, and I suppose it is an okay fantasy flick, but just call it Fred the Barbarian, Floyd the Barbarian, anything. Just don't call it Conan, because the Milius movie ain't Conan.
Thanks for the advice! Saw some people claim the Gollancz hardback was incomplete or censored. I should've known that wasn't true, cause their Lovecraft collection is great. But I still didn't want to risk buying it without the opinion from a true Conan fan like you.
Gollancz used the original magazine versions of the Conan stories. These are a bit different in some cases from the versions used in the Del Rey set but not much.
5:25 Cracked me up! My introduction to Conan was with the movies, but as far as literature, I've only read Howard's stories. I'm not even interested in anything else that calls itself "Conan." I guess that makes me a purist.
It was a real battle to find all del rey Howard books and complete chronicles,since the bookshops in Croatia rearly had anything from guy,i had to find alternative,but,book depository sometimes works sometimes not so i fought and i fought with my patience and feeling of holding a book in my hand but it finally paid it of,i gave fortune for del rey collection especially for that big chunk but im a happy man now :)
By the way, Subterranean Press continued publishing some of the high-end REH editions after Wandering Star stopped doing so. I wish I had known about them doing so when they were released, because they’re too expensive to buy now.
I was a bit surprised that you didn’t cover the differences between the Lancer and Ace series paperbacks, the Gnome hardcovers from the 50’s, or the Grant hardcovers from the 70’s/80’s. Also, if you care to seek them out, the three books edited by Wagner were originally published in hardcover as well.
I have the fantasy masterworks editions. The cover art was done by John Howe who is famous for his Lord of the Rings artwork and working on the movies providing art concepts.
any chance you could do a video like this on any editions of the later pastiches by other authors? i bought the The Coming, Bloody Crown, and Conquering Sword audiobooks on your recommendation and love it, I would also like to have audiobooks of the non-Howard stories as well
Just discovered your channel and its getting me back into reading seriously. I would love to see a version of this video on the John Carter books. Would the edition on your bookshelf be the best one?
Hey Michael, do you have any plans to eventually do a review of non-Howard Conan stories? I'm curious to hear you take on some of the other authors who attempted to write Conan after Howard had passed away. The one Conan author I'd especially love to hear your thoughts on is Robert Jordan, seeing as he was a famous author in his own right with The Wheel of Time.
A very excellent review of recommended Conan editions. While I get that the focus here is on Conan an added bonus of the Del Rey editions is that the series went on to collect Howard’s lesser known characters including Kull, Bran Mak Morn, Solomon Kane and a few others plus his horror and other adventuring tales. Does the Del Rey series not contain the entirety of Howard’s stories?
I love this kind of history, thanks. I haven't read Phoenix on the Sword yet anyway, I'm busy getting through "The Hyborian Age" as I figure it's the proper introduction to this world (and connecting it to Kull). Do you think you'll do a deeper dive into the Ace books and the pastiches, and on if, in another partition of your brain beside pure Howard, there's some worth while stories that kind of honor the material? I've just started collecting them but I'm not sure how far I want to take it: I really want to see what Robert Jordan and Karl Wagner did with it, but I found and bought John Maddox Roberts, Andrew Outfit and Carter/De Camp originals, and left I behind Steve Perry cause I heard they're extremely silly writing (though part of me is curious because of that). The tampering with Howard's stories, especially rewriting other characters, comes across as greedy, but I'm still curious to read the attempt at story bridges and finishing Howard's fragments just to see how they _might_ end. All this would be after reading the unadulterated stuff of course. I've heard there's a series of trilogies "Age of Conan Hyborian Adventures" from 15 years ago, that tell stories about people _other then Conan_ (while he's busy being king); this sounds like the better approach for a "shared world" to avoid mental disconnects.
The 3 volume set is definitely the way to go. I have the Audible versions; they are soooo good. I love that they include notes and drafts. Do the print editions contain the excerpts from Patrice Louinet's The Robert E. Howard Guide that the Audible versions do?
