Robert E. Howard

[Grumpy RPG Reviews]

ENWorld, what is best in life...

I mean, what are the best Robert E. Howard anthologies and what are the best works about Howard?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Red Nails and the Tower of the Elephant are famous for good reasons. (They're also ripped off by tons of adventure modules over the years, again for good reasons.)

Don't stop at REH, though: The Lankhmar books are even more satisfying, IMO, and criminally under-appreciated today.

 

[jonesy]

I would recommend Lord of Samarcand and Other Adventure Tales of the Old Orient. It has all of his historical orient fiction (and the only story with Red Sonya). They are cynical even by comparison to his more well known tales. I think these are the best of his non-fantasy.

 

[Grumpy RPG Reviews]

Thanks.

 

[Super Pony]

If you are looking for a compilation in book form for RE Howard's Conan (not the later pastiches) I'd give a shout out to Coming of Conan the Cimmerian. It presents the stories more or less in the order in which Howard wrote them. I like it because you get a sense of the building of the world with each successive tale, and the development of Conan as a character beyond a simple re-skinning of Kull. I also like how it jumps back and forth in his lifetime.

The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane is another compilation of a Howard character to peak around for.

Also, keep in mind that Howard wrote his stories as a Texan in the 1920s-30s. While he himself was actually fairly progressive in mindset for the time, his lexicon hasn't aged as well as his characters. It seems to be more prevalent in the Solomon Kane tales (to me), but they are still good adventure stories for all that (in my opinion). I only bring this up because it can be a deal breaker for some readers, and I'd hate to steer you into anything that might make you feel squicky afterward. Cheers.

:edit: I'll also link to Project Gutenberg's collection of Howard Tales in case that is more to your liking.

 

[messy]

Coming of Conan the Cimmerian.

ditto. read it twice, loved it twice.

 

[Boz Shulun]

Coming of Conan the Cimmerian is my go to book. I will read passages from it from time to time. IMO you can't go wrong with any of Conan anthologies.

As for individual tales:

Tower of the Elephant is my absolute fav, but for gaming purposes I like Rogues in the House. I mean it's about a death-trap dungeon what's more gamer than that?

People of the Black Circle and Red Nails are two others of my favorites.

 

[Legatus Legionis]

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[Tonguez]

Solomon Kane and El Borak (Francis Xavier Gordon) are my favourite characters - go read Daughter of Erlik Khan for El Borak and Wings in the Night for Kane.

Second Red Nails for Conan and I also like People of the Black Circle - the Vendhya setting gives it an exotic feel and the Black Seers of Yimsha are suitable weird mad wizards

 

[Tonguez]

Also, keep in mind that Howard wrote his stories as a Texan in the 1920s-30s. While he himself was actually fairly progressive in mindset for the time, his lexicon hasn't aged as well as his characters. It seems to be more prevalent in the Solomon Kane tales (to me), but they are still good adventure stories for all that (in my opinion). I only bring this up because it can be a deal breaker for some readers, and I'd hate to steer you into anything that might make you feel squicky afterward. Cheers.

:edit: I'll also link to Project Gutenberg's collection of Howard Tales in case that is more to your liking.

Have a read of The Children of the Night, which is interesting for linking the Cthulhu Mythos, Bran Mak Morn and Anthropomeric 'Race' Theories.

I've wondered about how the story and in particular John O'Donnels (the storys protagonist) obsession reflected on Howards own views.

The story is an interesting anthropological case study in its own right