The Cimmerian had lost many of its leading voices on the road to its final year. Rob Roehm & Mark Finn went on to pastures new, Steve Tompkins departed to the Worlds Beyond Death, and Leo Grin was fading ever quicker from the realm of Howardom. Deuce Richardson and the bloggers had a formidable legacy to live up to, and they were determined to carry on the tradition of those giants in Howard scholarship.

The Cimmerian blog’s final year boasted new faces and new ideas, but was ever conscious of its mission.

The above graphic, captured in the afternoon of the 31st of May (before the final number for May page views — 101,355 — was determined) and calculated by WordPress, shows how The Cimmerian blog had grown in its final year. An alternate, but comparable analysis can be found at Alexa. Barring a slump in February caused by lack of news, new posts, and the simple fact of February usually having two days less than other months, The Cimmerian had been growing steadily since September 2009. However, let’s start in the end of August.

Leo was still with us, as evidenced by his occasional, but salient, news reports. Deuce reported on the passing of Donald M. Grant, Steve Trout had some things to say on 10,000 BC, Brian mused on escapism in Howard, I embarked on a three part exploration of Khitai, and Barbara was chugging along with Word of the Week, closing out August. The rest of Autumn saw plenty of topics discussed.

Howard was frequently the centre of attention, be it in reviews of audio books, challenging old myths and applauding good journalism, news of academia taking notice, foreign scholarship, anthologies, Hyborian scholarship such as the riddle of Conan’s helmet, or taking ham-fisted pasticheurs to task. Tolkien, too, was a fixture of the blog: historical discoveries relevant to his mythos, news reports, Middle-earth’s barbarians, to infamous arguments, fan films, and a rebuttal to an infamous argument. In addition to Tolkien & Howard, the likes of Clark Ashton Smith, Leigh Brackett, C.S. Lewis, Milton Davies, and Charles R. Saunders were brought into focus, as too were western and historical authors Elmer Kelton, Harold Lamb, Bernard Cornwell, and John J. Miller. Cinema was also remarked upon: District 9, the cinematic mess daring to call itself “Conan,” and certainly the then-upcoming Solomon Kane.

The new wave of Cimmerian bloggers followed in the footsteps of the first, by participating in celebrations of authors, events and milestones. Deuce, Brian, Steve, myself and others marked the anniversary of Karl Edward Wagner’s death. The historical significance of the 25th of October was observed: Deuce remembered Agincourt and the Battle off Samar, I saluted the Thin Red Line, Brian threw up the horns for the Irons, and Barbara made a magnificent three part tribute to the Charge of the Light Brigade. Hallowe’en featured contributions from Brian, Barbara, Deuce, and a certain Glenn Schuyler Hoffman. Poul Anderson was recalled by Deuce and yours truly. Though Leo was becoming more and more scarce, he posted a touching rememberance of Howard scholar Ben P. Indick.

Winter at The Cimmeran was livened up by two big pieces of news: the start of what would be months-long family turmoil for the Frazettas, and the great kerfuffle which arose in the wake of a particularly controversial article, as Howard fans united in a Shieldwall to defend the reputation of Robert E. Howard. Still, there was cheer for Christmas too: I paid homage to Steve Tompkins by offering my own little tribute to his Yuletide tales, and overview the best of 2009. Two new bloggers appeared for the end of 2009: adventurer archaeologist Jeffrey Shanks saddled up in November, while francophone bibliophile Miguel Martins jaunted over in December.

The New Year was a new start for many: I started a new series on Almuric, and Brian began his epic quest on The Silmarillion. Another mighty heart was stilled as Dan “Painbrush” Goudey was honoured. Solomon Kane made its debut in Europe, and the only two Cimmerian contributors in the vicinity (long live the Auld Alliance!) delivered their verdicts. “Conan” movie news was thick and fast. January was a packed month for observances: Tolkien’s birthday was celebrated, as was Clark Ashton Smith‘s nativity. Barbara wove a delightful yarn, while Jeffrey switched from Collecting REH to Tolkien.  And, of course, Howard’s birthday was remembered by Barbara, me, Leo, Brian, Deuce and Steve.

“The Cimmerian Bunch”
Top Row: William Patrick Maynard, Barbara Barrett, Keith Taylor
Middle Row: Jeffrey Shanks, Brian Murphy, Jim Cornelius
Bottom Row: Al Harron, Deuce Richardson, Miguel Martins

The last spring for The Cimmerian blog continued last year’s work. REH topics like Howard’s kindles, Almuric, the Darrell C. Richardson sale, Atlanteans and Cro-Magnons, reviews of new Del Reys, real life Conans, the “funnies,” and ever-reliable Barbara with Word of the Week were plentiful. Tolkien was represented with Brian’s continuing Silmarillion blogs throughout the spring. Milton Davis, Fritz Leiber, Manly Wade Wellman, Robert Weinberg, George R. R. Martin, new Sword-and-Sorcery anthologies, and perennial Cimmerian favourite Charles R. Saunders were mentioned. Cinematic Sword-and-Sorcery was featured, including Spartacus: Blood & Sand, and news of REH “adaptations” Solomon Kane and The Film Calling Itself “Conan.” Even heavy metal was talked about. The last goodbye before June was when Steve Trout departed in February with his final Cimmerian post .

Spring also saw the debut of yet another new blogger, William Patrick Maynard, who concentrated mostly on the “Horror” part of The Cimmerian’s tagline, though he also discussed Howard. From the dusts of Oregon came Jim Cornelius, bringing more strength to “Historical Adventure” aspect, tying it into Howard. The final member of The Cimmerian Nine was historical fictioneer Keith Taylor, providing context to Howard’s historical adventures. If January had many days to observe, March was just as full: Valentine’s Day; the anniversaries of Algernon Blackwood’s and Edgar Rice Burrough’s birth, and those of H.P. Lovecraft’s and Leigh Brackett’s deaths; Steve Tompkins was remembered by Miguel, Keith, Deuce, Jim, Bill, Brian, myself, and others.

