The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard (86 page)

The Dead Remember

Text taken from
Argosy
, August 15, 1936. No changes have been made for this edition.

The Fire of Asshurbanipal

Text taken from
Weird Tales
, December 1936. 461.35.14: no period after “city” 463.17.5: the comma is placed after the closing quotation mark

Fragment

Text taken from
Weird Tales
, December 1937. No changes have been made for this edition.

Which Will Scarcely Be Understood

Text taken from
Weird Tales
, October 1937. No changes have been made for this edition.

Golnor the Ape

Text taken from
Crypt of Cthulhu
, Roodmas 1985. 483.9.1: comma after ‘night’

Spectres in the Dark

Text taken from Howard’s original typescript, a copy of which was provided by the Robert E. Howard Foundation. 487.3.13: six hyphens rather than dash; 487.8.2: seven hyphens rather than dash; 487.15.10: Fraser; 487.15.11-12: “Golden Bough” not italicized; 487.17.3: no comma after “However”

487.17.13: reluctrance; 487.19.3: hours; 487.21.4: painting; 487.24.1: mallet like; 487.31.1: no opening quotation mark; 487.31.12: comma rather than period after “first” 487.37.3: period rather than comma after “repeated” 488.7.5: period rather than comma after “game” 488.8.7: Dat; 488.22.3: bot; 488.22.10: bot; 488.24.2: “ten” enclosed in double rather than single quotation marks; 488.24.15: dats; 488.25.4: dats; 488.25.16: aint; 488.28.14: comma rather than period after “life” 488.30.6: wouldnt; 488.32.10: aint; 488.33.5: aint; 488.33.9: dontcha; 488.34.14: dont; 488.36.7: wuznt; 488.38.13: didn’t; 488.41.5: involuntarilly, followed by comma rather than period; 489.1.7: taint; 489.1.11: cant; 489.5.2: he; 489.5.9: comma rather than period after “manner” 489.5.11: dont; 489.8.1: some; 489.9.2: period rather than comma after “like” 489.10.1: comma rather than period after “sensations” 489.10.11: cant; 489.11.15: aint; 489.12.1: No opening quotation mark; 489.12.6: dont; 489.13.1: his; 489.13.4: comma rather than period after “broodingly” 489.17.5: comma rather than period after “sullenly”

489.19.8: concious; 489.20.13: comma rather than period after “door” 489.20.14: Its; 489.24.15: Thats; 489.27.7: isnt; 489.30.2: youre; 489.30.3: period rather than comma after “right” 489.30.5: comma rather than period after “muttered” 489.33.2: period rather than comma after “late” 489.38.1: no comma after “Hallworthy” 490.1.9: period rather than comma after “visit” 490.1.11: comma rather than period after “remarked” 490.2.5: America; 490.3.7: comma rather than period after “interrupted”

490.3.9: cant; 490.4.5: period rather than comma after “Joan” 490.4.8: comma rather than period after

“mildly” 490.5.3: didnt; 490.11.3: comma rather than period after “Hallworthy” 490.13.7: abhorence; 490.14.15: dont; 490.16.13: period rather than comma after “us” 490.16.16: comma rather than period after “calmly” 490.22.6: period rather than comma after “Van Dorn” 490.22.8: comma rather than period after “dissented” 490.26.4: period rather than comma after “Malcolm” 490.26.6: no comma after

“Joan” 490.27.2: comma rather than period after “uppermost” 490.27.4: dont; 490.28.4: period rather than comma after “know” 490.28.6: comma rather than period after “answered” 490.32.13: no punctuation after “bloodshot” 490.36.6: comma rather than period after “exclaiming” 490.36.8: dont; 490.36.11: Its; 490.37.9: thats; 490.40.7: period rather than comma after “fellow” 490.40.10: no punctuation after “came” 490.40.11: no punctuation after “soothing” 490.41.1: comma rather than period after “calm” 490.41.6: no punctuation after “know” 491.1.4: period rather than comma after “Clement”

491.5.9: comma rather than period after “haltingly” 491.12.5: dash set before rather than after quotation mark; 491.14.1: comma rather than dash; 491.15.7: hasnt; 491.16.10: he; 491.16.12: comma rather than period after “violently” 491.23.5: excercize; 491.31.2: hi; 491.32.3: no punctuation after “I”

491.34.5: period rather than comma after “Clement” 491.34.8: comma rather than period after

