The Darrell Richardson copy of A Gent from Bear Creek sold for a record $11,000.

The recent Adventure House auction of the Darrell C. Richardson collection had some mixed results, but overall prices for Howard-related publications, particularly the scarcer items, were very strong. The Richardson copy of A Gent from Bear Creek sold for $12,100, likely a record for a mass-produced REH collectible. The scarcer pulps also did quite well, as did some of the fanzines. The Gnome Press and Arkham House books were somewhat flat, however, and the Richardson copies of Skull-Face and Others and Always Comes Evening failed to meet the reserve.

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As mentioned a few weeks ago, bookseller (and REH fan) Terry McVicker is giving special consideration to readers of The Cimmerian in regard to the new deluxe edition of Conan of Cimmeria, Volume Three. Here’s an update from Terry:

CONAN 3 has just arrived and I am much relieved and delighted to inform “The Brotherhood” that the book is absolutely beautiful, and a perfect match for the previous two volumes – in all its states! Last call at the in-print price of $225 (California residents must add $18 Sales Tax, Shipping & Insurance included). I am not trying to intimidate anyone, but the book is nearly out-of-print and if you want a copy I will hold on Layaway for “Cimmerian” readers at $50, even if the book goes out-of-print.

As Mr. McVicker notes, time is running out. Anyone who wishes to complete their set better act now. As always, Terry can be reached here:

The only true Conan novel, The Hour of the Dragon, will be published in another version next December by Prime Books, in Mass Market Paperback.

Robert E. Howard: The Hour of the Dragon

Mass Market Paperback
Original WEIRD TALES text
320 pages
Cover by Scott Grimando
$6.99

Here’s a link to the cover artist’s website, Scott Grimando. There’s plenty of sweet art in the galleries over there.

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"Swords of Mars" by Frank Frazetta

The Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Gardens in Winter Park, Florida is currently hosting “Maidens and Monsters: The Art of Science Fiction, Adventure, and Fantasy,” an exhibit of original illustrations from pulp magazines and book covers by some of the most renowned artists of the 20th century. Around fifty works by over twenty different illustrators are on display, including pieces by Frank Frazetta, N.C. Wyeth, John Allen St. John, Margaret Brundage, Hannes Bok, Virgil Finlay, Frank R. Paul, Alex Schomburg, Michael Whelan, Kelly Freas, and Roy Krenkel. All of the artwork in the exhibit is from the famous collection of Stephen D. Korshak, an Orlando-based attorney and the author of A Hannes Bok Treasury (1993), Grandmaster of Fantasy: The Paintings of John Allen St. John (2008), and From the Pen of Paul: The Fantastic Images of Frank R. Paul (2009).

Last weekend, I had the privilege of seeing the exhibit while I was in Orlando attending MegaCon and for a science fiction fan and pulp enthusiast like me it was an amazing experience. I was joined on the Saturday afternoon excursion by my wife and a few of my fellow REH fans and comic book and pulp collectors. The museum is located near downtown Winter Park, about twenty or thirty minutes north of Orlando, depending on traffic. The grounds are beautifully landscaped gardens accented by original sculpture and the staff was very friendly and enthusiastic about the exhibit.

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Wildside Press has just published replicas of the Pulp magazine Oriental Stories. The magazine was originally edited by  Farnsworth Wright and several regular contributors to Weird Tales also wrote for its offshoot Oriental Stories. Vol. 1, No. 1: October-November 1930 and Vol. 1, No. 4: Spring 1931 are particularly interesting to REH-fans, since they feature (respectively) “The Voice of El-Lil” and “Hawks of Outremer.” The format of both issues is identical, 144-pages paperbacks. Through Amazon, they can be ordered for approximately 16/18$. Many thanks to Bill Thom for the tip.

This year will mark the 40th anniversary of the first authorized appearance of Conan in comic book form (not including those Mexican “bootlegs” in the ’50s and ’60s). In late summer of 1970, Marvel’s Conan the Barbarian #1 hit the newsstands and spinner racks and comic books were never the same. Written by Roy Thomas and drawn by a young Barry Windsor-Smith, this four-color version of Bob Howard’s best-known character helped launch a new era in graphic story-telling. Dark Horse, publisher of the current Conan comics has now released a hardcover volume reprinting the first eleven issues of that groundbreaking series, entitled The Barry Windsor-Smith Archives, Conan Volume One. A second volume containing the remainder of the Thomas/Windsor-Smith Conan run will be released later this year.

The original Conan series broke new ground in the comics medium when it was released. By 1970, the Comics Code Authority, which had effectively emasculated comic book storytelling since its establishment after the Congressional juvenile delinquency hearings in the mid-1950s, was beginning to somewhat loosen its censorial stranglehold on the industry. This allowed for more mature storylines with grittier action, a higher threshold of violence, and protagonists with a bit more moral ambiguity than your typical 1960s superhero – all elements necessary for a successful sword and sorcery tale (at least one that I would want to read). As a result of these new freedoms, comic creators in the 1970s (now referred to as the Bronze Age of comics) began to explore new genres and styles that would take the medium to levels of artistic expression both visual and textually that had never before been achieved – and it was Conan that led the way.

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With spring upon us, it is time for pulp fans and collectors to start gearing up and making plans for this year’s convention season. The Windy City Pulp and Paper Convention will kick things off April 23rd through the 25^th at the Westin Lombard Yorktown Center in Lombard, Illinois, outside of Chicago. The theme of this year’s show will be a celebration of the 100^th anniversary of Adventure magazine, one of Robert E. Howard’s favorite pulps. Since its inception in 2001, the Windy City show has grown into one of the two largest pulp conventions in North America.