A slight correction: Most of the Lancer paperbacks were published from 1966 to 1968. "Conan the Adventurer" (1966) was the first Conan book I ever bought, and "People of the Black Circle" was the first Conan story I ever read. It was an electrifying experience for a 14-year-old boy, to say the least.
I loved “The Scarlet Citadel,” because it was one of the very few times Conan was outmatched. The whole time you can feel that this could be the end for him, and he only won cuz he had to rely on the help of others and a bit of luck
Are you aware of the Gnome Press Editions? Those were the hardbound editions I collected after the success of the Ace/Lancer books. Edit: They were published in the '50s and included many of the Carter/DeCamp pastiches.
Really helpful video. Just got yourself a sub. I have the two *Fantasy Masterworks* p/back editions. Do you think it's worth me upgrading to the *Del Ray* editions? I've thought about the *Centenary Edition* , but don't really enjoy big heavy complete editions as they're unwieldy.
The Del Rey editions are the best, with the illustrations and the extra material, but you have all the stories in the Fantasy Masterworks volumes so you don’t need them. The Centenary Edition is basically just the Fantasy Masterworks edition in one hardcover.
@@michaelk.vaughan8617 Thanks. I think I might just get the first three *Del Rey* vols, but it's very tempting to go for all eleven. I didn't realise REH had written so much. I'd like to read some Solomon Kane.
I agree with most of this, but you missed some early hard cover editions that came out in the ‘50s/‘60s that I’ve seen in rare book shops. I wonder if they’re pre-DeCamp.
Those would be the Gnome Press editions. They were edited by DeCamp and the paperbacks were based on them originally. I left them out because I’ve never actually seen one, and Conan really didn’t take off until the paperback series.
Robert was writing with a lot of true history that made people nervous Mithra for instance was sun worship before son worship, but it didn't fit the narrative of the time
Nice! I saw that a couple of titles were changed in the Gollanz version in comparison to the Delrey books. Do you know what's up about that? I believe The Man Eaters of Zamboula was changed into Shadows In Zamboula? And The Hall of the Dead isn't called anything in the Delrey books? Anyway, they are both nice editions and I'm glad I own them both. I got the Delrey books just because they are easier to hold while you read, and there are more illustrations and bonus material in comparison to the Gollanz :)
Having ordered another copy of the complete chronicles of Conan I noticed my old copy says centenary edition on top of front cover and my new one does not does anyone know if this is the only difference
"The Thing in the Crypt" may not have been written by Howard, but it's probably my favorite Conan story (first story in the first Lancer book). I do wonder how many of the changes were due to de Camp and Carter or the publishers, but I'm just happy to have those stories in my life. I have the Del Rey books, all the Lancers, and the underrated "Weird Works of Robert E. Howard". If someone is on the fence about reading Conan, Kane, Kull, or any of other Howard's works, I'd highly recommend the "Weird Works of Robert E. Howard".
I had the de Camp series. I enjoyed them at the time. Now, I won't touch them. Pure Howard for me these days.
Great job! As a young reader, I was quickly able to discern the difference of writing styles between REH and everyone else. I do appreciate the attempts of the other authors to “fill in the gaps” of the chronology; however, NO ONE can write Conan like REH.
I had to order in The Complete Chronicles Of Conan ($65 Australian) through a book shop as I couldn't find a single copy in any store at the time. Its lack of presence in local book shops is kind of odd as H.P. Lovecraft is everywhere.
Other than Robert E Howard himself, only Roy Thomas captured the true essence of Conan.
Sometimes
I think Roy Thomas is hugely unsung for his contribution to Marvel etc. Unfortunately overshadowed by Stan, but then who wasn't? I doubt even God could dim Stan's wattage. They say it's obvious when some people enter a room. Stan WAS the room!
Le sprague de camp?
@@Rebel1972x based on when he completed Howard’s fragments, I’d agree he was good.