“presently” 492.1.1: no punctuation after “physically” 492.4.2: comma after “have” 492.19.13: no comma after “sensation” 492.20.1: evidently; 492.21.4: no period after “movies” 492.21.5: he; 492.24.13: comma after “think” 492.25.14: didn’t; 492.31.7: comma after “kill” 492.34.10: period rather than comma after “himself” 492.34.12: comma rather than period after “answered” 493.3: no blank line space; 493.17: no blank line space; 493.25.1: recieved; 493.28.6: no comma after “assaults”

493.30.11: Hallworthy’s; 493.39.1: unconcious; 493.40.14: wilfull, followed by comma; 494.1.11: no comma after “judgment” 494.1.14: no comma after “needed” 494.6.9: period rather than comma after

“woman” 494.6.11: comma rather than period after “answered” 494.9.8: period rather than comma after

“child” 494.13.10: thats; 494.15.9: coercing; 494.16.3: tyrranny; 494.24.6: period rather than comma after “right” 494.24.8: comma rather than period after “said” 494.25.5: comma rather than period after

“Hallworthy” 494.28.5: comma rather than period after “hand” 494.28.8: no comma after “then”

494.31.1: No opening quotation mark; 494.37.12: assimulate; 495.3: no blank line space; 495.9.1: no comma after “New York” 495.10: no blank line space; 495.11.5: “days” was originally typed, then

“nights” typed above, with a slash marking indicating placement following “days”, but “days” was not crossed out; 495.15.7: darknes (paper torn); 495.17.1: sensatio (typed to right edge of paper); 495.22: no blank line space; 495.23.10: concious; 495.27.1: “were” was originally typed, then “had been” was typed above, with no indication of placement; 495.28.3: no comma after “Costigan” 495.29.3: no comma after “room” 496.5.10: over took; 496.8.3: no comma after “that” 496.17.1: Whats; 496.18.9-14: “reminding me” was originally typed, then “in a manner that remined me” was typed above with no indication of placement; 496.18.13: remined; 496.20.1: period rather than comma after

“Nothin’” 496.20.9: comma rather than period after “statement” 496.22.1: comma rather than period after “cunning” 496.22.11: wont; 496.30.2-4: “somewhat suprized” was originally typed, with

“wondering idly at” typed above; 496.34.2: “was just” originally typed, with “upon” typed above; 496.36.3: hasnt; 496.38.8: skurry; 497.2.2: it; 497.2.11: comma rather than period after “child” 497.4.2: if; 497.5.5: comma rather than period after “dumfounded” 497.7.5: clothings; 497.7.6: dissarranged; 497.13.4: dont; 497.13.5: comma rather than period after “understand” 497.13.6: Why
The House

Text taken from Howard’s original typescript, a copy of which was provided by the Robert E. Howard Foundation. 498.1.15: Why; 498.12.3: explai (typed to right edge of paper); 498.27.4: no comma after

“brother” 498.28.9: sales-man; 498.38.7: mad-house; 499.5.10: no comma after “Justin” 499.6.1: no period after “lunacy” (typed to right edge of paper); 499.17.4: mad hous (typed to right edge of paper); 499.19.8: complete; 499.26.9: dew wet; 499.36.3: comma rather than period after “exclaimed” 500.9.9: any one; 500.11.16: momento; 500.12.8: big brotherly; 500.14.11: good natured; 500.16.7: round faced; 500.17.9: narrow bridged; 500.18.12: towseled; 500.23.3: himself; 500.25.2: good natured; 500.31.1: industrially; 500.37.8: what ever; 500.41.1: socialogy; 501.2.9: histor (typed to right edge of page); 501.4.1: no opening quotation mark; 501.6.6: back ground; 501.8.4: Poets; 501.11.6: conciousness; 501.13.3: comma rather than period after “snapped” 501.22.12: country-side; 501.28.5: dreams; 501.29.7: no comma after “Evidently” 501.31.4: an (typed to right edge of paper); 501.31.12: no comma after “reply” 501.33.6: coul (typed to right edge of paper); 501.34.14: comma after “added”

rather than “that” 501.37.11-12: kodak snap shot; 502.1.2: Its; 502.3.5: comma rather than period after

“up” 502.4.1: Lets; 502.9.10: tempermental; 502.11.8: knife edge; 502.17.10: Why; 502.20.5: didnt; 502.22.5: comma rather than period after “admitted” 502.23.3: comma rather than period after “cried”