With the largest complement of bloggers ever on The Cimmerian, the last three months have been overflowing with a variety of posts. April had articles on Howard’s Donn Othna, the final Wandering Star Conan, collecting, Kull, the new Blood and Thunder, and Howard’s Vikings, among others. Tolkien was discussed, though not to nearly the same degree as in other months. Posts on other authors such as C.L. Moore, H. Rider Haggard, Harlan Ellison, Charles R. Saunders, Stephen King, and more appeared. For cinema, there was criticism of Clash of the Titans, Tarzan, “Conan” film and casting news, other “Howardian” “Adaptations,” as well as more worthy swashbuckling films and literary adaptations.

As seen in the above table, May would be the biggest month in The Cimmerian blog’s history, with page views almost double that for April’s record-breaking month. As ever, Howard was the focus: articles on his racial attitudes compared to contemporaries, Brian’s thoughts on Collected Letters, upcoming academic publications, the next Del Rey, existentialism in Kull, news on Howard Days 2010 were in evidence, and Keith embarked on the first of his epic “Uther” series. Other fantasy posts included a post on Charles R. Saunders, a final post on Michael Moorcock’s literary/cinematic criticism (I’m sure if we ever met we’d get along just fine), and Brian’s discussion of genre subdivision. Bill’s series on The Insidious Fu-Manchu continued, and his look at R.J. Myer’s Frankenstein books supplemented the horror quotient. The history division was filled by posts on Harold Lamb and others, historical sword woman Julie D’Aubigny, the reign of Baron von Ungern-Sternberg, and “Fighting” Jack Churchill. Cinema discussion included George A. Romero’s Survival of the Dead & Robin Hood, and as ever, scrutiny of the upcoming “Conan” film continued unabated, with Miguel’s “Conan the Momoan” being the single most hit-tacious Cimmerian post ever. The biggest news of the month was the passing of Frank Frazetta. Tributes from across the internet poured in, and Deuce, Brian, Jeff, Charles R. Saunders, and myself paid tribute. Another legend was lost in Ronnie James Dio.

Since June is not yet over, it cannot be covered with much thoroughness, but even with the blog’s ending in the second weekend, there were posts of note. Deuce made the announcement in the end of May, followed by expansion from Leo. I reviewed the situation, while Brian reviewed Blood & Thunder, a link to the blog’s older days. Farewells from the bloggers started with Barbara and Jeff, no doubt to be followed by others in the coming days. Then, as my own sort of tribute, I began a five part overview of the history of The Cimmerian blog, of which this post is the final part.

When the sun sets on the 11th of June, The Cimmerian blog will stalk into the Land of Mists.

Three blockbuster years, and The Cimmerian Blog was gaining its own momentum as a scholarly entity apart from the esteemed journal which spawned it: with the TC journal entering its final volume and two crises jeopardizing its continuing existence, the blog was going to either spreads its wings, or dwindle into some blood-hued, blogospheric sunset.

Leo started off the Cimmerian year with another tip of the hat to Charles R. Saunders (one of many). Steve Tompkins followed up with a sombre assessment of the Battle of the Somme’s impact on Tolkien, a look at Scott Oden, a simply astounding joint comparison/appreciation of Moorcock’s Melnibonè with Howard’s Acheron, an ode to Edgar Allan Poe (again showing the bloggers’ divergent politics in the comments), with the first month culminating in a three part celebration of Karl Edward Wagner and Sergio Leone.

The hits kept coming with Tompkins: an argument for “Red Shadows” to be considered the true origin of Sword-and-Sorcery, looks at Joe Abercrombie and Donald Sidney-Fryer’s The Atlantis Fragments, a thorough thrashing of those who would claim Howard would be forgotten without the Lancers, and a collection of recommended Hallowe’en tales for Cimmerian readers. His “Lonely Mountains, Crowded Expectations” is one of the most insightful essays on The Hobbit’s relationship to The Lord of the Rings I’ve read.

Leo, though beginning to ease out of blog activity, contributed his share, including yet more Saunders hat-tips, some props to The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard, and his deteriorating patience with the Howard Wikipedia page. Of historical interest to the blog are some of the earliest hints of Leo’s eventual retirement from Howardom, which would have important consequences in the none-too-near future. However, his 2009 Hyrkanian Robert E. Howard Foundation Award-Nominated “In Defense of Hester Jane Howard” is a true highlight, and one of the best pieces to ever appear on the blog.

With the coming of winter, Steve Tompkins paid tribute to Armistice Day with thoughts on the Great War and Howard’s more horrific depictions of battle, and the tradition of honouring days of historical significance would continue on The Cimmerian. He also discussed a number of subjects, C.S. Lewis’ tribute to E.R. Eddison, and the many black swords in fantasy literature. Leo kept the Sword-and-Soul spears waving with more Saunders news, alerted readers to new Lovecraft e-zines, and paid tribute to Joan McCowen. Rob kept busy with REH material, such as when he discussed the impending release of The Collected Poetry of REH: this would be his final post on The Cimmerian. December saw the return of Steve’s traditional Christmas tale: this year, it was Dr. Seuss who got the Tompkins Treatment.

It was about this time that the first crisis of The Cimmerian blog happened. Without the print journal to justify its existence, and lacking the time, motivation and energy to devote himself to its upkeep, Leo could not continue as editor, and considered shutting the blog down. Luckily, Steve Tompkins offered to take his place, and became the new editor of The Cimmerian blog, which he aimed to bring to new heights.