The precursors to the Marvel comics were a really in depth series of novels and compilations of short stories published by Lancer and beginning with "Conan the Adventurer" collection of short stories which came out in the early 60's. (I know this because that was my first introduction not only to Conan but also to Frank Frazetta's who painted the cover of the paperback collection. I was 13 years old...now I'm 74.) It had four of the Howard short stories. It was followed by "Conan the Usurper" another collection of Howard stories and included "The Phoenix on the Sword" (which was a reworked Kull story.) In all there were 12 Lancer publications with full novels and collections of original Howard stories and pastiches based on surviving Howard outlines and notes, principally written by L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter. Frazetta's cover art dominated most of these publications although some were done by Boris Vallejo. Ironically the last painting done by Frazetta for Lancer's Conan series, "Conan of Aquilonia" was sent to the Lancer offices in 1978 but Frazetta never got paid. Lancer went bankrupt and the original Frazetta painting was stolen from the Lancer offices and has never been recovered. It would probably be worth millions today...one of Frazetta's paintings, "Dark Kingdom" done for Karl Edward Wagner's "Dark Crusade" novel sold for over six million dollars, edging out his previously highest value painting "Egyptian Queen" done in 1969 which sold for 5.4 million dollars in 2019.
This Conan series led me to Robert E Howard, Casca series and The Destroyer series. Had listened to SSGT Sadler's records for years as my dad served with him. Supposedly, I met him, sat in his lap while stealing sips from dad's 🍺.
I also like the CASCA series
I was lucky enough to get the chronicles at a second hand store for $4 aus. Feeling very lucky at the moment. Thank you for your review. Reading at the moment
Overall, I think L. Sprague DeCamp did more good than bad. He actually took the character's tales and put them into a chronological order (Howard wrote them randomly). Thus, we were able to follow Conan's life from about 19 years old until 70 or so. I enjoyed the fact that he converted some REH stories into Conan tales because Howard only wrote about19 stories or so. The stories by DeCamp and Carter were not bad ones either. DeCamp seemed to be a bit possessive, and passionate about the REHestate/ library, but at the same time, strangely disrespectful. But he did spread the good word of Conan in the 60s and 70s. THE DEL REY EDITIONS CONTAIN SOME GREAT TOP NOTCH ART / ILLUSTRATIONS ALSO!! Go and get 'em!
I remember back in the 1990s, before the internet bookstores carried stacks of the paperbacks. People would keep them in a front jacket pocket and read them.
I started with the Le Sprague de Camp series back in the 60s, and spread out to the Kull series, Brak Morn and others. I also read Wagner and Robert Jordan and Solomon Kane.
This was great and you kinda sold me on the del rays I might have to pick them up and check out those illustrations!
You will not be disappointed!
Very good, and helpful. Have just been buying the 70’s paperbacks - for the Frazetta artwork, as they hold much nostalgic feeling for my youth, and can’t help but see F.F.’s paintings as part of the ‘real deal’, as you say. No other visualisations capture that arcane undercurrent, for me - ‘tho I appreciate the text itself is corrupted.
I’m glad I’ve got the right ones. The Del Rey are definitely.the ones to have. I love all the extras in them too.
One of the pivotal moments of my life was coming upon the Lancer Books' "Conan the Adventurer" with its Frazetta cover in the spinning book rack at my local convenience store when I was in my early teens.
"back when it still rained in California" I got a good chuckle from that one. I love the video, love Conan. This was super interesting.
Thanks!
Actually Wandering Star did finish the Conan series. They are three volumes which collect the entire REH Conan library. Each volume is hardcover, it has colored illustrations, with artist signatures and protected by slip case. I have had these three volumes for over a decade and they are still the best Conan edition on the market. The Del Ray versions have the identical content but the illustrations are in black and white only.
Totally agree with you, i have 2 copies of all the editions they brought out (leather bound/hardbacks all signed by the artists). Unfortunately i have tried selling my spare copies for about 2 years now with no takers. Madness
Those Del Rey editions were how I first read Conan back in high school. I still have them, and they are indeed wonderful, so there's no need for me to have that Gollancz edition, but it's so damn beautiful that I'm almost tempted to buy it. XD
Hello, very helpful vid, your enthusiasm is infectious. Just ordered the Complete Chronicles to start my Conan journey. I read the Conan, Hulk, Avengers comics as a kid here in the U.K back in the 70s. I also picked up a fantasy book about the Frazetta artworks today. When i was 14 all my comic collection was obliterated in a flood, i was heartbroken and never bought a comic again and switched my passions to vinyl. You have inspired an old timer to start reading Conan again. I am getting the same buzz i used to get waiting for my comics to be delivered every Saturday morning. All the best from England U.K.
