Text taken from Howard’s untitled carbon, provided by Glenn Lord. The title comes from Kline’s listing (a 1929 Howard letter gives it as “The Chiming of the Gong”). The carbon runs five pages, while Kline’s listing indicates the original ran only four. Some questionable readings were checked against a transcript prepared by Lord. 129.2.6: no comma after “reality”; 129.13.7: comma instead of period after “murmured”; 129.19.2: “as” repeated; 129.20.5: period instead of comma after “everything”; 129.20.7: comma instead of period after “mused”; 129.28.6: “but” capitalized; 129.29.4: comma after “recognized”; 129.30.4: no comma after “eyes”; 130.7.10: period instead of comma after “him”; 130.8.2: comma instead of period after “cryptically”; 130.9.10: period instead of comma after “chamber”; 130.10.2: “and” capitalized; 130.19.7: period instead of comma after “dead”; 130.19.11: comma instead of period after “figure”; 130.24.2: “are” not in original; 130.25.1: period instead of comma after “universes”; 130.25.2: “said” capitalized; 130.25.4: comma instead of period after “ancient”; 130.33.7: period instead of comma after “actualities”; 130.34.2: comma instead of period after “tranquilly”; 131.12.2: “the” not in original; 131.15.1: no opening quote before “The”; 131.16.5: period instead of comma after “god”; 131.16.10: comma instead of period after “impatiently”; 131.16.11: “Look” preceded by an en-dash; 131.17.3: “to” not in typescript; 131.26.6: star; 131.38.4: no question mark after “this”; 131.38.6: no question mark after “happened”; 131.39.12: period instead of comma after “realms”; 131.40.12: comma instead of period after “sword”; 132.7.5: “that” capitalized; 132.13.6: skurried; 132.15.4: period instead of comma after “right”; 132.18.4: not; 132.20.5: no quotation mark after “gong.”
The Altar and the Scorpion
Text taken from Howard’s untitled carbon, provided by Glenn Lord. The title comes from the Kline listing. The carbon runs four pages, while Kline’s listing indicates the original ran five. Some questionable readings were checked against a transcript prepared by Lord. 135.1.1: no opening quote before “God”; 135.12.1: “invokation” followed by a comma instead of a period; 135.23.7: “the” capitalized; 135.26.14: comma after “I”; 135.30.1: “the” capitalized; 135.38.7: invokation; 136.10.4: “pent house”; 136.22.4: comma instead of period after “him”; 136.23.9: “the” capitalized; 136.26.4: comma instead of period after “jeered”; 136.35.2: comma after “metallic”; 137.7.5: swordsman; 137.21.3: reverance; 137.35.6: no comma after “frozen”; 137.38.10: no hyphen in “claw like”; 137.39.13: “to” not in original; 138.4.5: screames; 138.8.9: comma instead of period after “tremulous; 138.14.2: comma instead of period after “girl.”
The Curse of the Golden Skull
Text taken from Howard’s untitled carbon, provided by Glenn Lord. The title comes from the Kline listing. The carbon runs four pages, while Kline’s listing indicates the original ran five. Some questionable readings were checked against a transcript prepared by Lord. 141.7.12: which; 141.13.1: Accolyte; 143.14.11: invokation; 143.18.8: trandscending; 143.25.11: highst; 144.35.7: “to” repeated.
The Black City (Unfinished Fragment)
Text taken from Howard’s typescript, provided by Glenn Lord. 147.9.7: comma instead of period after “fury”; 147.14.4: moutain; 147.15.8: no comma after “tier”; 147.17.13: the; 147.18.10: comma instead of period after “fist”; 147.23.8: comma instead of period after “Pict”; 147.25.4: comma after “stench”; 147.33.5: comma instead of period after “Brule”; 148.4.5: proceded; 148.6.4: keeness; 148.28.11: comma instead of period after “Brule”; 148.31.10: comma after “truth”; 148.35.7: sentious; 148.39.3: comma instead of period after “Brule.”
