Conan (books)

Conan (books)
This article is about the Conan books. For other uses, see Conan the Barbarian (disambiguation).

The Conan books are sword and sorcery fantasies featuring the character of Conan the Cimmerian originally created by Robert E. Howard. Written by numerous authors and issued by numerous publishers, they include both novels and short stories, the latter assembled in various combinations over the years by the several publishers. The character has proven durably popular, resulting in Conan stories being produced after Howard's death by such later writers as Poul Anderson, Leonard Carpenter, Lin Carter, L. Sprague de Camp, Roland J. Green, John C. Hocking, Robert Jordan, Sean A. Moore, Björn Nyberg, Andrew J. Offutt, Steve Perry, John Maddox Roberts, Harry Turtledove, and Karl Edward Wagner. Some of these writers finished incomplete Conan manuscripts by Howard, or rewrote Howard stories which originally featured different characters. Most post-Howard Conan stories, however, are completely original works. In total, more than fifty novels and dozens of short stories featuring the Conan character have been written by authors other than Howard. This article describes and discusses notable book editions of the Conan stories.

Contents

Gnome Press editions, 1950-1957

The Gnome Press edition of Conan was the first hardcover collection of Howard's Conan stories, including all the original Howard material known to exist at the time, some left unpublished in his lifetime. The later volumes contain some stories rewritten by L. Sprague de Camp (like "The Treasure of Tranicos"), including several non-Conan Howard stories, mostly historical exotica situated in the Levant at the time of the crusades, which he turned into Conan yarns. The Gnome edition also issued the first Conan story written by an author other than Howard — the final volume published, which is by Björn Nyberg and revised by de Camp.

  1. The Coming of Conan (1953)
  2. Conan the Barbarian (1954)
  3. The Sword of Conan (1952)
  4. King Conan (1953)
  5. Conan the Conqueror (AKA The Hour of the Dragon) (1950)
  6. The Return of Conan (1957) (by Björn Nyberg and L. Sprague de Camp)
  7. Tales of Conan (1955) (originally non-Conan Howard stories rewritten as Conan stories by L. Sprague de Camp)

Lancer/Ace paperback editions, 1966-1977

The cover of Conan the Usurper (1967) by Frank Frazetta (artist).

The first comprehensive paperback edition, which compiled the existing Howard and non-Howard stories together with new non-Howard stories in chronological order, to form a complete account of Conan's life. Lancer Books went out of business before bringing out the entire series, the publication of which was completed by Ace Books. This version of the stories was the one that introduced Conan into popular culture. Its covers featured dynamic images by Frank Frazetta that, for many fans, presented the "definitive" impression of Conan and his world. For decades to come, most other portrayals of the Cimmerian and his imitators were heavily influenced by the cover paintings of this series.[citation needed]

Undertaken under the direction of De Camp and Carter, this edition includes all the original Howard material, including that left unpublished in his lifetime and fragments and outlines. De Camp and Carter edited much of the material and completed the stories that were not in finished form. New stories written entirely by themselves were added as well. In the following list, volumes 6 and 10–12 do not contain any material by Howard. Of the thirty-five stories in the other eight volumes, nineteen were published or completed by Howard during his lifetime, ten are rewritten or completed from his manuscripts, fragments or synopses, and six are the sole work of De Camp and Carter.

While the Lancer edition has been criticized from a scholarly perspective for failing to present a pure version of the Howard tales, untampered with by other hands, the interest of those who oversaw it was not so much purist as practical; to popularize the corpus and ensure that it sold. That it has endured to become the subject of scholarly attention is ample evidence of their success.[citation needed]

  1. Conan (1968) (by Robert E. Howard, L. Sprague de Camp, and Lin Carter)
  2. Conan of Cimmeria (1969) (by Robert E. Howard, L. Sprague de Camp, and Lin Carter)
  3. Conan the Freebooter (1968) (by Robert E. Howard and L. Sprague de Camp)
  4. Conan the Wanderer (1968) (by Robert E. Howard and L. Sprague de Camp)
  5. Conan the Adventurer (1966) (by Robert E. Howard and L. Sprague de Camp)
  6. Conan the Buccaneer (1971) (by L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter)
  7. Conan the Warrior (1967) (by Robert E. Howard)
  8. Conan the Usurper (1967) (by Robert E. Howard and L. Sprague de Camp)
  9. Conan the Conqueror (AKA The Hour of the Dragon) (1967) (by Robert E. Howard)
  10. Conan the Avenger (AKA The Return of Conan) (1968) (by Björn Nyberg and L. Sprague de Camp)
  11. Conan of Aquilonia (1977) (by L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter)
  12. Conan of the Isles (1968) (by L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter)

