The Blood of Belshazzar
Text taken from Oriental Stories, Fall 1931. 198.30.4–5: commas after “center” and “lay”; 198.30.10: comma after “helmet”; 200.2.10: simitars; 201.23.1: simitar; 203.22.2: Truks; 207.30.10: his; 207.41.5: Cromac’s; 209.3.6: some one; 210.7.7: simitar; 210.36.2: Zenor; 211.30.11: simitar; 211.38.5: exclamation point rather than question mark; 211.41.4: simitar; 212.26.5: comma rather than period after “angrily”; 212.26.6: where; 212.40.8: simitar; 213.7.4: comma rather than period after “howled”; 213.7.5: the; 213.40.10: simitar; 215.14.4: comma rather than period after “mind”; 215.14.5: it; 215.15.1: no comma after “Skol”; 215.17.1: simitar; 215.34.11: simitar; 219.3.10: Yusseff; 219.13.6: simitar; 219.37.1: simitar; 220.32.9: Cormac’s; 220.36.1: your’s; 223.7.8: simitar; 223.10.12: simitar
Red Blades of Black Cathay
Text taken from Oriental Stories, February–March 1931. 226.22.9: simitar; 226.31.8: simitars; 227.11.13: lapis-lazuli; 229.36.6: comma rather than period after “glory”; 229.36.7: here; 232.1.1: line begins with opening double quotation marks; 232.5.5: line ends with closing double quotation marks; 232.6.1: period after “Chesterton”; 232.9.14: lapis-lazuli; 232.28.11: any one; 233.32.11: simitar; 234.10.4: lapis-lazuli; 236.35.5: near-by; 237.6.1: line begins with opening double quotation marks; 237.11.5: line ends with closing double quotation marks; 237.12.1: period after “Chesterton”; 237.34.2: old; 238.17.10: simitars; 239.22.1: simitars; 244.11.2: simitar; 244.17.13: simitar; 245.1.9: simitars; 245.14.5: simitars; 246.34.10: simitar; 247.24.4: vizors; 247.39.1: comma after “He”; 248.4.2: reigned; 248.16.3: reigned
The Sowers of the Thunder
Text taken from Oriental Stories, Winter 1932. 253.9.1–4: no indication title is to be italicized; 253.9.4: period after “Baibars”; 253.11.4: bazars; 256.11.12: he; 259.23.2: bazars; 260.33.10: simitar; 261.12.3: traveller; 261.30.5: mullahs; 261.30.8: muezzin; 267.7.7: comma rather than period after “prince”; 270.40.3: simitar; 274.24.1: simitar; 274.40.1: simitar; 275.40.4: no comma after “Akbar”; 279.4.6: simitars; 280.15.1: no hyphen; 280.15.4: simitars; 280.19.9: line ends with closing double quotation marks; 281.34.5: simitar; 282.19.8: for ever; 284.23.10: simitars; 284.35.5: simitar; 285.2.16: mêlée; 285.40.8: mêlée; 287.11.10: for ever; 288.10.13: simitar; 289.1.9: semicolon rather than period after “Baibars”
The Skull in the Clouds
Text taken from The Howard Collector, Spring 1962. Howard began each line of dialogue with double quotation marks. We have retained only those that begin a character’s dialogue (291.3.1, 291.18.1, and 292.10.1) and those at the beginning of stanzas.
A Thousand Years Ago
Text taken from Night Images (The Morning Star Press, 1976). No changes have been made for this edition.
Lord of Samarcand
Text taken from Oriental Stories, Spring 1932. 295.22.6: mêlée; 298.25.1: simitar; 299.7.2: Ballad; 299.7.4: period after “Otterbourne”; 300.19.11: bazars; 301.7.10: simitars; 301.34.9: mêlée; 303.29.11: mêlée; 304.25.1: “The” not in original; 304.25.4: period after “Otterbourne”; 308.24.1: “The” not in original; 308.24.4: period after “Otterbourne”; 311.5.1: “Kipling” in italics, period following; 312.24.2: simitars; 313.6.5: simitar; 313.9.8: simitars; 313.16.8: simitars; 313.24.12: simitars; 313.27.3: mêlée; 313.35.1: POE; 313.35.2: period after “Tamerlane”; 318.9.1: POE; 318.9.2: period after “Tamerlane”; 320.32.7: “to” not in original; 321.30.3: simitar; 323.35.1: “The” not in original; 323.35.4: period after “Otterbourne”; 326.5.1: POE; 326.5.2: period after “Tamerlane”
Timur-Lang
Text taken from The Howard Collector, Summer 1964. No changes have been made for this edition.