2009 rang the bells on a sad note: Mark Finn made a eulogy to Donald Westlake. Steve added a new entry into The Cimmerian’s historical discussion with new discoveries from Germania, added to The Cimmerian’s Tolkien library with a look at Tollers’ Sigurd & Gudrun, expanded on other authors with a lengthy essay on George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, a Bicentennial celebration of Edgar Allan Poe, and a three part extravaganza on S.T. Joshi’s Rise and Fall of the Cthulhu Mythos. However, he did not forget Howard; “The Conscience, and Kisses, of a King” is about as concise (and thorough) an exploration of Atla from “Worms of the Earth” as you’re likely to find. Leo — once again — championed Saunders by cheering the arrival of The Trail of Bohu.

January and February saw some newcomers to the site, with Mark saying his farewells. One of Steve’s “linkage and thinkage” posts announced the coming of the other Steve of The Cimmerian, Steve Trout. Steve Trout first appeared as a guest blogger, where he effortlessly destroyed E. Randall Floyd’s pathetic assessment of Howard, making a strong debut. So too did Brian Murphy, though he started off with less blood-and-thunder, as he acknowledged the passing of Realms of Fantasy, The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror, and The Cimmerian print journal. Steve Trout’s official debut would be a big ‘un in more ways than one — “They Found Howard’s Snake” has proved to be quite popular. A look at the site’s stats at the search terms used to find the site almost always has a few searching “titanoboa.”  Finally, Deuce Richardson — who would become Managing Editor before the end of the year – started a two part comparison of “The Call of Cthulhu” and “Skull-Face.” The final newcomer of February would be myself, again in an unofficial context — though my official debut would be a while yet.

The new bloggers quickly settled in under new editor Steve Tompkins’ guidance, who continued his appreciation of Joe Abercrombie, Charles R. Saunders, and Dan Simmons. Steve Trout wrote informative posts ranging from anger in Howard’s writing, to savaging of Uwe Boll films, and some fascinating looks at Howard through a Jungian lens. Brian was eclectic, with posts as disparate as a case for slow zombies, a look at Dunsany’s “The Sword of Welleran,” appreciation of Gary Gygax’s championing of fantasy fiction, a review of David Drake’s “The Barrow Troll,” and of course Howard, via a comparison with Hemingway. Deuce explored aspects of Hyborian scholarship regarding the Irish Nemedians, parallels of Howard to David Foster Wallace, and Howard’s ambivalence regarding his Celtic soul. Leo was largely inactive, but he still popped in from time to time to post blog entries.

In April, the Howard world was stunned by the loss of Steve Tompkins. Brian, Deuce, Steve Trout, and Leo shared their grief and tributes. The Cimmerian blog was in its second crisis. What would the TC blog do without its editor and primary contributor? Leo returned and contributed several Howard, Tolkien and Saunders-related entries, but it was only to be on a temporary basis. If The Cimmerian was to continue, somebody had to step up: that somebody was Deuce, who became Managing Editor in late October 2009. From the beginning, Deuce strove to continue Leo & Steve’s work on The Cimmerian, as a Shieldwall for Howard, Tolkien, and the Best in Heroic Fantasy, Horror and Historical Adventure.

TC‘s tagline (originated by Tompkins), would be the mantra which The Cimmerian bloggers stood by through 2009 and beyond. Leo remained for a while, writing of Howard, Saunders, and The Dark Man. Deuce himself continued with posts on Howard, Howard & Tolkien, Sword-and-Sorcery, Ghor Kin-Slayer, and a three part look at Tolkien’s ”Wanderings of Húrin.” Steve Trout discussed Breckinridge Elkins, horrible “satire,” “The Challenge from Beyond,” and Star Trek. Brian talked about Jack London and his influence on Howard, Don Herron’s assessment of Stephen King, Tolkien’s The Children of Húrin, and The Terminator. At the end of May, I joined the site with my first post (the one I’m still most proud of), “Nameless Tales.”

The final stretch of The Cimmerian blog’s fourth year would lead on to its last. In 2008, the site hovered around 9,000 – 14,0000 hits per month, but by March of 2009, that number rose to 20,000, and never looked back. One post by Deuce got the TC blog a mention in the Los Angeles Times, leading to further name-checks for The Cimmerian. Howardom rejoiced as news of Heroes in the Wind spread. There were plenty of Howard posts, Howard scholarship posts, Hyborian scholarship posts, Tolkien posts, historical posts, and general fantasy posts. At the tail-end of the year, Barbara Barrett made her official debut, picking up the ”REH Word of the Week” feature where Leo left off.

Thus starts the beginning of the end of The Cimmerian blog.

Ouketi is the transliteration of the Greek word meaning “no longer” or “no more.” It suggests the end of the old ways and the beginning of something new. It means a change. When prior events have been painful, the change can be positive. However, a haunting lament echoes and goodbyes become painful when an enjoyable experience ends.

On June 11th, the death knell will sound for The Cimmerian Blog. Another blow to REH fandom that comes almost eighteen months after The Cimmerian published its last print issue.

While the word ouketi may apply to the future of The Cimmerian Blog, its past is rich with memories that will survive.  As his many fans well know, Robert E. Howard’s prose and poetry were filled with passion and depth. Many of the articles and essays that appeared on the TC Blog also reflected those qualities. They contributed to our knowledge of Bob Howard and explored questions about his life, his loves and who he was. They examined his words and looked at how and why he chose the ones he did. Some of the TC essays were thought provoking. Some of them were just plain provoking; so much so that at times I wished I could crawl through the electronic circuits and “strangle” the writer.

Since its inception in 2006, I have read just about everything written here. I was an enthusiastic fan of Steve Tompkins and looked for his name each time I checked the website. Sometimes I had to struggle through the labyrinth of his writing style but the nuggets of beauty that I discovered were always worth it. He wrote passionately, with much insight and an unbelievable depth of knowledge. His imagination soared and best of all, it often took mine along.

