Wandering Star -- The Robert E. Howard Collection
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1astropi
I would like to start this compendium of the Wandering Star Robert E. Howard books!
I am doing this because I think these are marvelous editions, and I could find relatively little information online - so this is a gift for posterity (and I'm procrastinating)...
First off, Robert E. Howard is one of the most influential writers. Period. I personally feel his name receives nowhere near the respect nor recognition it should. Arguably he is overshadowed by Tolkien, at least in fame. Nevertheless, in the words of The Encyclopedia of Fantasy by John Clute and John Grant (ISBN: 9780312198695), Howard's work "had resulted in unprecedented interest in heroic and high fantasy" and "remains of central interest in the field of fantasy for his sword and sorcery; the templates he established for that mode have remained influential for most of the 20th century." I would add that they are and will continue to be, even more influential in this 21st century. Best known as the creator of Conan (first published in 1932, for the record a full five years before The Hobbit), Wandering Star Press choose to start their Robert E. Howard books with a much lesser known character, that of Solomon Kane.
H.P. Lovecraft said that Howard was "a bitter foe of civic injustice in every form" and likewise Howard's creation, Solomon Kane, is a bitter foe of evil in every form. Popular culture today is full of movies, role-playing games, books, where a hero rises to eradicate evil - and this is EXACTLY what Solomon Kane has been doing since his first appearance in Weird Tales magazine back in 1928. Kane may have a smaller following than the famous barbarian, but nevertheless he does not fight alone. The Puritan has found himself portrayed in comic books, a movie, music, games, and numerous other adaptations.
“He was…a strange blending of Puritan and Cavalier, with a touch of the ancient philosopher, and more than a touch of the pagan… A hunger in his soul drove him on and on, an urge to right all wrongs, protect all weaker things
Perhaps a bit strange, perhaps not fully understood, perhaps much like his creator... but certainly Kane lends to exciting reading. Reading that should be regarded as the predecessor to modern fantasy, and arguably just as good as anything that has come since. At least, that is certainly the impression once gets from holding The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane. This limited edition features
-> Printed and bound in England, 1998
-> Limited to 1050 copies, each signed by award-winning artist, Gary Gianni
-> Full Cloth binding with a gilt-edged top
-> Around 200 Illustrations (mostly in B&W along with four color-plates)
-> Gold-Embossed front cover and spine
-> Slipcase with full-color image on the front
-> Full-color illustrated dust jacket
-> An extra suite of six color-plates
-> Exclusive 12-minute CD featuring a reading of Howard's Solomon Kane poems with musical score
-> Advertisement for a Solomon Kane state
NB: 550 statues were apparently produced - also each advertisement is numbered with the same limitation number as the book
I am doing this because I think these are marvelous editions, and I could find relatively little information online - so this is a gift for posterity (and I'm procrastinating)...
First off, Robert E. Howard is one of the most influential writers. Period. I personally feel his name receives nowhere near the respect nor recognition it should. Arguably he is overshadowed by Tolkien, at least in fame. Nevertheless, in the words of The Encyclopedia of Fantasy by John Clute and John Grant (ISBN: 9780312198695), Howard's work "had resulted in unprecedented interest in heroic and high fantasy" and "remains of central interest in the field of fantasy for his sword and sorcery; the templates he established for that mode have remained influential for most of the 20th century." I would add that they are and will continue to be, even more influential in this 21st century. Best known as the creator of Conan (first published in 1932, for the record a full five years before The Hobbit), Wandering Star Press choose to start their Robert E. Howard books with a much lesser known character, that of Solomon Kane.
H.P. Lovecraft said that Howard was "a bitter foe of civic injustice in every form" and likewise Howard's creation, Solomon Kane, is a bitter foe of evil in every form. Popular culture today is full of movies, role-playing games, books, where a hero rises to eradicate evil - and this is EXACTLY what Solomon Kane has been doing since his first appearance in Weird Tales magazine back in 1928. Kane may have a smaller following than the famous barbarian, but nevertheless he does not fight alone. The Puritan has found himself portrayed in comic books, a movie, music, games, and numerous other adaptations.
“He was…a strange blending of Puritan and Cavalier, with a touch of the ancient philosopher, and more than a touch of the pagan… A hunger in his soul drove him on and on, an urge to right all wrongs, protect all weaker things
Perhaps a bit strange, perhaps not fully understood, perhaps much like his creator... but certainly Kane lends to exciting reading. Reading that should be regarded as the predecessor to modern fantasy, and arguably just as good as anything that has come since. At least, that is certainly the impression once gets from holding The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane. This limited edition features
-> Printed and bound in England, 1998
-> Limited to 1050 copies, each signed by award-winning artist, Gary Gianni
-> Full Cloth binding with a gilt-edged top
-> Around 200 Illustrations (mostly in B&W along with four color-plates)
-> Gold-Embossed front cover and spine
-> Slipcase with full-color image on the front
-> Full-color illustrated dust jacket
-> An extra suite of six color-plates
-> Exclusive 12-minute CD featuring a reading of Howard's Solomon Kane poems with musical score
-> Advertisement for a Solomon Kane state
NB: 550 statues were apparently produced - also each advertisement is numbered with the same limitation number as the book
2jveezer
I read the Ace paperbacks back in the '70s and then picked up some of the DelRay reprints in the '00s but don't have any hardback or fine press editions. These look really nice, along the lines of Centipede Press' Moorcock and Leiber series. Did they do my fave, Cormac Mac Art? Tigers of the Sea, I believe it was one (or all) of the paperbacks with his stories...
