The Dark Barbarian: The Writings of Robert E Howard: A Critical Anthology

Rating:
Summary: For the Serious, Critical Howard Fan
Review: If you are looking for the typical book reprinting the works of Robert E. Howard (REH), this is not for you. But if you are a student of his work, if you are truly interested in what others have to say about his writings, this is a must have.

Howard is lucky enough that occasionally his admirers turn a critical eye toward his work, and often such serious reviews and studies of his work leave you wondering, "what if he had not killed himself?" This is just such a work, one that leads you to see REH as far more than just the man who created Conan.

This book is the work of a number of writers, who all have one thing in common: a very serious interest in Howard's work. It is the definitive critical anthology on the writings of REH. The essays, by such individuals as fantasy writer Fritz Leiber, the poets Donald Sidney-Fryer and Steve Eng, the Howard bibliographer Glenn Lord, Dennis Rickard, George Knight, and Ben Indick, critically survey REH's fantasy, westerns, poetry, and supernatural horror tales. The book includes an annotated bibliography of Howard's books as well as an appendix listing all the volumes known to have been in Howard's personal library.