And he was only one of four good writers who produced quality essays. I read insightful and fun articles by the other regular bloggers, Leo Grin, Rob Roehm, and Mark Finn that covered a gamut of often fascinating material. The list of guest bloggers read like a Who’s Who of Howard Fandom. They were the names I saw on books and articles and biographies. And I was content to read as much by and about Robert E. Howard as I could.

Then on April 17, 2007, after I sent him a review of the A&E documentary Warrior Empires: The Mughuls, Leo posted this:

Guest Blogger and Howard fan Barbara Barrett informs us about a familiar Howardian vibe in a recent TV program.

I remember the thrill and the feeling of unreality the first time I saw my name on The Cimmerian Blog site. I was a newbie to Howard fandom in the broadest sense of the word – a fan for barely more than a year. But it was the start of a dream. I recognized quality and I wanted to be a part of it. I wanted to write a blog for The Cimmerian. That was in 2007 and it took over two years for me to realize that dream. Even then, my contribution has been very slight. The Word of the Week was started in the beginning of August 2009 when I revived Leo’s discontinued feature. Right after I received Leo’s okay, I enthusiastically began to write. I know, I know, all I had to do was dig out a word, let everyone know its part of speech, its origin, find a good poem to quote and add a picture. We’re not talking rocket science here. But, I had a dream and my foot was now in the door! Even, my name and picture appeared on the list of TC’s Bloggers. But, it was the classic story of the reporter doing the society page and all the while wanting to do something larger and gutsier. And, I only had to wait another few months for that to happen. Deuce Richardson asked me to write an article for the October 18th celebration of the Charge of the Light Brigade. It was a big opportunity to do what I enjoy most: write. I did an incredible amount of research – probably enough to write my own book but it was a complex subject and I wanted to do it justice. It all came together when I found Terry Brighton’s Hell Riders. It allowed me to tell the story of this famous Charge from the point of view of the men – those who actually rode the length of that field under heavy enemy fire and survived the twenty minutes that landed their brave deed in the history books. The article appeared in three different postings on that day! I had written and posted my first article. I was a blogger on The Cimmerian. Another first in my writing life.

I still cherish an email I received from Steve Tompkins in March 2009, shortly before his death. He had read my REHupa article “Hester Ervin Howard and Tuberculosis” and was asking if I wanted to be a guest blogger on TC. By this time, I’d written an article for The Cimmerian print journal, published a book, and now someone whose writing I respected and enjoyed was asking me to be a guest blogger. Yes, dreams do come true. And so many of mine were tied directly to The Cimmerian and its online blog.

I’m just one fan, and I’m sure that many of you reading this can contribute similar stories about the influence of The Cimmerian Blog in your own lives. It was a class act and, however small my own contributions, I was happy to be part of it.

All the TC bloggers are moving on now. The website will be maintained so that the archives will survive intact. When the tents are folded and all have gone, only the ghosts of what has been written through the years will remain. Ultimately, even blogs and magazines are subject to the same cosmic forces that oversee the rise and fall of civilizations. Still, many of those fallen civilizations have not been forgotten. Robert E. Howard’s poem, “The Path of the Strange Wanderers” says it so eloquently:

They have broken the lamps and burst the camps
And they follow the roads that the wild wind tramps;
And the starlight falls on Babel’s halls
And the trumpeter mounts the broken walls
And the moon comes up through the mists and damps.

“They are here today,” the wild winds say,
“But who can trace the track of tomorrow?
“And who can shackle a roving heart
“That leans to the winds that waver and start,
“Or chain a soul like the ocean spray,
“Whiter than glory and brine as sorrow?”

“They are here today,” the fierce winds say,
“But the east is white and the sea is grey,
“And the trumpet’s blast is an empty blast
“For the winds flee and they follow fast.
“And the hall may fall and the city wall,
“And the brazen trumpet forever call,
“But the bladed rovers, where are they?”

Tower and hall and marble wall
Altar and honor and glory fall;
Grass grows in the city street—
Where are the rovers’ restless feet?
Other cities waver and rise
And grow and loom before their eyes;
Topaz towers in dreaming skies.
And cities are dust upon the plain
But the wanderers come not back again.

While the wanderers in Howard’s poem will not come back, many of the TC bloggers will show up on other websites. But before TC becomes a changeless archive page dedicated to research, and while the memories are still fresh, I would like to express my thanks and appreciation to the “wanderers,” past and present, who contributed to the TC Blog. Thanks Leo Grin, Rob Roehm, Mark Finn, and Steve Tompkins, the original bloggers, who started it all. Thanks also to Deuce for keeping the TC website alive. I thank Steve Trout as well as the current bloggers: Jim Cornelius, Al Harron, Miguel Martins, William Maynard, Brian Murphy, Jeffrey Shanks and Keith Taylor. It’s been a privilege to work with you. Thanks also to all the guest bloggers who made this website such a wonderful experience for so many of us Howard fans. Your articles enriched our knowledge of Robert E. Howard and many other authors and poets.

The Cimmerian Blog will soon be ouketi – no more – and what is to come is not yet written. Robert E. Howard’s poem, “Astarte’s Idol Stands Alone,” speaks of the old gods, “the dreams of men today” and what really lies beyond “no more.”

Astarte’s idol stands alone
With eyes that hold the ravished years;
Baal-Pteor’s shrine is shattered stone
Where through the night the jackal leers.

No more Bab-Ilu’s women sit
Beneath Mylitta’s mistletoe;
No more grim Molloch’s eyes are lit
By torches flaming row on row.

* * * * *
Across the stars their doom was writ:
“The dark before the dawn must go.”

Yet Baal, unseen, sits still enshrined
Along the world’s broad thoroughway;
Bubastes’ tendrils still are twined
About the dreams of men today.