Highlights of the 2010 Windy City convention auctions on Friday and Saturday nights, and a series of film screenings featuring classic movies based on the works of pulp writers. There will also be an art show on Saturday featuring works by pulp artist Hubert Rogers. For hotel and registration information, visit their website. You can also stay informed on the latest news and announcement by becoming a fan of Windy City on Facebook.

 Girasol Collectibles will be sponsoring the 14^th Annual Fantastic Pulps Show and Sale on Saturday May 8^th in Toronto. This smaller, one day show will be held at the Lillian H Smith branch of the Toronto Public Library from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Contact Girasol Collectibles for more information.

Later this summer, the 2010 PulpFest will take place in Colombus, Ohio over the weekend of July 30^th through August 1^st. The event will be held at the Ramada Plaza Hotel and Conference Center in Columbus. PulpFest is in its second year, replacing the now defunct Pulp Con as one of the “big two” pulp conventions with Windy City.

This year the Guest of Honor at PulpFest will be author, editor, and screenwriter William F. Nolan. Nolan wrote biographies of pulp legends Max Brand and Dashiell Hammett, but is perhaps best known as the co-author of Logan’s Run. Registration and hotel information can be found at the Pulp Fest website.

The 5^th Annual Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention will be held September 23th through 25^th at the Marriot Hotel in Hunt Valley, Maryland. This event showcases all aspects of 20^th century pop culture, with an emphasis on classic movies, television shows, books, and magazines. Most of the major pulp dealers attend this show and it is one of the largest events of its kind on the east coast. Check the website for more information.

Courtesy of Damon Sasser, I’ve discovered Jim and Ruth Keegan have started up a blog. They’ve christened it Two-Gun Blog. Simply sublime.

The Keegans are icons in the field of Robert E. Howard illustration, and an inspiration to this sometime illustrator. Their illustrations for the likes of Crimson Shadows, Grim Lands, and El Borak and Other Desert Adventures are dynamic, stylish, and pitch-perfect depictions of Howard’s prose. Their Adventures of Two-Gun Bob strip make the Dark Horse comics they appear in worth the price of admission on their own. One day, I hope to see a collection of every Two-Gun Bob strip, just to have them all in one place.

Their first few blog posts feature some lovely artwork, but of special interest to Robert E. Howard fans is a look at a beautiful illustration which sadly missed publication in the El Borak collection. Since it would have been in black and white for the volume itself, however, there’s an upside, since the Keegans present it here in full, vibrant colour.

I’m going to keep an eye on Two-Gun Blog: no doubt it’ll be a site to watch.

This just in at The Cimmerian HQ: Glendale, California bookseller and REH fan, Terry McVicker, has a special deal for frequenters of this website.

Ten boxes of CONAN 3 (nearly 200 lbs worth!) left England’s shores today bound for Glendale. At long last the concluding volume of the series is complete. The price of CONAN 3 will be $225 which includes domestic shipping insured; foreign orders shipping and insurance at cost. The three volume set may be had from me for $650 with domestic shipping and insurance paid. PLEASE NOTE: The edition is nearly out-of-print. As of early February 3/4 had sold in advance! I know economic times are tough and this is a lot of money to fork out on a book at one time, so anyone who sends me a downpayment of $50 and mentions “THE CIMMERIAN” I will hold the book for six months at the in-print price. Cheers, Terry.

Collectors of the Conan Wandering Star/Book Palace editions aren’t going to find a better deal than this. Terry is a great guy who maintains an excellent reputation within the bookselling community. Mr. McVicker can be contacted here:

Terence A. McVicker, Rare Books

1745 W. Kenneth Road

Glendale, California 91201

(818)242-4818

email:mcrarebooks@earthlink.net

Here’s a very helpful tip courtesy of Bill Thom from Coming Attractions. I mentioned earlier on TC the numerous interesting volumes sold by Wildside Press, including those by our favorite Texan author. They have presently a few other nice offers:

COUPON: Save 20%. Use coupon code WILDSIDE20 at checkout at www.wildsidebooks.com and save 20% on 2 or more books. (You can use this coupon with the 2-for-a-penny offer below, too.)

2-FOR-A-PENNY SALE: Click here for the 2-for-a-Penny Sale and add the 2 books to your cart.
Yes, that price is correct — 2 fabulous science fiction, fantasy, or pulp reprint books for a penny (plus postage) with any book or magazine purchase of $5 or more from our web site.

FINE PRINT: Spend $5.00 or more from the Wildside Press web site, add the 2-for-a-penny sale item to your cart, and we will send you those 2 books (chosen by us from our surplus book trove) for a penny. Cover price will be at least $25 — and probably a lot more. (We’re doing this to clear out the overstocked books that have been piling up over the last few years.)

LIMITED TO THE FIRST 100 RESPONDERS ONLY.
U.S. Customers: Books will be sent by media mail, so don’t get fancy and choose UPS or FedEx when you check out. (We’ll ship by media mail anyway and count the difference as tip. Buahahah! You have been warned!)

International customers: Choose either a large flat-rate international box, the large envelope (it will hold 3 books comfortably), or ask for a postage quote and we will give you an exact total to your country.

Limit one free offer per person and/or household. Offer ends March 15 or when 100 sets of books have been sold.

Want to pick your books? In the “COMMENTS” field at checkout, put:

2 FREE FANTASY BOOKS -or- 2 FREE SCIENCE FICTION BOOKS -or- 2 FREE PULP REPRINTS

If you don’t specify which deal you’d like, we will use our best judgment. (We’ll get you something good, don’t worry!)