Sword Woman
Text taken from Howard’s original typescript, a copy of which was provided by Glenn Lord. Howard’s names have been rendered into correct French forms (insofar as possible) with guidance from Patrice Louinet. Throughout this story, as well as Blades for France, Howard’s “Agnes” has been rendered “Agnès”; “de La Fere” is “de la Fère”; “Francois” is “François”; “Etienne” is “Étienne”; “Alencon” is “Alençon”; “d’Valence” is “de Valence.” These changes will not be noted in each place they appear. 331.5.10: no hyphen; 331.16.10: practise; 332.10.5: semicolon rather than comma after “muttered”; 333.5.6: some one; 333.22.12: no comma after “tall”; 335.9.9: semicolon rather than comma after “retorted”; 337.5.3: Ives; 337.24.3: no comma after “besides”; 338.30.10: T’is; 339.30.11: Gerard; 340.7.13: no hyphen; 340.17.3: Michele; 340.37.6: no hyphen; 341.27.15: some one; 341.33.4: inn keeper; 342.10.2: no hyphen; 342.20.2: semicolon rather than comma after “voice”; 342.27.15: inn keeper; 342.29.12–13: the Duc; 343.9.13–15: the Duke of Alencon; 343.24.12: Orleans; 343.30.6: no comma after “knell”; 343.34.10: semicolon rather than comma after “say”; 344.27.4: semicolon rather than comma after “whimpered”; 344.28.6: laugh; 344.37.4: sombrely; 345.9.5: inn-keeper; 345.15.9: inn keeper; 345.35.1: no comma after “Then”; 346.19.7: semicolon rather than comma after “cap”; 346.23.2: inn keeper; 347.6.7: semicolon rather than comma after “host”; 347.11.5: to night; 347.30.14: semicolon rather than comma after “men”; 347.37.11: Etienne’s; 348.17.9–11: the Duc d’Alencon; 348.33.16: “their” not in original; 349.10.1–4: title not italicized, period follows; 349.33.5: comma after “women”; 350.38.9: semicolon rather than comma after “morosely”; 351.3.7: ee’n; 352.2.9–11: the Duc d’Alencon; 353.27.12: no hyphen; 354.21.1–5: title not italicized, period follows; 354.31.1: Cans’t; 355.9.12: on to; 357.34.4: for ever; 358.37.4: futiley; 361.6.5: semicolon rather than comma after “covert”; 362.30.1: inn keeper; 363.7.1: Orleans
Blades for France
Text taken from Howard’s original typescripts, copies of which were provided by Glenn Lord. There exist two incomplete drafts for this story. One consists of pages 1–11 of what seems to have been a second draft, with chapter titles given: This draft ends shortly after the beginning of the second chapter. The other draft consists of pages 2–25 and has no chapter titles: this, and other internal evidence, suggests that it was a first draft. We have used what we have identified as the second draft for our text until it ended, and from that point have used the first draft text. See the note for Sword Woman regarding names. In addition to those mentioned there, in this story “Francoise” has been rendered “Françoise”; “Francis” is “François”; “Louise of Savoy” is “Louise de Savoie.” 365.14.3: near-by; 366.1.4: oggled; 366.8.14: garment; 366.9.3: garbs; 366.19.5–9: text has been erased and retyped over, this is probable reading; 367.1.8: wind-pipe; 367.4.13: “was” not in original; 367.5.1: “disappointe” (ends at extreme right edge of page); 367.17.9: swash-buckler; 367.20.10: bravoes; 367.20.13–21.1: the Duc d’Alencon; 367.26.14: bravoes; 367. 29.5: bravoes; 367.31.9: doged; 367.38.10: for ever; 367.38.13: bloodhouns; 368.7.5–6: text has been erased and retyped over, this is probable reading; 368.21.7: inn-keeper; 368.25.10: comma after “man”; 368.36.3: not; 369.2.11: La; 369.14.6: La; 369.27.1: lanthon; 369.35.3: subtle; 370.2.4: Speaks; 370.11.12: villians; 370.14.13: “unconsciou” ends one line, next begins “-ly”; 370.25.7: every one; 370.33.9–11: text has been erased and retyped over, this is probable reading; 370.34.12–14: the Duc d’Alencon; 371.5.6: colon rather than comma after “him”; 371.9.11: semicolon rather than comma after “saddle”; 371.23.11: La; 371.38.1: bravoes; 371.41.5: comma after “roadside”; 372.1.13: “crouche” typed to extreme right edge of page; 372.9.12: second draft ends at this point, from here text follows first draft; 372.22.12: can not; 372.31.7–9: “The Resolute Friend”; 375.10.10: new comers; 375.17.5–7: “The Resolute Friend”; 375.22.6: dies; 375.24.12–25.1: “The Resolute Friend”; 375.26.13: can not; 375.27.2: comma after “rank”; 375.30.3: T’is; 375.36.4: some one; 376.5.5: Tis; 376.31.7: semicolon rather than comma after “answered”; 376.34.4: brake; 377.9.9–10.1: “as if reminded of her mission” is added by typing above the line, with no indication of insertion point; 378.40.12: no comma after “de Valence”; 379.5.10: no comma after “moonlight”; 379.10.9: comma rather than semicolon after “Agnes”; 379.28.6: re-charging; 379.33.11: Hawks; 380.5.6: comma after “moan”; 380.38.1: inn keeper; 381.10.14: comma rather than dash after “bow”; 381.13.7: comma after “in”; 381.13.13: can not; 381.20.5: sea-ward; 381.23.10–24.1: “and Francoise with them” is added by typing above the line, no indicated insertion point; 381.32.2–4: “The Resolute Friend” (in single rather than double quotation marks); 382.2.6: “the” not in original; 382.4.3: can not; 382.6.6–8: “The Resolute Friend” (in single rather than double quotation marks); 382.15.6–8: “The Resolute Friend” (in single rather than double quotation marks); 382.18.10: can not; 383.15.13: oar-locks; 383.36.8: mêlée; 384.10.6: “a” not in original; 384.24.10: no comma after “desperation”; 384.40.2: lord Duke of Bourbon