For man still wears, from birth to dust,
The seal of Chiron’s neighing foal
And fires of Molloch’s darksome lust
Still light the windows of the soul.

And lighting the “windows of the soul” is what it’s all about.
Thanks TC,
Barbara

With two World Fantasy Award nominations under the journal’s belt and some of its bloggers now displaying well-deserved awards, The Cimmerian Blog’s third year started off well.

In the early months, Leo mentioned the incoming The Last in the Trunk, but also talked up Harold Lamb’s comeback, the opening number of Dial P for Pulp!, and Arthur Machen. Steve mused on Hyborian ophidians, on Tolkien’s use of the word “gibbets,” and Howard’s other epistolary colleague Clark Ashton Smith. Mark was bewilderingly prescient in his impression of then-just-announced Solomon Kane, and announced his World Fantasy Convention plans. Rob kept to REH, and spoke on Robert E. Howard Foundation news & Howard’s naming conventions. All the Cimmerian bloggers were galvanized by “Old Garfield’s Heart” making an appearance in the S.T. Joshi-edited American Supernatural Tales, all contributing their thoughts on Howard making it into Penguin Classics for the first time.

Cimmerian winter warmed the chill of the night with the fire of Howard, Tolkien and others. Leo spied a possible new contributor in the now familiar Brian Murphy, admired The History of The Hobbit, added another Collector’s Corner, discussed Beowulf and Zemeckis’ film, and first impressions of Grim Lands. Steve forwarded some masterpieces, in particular “Frazetta & Howard, Moorcock & Howard,” “An Irish Bard at King Hrothgar’s Court,” and his Tompkins original “The Lion in his 75th Winter” and “Bumbles Pounce.” At the end of the year, Leo celebrated The Cimmerian’s success with a look back on 2007.

2008 began with The Cimmerian Awards from Leo and REHF news from Rob. The sense of fun continued with Leo’s gleefully macabre recounting of a story from Howard Days 2007, before returning to more scholarly stuff with Échos de Cimmérie, and put in a little Lovecraftian/Cryptid post, as well as continuing to keep Charles Saunders in mind. Steve followed up on his looks at Howard’s snakes with a gander at his big cats, an extended essay on Charlton Heston, and a truly epic exploration of The Silmarillion. Mark returned to the fray with his thoughts on a prospective Conan Renaissance and a glance at Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures. Rob queried a poetry problem, broke the news of what would become El Borak & Other Desert Adventures, and noted a cool REH name-drop from Jim Butcher.

It wasn’t just a year for “Howard, Tolkien, and the Best in Heroic Fantasy, Horror and Historical Adventure”; there was also sadness too. The death of Alton McCowen, one of the premier figures in Cross Plains Howardiana, was commemorated on the blog by Leo and Rob. Robert Jordan’s death was also marked, as was the passing of Gary Gygax on multiple fronts. Steve made a heartfelt tribute to translator extraordinaire Robert Fagles.

In the final few months of The Cimmerian blog’s third year, Leo reported a Lin Carter discovery in a former Tolkien residence, a comment on a John Milius exchange involving Howard. Steve compared The Last in the Trunk’s contents to Western literature, introduced the first of many essays dedicated to the work of Charles R. Saunders, challenged the ubiquitous fan-term “Hyboria” in his inimitable fashion, a look at Dark Horse’s treatment of Conan, and a grand sprawling post on the state of cinematic fantasy. His “What a Mummer Wild, What an Insane Child” does what seems to be impossible, and makes a convincing comparison of Nolan’s Joker from The Dark Knight with Richard III, Justin Geoffrey, and Howard’s Valerius of The Hour of the Dragon. Mark authorized and carried out a veritable orbital bombardment of Francis diPietro’s The Supreme Moment, brought up the Bookcrossing and GoodReads websites, and makes a fascinating correlation between Howard’s views of civilization and The Dark Knight. Rob kept us up to date on Howard publications, and also one of the few cinematic adaptations of a Robert E. Howard story. He also embarked on a perilous journey through Texas through towns mentioned by Howard: he visited Waxahatche, then Decatur, then to Cross Plains, where he stays for Howard Days.

Early August of 2008 was rocked by Arnie Fenner’s introduction to … And Their Memory Was A Bitter Tree. Mark’s “Whispers of Imbecility” started the great brouhaha; Gary Romeo leapt to De Camp’s defense (of course) in a guest blog, after which Steve offered his thoughts on the situation, and Mr Fenner himself attempted to clear the air; Mark returned to the scrum to address him. However, the Cimmerian year ended on a high note: Steve extolled the Blackwoodian virtues of the Masters of Horror episode “Skin and Bones,” leading into a discussion of Wendigos in literature and cinema, raised the flag for David C. Smith, and Leo praised Robert T. Long’s thoughtful analysis of Howard.

Year Three was at an end, and The Cimmerian blog was going strong.

The Cimmerian blog’s first year was a good one, fueled by the buzz around Howard’s Centennial, the World Fantasy Convention, and the print journal’s nominations for the World Fantasy Award. Year Two would be just as eventful.

The end of August concentrated on the previous year’s talking points: the Cross Plains fire, the best of the Centennial publications, and a Steve Tompkins post introducing what would become occasional features on the blog, Charles R. Saunders and Karl Edward Wagner. September continued the Howard discussion with Leo’s updates on the print journal, his announcement for Paul Herman’s essential The Neverending Hunt, and an overview of Howard’s Wikipedia facelift. Mark is most famous (deservedly so) for Blood & Thunder, and his defenestration of Robin D. Law’s mealy-mouthed “praise” of Howard introduced the first appearance of that timeless derision “for a fat chick, you sure don’t sweat much.” There’s an example of the back-and-forth banter between Cimmerian bloggers on Rob’s “Crazy about Costigan,” a recurring feature over the course of the blog. Steve noted some of the more colourful surprises in the restored Howard text in the Del Reys, while making some sly cultural references.