I'm glad these joys of my youth reading are making it into fine press: Elric, Faffrd and the Grey Mouser, Tarzan & John Carter, Ged (sort of).
I'm glad these joys of my youth reading are making it into fine press: Elric, Faffrd and the Grey Mouser, Tarzan & John Carter, Ged (sort of).
3astropi
>2 jveezer: unfortunately not :(
They may have been planning to do it but never got around to it. I'll update the history of the series as I add to it. They did at least get around to doing Bran Mak Morn which is simply lovely. I would say the quality is similar to Centipede Press and in my opinion superior to Subterranean Press - and as I'll explain, Subterranean Press took over the series after Wandering Star stopped producing books although they only released a few books in the series. Many, were just never completed sadly.
They may have been planning to do it but never got around to it. I'll update the history of the series as I add to it. They did at least get around to doing Bran Mak Morn which is simply lovely. I would say the quality is similar to Centipede Press and in my opinion superior to Subterranean Press - and as I'll explain, Subterranean Press took over the series after Wandering Star stopped producing books although they only released a few books in the series. Many, were just never completed sadly.
4Glacierman
I love the Solomon Kane stories. Great stuff!
>2 jveezer: Donald M. Grant published Solomon Kane stories as Red Shadows, first in 1968 illustrated by Jeffrey Jones (896 copies) and then again in 1978 in a larger format also with illustrations by Jones (1350 copies). He did Tigers of the Sea in 1974 with illustrations by Tim Kirk (3400 copies). No slipcases in either case. Since I have no Wandering Star books to compare them with, I will have to leave that to those who have both.
I don't want to hijack your thread, but I must make a plug for my favorite Howard book by Grant: The Road of Azrael (1979) marvelously illustrated by Roy G. Krenkel. Get the deluxe edition -- 310 copies signed by Krenkel in slipcase. I purchased my copy from Grant at publication all those many years ago.
>2 jveezer: Donald M. Grant published Solomon Kane stories as Red Shadows, first in 1968 illustrated by Jeffrey Jones (896 copies) and then again in 1978 in a larger format also with illustrations by Jones (1350 copies). He did Tigers of the Sea in 1974 with illustrations by Tim Kirk (3400 copies). No slipcases in either case. Since I have no Wandering Star books to compare them with, I will have to leave that to those who have both.
I don't want to hijack your thread, but I must make a plug for my favorite Howard book by Grant: The Road of Azrael (1979) marvelously illustrated by Roy G. Krenkel. Get the deluxe edition -- 310 copies signed by Krenkel in slipcase. I purchased my copy from Grant at publication all those many years ago.
5U_238
Hopefully this isn’t too tangential, but Taschen published a collection of artwork which also includes some of Robert Howard’s work.
https://www.taschen.com/pages/en/catalogue/art/all/01182/facts.masterpieces_of_f...
https://www.taschen.com/pages/en/catalogue/art/all/01182/facts.masterpieces_of_f...
6astropi
Thank you >4 Glacierman: and >5 U_238: I appreciate that! I don't think there's anything wrong with highlighting other wonderful REH books.
I might add some books that are not part of the Wandering Star series at the end - such as Road of Azrael. For now, I do want to focus on the Wandering Star series since in my opinion they are the finest REH books ever produced. Up next in chronological order will be Frazetta :)
I might add some books that are not part of the Wandering Star series at the end - such as Road of Azrael. For now, I do want to focus on the Wandering Star series since in my opinion they are the finest REH books ever produced. Up next in chronological order will be Frazetta :)
7Glacierman
>6 astropi: Frank Frazetta's awesome cover art for the Lancer paperbacks is what got me started with REH, and I've never looked back. REH/Frazetta: A match made in heaven!
8abysswalker
The Wandering Star editions feel much like some of the nicer Centipede volumes in style, but I can't help but think that they don't quite capture the strangeness of Howard's original tales, which emerged prior to the solidification of genre boundaries. The Conan editions in particular read visually more "modern" fantasy, to me at least. I find the Solomon Kane volume to be the most successful of them, as it captures something of an N. C. Wyeth buccaneer vibe.
Speaking of the Grant editions mentioned above, when I was musing over which top five books I might list for that recent thread, a copy of the Grant edition of The Tower of the Elephant was in the running. I don't have a collection anything like some members here, but any Howard fans that haven't seen the Grant volumes should check them out. They remain my favorite printing of the Conan tales, and can still be found for quite reasonable prices on the secondary market (beautiful paper, too!), compared to the high prices Wandering Star volumes are currently fetching.
Speaking of the Grant editions mentioned above, when I was musing over which top five books I might list for that recent thread, a copy of the Grant edition of The Tower of the Elephant was in the running. I don't have a collection anything like some members here, but any Howard fans that haven't seen the Grant volumes should check them out. They remain my favorite printing of the Conan tales, and can still be found for quite reasonable prices on the secondary market (beautiful paper, too!), compared to the high prices Wandering Star volumes are currently fetching.
9astropi
>8 abysswalker: I think Wandering Star perfectly captures Howard's work. Most of the Wandering Star volumes include his more popular literature, such as Conan of course, and the illustrations by Gary Gianni, Mark Schultz, Frank Frazetta, and others perfectly capture those "strange" worlds and creatures! The Grant volumes are lovely too - should have a new thread for those :)