That’s a tragic story about the Flood! So sorry that happened.
Komiksy są już wymyślone tak jak kilkudziesięciu autorów co kontynuowało historię o Conanie ...tylko orginalne napisane przez twórcę co wymyśl swojego bohatera z Cymeri Roberta Howarda są najlepsze nie ujmując .Wagnerowi , Jordanowi , Campowi i innym 📚📚👋👍
That's the one I got the black cover complete takes its awesome 👍 the complete chronicles of Conan.
The Del Rey books are fantastic!
I love seeing the titles in your bookcase! Some of my favorites.
Thank you.
By CROM we needed this!
Excellent! I’m glad my dopey channel is good for something. 😀
Thank you so much sir
This wins my subscription.
🎵It’s the Robert E Howard Show! 🎵 Great informative video, as usual!
A great and a long--awaited video. I'm really excited about it
Thanks!
Thank you for this video! I picked up the volumes you recommend from Del Rey and I am loving them so far
Fantastic video!
Thank you!
Very nice thanks, greetings from Athens, Love your Ερέχθειο image.
I cant like this video enough. Ive been a fan of Conan for so long, keep em coming!
ps Im so getting that black book you showed. Doesn't matter how long it takes!
What a great video , i really enjoyed watching it. I love Robert E Howards writings, his Conan stories are excellent and Soloman Kane is also fantastic . Howards writing style is wonderful . I have the hard cover complete chronicles edition.
Great stuff. Love your content
Thanks!
Thanks for the help with this! You can always take the measure of a man by his bookshelf, so you bet I'm now subscribed.
Picked up the one volume chronicles about a year ago, shipped from the UK from Blackwell books, only about $35 total!
Excellent deal!
I have all the Conan paperbacks you mentioned but pride of place in my collection is my first edition hard cover of And Their Memory Was a Bitter Tree...
Clear and excellent advice. Bravo. Now skedaddle off to work, man. Roger needs more purchasing power ...
I’m at work now! You would think Roger would have enough cash after collecting gold for 10,000 years!
I have been looking for this type of information for a while. After I read Hour of the Dragon, I fell in love with the world of Conan. But I knew I just wanted Howards authentic works. Thank you for getting all this info together!
I got the complete chronicles leatherbound in a South Carolina bookstore last year, and man am I lucky it was a decent price AND was a good edition. I also got some of the paperbacks by Lin Carter just for the extra stories.
Awesome video! I love your enthusiasm for Robert E. Howard’s work. Subscribed!
Thanks St. Cimmerian! I appreciate it!
I just discovered your video blog a few days ago. What could i say?
Let's be honest! One of the best video blog of books i've ever seen!
And yeah, i was a big fan of the Conan movie from my childhood, but i didn't underdtand its philosophy back than, didn't know what the riddle of steel really is. Later when i was around 10 i belive, i started to read more and more books etc etc.. This was relly limited cos i'm from hungary and at time i didn't even speak english :D
3 years ago i moved to Scotland and maybe that is why i tried to read english books, and i told myself: why not?
So as i said i just discovered your blog and i enjoy totally! I will watch all your videos as i can do, but Honestly you have lots of good themes. And why am i here? Cos of conan! Hats off and Respect sir. Thank you i can be a part of your subscribers!
Cheers from Edinburgh!
Hi Michael! Great video, I enjoyed it a lot! Just a couple of things: Wandering Star DID publish the whole Conan, but not all Howard. The Fantasy Masterwork editions has all Conan but not in the order of publication (it's a sort of Conan chronological life order), whereas the Gollancz Black book has all the Conan in the order the stories were published. Cheers!
Another great video. Thanks for the history lesson. I love listening to the stories behind the stories.