Untitled Fragment
Text taken from Howard’s typescript, provided by Glenn Lord. 153.8.1: comma instead of period after “figures”; 153.19.12: comma instead of period after “man”; 153.23.8: cimson; 154.1.10: equallity; 154.7.7: remeniscense; 154.7.8: It; 154.11.5: horrizontal; 154.11.6: mark; 154.14.6: vitallity; 154.14.8: straight forwardness; 154.17.10: reserved; 154.20.2: no comma after “Kull”; 154.20.8: We; 154.23.9: interefere; 154.23.10: were; 154.29.2: enroaches; 154.35.9: tribes.
By This Axe I Rule!
Text taken from Howard’s draft, provided by Glenn Lord. The draft runs twenty pages (against twenty-three for the–lost–definitive version), with several penciled-in annotations and corrections in Howard’s hand. Howard didn’t always cross out or erase the words or phrases to be replaced; these are mentioned only in case of doubt. 157.2.7: no comma after “dark”; 157.11.9: “the” capitalized; 157.15.1: comma instead of period after “man”; 157.18.1: comma instead of period after “imperturbably”; 157.21.4: exclamation instead of question mark after “swear”; 157.22.11: comma instead of period after “eyes”; 157.25.9: comma instead of period after “Ascalante”; 157.28.4: comma instead of period after “dagger”; 158.2.1: covenented; 158.3.11: no period after “minstrel”; 158.5.6: “the” capitalized; 158.12.5: unbroken; 158.22.4: Kananu; 158.25.3: body guard; 158.27.1: comma instead of period after “satisfaction”; 158.36.7: comma after “through”; 158.39.12: no period after “of”; 159.6.12: “what” capitalized; 159.12.7: he; 159.12.10: comma instead of period after “Kaanuub”; 159.17.1: inchoerencies; 159.19.11: shoulder; 159.23.2: every; 159.23.4: “the” capitalized; 159.25.8: comma after “skalking”; 159.30.7: no comma after “I”; 159.31.2: down fall; 159.35.11: comma instead of period after “outlaw”; 160.2.12: hare brained; 160.5.15: no comma after “men”; 160.6.3: no period after “me”; 160.9.2: it is unclear whether the phrase “the old dynasty” was to be deleted or not; it seems partly erased on the typescript; 160.10.8: king’s; 160.13.2: regeme; 160.15.14: “to” not in original; 160.22.2: “The Lament for the King” between double, not single, quotes; 160.22.4: For; 160.22.13: villian; 160.23.2: villifies; 160.23.5: “that black hearted savage” between double, not single, quotes; 160.29.8: no comma after “knight”; 161.15.6: Moreoever; 161.18.5: “this” capitalized; 161.18.8: states-craft; 161.20.8: comma instead of period after “Brule”; 161.22.13: comma instead of period after “enviously”; 162.18.13: “the” capitalized; 162.23.2: dash after “barbarian”; 162.23.3: parenthesis before “when”; “when” not capitalized; 162.24.13: parenthesis after “me.”; 162.25.13: inscense; 162.30.4: comma instead of period after “notch”; 162.37.1: no comma after “forgotten”; 164.9.4: repbrobate; 164.11.5: “to” not in original; 164.16.4: comma instead of period after “sincerity”; 164.18.1: mean; 164.34.5: “there’s” capitalized; 164.35.8: no comma after “name”; 165.4.7: altar; 165.14.1: comma instead of period after “him”; 165.17.1: “not” not in original; 165.28.9: “Neither” not in original; 165.28.10: “you” capitalized; 165.29.1: altar; 165.30.6: weakning; 165.33.1: enmies; 165.34.9: admanant; 165.37.10: comma instead of period after “hand”; 166.8.9: betwen; 166.22.1: escpecially; 166.29.2: comma instead of period after “sir”; 166.29.3: she; 166.29.8: comma instead of period after “surprize”; 166.34.4: summonsed; 169.1.10: comma after “her”; 169.4.7: “the” capitalized; 169.16.7: comma instead of period after “heavily”; 169.19.4: comma instead of period after “wrath”; 169.23.1: Dont; 169.24.4: comma instead of period after “shoulder”; 169.27.4: semi-colon instead of period after “smiled”; 169.29.7: no comma after “asked”; 169.32.10: “and” capitalized; 169.34.3: comma instead of period after “laughed”; 169.36.4: inch’s; 170.4.1: comma after “born”; 170.23.4: comma instead of period after “man”; 170.26.1: holliday; 170.35.1: Dont; 170.35.3: comma instead of period after “afraid”; 170.39.1: comma instead of period after “foot”; 171.1.3: comma instead of period after “weakly”; 171.9.5: wrestly; 171.18.7: nitches; 172.4.11: uncertainly; 172.10.3: comma instead of period after “Ascalante”; 172.11.1: no comma after “Haste”; 172.13.4: no period after “Ridondo”; 172.16.3: comma instead of period after “Ascalante”; 172.21.3: comma instead of period after “Ridondo”; 172.26.1: comma after “Kull”; 172.