502.26.6: gibuous; 502.26.8: no comma after “mistily” 502.27.3: tumble down; 502.31.9: snap shot; 502.32.1: exclude; 502.37.3: its; 502.38.3: its; 502.38.10: its; 502.39.5-6: the house; 502.41.4: hasnt; 503.5.4-5: the house; 503.10.7: comma rather than period after “Conrad” 503.10.9: dont; 503.23.5: doesnt; 503.31.2: visi (typed to right edge of paper); 503.34.4: metropoli (typed to right edge of paper); 504.1.10: comma rather than period after “mayor” 504.6.5: comma rather than period after “Conrad”

504.8.6: comma rather than period after “Skuyler” 504.11.7: Neither; 504.13.1: barreness; 504.16.10: comma rather than period after “Conrad” 504.17.1: encountere (typed to right edge of paper); 504.25.4: If; 504.29.2: no comma after “it” 504.29.16-30.1: the house; 504.32.4: The; 504.33.10: some-one; 504.35.2: some-one; 504.35.9: boot-leg

Untitled Fragment

Text taken from
The Howard Collector
, Spring 1967. 506.3.5: comma after “Africa’

I would like to thank Rob Bliss, Dean Howarth, Emma Clayton, and Simon Bisley for their friendship and creative support. All the guys at Paradox Entertainment and the R. E. Howard estate for having faith in me. Special thanks to Jim & Ruth for all of your help in finally getting the project started and making my job so enjoyable. Finally my Mum Debbie for always being there when I need her, my wife Karen and son Harrison for keeping me sane and making me laugh, I love you.

Greg Staples

Many, many thanks to Rob Roehm for his efforts in getting all the texts together for this book, and to Patrice Louinet and Paul Herman for their help and counsel. Thanks, once more, to Stuart, for his customary patience with my deadline-pushing ways, and to Jim and Ruth for all their hard work in bringing this thing together. To the gang at Del Rey for their patience and expertise. To Marcelo—this first experience of doing a book without you just made me realize all the more how much you did, and what a genius you are. To Glenn Lord, for all the years of friendship and help. To Steve Trout, who long ago opened my eyes to Howard’s horror stories. And as always to Shelly, all my love, for patiently putting up with me when I get absorbed in these projects.

Rusty Burke

We’d like to thank Marcelo Anciano–the catalyst for this series. Thanks also to Rusty, Stuart, Jay, and Greg. Very special thanks goes to Ed Waterman and Patricia Keegan.

Jim & Ruth Keegan

For this, my ninth book in this series, I’d like to thank Marcelo Anciano, who started the ball rolling over ten years ago, for involving me in a dream project; Rusty Burke for his dedication to all things Howardian; and Jim and Ruth Keegan for keeping the job on track. I’ve enjoyed working on the prevous books, but I’ve been waiting for this one from the start—Howard’s horror stories—in my opinion, the cream of the crop. I can’t wait to read it!

Stuart Williams

THE FULLY ILLUSTRATED ROBERT E. HOWARD LIBRARY

from Del Rey Books

The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian

The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane

The Bloody Crown of Conan

Bran Mak Morn: The Last King

The Conquering Sword of Conan

Kull: Exile of Atlantis

The Best of Robert E. Howard

Volume 1: Crimson Shadows

The Best of Robert E. Howard

Volume 2: Grim Lands

The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard

The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard
is a work of fiction. Names, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

A Del Rey Trade Paperback Original

Copyright © 2008 by Robert E. Howard Properties, LLC

All rights reserved.

Published in the United States by Del Rey, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

DEL REY is a registered trademark and the Del Rey colophon is a trademark of Random House, Inc.

Some material contained herein may be public domain in certain territories. No portion of this book may be reproduced—mechanically, electronically, or by any other means, including photocopying—without written permission of the applicable copyright holder.

Previous publication information for the stories contained in this work can be found beginning on frontMatter.

Published by arrangement with Robert E. Howard Properties, LLC.

ROBERT E. HOWARD, BRAN MAK MORN, and related names, logos, characters, and distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks or registered trademarks of Robert E. Howard Properties, LLC. All rights reserved. SOLOMON KANE and related names, logos, characters, and distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks or registered trademarks of Solomon Kane, Inc. All rights reserved.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

Howard, Robert Ervin, 1906–1936.

The horror stories of Robert E. Howard / illustrated by Greg Staples.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

eISBN: 978-0-345-50974-1

1. Horror tales, American. I. Title.

PS3515.O842A6 2007

813'.52—dc22 2008028474

www.delreybooks.com

Art Directors: Jim & Ruth Keegan

Editor: Rusty Burke

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