Even so, non-Howard material continued to be brought up. Guest blogger Morgan Holmes produced “Give Me That Old-Time Sword-and-Sorcery!,” which discussed the anthologies of Carter, De Camp, Wagner and more. Steve and Leo fired a broadside at Germaine Greer for her comments against Tolkien, one of many calls to defend the creator of Middle-earth undertaken on the blog. Steve also mused on the World Trade Centre tragedy, with reference to Howard, Tolkien and history.

October came around, and continued September’s trends: Howard and REH-related articles like Rob’s “Ring Tales,” congratulations on the 10th anniversary of Ed Waterman’s Barbarian Keep, and Mark’s rallying cry for the REH Guerillas. There were also non-Howard ones such as Steve’s look at the World Fantasy Convention, the differences between the Bond and Howard cinematic adaptations, and a look at Clint Eastwood & Cormac McCarthy’s themes. November was almost exclusive to REH, as we had reports from the World Fantasy Convention, the birth of the REH Foundation, sightings on eBay, a Howardian Thanksgiving, and the milestone first photograph of the Cimmerian Shieldwall. Still, there were some on the non/tangentially REH side: we had Leo’s tribute to Basil Poledouris and Steve’s take on penguins.

The TC blog’s second twelvemonth ended with one of the first appearances of a friend to The Cimmerian, John J. Miller. It’s often asserted that Howard & Conan are only the domain of those with right-wing or conservative values, but the fact that such staunch liberals as Steve Tompkins could share room with conservatives like Leo Grin (as well as those whose politics come in the middle like Rusty Burke, name-checked in the linked article) in Howardom is testament to the author’s — and the character’s — near-universal appeal. Talking politics in reference to Howardom is meaningless, as Howard fans and scholars are united in their appreciation regardless of political leanings. Steve said just about all that could be about Two-Gun Bob: A Centennial Study of Robert E. Howard, Joe R. Lansdale began his complicated relationship with The Cimmerian in a response to an earlier post, and the Night Before Christmas had Uncle Rob gathering us by the fire with a breakdown of Robert E. Howard’s correspondence.

There was a period of inactivity on the blog in January, with Rob’s “Blog Bog” a full two weeks after Leo’s New Year post. However, things picked up again soon, and it’s another REH month: Leo celebrated REH’s 101st birthday, as well as news on The Cimmerian Awards. Darker portents appeared, as Leo made a promise regarding the unsold Cimmerian issues that he would live up to a little under three years later. Dennis McHaney via Steve reminded us of one of the Holy Grails of Howard scholarship: the Locke Letter. Mark left us a timely reminder about the trials and frustrations of being a Howard fan when Conan is brought up.

Things picked up in February, starting off with a non-REH post on the passing of Molly Ivins and the following comments, another example of Howard fans’ wildly divergent political views. Howard didn’t get left far behind, with the second post a look at fellow Howard publications The Dark Man and Two Gun Raconteur, including the dawn of the latter’s own blog. Leo rather generously gave the Lancers their due (to which Morgan Holmes responded) and wrote on Howard Photographs and Valentine’s Day, Steve (and Leo) gave their thoughts on Farnsworth Wright & “The Cat and the Skull,” and another new blog — REHupa — was cheered.

The non-Howard articles, too, got back in their stride: Rob’s piece on the mysterious Uncle Gus; Leo remembered David Gemmell and mentioned Charles R. Saunders in his Howard/Dunsany/Sword-and-Sorcery discussion; Steve recalled the most Howardian passage in Dracula, and praised the work of Michael Chabon. One of the first and most important of the non-Howard posts in February was Leo’s “The Deathliest Hallow,” where he layed down the law on Tolkien, Jackson’s adaptations, Lee’s illustrations and other subjects related to Middle-earth — the first of what would be many posts on the other father of 20th Century fantasy fiction.

March was little different. We had Rob’s comparison of Sax Rohmer’s “Bat-Wing” and Howard’s “Skull-Face,” tangential Howard posts such as Steve’s look at the parallels of modern historical studies to Howard and Tolkien, and non-Howard articles like Leo’s look at Shelley literary criticism. April had Steve discussing Howardian Cymbalism and The Star Rover, Leo talking Tolkien and the appearance of The Black Gate blog. Rob, Steve and guest blogger Fred Blosser all devoted posts to Jack London’s The Star Rover, the first of many occasions where Cimmerian bloggers would mark an occasion where they celebrate another author. April was also notable for the first appearance of Barbara Barrett on the blog, via a guest blog on Warrior Empires: The Mughals.

By now, other fantasy authors were a regular appearance on the blog, and Tolkien was starting to gain ground. In between talking about Bear Creek bonanzas, the state of REH publishing, the trials of Wikipedia, his Howard recommendations, and the disintegration of Joe R. Lansdale’s “Howard Gave Me Happiness,” Leo talked about receiving his copy of The Children of Húrin, and his approval of the Purist Edit of the Jackson Lord of the Rings films. Those days when Steve wasn’t talking about inadvertently hilarious Howard collections, Howard scholarship, his thoughts on the Collected Howard Letters, he was critiquing Christopher Lee’s reading of The Silmarillion, enthusing about Ian Fleming, David Gemmell and Ingmar Bergman. When not offering his ideas on a Conan screenplay, Mark was posting about Kipling. Then there were guest posts (usually by Barbara) about other Sword-and-Sorcery films, and the debut of the REH Word of the Week, started by Leo and eventually resurrected by Barbara.

The Cimmerian blog’s third year was just along the corner.

