Swords of the Purple Kingdom
Text taken from Howard’s draft, provided by Glenn Lord. The draft runs twenty-seven pages (against thirty-one for the–lost–definitive version), with several penciled-in annotations and corrections in Howard’s hand. Howard didn’t always cross out or erase the words or phrases to be replaced; these are mentioned only in case of doubt. Some questionable readings were checked against a transcript prepared by Lord. 183.13.2: no comma after “companion”; 183.13.6: powerfully; 183.19.10: no period after “Atlantean”; 183.29.10: no comma after “foreigners”; 183.31.10: looks; 183.32.5: no quotation mark after “race”; 183.35.4: familes; 184.4.12: no comma after “armies”; 184.13.10: ruthlesness; 184.16.9: “Well” capitalized; 184.25.10: in; 184.33.7: comma instead of period after “Brule”; 184.33.13: opening quote before “To”; 184.40.2: lovliness; 185.1.10: brood; 185.4.12: sword hardened (no hyphen); 185.14.14: comma instead of period after “toy”; 185.17.9: comma instead of period after “patience”; 185.22.4: “and” capitalized; 186.4.1: embarrassment; 187.3.3: Formallity; 187.4.4: no comma after “Brule”; 187.5.1: formallity; 187.9.4: the; 187.27.5: formallity; 187.28.12: he; 187.35.8: comma instead of period after “action”; 188.6.7: Borna’s; 188.7.1: over threw; 188.13.4: comma instead of period after “Kull”; 188.33.4: sparce; 189.3.3: comma after “Dondal”; 189.7.10: comma instead of period after “Tu”; 189.24.5: no comma after “long”; 189.24.6: no comma after “slim”; 189.25.11: comma after “rose”; 189.29.6: Acursed; 189.33.13: ecstacy; 189.34.7: rendevous; 190.22.1: comparitively; 190.29.5: sparce; 190.39.8: parrallel; 191.2.7: flag stones; 191.3.4: its; 191.4.5: comma instead of period after “Farsunian”; 191.11.6: comma instead of period after “Pict”; 191.11.7: Cant; 191.13.6: accidently; 191.16.1: terachery; 191.20.6: cut throat; 191.20.8: comma instead of period after “Dalgar”; 191.22.2: period instead of question mark after “beggar”; 191.32.3: conciousness; 191.37.2: dont; 191.37.8: comma instead of period after “dazed”; 192.27.5: Slayer; 192.36.5: comma instead of period after “Kananu”; 192.40.10: “to him” after “king” (193.1.4) in original; 193.7.2: no comma after “mates”; 193.8.1: reminisces; 193.13.5: procedings; 193.20.1: comma after “least”; 193.26.8: semicolon instead of comma after “palace”; 194.1.7: comma instead of period after “king”; 194.14.3: honey combed; 194.22.6: em-dash after “but”; 194.30.4: comma instead of period after “said”; 194.38.3: proceded; 195.2.8: comma instead of period after “king”; 195.9.3: back; 195.23.1: alllowed; 195.27.3: “the” capitalized; 195.30.10: dissappearance; 196.2.9: minature; 196.3.9: over ran; 197.1.5: comma instead of period after “Verulian”; 197.2.2: havent; 197.3.1: no period after “tongue”; 197.5.10: comma instead of period after “companion”; 197.6.2: wont; 197.10.12: comma after “Dalgar”; 197.17.1: Hadnt; 197.17.6: quiered; 197.19.4: cant; 197.20.1: cant; 197.34.6: comma after “relief”; 197.35.10: her; 198.6.3: comma instead of period after “giant”; 198.22.4: en-dash after, instead of before, the quote; 198.23.1: comma instead of en-dash after “cloth”; 198.23.2: “and” capitalized; 198.29.1: comma instead of period after “swiftly”; 198.30.4: he; 198.30.9: reward; 198.31.7: a; 198.34.2: comma instead of period after blazing; 198.35.13: “how” capitalized; 198.37.10: comma instead of period after “breathlessly”; 199.7.12: comma instead of period after “obeyed”; 199.9.12: comma instead of period after “voice”; 199.11.1: “the” capitalized; 199.12.5: comma instead of period after “Verulian”; 