33.14: hurlted; 172.35.5: tableaux; 172.37.2: “terrible eyed” (no hyphen); 172.39.3: semicolon instead of colon after “shouted”; 172.39.12: fourteen; 173.1.7: thime; 173.11.4: piece; 173.20.3: no comma after “speed”; 173.27.3: “back hand” (no hyphen); 173.32.17 (or 33.1): “with” not in ts; 173.34.3: one; 173.34.6: no period after “them”; 173.35.7: semicolon instead of comma after “savagely”; 173.38.8: “back his vizor” is typed here, with “off his slouch hat” handwritten above; 173.39.6: comma instead of period after “glaring”; 173.40.2: exclamation instead of question mark after “live”; 174.1.5: no semicolon after “viciously”; 174.2.8: no comma after “and”; 174.21.7: comma instead of period after “breathlessly”; 174.26.5: comma instead of period after “sharply”; 174.40.3: exclamation instead of question mark after “first”; 177.3.6: “him” not in typescript; 177.5.12: for; 177.8.4: villian; 177.23.6: the typescript reads “particularly including honor”; it is unclear which word was to be deleted; 177.24.2: comma instead of period after “murmured”; 177.25.4: what ever; 178.5.6: a sentence was to be added at this point, but the pencil is now too faded on the typescript to decipher; 178.7.4: unifrom; 178.10.6: comma instead of period after “huskily”; 178.11.4: t’will; 178.11.8: ’Tis; 178.36.1: the phrase: “in the evening only did Ala find a chance” appears above the text, in pencil; clearly Howard was to rewrite this passage and several others on the last pages of the draft; 179.5.4: no comma after “his”; 179.6.1: the words “he was himself” appears above the text, in pencil; 179.14.7: others; 180.2.12: wand like; 180.3.13: comma instead of period after “him”; 180.5.3: comma instead of period after “blood”; 180.9.3: comma instead of period after “blazing”; 180.9.9: knigship; 180.12.4: an unreadable sentence beginning with “While he…” is written on the typescript at this point but is too faint to be deciphered; 180.16.4: hve; 180.18.7: fightened.