Donald M. Grant editions, 1974-1989

A series of illustrated limited editions of the Howard Conan stories only, containing one or two stories per volume. The series ran out of steam before publishing the last five of the stories and three of the fragments.

Berkley editions, 1977

Edited by Karl Edward Wagner, this series, like the Grant edition, included only the Howard Conan stories in their original published form, and included all the Conan stories in the public domain at the time (though their copyright status was not widely known). Wagner's introductions are openly dismissive of the editorial revisions done by de Camp and Carter on the Lancer/Ace editions.

Bantam editions, 1978-1982

A series of non-Howard material continuing and supplementing the Lancer/Ace series.

  1. Conan the Swordsman (Aug. 1978) (by L. Sprague de Camp, Lin Carter, and Bjorn Nyberg)
  2. Conan the Liberator (Feb. 1979) (by L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter)
  3. Conan: The Sword of Skelos (May 1979) (by Andrew J. Offutt)
  4. Conan: The Road of Kings (Oct. 1979) (by Karl Edward Wagner)
  5. Conan and the Spider God (Dec. 1980) (by L. Sprague de Camp)
  6. Conan the Rebel (Jul. 1980) (by Poul Anderson)
  7. Conan the Barbarian (May 1982) (adaptation by L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter of the movie of the same title)

Sphere Paperbacks

Reprints of the Lancer/Ace and Bantam editions (not including the movie tie-in), as a single series.

Ace Maroto editions, 1978-1981

A series of new material by Andrew J. Offutt and old Howard/de Camp collaborations, all illustrated by Esteban Maroto. The Offutt stories, in combination with his Conan: The Sword of Skelos from the Bantam series, form a linked trilogy.

Tor editions, 1982-2004

A series of new stories by various hands. Tor has also lately reissued most of the previous non-Howard volumes originally published by Bantam.