199.14.2: it; 199.14.11: cloesly; 199.23.8: comma instead of period after “Gonda”; 199.34.2: no comma after “Kull”; 199.35.1: rion; 200.1.9: effected; 200.7.10: litteraly; 200.14.2: tiger like; 200.15.11: alos; 200.20.4: colon instead of period after “girl”; 200.21.1: like wise; 200.22.8: reasuringly; 200.30.6: soldier; 200.40.10: black smith; 201.1.5: seem; 201.4.1: hair; 201.15.1: no quotation marks before and after “Well”; 201.15.4: no quotation mark before “here”; 201.15.12: no quotation mark after “too”; 201.17.1: leader ship; 201.17.6: no period after “Valusian”; 201.18.14: unconcious; 201.30.14: hin; 202.4.1: hammer like; 202.9.2: Verulian; 202.11.5: comma instead of period after “one”; 202.13.10: comma instead of period after “shriek”; 202.13.11: Dont; 202.22.6: “must” repeated after “necessarily”; 205.14.3: mw; 205.22.7: grat; 206.2.13: foot steps; 206.5.10: asounted; 206.6.11: no comma after “naked”; 207.1.11: helment; 207.1.11: comma after “helmet”; 207.3.8: comma after “man”; 207.3.13: comma after “same”; 207.15.2: no comma after “cruel”; 207.15.4: imbeded; 208.30.5: comma instead of period after “Kull”; 208.33.3: comma instead of period after “ejaculated”; 208.33.7: comma after “Tu”; 208.40.13: comma instead of period after “moodily”; 209.14.1: comma instead of period after “blood”; 209.20.9: resplendant; 209.33.13: comma instead of period after “him”; 209.36.5: comma instead of period after “head”; 210.4.2: comma instead of period after “arm”; 210.7.2: “have” not in original; 210.16.10: another.
The King and the Oak
Text taken from Howard’s typescript, provided by Glenn Lord. No changes have been made for this edition.
Kings of the Night
Text taken from Weird Tales, November 1930. 217.1.2: Cæsar; 217.37.12: Cæsar; 221.18.3: Cæsar; 221.22.5: Cæsar; 222.10.13: Cæsar; 222.36.5: stedfast; 227.18.13: “will-power” hyphenated at line break; 239.38.9–10: way possible; 241.10.3: “side-long” hyphenated at line break; 244.8.1: comma after “guard.”
Summer Morn
Howard’s original is no longer extant. It was, however, among the poems microfilmed by Robert Barlow. Text taken from Glenn Lord’s transcription of the microfilm.
Am-ra the Ta-an
Text taken from Howard’s typescript, provided by Glenn Lord. No changes have been made for this edition.
The Tale of Am-ra
Text taken from Howard’s typescript, provided by Glenn Lord. No changes have been made for this edition.
Untitled and Unfinished Fragment
Howard’s original was not located in time for this edition. Text taken from Glenn Lord’s typed copy of Howard’s original.
Untitled and Incomplete Fragment
Text taken from Howard’s typescript, provided by Glenn Lord. Only pages 10 and 11 of this fragment have come to us. No changes have been made for this edition.
The Shadow Kingdom (Draft)
Text taken from Howard’s typescript, provided by Glenn Lord. No changes have been made for this edition.
Delcardes’ Cat
Text taken from Howard’s typescript, provided by Glenn Lord. No changes have been made for this edition.
The King and the Oak (Draft)
Text taken from Howard’s typescript, provided by Glenn Lord. No changes have been made for this edition.
This wouldn’t have been posssible except for the support of my family. Julie, Levi, Ethan and Ellie, thanks for putting up with the long hours and struggle that went into making this. My parents, Mike and Robyn, and mother-in-law “Mrs. P” for helping out whenever I needed it. My grandfather for the place to work and the companionship. JD and Vance, entertaining me as always. Marcelo, I’m just lucky I wasn’t close by or I’m sure you’d have my head. Thanks for the chance to do this.