Thanks Kirk!
New Conan fan and was confused by all the editions on Amazon and this was the perfect video! Definitely got a new subscriber!
I had those original De Camp paperbacks and recently sold them all on eBay because I already have all the Frazetta Conan art in several Frazetta books, and the stories in the Wandering Star/Del Rey editions.
I got the del ray books, coming, bloody crown, and conquering sword, and enjoy them a lot
SUBSCRIBED!!! You answered what ive been trying to self google search for WEEKS!! I honestly didnt want you to stop talking, Cannot wait for the next video of the Phoenix and the sword. Cheers My Friend
I glad you did this video instead. This was interesting. I really like when you give us these historical recaps.
Thanks!
Well said with the Del Rey editions, always recommend that for people looking to get into the character.
Excellent, very helpful. You have a new subscriber! I'm working my way through the series with my son. Thank you
You are very welcome! Thanks for watching!
I like the 2011 Gollancz reprint of the FM/Chronicles in a 3-volume set, released for the 2011 movie reboot. I like them because they are cheap (at least in UK), are smaller in size than the Del Rey's, FM an Chronicles at 13cm x 20cm and most importantly printed on cream paper for less eye fatigue. The Dey Rey's are big and floppy, and printed on laser-white printer paper for illustration contrast. If you can get/resize the Del Rey pdf's they would make a great Lulu print project though!
Agree on those issues with the Del Rey editions, only question for me before I take the plunge is do the Gollancz 3 volume set include the same pictures as the Del Rey as these do seem to bring it to life?
@@crom9741 No, unfortunately the 3-book Gollancz version has no illustrations. The 1-tome Complete Chronicles of Conan has some sparse illustrations but not the same ones as the Del Rey ones. The Kindle versions of Del Rey's and CCoC include images from the print books and that's how I enjoy those. Not sure if the FM version has illustrations, but I doubt it.
Just got the leather bound edition! Thanks for confirming my wants lol
The Easton press is amazing looking
Not the price tag though
But I’m going to be proud to hang onto this in my book collection for years to come
Hi Michael, thank you very much for this great quick history of the Conan publications. I was looking at the different versions trying to narrow down my selection so this was hugely helpful. I'm going with the Del Rey version (all 3) as a gift for my partner. I really enjoyed your enthusiasm for the subject which made this a fun watch.
Thank you! The Del Rey is definitely the best edition of Conan ever published.
Sweet books dude!
Thanks!
Thank you dude! I picked up those three books for 52 bucks on Amazon. Ez pz. Although i was thinking about searching for a video like yours but never actually typed anything about it in yet TH-cam recommended your video so that's kind of weird.
This is good video
Thanks!
Enjoyed your comments. Subscribed.
Thanks!
The Del Rey's are great. I've been looking for the Karl Edward Wagner books and have only found The Road of Kings so far.
The Road of Kings is the only Conan story Karl wrote
I just purchased the single volume hardback for just under $70 and am still considering getting the three volume Masterworks soft cover series. I can't wait to see the Howard's full works on Conan. BTW, you did such a great job going over these, I subscribed! Now, I'm looking forward to looking through your volumes!
Thanks!
I really enjoyed this, having just discovered your channel. Robert E Howard is my favorite author, and I have quite an extensive collection.
I’m in complete agreement with your presenting the Del Rey series of trade paperbacks as the very best of the compilations of REH’s Conan stories, and also the most authentic as well.
How do you know all of this man? This is incredible ha ha! I love it thanks for the recommendations!!!
Ha! I know all this because I don’t have a life outside books!
I thought Frazetta’s Conan covers were done in the 60’s which popularized Conan enough for a Marvel to do the comic. Also, Boris didn’t do any of those paperback book covers (though I’m sure he would have done a fine job, given his later great covers for SAVAGE SWORD).
Well, I have ordered the Mark Finn Bio....you have convinced me to join the Cult of Conan....lol.
Best Howard bio
That Mark Fin biography is really good. I met him once a few years ago. Really nice guy and knows more about Howard than just about anyone.