Swords of the Purple Kingdom
Text taken from Howard’s draft, provided by Glenn Lord. The draft runs twenty-seven pages (against thirty-one for the–lost–definitive version), with several penciled-in annotations and corrections in Howard’s hand. Howard didn’t always cross out or erase the words or phrases to be replaced; these are mentioned only in case of doubt. Some questionable readings were checked against a transcript prepared by Lord. 183.13.2: no comma after “companion”; 183.13.6: powerfully; 183.19.10: no period after “Atlantean”; 183.29.10: no comma after “foreigners”; 183.31.10: looks; 183.32.5: no quotation mark after “race”; 183.35.4: familes; 184.4.12: no comma after “armies”; 184.13.10: ruthlesness; 184.16.9: “Well” capitalized; 184.25.10: in; 184.33.7: comma instead of period after “Brule”; 184.33.13: opening quote before “To”; 184.40.2: lovliness; 185.1.10: brood; 185.4.12: sword hardened (no hyphen); 185.14.14: comma instead of period after “toy”; 185.17.9: comma instead of period after “patience”; 185.22.4: “and” capitalized; 186.4.1: embarrassment; 187.3.3: Formallity; 187.4.4: no comma after “Brule”; 187.5.1: formallity; 187.9.4: the; 187.27.5: formallity; 187.28.12: he; 187.35.8: comma instead of period after “action”; 188.6.7: Borna’s; 188.7.1: over threw; 188.13.4: comma instead of period after “Kull”; 188.33.4: sparce; 189.3.3: comma after “Dondal”; 189.7.10: comma instead of period after “Tu”; 189.24.5: no comma after “long”; 189.24.6: no comma after “slim”; 189.25.11: comma after “rose”; 189.29.6: Acursed; 189.33.13: ecstacy; 189.34.7: rendevous; 190.22.1: comparitively; 190.29.5: sparce; 190.39.8: parrallel; 191.2.7: flag stones; 191.3.4: its; 191.4.5: comma instead of period after “Farsunian”; 191.11.6: comma instead of period after “Pict”; 191.11.7: Cant; 191.13.6: accidently; 191.16.1: terachery; 191.20.6: cut throat; 191.20.8: comma instead of period after “Dalgar”; 191.22.2: period instead of question mark after “beggar”; 191.32.3: conciousness; 191.37.2: dont; 191.37.8: comma instead of period after “dazed”; 192.27.5: Slayer; 192.36.5: comma instead of period after “Kananu”; 192.40.10: “to him” after “king” (193.1.4) in original; 193.7.2: no comma after “mates”; 193.8.1: reminisces; 193.13.5: procedings; 193.20.1: comma after “least”; 193.26.8: semicolon instead of comma after “palace”; 194.1.7: comma instead of period after “king”; 194.14.3: honey combed; 194.22.6: em-dash after “but”; 194.30.4: comma instead of period after “said”; 194.38.3: proceded; 195.2.8: comma instead of period after “king”; 195.9.3: back; 195.23.1: alllowed; 195.27.3: “the” capitalized; 195.30.10: dissappearance; 196.2.9: minature; 196.3.9: over ran; 197.1.5: comma instead of period after “Verulian”; 197.2.2: havent; 197.3.1: no period after “tongue”; 197.5.10: comma instead of period after “companion”; 197.6.2: wont; 197.10.12: comma after “Dalgar”; 197.17.1: Hadnt; 197.17.6: quiered; 197.19.4: cant; 197.20.1: cant; 197.34.6: comma after “relief”; 197.35.10: her; 198.6.3: comma instead of period after “giant”; 198.22.4: en-dash after, instead of before, the quote; 198.23.1: comma instead of en-dash after “cloth”; 198.23.2: “and” capitalized; 198.29.1: comma instead of period after “swiftly”; 198.30.4: he; 198.30.9: reward; 198.31.7: a; 198.34.2: comma instead of period after blazing; 198.35.13: “how” capitalized; 198.37.10: comma instead of period after “breathlessly”; 199.7.12: comma instead of period after “obeyed”; 199.9.12: comma instead of period after “voice”; 199.11.1: “the” capitalized; 199.12.5: comma instead of period after “Verulian”; 199.14.2: it; 199.14.11: cloesly; 199.23.8: comma instead of period after “Gonda”; 199.34.2: no comma after “Kull”; 199.35.1: rion; 200.1.9: effected; 200.7.10: litteraly; 200.14.2: tiger like; 200.15.11: alos; 200.20.4: colon instead of period after “girl”; 