The history of The Cimmerian journal is storied, and well worth the perusal at the dedicated section on this site. Some of the very best of Howard scholarship in the last decade — even the best Howard scholarship full stop — can be found locked in those now-rare pages. In August of 2005, over a year after the TC journal’s introduction, Leo saw fit to start an online web log for news, information and contact details for the journal. There started the journey of The Cimmerian blog.

This is the first in a five part series charting the history, growth, and expansion of The Cimmerian web log. Each part will look at the blog over the course of a year since its inception in August 2005, and will concentrate on the highlights that most illustrate the state of the blog at that time.

It is important at this time to note the distinction between The Cimmerian blog and The Cimmerian journal. The journal was always about Robert E. Howard, no question, and the first months of the blog were almost entirely devoted to the Man from Cross Plains. However, The Cimmerian blog evolved into a broader approach: it was centered around Howard, of course, but it was soon expanded to include “J.R.R. Tolkien, & the Best in Heroic Fantasy, Horror, and Historical Adventure.” This change can be seen in evidence in its first year of existence.

The very first post on The Cimmerian was Leo’s “Heart’s Blood,” a passionate and forthright celebration of the author who was the focus of the print journal, and who would be a pillar throughout the blog’s history. The second post, “Sci-Fi Part Deux,” started another Cimmerian tradition: taking the fight to the Howard naysayers, an occasion that the various bloggers of The Cimmerian would rise to in the years to come.

However, as soon as the very fourth post, The Cimmerian began to branch out, with Leo’s “American God.” In this post, Leo tied in a review and analysis of Neil Gaiman’s novel American Gods to Robert E. Howard, with over half of the text devoted to Gaiman’s book and a quote on A.A. Milne. This comparison of two seemingly unrelated authors started a trend that would be followed by many bloggers, as they compare Howard to other aspects of culture, be they popular or high.

For most of 2005, focus would remain on Howard and topics related to him, with two hiatuses (November – December 2005, February 2006). During this time topics would range from the World Fantasy Convention celebrating Howard’s Centennial, REHupa, the Cross Plains fire, and even old grudges. However, June would see some company for Leo on the site: Mark Finn, Steve Tompkins and Rob Roehm made their debuts in June 2006. Steve’s second post, “Miskatonic U.’s Film School,” is devoted to Howard’s epistolary friend H.P. Lovecraft, specifically its cinema: as with “American God,” he ties it in to discussion of cinematic Robert E. Howard “adaptations,” but in this case, the post is almost entirely spent on Lovecraftian films. Clearly, The Cimmerian was starting to grow beyond Howard even from this early date.

July of 2006 is when things really started to amp up. It was just after Howard Days’ Centennial year, so much of the month was devoted to recaps of the festivities and celebrations. In addition, Leo was leading the charge against inaccuracies and misconceptions with an assessment with the Howard page on Wikipedia, as well as a timely reminder that it isn’t only Howard suffering from such indignities, a defense of Howard’s historical accuracy, a cheer for REHupa’s 200th mailing milestone, and a short but devastating destruction of the Romantic Primitive. Mark, Steve and Rob joined in, with Howard topics as broad as his presence on the internet to a quirky celebration of Howard movers-and-shakers, and the Del Reys in the grand scheme of Howard collecting.

Still, there was a sizable portion of material indirectly linked (at best) to Robert E. Howard: Steve Tompkins’ “Above and Beyond the Call of Booty,” which ties Pirates of the Caribbean to Howard’s supernatural piracy adventures, his championing of David Gemmell, and ruminations on the final months of Lovecraft’s life are prime examples. Out of Steve’s six posts in July, only two are unambiguously about Howard: the other four range from discussion of REH and another subject, to not discussing REH at all. Even Mark Finn did a short piece on LibraryThing, setting a precedent for links to sites not directly relevant to Howard.

A year after the blog’s appearance in early August, many of the formative elements of The Cimmerian blog in its current form were in evidence. Discussion of Howard continued, be it in news posts on auctions, award nominations, or essays. In addition to the non-REH posts of July, there were posts such as Tompkins’ now classic tongue-in-cheek parodies, discussions of Howard’s relevence in popular culture in unexpected places, slice-of-life posts by the bloggers, and musings on history. Clearly The Cimmerian was on the way from becoming more than a Shieldwall for REH, but including others in that venerable formation.

Such was the first year of The Cimmerian blog.

Leon Nielsen’s survey A Collector’s Descriptive Bibliography of American and British Hardcover, Paperback, Magazine, Special and Amateur Editions, with a Biography will be republished by McFarland & Company. Damon C. Sasser of REH: Two-Gun-Raconteur fame provided the foreword.

From the blurb:

This guide is an invaluable resource about Howard, with information for every known published work. Initial chapters provide a biography, discuss Howard’s literary legacy, and give basic tips about collecting Howard’s writings. The main body of the work is a bibliography of Howard’s published works from 1925 through 2004. Each entry includes a description and known details including publisher, date, print run, and estimated value. A thorough index locates the publication of every Howard story or poem.

This volume should be available in Fall/Winter 2010.

The late Wisconsin writer and collector Leon Nielsen contributed to The Cimmerian print journal and to Two-Gun-Raconteur (you can read his TGR article “The Image of Conan” here). He also authored Arkham House: A Collector’s Guide (2004) .

Its Table of Contents:

Acknowledgments vii
Foreword by Damon C. Sasser      1
Introduction 5

1. Robert E. Howard: A Brief Biography      11
2. The Robert E. Howard Legacy      36
3. A Robert E. Howard Cast of Characters      80
4. Collecting Robert E. Howard      105
5. A Robert E. Howard Bibliography 134
6. Most Collectible Titles      247
7. A Representative Robert E. Howard Collection      253
8. Reference Bibliography      260

Indexes      263

ISBN 978-0-7864-6109-7
98 photos, notes, bibliography, index
288pp. softcover 2010 [2007]

While the majority of this volume is dedicated to collecting, identifying and evaluating the prices of Howard’s writings, book also contains a biography, several photos of REH and his parents Hester Jane and Dr Isaac Mordecai Howard, as well as a discussion on the rights to Howards works.