  1. Conan the Invincible (Jun. 1982) (by Robert Jordan)
  2. Conan the Defender (Dec. 1982) (by Robert Jordan)
  3. Conan the Unconquered (Apr. 1983) (by Robert Jordan)
  4. Conan the Triumphant (Oct. 1983) (by Robert Jordan)
  5. Conan the Magnificent (May 1984) (by Robert Jordan)
  6. Conan the Destroyer (Jul. 1984) (adaptation by Robert Jordan of the movie of the same title)
  7. Conan the Victorious (Nov. 1984) (by Robert Jordan)
  8. Conan the Valorous (Sep. 1985) (by John M. Roberts)
  9. Conan the Fearless (Feb. 1986) (by Steve Perry)
  10. Conan the Renegade (Apr. 1986) (by Leonard Carpenter)
  11. Conan the Raider (Oct. 1986) (by Leonard Carpenter)
  12. Conan the Champion (Apr. 1987) (by John M. Roberts)
  13. Conan the Defiant (Oct. 1987) (by Steve Perry)
  14. Conan the Marauder (Jan. 1988) (by John M. Roberts)
  15. Conan the Warlord (Mar. 1988) (by Leonard Carpenter)
  16. Conan the Valiant (Oct. 1988) (by Roland Green)
  17. Conan the Hero (Feb. 1989) (by Leonard Carpenter)
  18. Conan the Bold (Apr. 1989) (by John M. Roberts)
  19. Conan the Great (Apr. 1989) (by Leonard Carpenter)
  20. Conan the Indomitable (Oct. 1989) (by Steve Perry)
  21. Conan the Free Lance (Feb. 1990) (by Steve Perry)
  22. Conan the Formidable (Nov. 1990) (by Steve Perry)
  23. Conan the Guardian (Jan. 1991) (by Roland Green)
  24. Conan the Outcast (Apr. 1991) (by Leonard Carpenter)
  25. Conan the Rogue (Nov. 1991) (by John M. Roberts)
  26. Conan the Relentless (Apr. 1992) (by Roland Green)
  27. Conan the Savage (Nov. 1992) (by Leonard Carpenter)
  28. Conan of the Red Brotherhood (Feb. 1993) (by Leonard Carpenter)
  29. Conan and the Gods of the Mountain (May 1993) (by Roland Green)
  30. Conan and the Treasure of Python (Nov. 1993) (by John M. Roberts)
  31. Conan the Hunter (Jan. 1994) (by Sean A. Moore) ISBN 0-8125-3531-6
  32. Conan, Scourge of the Bloody Coast (Apr. 1994) (by Leonard Carpenter)
  33. Conan and the Manhunters (Oct. 1994) (by John M. Roberts)
  34. Conan at the Demon's Gate (Nov. 1994) (by Roland Green)
  35. Conan the Gladiator (Jan. 1995) (by Leonard Carpenter)
  36. Conan and the Amazon (Apr. 1995) (by John M. Roberts)
  37. Conan and the Mists of Doom (Aug. 1995) (by Roland Green)
  38. Conan and the Emerald Lotus (Nov. 1995) (by John C. Hocking)
  39. Conan and the Shaman's Curse (Jan. 1996) (by Sean A. Moore)
  40. Conan, Lord of the Black River (Apr. 1996) (by Leonard Carpenter)
  41. Conan and the Grim Grey God (Nov. 1996) (by Sean A. Moore)
  42. Conan and the Death Lord of Thanza (Jan. 1997) (by Roland Green)
  43. Conan: The Road of Kings (2001) (by Karl Edward Wagner)
  44. Conan the Rebel (Oct. 2001) (by Poul Anderson)
  45. Conan and the Spider God (2002) (by L. Sprague de Camp)
  46. Conan: The Sword of Skelos (Feb. 2002) (by Andrew J. Offutt)
  47. Conan the Liberator (Jun. 2002) (by L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter)
  48. Conan the Swordsman (Dec. 2002) (by L. Sprague de Camp, Lin Carter, and Bjorn Nyberg)
  49. Conan of Venarium (Jul. 2003) (by Harry Turtledove)
  50. Sagas of Conan (Jan. 2004) (by L. Sprague de Camp, Lin Carter, and Bjorn Nyberg)

Age of Conan

Three trilogies have been released based on the MMORPG Age of Conan by Funcom. These do not directly involve Conan himself, but take place against the same background.

  • Age of Conan: Legends of Kern
    • Blood of Wolves (2005) (by Loren L. Coleman)
    • Cimmerian Rage (2005) (by Loren L. Coleman)
    • Songs of Victory (2005) (by Loren L. Coleman)
  • Age of Conan: A Soldier's Quest
    • The God in the Moon (2006) (by Richard A. Knaak)
    • The Eye of Charon (2006) (by Richard A. Knaak)
    • The Silent Enemy (2006) (by Richard A. Knaak)
  • Age of Conan: Marauders
    • Ghost of the Wall (2006) (by Jeff Mariotte)
    • Winds of the Wild (2006) (by Jeff Mariotte)
    • Dawn of the Ice Bear (2006) (by Jeff Mariotte)

Gollancz editions, 2000-2006

A new edition of Howard's original stories purporting to feature all of Howard's Conan fiction in the two volumes, and to present only Howard's writings. Includes all the classic stories, apparently in their unrevised form (The Black Stranger is quite different from its De Camp cognate The Treasure of Tranicos); uncompleted or fragmentary tales have been left in that state. The two parts were put together in 2006 to form one stand alone Centenary Edition to celebrate the 100 years since the birth of Howard.

Wandering Star/Del Rey editions, 2003-2005

A three volume collection of Howard's original stories, published by Wandering Star in the United Kingdom and Del Rey (a division of Random House) in the United States. These editions contain notes, rough drafts, and other miscellanea by Howard. Each volume is illustrated, by Mark Schultz, Gary Gianni, and Greg Manchess, respectively.

2011 movie tie-ins

Both Del Rey Books and Berkley Books have issued Conan books as tie-ins with the 2011 remake of the 1982 Conan the Barbarian film.

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