@@michaelk.vaughan8617 Cool, hopefully it gets here soon....
Really cool survey. I read the Warren publications, Creepy and Eerie, in the mid 60s which featured my first exposure to Robert E. Howard. Editor/writer Archie Goodwin created a barbarian character called Thane, the hero of a half dozen fantasy stories that ran in Creepy, and the final Thane tale was the subject of an awesome Frazetta cover of issue #27 in 1969. The series received positive feedback in the letter columns, readers favorably compared Thane to REH's Conan. I was 8 or 9 years old, and even at that young age, made a mental note of Howard and Conan. In 1966 /67 Lancer started publishing the Decamp-edited Conan series which would persist into the 70s and the 80s under Ace, and no doubt influenced Goodwin. Ads for the Lancer books appeared in the Warren publications in 1969, and the black and white thumbnails of Frazetta's Conan covers blew my mind. I asked my dad, "What was the Hyborian Age?" LOL A year later he bought me Conan the Conqueror, and I started buying Marvel's Conan comic with issue #4's adaptation of The Tower of the Elephant. Over the next couple of years I completed my collection of the Lancer books. Nerd fanboy culture was a bit more physical back then--- my friends and I played in the woods with machetes, axes, and tomahawks, re-enacting our favorite Conan scenes, and we got into weights inspired by Conan's exploits. The Lancer/Ace Conans were pretty much reprints of the older Gnome Press versions that DeCamp had published in the 1950s. I credit DeCamp with keeping the character alive, despite his mercenary motives and weak stories. in 1996, on the 60th anniversary of Howard's death, I rode my Harley to Cross Plains, TX, for the Howard Day celebration. I met Glenn Lord, viewed original Howard manuscripts and copies of Weird Tales on display at the town library, and camped out in Howard's backyard. It was great that Howard's work was finally treated with respect in those publications you cite. I hope for a similarly respectful film adaptation of Conan one day, as opposed to the garbage Milius movies. Arnold's Conan would piss his diapers if confronted by REH's Conan.
There's only one Milius Conan movie, and it's far from "garbage." The three subsequent Conan films (The Destroyer, Red Sonja and the Jason Mamoa reboot) had no involvement from John Milius.
@@RockandrollNegro Milius had no regard for the Robert E. Howard source material, and the Milius Conan has nothing to do with the REH character. Howard's Conan would die before he submitted to slavery, yet Milius portrayed Conan as a docile slave, groveling at the feet of his 'master." The Milius origin story is insipid, inserting Thulsa Doom---- a KULL nemesis from Atlantis--- into the Hyborian Age which came thousands of years after the sinking of Atlantis. The Howard Conan was born on a battlefield, to a ferocious, and Howard specifically states, an unconquered people, the Cimmerians. Aquilonia, the most powerful Hyborian nation, attempted to invade Cimmeria and were massacred at Venarium. Conan was a barbarian from a thousand generations of barbarians, cunning and powerful. Imagine what a skilled filmmaker could have done with Howard's character. Milius consistently portrays Conan as a pathetic, stupid, sniveling oaf, and further dilutes the character with a succession of lameass sidekicks. I understand that people have affection for this truly awful, garbage movie, and I suppose it is an okay fantasy flick, but just call it Fred the Barbarian, Floyd the Barbarian, anything. Just don't call it Conan, because the Milius movie ain't Conan.
Thanks for the advice! Saw some people claim the Gollancz hardback was incomplete or censored. I should've known that wasn't true, cause their Lovecraft collection is great. But I still didn't want to risk buying it without the opinion from a true Conan fan like you.
Gollancz used the original magazine versions of the Conan stories. These are a bit different in some cases from the versions used in the Del Rey set but not much.
The Howard foundation and del reys are the best imo
5:25 Cracked me up! My introduction to Conan was with the movies, but as far as literature, I've only read Howard's stories. I'm not even interested in anything else that calls itself "Conan." I guess that makes me a purist.