200.21.1: like wise; 200.22.8: reasuringly; 200.30.6: soldier; 200.40.10: black smith; 201.1.5: seem; 201.4.1: hair; 201.15.1: no quotation marks before and after “Well”; 201.15.4: no quotation mark before “here”; 201.15.12: no quotation mark after “too”; 201.17.1: leader ship; 201.17.6: no period after “Valusian”; 201.18.14: unconcious; 201.30.14: hin; 202.4.1: hammer like; 202.9.2: Verulian; 202.11.5: comma instead of period after “one”; 202.13.10: comma instead of period after “shriek”; 202.13.11: Dont; 202.22.6: “must” repeated after “necessarily”; 205.14.3: mw; 205.22.7: grat; 206.2.13: foot steps; 206.5.10: asounted; 206.6.11: no comma after “naked”; 207.1.11: helment; 207.1.11: comma after “helmet”; 207.3.8: comma after “man”; 207.3.13: comma after “same”; 207.15.2: no comma after “cruel”; 207.15.4: imbeded; 208.30.5: comma instead of period after “Kull”; 208.33.3: comma instead of period after “ejaculated”; 208.33.7: comma after “Tu”; 208.40.13: comma instead of period after “moodily”; 209.14.1: comma instead of period after “blood”; 209.20.9: resplendant; 209.33.13: comma instead of period after “him”; 209.36.5: comma instead of period after “head”; 210.4.2: comma instead of period after “arm”; 210.7.2: “have” not in original; 210.16.10: another.
The King and the Oak
Text taken from Howard’s typescript, provided by Glenn Lord. No changes have been made for this edition.
Kings of the Night
Text taken from Weird Tales, November 1930. 217.1.2: Cæsar; 217.37.12: Cæsar; 221.18.3: Cæsar; 221.22.5: Cæsar; 222.10.13: Cæsar; 222.36.5: stedfast; 227.18.13: “will-power” hyphenated at line break; 239.38.9–10: way possible; 241.10.3: “side-long” hyphenated at line break; 244.8.1: comma after “guard.”
Summer Morn
Howard’s original is no longer extant. It was, however, among the poems microfilmed by Robert Barlow. Text taken from Glenn Lord’s transcription of the microfilm.
Am-ra the Ta-an
Text taken from Howard’s typescript, provided by Glenn Lord. No changes have been made for this edition.
The Tale of Am-ra
Text taken from Howard’s typescript, provided by Glenn Lord. No changes have been made for this edition.
Untitled and Unfinished Fragment
Howard’s original was not located in time for this edition. Text taken from Glenn Lord’s typed copy of Howard’s original.
Untitled and Incomplete Fragment
Text taken from Howard’s typescript, provided by
Glenn Lord. Only pages 10 and 11 of this fragment have come to us. No changes have been made for this edition.
The Shadow Kingdom (Draft)
Text taken from Howard’s typescript, provided by Glenn Lord. No changes have been made for this edition.
Delcardes’ Cat
Text taken from Howard’s typescript, provided by Glenn Lord. No changes have been made for this edition.
The King and the Oak (Draft)
Text taken from Howard’s typescript, provided by Glenn Lord. No changes have been made for this edition.
This wouldn’t have been posssible except for the support of my family. Julie, Levi, Ethan and Ellie, thanks for putting up with the long hours and struggle that went into making this. My parents, Mike and Robyn, and mother-in-law “Mrs. P” for helping out whenever I needed it. My grandfather for the place to work and the companionship. JD and Vance, entertaining me as always. Marcelo, I’m just lucky I wasn’t close by or I’m sure you’d have my head. Thanks for the chance to do this.
Justin Sweet
I would like to thank the usual suspects, Marcelo, Stuart, Rusty, Steve and Jim for their outstanding efforts; this one didn’t come easy. Special thanks to Glenn Lord for his continued support and to Jack and Barbara Baum for their support and dedication. Also to Joe Marek for his help and suggestions. And all my love to Sheila who had to patiently endure my extended forays into Valusian territories as it slowly dawned on me that Time and Space aren’t as relative in this world as they are in Valusia….