Joe Linzalone named his shop –where coins, archaeological objects and first edition books are sold since thirty–two years– after Robert E. Howard’s story Wolfshead, a choice that Ryan Harvey would certainly approve.

The publisher’s limited edition will be available by subscription, signed and lettered, bound in quarter morocco leather with marbled handmade paper boards, slipcased and will cost $300. For the Trade edition of 500 copies, the price will be of $85 per book. The dust jacket design will be by Michael Kellner.

Its contents:

Descriptive text, maps and 30 plates.

A comprehensive handbook on the origins of coinage, featuring:
–A detailed catalog of Archaic Electrum, the dominant coinage until the reign of Croesus of Lydia (561-545 BC), whose issuance of a gold and silver coinage marked the end of a century of Electrum.

–An analysis of the region of Ionia and Lydia and its history, focusing on the catalysts for the development of Archaic Electrum, the very first coins.

–The transformative impact of coinage on commerce and trade throughout Ancient society.

Contact the author or Dennis McMillan Publications for further details and trade terms:

Joseph Linzalone, Wolfshead Gallery
PO Box 506
Ridgewood, NJ 07451 USA
201-727-1441
joe@wolfsheadgallery.com

Dennis McMillan
4460 N. Hacienda del Sol
Tucson, AZ 85718
(520)-529-6636
dennismcmillan@aol.com

Over at the Official Robert E. Howard Forum, Paradox rep Jay Zetterberg proffered REH fandom the lowdown regarding the final contents of El Borak and Other Desert Adventures. This volume, due out February 2, 2010 from Del Rey/Ballantine, looks like another keeper. For those not willing or able to click over to conan.com, I reproduce the table of contents (and submit some random thoughts of my own) below.

El Borak by Bradstreet

Artists’ Forewords
Introduction (Steve Tompkins)
Sword of the Hills
The Daughter of Erlik Khan
Three-Bladed Doom (long)
Hawk of the Hills
Blood of the Gods
Sons of the Hawk
Son of the White Wolf
Gold from Tartary
Swords of Shahrazar
Trail of the Blood-Stained God
The Fire of Asshurbanipal

Miscellanea:
Three-Bladed Doom (short)
Untitled Fragment (“Feel the edge, dog, and move not!”)

Appendices:
Gunfighters of the Wild East (David A. Hardy)
Notes on the Original Howard Texts

Looks like a solid package to me. It’s easy to see why the Publishers Weekly reviewer liked it. The “Artists’ Forewords” should be interesting. I’m especially looking forward to what Tim Bradstreet has to say, since I’ve never read his opinions regarding Robert E. Howard.

If anyone ever mentioned that Steve Tompkins had written the introduction to this volume, I wasn’t aware of it. That is fantastic news. One of the first things I ever read by Tompkins was his “There’s a White Wolf on the Ottoman” essay from The Dark Man #6. The man had real insights regarding Francis X. Gordon. I’m assuming that this will be the last such piece we will ever see from the keyboard of Mr. Tompkins. Howard Studies will feel that lack in the future.

“Gold from Tartary” had me slightly bemused until I realized that it must be an alternate title for the Kirby O’Donnell yarn, ”The Treasures of Tartary.” Some of the El Borak titles may also sound unfamiliar to long-time REH fans. I suggest going here to sort things out. I’m looking forward to reading the “Untitled Fragment,” which, according to Paul Herman, is the first four pages of an alternate version of “Swords of Shahrazar.” I’ve also never read the ”short version” of “Three-Bladed Doom.” That particular yarn has an interesting history behind it. If you’re curious, click on over to REH: Two-Gun Raconteur and check it out.

David A. Hardy has long been considered one of Howardom’s most knowledgeable and thoughtful scholars in regard to REH’s “desert adventures.” He earned his credibility with ground-breaking, well-researched essays like “The Great Game” and “Indomitable Wildness, Unquenchable Vitality,” both written for The Cimmerian. I have no doubt that Mr. Hardy’s “Gunfighters of the Wild East” will be up to his previous standards.

I just know I’m going to get some outraged emails at 12:01am on September 1 from people irate that they had no adequate warning of my decision to stop selling back issues after August 31, and upset that I’m being such a hardass about my deadline (I’ve already had people vainly ask me to extend the deadline just for them, or let them keep things on layaway for days, weeks, or months, despite my very clear blog post last time about those things). So to be perfectly clear as we come down the home stretch:

August 31, 2009 is the date after which all excess unsold copies of The Cimmerian will be destroyed. If you want any after that, you’ll have to wait for already-sold copies to appear on eBay, or scavenge at the REH Museum in Cross Plains for what copies they might still have.

No, I’m not going to change my mind. No, there will be no extensions or copies held on layaway.

August 31 is the date. Get ‘em while you can.

And to be assured of getting your order, your don’t just need to send me an email requesting the issues by the deadline, your money needs to be sitting in my PayPal account by midnight of the night of Aug. 31–Sept. 1, Pacific Time. Any monies sent after that time will be refunded and the orders will go unfilled. And any email conversations that we might have had before the deadline that were ultimately not sealed by a payment will be considered void.

I’ve been overwhelmed with orders the past few weeks and am slowly working through them whenever I get free time, so if you’ve sent in money and I’ve confirmed receipt, don’t worry, you’ll be getting your package soon. Any questions, feel free to ask. If you have been sitting on the fence for the last five years, you have until Monday evening to get in on the action.

I can’t make it any more clear than that.