It was a real battle to find all del rey Howard books and complete chronicles,since the bookshops in Croatia rearly had anything from guy,i had to find alternative,but,book depository sometimes works sometimes not so i fought and i fought with my patience and feeling of holding a book in my hand but it finally paid it of,i gave fortune for del rey collection especially for that big chunk but im a happy man now :)
I’m glad you managed to get them! I think you will find your hard fight was worth it.
By the way, Subterranean Press continued publishing some of the high-end REH editions after Wandering Star stopped doing so. I wish I had known about them doing so when they were released, because they’re too expensive to buy now.
In Brazilian the greatest part of the Robert E. Howard's Works are published by Editora Pipoca & Nanquim.
Good to know. Thanks!
Except for minor editing, De Camp made no changes to the original WEIRD TALES published Conan stories or 'The vale of lost women'.
100% agree that the DelRey books are the ones to get!
I was a bit surprised that you didn’t cover the differences between the Lancer and Ace series paperbacks, the Gnome hardcovers from the 50’s, or the Grant hardcovers from the 70’s/80’s. Also, if you care to seek them out, the three books edited by Wagner were originally published in hardcover as well.
I have the Del Rey editions. But I'm also fond of the Gollancz edition.
They are both pretty great.
I have the fantasy masterworks editions. The cover art was done by John Howe who is famous for his Lord of the Rings artwork and working on the movies providing art concepts.
He did a great job on those covers.
any chance you could do a video like this on any editions of the later pastiches by other authors? i bought the The Coming, Bloody Crown, and Conquering Sword audiobooks on your recommendation and love it, I would also like to have audiobooks of the non-Howard stories as well
Just discovered your channel and its getting me back into reading seriously. I would love to see a version of this video on the John Carter books. Would the edition on your bookshelf be the best one?
Well, it is a pretty good one. That’s an excellent idea for a video! Thanks!
Hey Michael, do you have any plans to eventually do a review of non-Howard Conan stories? I'm curious to hear you take on some of the other authors who attempted to write Conan after Howard had passed away. The one Conan author I'd especially love to hear your thoughts on is Robert Jordan, seeing as he was a famous author in his own right with The Wheel of Time.
A very excellent review of recommended Conan editions. While I get that the focus here is on Conan an added bonus of the Del Rey editions is that the series went on to collect Howard’s lesser known characters including Kull, Bran Mak Morn, Solomon Kane and a few others plus his horror and other adventuring tales. Does the Del Rey series not contain the entirety of Howard’s stories?
Not even close.
I love this kind of history, thanks. I haven't read Phoenix on the Sword yet anyway, I'm busy getting through "The Hyborian Age" as I figure it's the proper introduction to this world (and connecting it to Kull).
Do you think you'll do a deeper dive into the Ace books and the pastiches, and on if, in another partition of your brain beside pure Howard, there's some worth while stories that kind of honor the material? I've just started collecting them but I'm not sure how far I want to take it: I really want to see what Robert Jordan and Karl Wagner did with it, but I found and bought John Maddox Roberts, Andrew Outfit and Carter/De Camp originals, and left I behind Steve Perry cause I heard they're extremely silly writing (though part of me is curious because of that).
The tampering with Howard's stories, especially rewriting other characters, comes across as greedy, but I'm still curious to read the attempt at story bridges and finishing Howard's fragments just to see how they _might_ end. All this would be after reading the unadulterated stuff of course.
I've heard there's a series of trilogies "Age of Conan Hyborian Adventures" from 15 years ago, that tell stories about people _other then Conan_ (while he's busy being king); this sounds like the better approach for a "shared world" to avoid mental disconnects.
I’ve read quite a bit of the non-Howard Conan. I’m not sure I think enough of any of it to make a video about it but I might.
I picked up my Centenary Edition in a bargain bin in a bookstore in New Zealand. Best book bargain ever!
I've heard that hardcover edition is censored and edited to some degree. Can you confirm?
This! I heard the same, can anyone confirm?
The 3 volume set is definitely the way to go. I have the Audible versions; they are soooo good. I love that they include notes and drafts. Do the print editions contain the excerpts from Patrice Louinet's The Robert E. Howard Guide that the Audible versions do?
I believe so. I will check when I have them at hand.
A slight correction:
Most of the Lancer paperbacks were published
from 1966 to 1968.
"Conan the Adventurer" (1966) was the first Conan
book I ever bought, and "People of the Black Circle"
was the first Conan story I ever read. It was an
electrifying experience for a 14-year-old boy, to say
the least.
Thanks for the correction!
I loved “The Scarlet Citadel,” because it was one of the very few times Conan was outmatched. The whole time you can feel that this could be the end for him, and he only won cuz he had to rely on the help of others and a bit of luck
Excellent observation.
Are you aware of the Gnome Press Editions? Those were the hardbound editions I collected after the success of the Ace/Lancer books. Edit: They were published in the '50s and included many of the Carter/DeCamp pastiches.
Really helpful video. Just got yourself a sub. I have the two *Fantasy Masterworks* p/back editions. Do you think it's worth me upgrading to the *Del Ray* editions? I've thought about the *Centenary Edition* , but don't really enjoy big heavy complete editions as they're unwieldy.
The Del Rey editions are the best, with the illustrations and the extra material, but you have all the stories in the Fantasy Masterworks volumes so you don’t need them. The Centenary Edition is basically just the Fantasy Masterworks edition in one hardcover.
@@michaelk.vaughan8617 Thanks. I think I might just get the first three *Del Rey* vols, but it's very tempting to go for all eleven. I didn't realise REH had written so much. I'd like to read some Solomon Kane.
Thanks. How about Lovecraft? Which editions?
Damn, I've got 3 of those De camp ones :(
I agree with most of this, but you missed some early hard cover editions that came out in the ‘50s/‘60s that I’ve seen in rare book shops. I wonder if they’re pre-DeCamp.
Those would be the Gnome Press editions. They were edited by DeCamp and the paperbacks were based on them originally. I left them out because I’ve never actually seen one, and Conan really didn’t take off until the paperback series.
Robert was writing with a lot of true history that made people nervous Mithra for instance was sun worship before son worship, but it didn't fit the narrative of the time
This three-volume edition has a hardcover version?
Hey! I need some ideas for stories for my students. Does anyone have any recommendations of stories that are school age appropriate from Mr. Howard?
Nice!
I saw that a couple of titles were changed in the Gollanz version in comparison to the Delrey books. Do you know what's up about that?
I believe The Man Eaters of Zamboula was changed into Shadows In Zamboula?
And The Hall of the Dead isn't called anything in the Delrey books?
Anyway, they are both nice editions and I'm glad I own them both. I got the Delrey books just because they are easier to hold while you read, and there are more illustrations and bonus material in comparison to the Gollanz :)
Weird Tales changed some of the titles when they published the stories. The Del Rey set restores all the changes back to Howard’s original versions.
@@michaelk.vaughan8617 Ah okay, that's interesting.
Thanks for the info :)
Having ordered another copy of the complete chronicles of Conan I noticed my old copy says centenary edition on top of front cover and my new one does not does anyone know if this is the only difference
What are your thoughts on the Fantasy Stories Presents CONAN THE BARBARIAN SUPER PACK? How does the Super Pack stack up against the Del Rey volumes?
"The Thing in the Crypt" may not have been written by Howard, but it's probably my favorite Conan story (first story in the first Lancer book). I do wonder how many of the changes were due to de Camp and Carter or the publishers, but I'm just happy to have those stories in my life. I have the Del Rey books, all the Lancers, and the underrated "Weird Works of Robert E. Howard". If someone is on the fence about reading Conan, Kane, Kull, or any of other Howard's works, I'd highly recommend the "Weird Works of Robert E. Howard".
The Thing in the Crypt is certainly the best pastiche.
@Specter Kahuna yes it's a shame they didn't do that in CtB'82
Will you please do a review of Hamlet by Shakespeare? I'd love to hear your opinion on it
Hamlet and Macbeth are the original gothic tales I would say!
That’s a great idea, actually.
Weather stains build character!
Ha! Yes! My copy has a lot of character!
Not even going to mention the premium Donald M. Grant series?? You’re missing out, fellow