What do you think?
Rate this book
Conan: The Ultimate Guide to the World's Most Savage Barbarian
For more than 70 years, fantasy fans have followed the exploits of Conan through novels, comic books, and movies. This book, the first-ever illustrated guide to Robert E. Howard's most beloved character, is a genuine treasure chest of Conan lore, following Conan through the ages, through his different careers, as he meets friends and foes and travels across the Hyborian continent. Includes a foreword by Todd McFarlane. Created in full cooperation with Conan Properties International, LLC. Features character profiles, maps, art from original paperbacks, comic books, video games, and more.
160 pages, Hardcover
First published September 4, 2006
5 people are currently reading
86 people want to read
About the author
Roy Thomas
4,511 books275 followersRoy Thomas was the FIRST Editor-in-Chief at Marvel--After Stan Lee stepped down from the position. Roy is a longtime comic book writer and editor. Thomas has written comics for Archie, Charlton, DC, Heroic Publishing, Marvel, and Topps over the years. Thomas currently edits the fanzine Alter Ego for Twomorrow's Publishing. He was Editor for Marvel comics from 1972-1974. He wrote for several titles at Marvel, such as Avengers, Thor, Invaders, Fantastic Four, X-Men, and notably Conan the Barbarian. Thomas is also known for his championing of Golden Age comic-book heroes — particularly the 1940s superhero team the Justice Society of America — and for lengthy writing stints on Marvel's X-Men and Avengers, and DC Comics' All-Star Squadron, among other titles.
Also a legendary creator. Creations include Wolverine, Carol Danvers, Ghost Rider, Vision, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, Valkyrie, Morbius, Doc Samson, and Ultron. Roy has also worked for Archie, Charlton, and DC among others over the years.
Also a legendary creator. Creations include Wolverine, Carol Danvers, Ghost Rider, Vision, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, Valkyrie, Morbius, Doc Samson, and Ultron. Roy has also worked for Archie, Charlton, and DC among others over the years.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
February 5, 2020
I am delighted that a friend, who knew of my interest, gave me this “guide.” I won't keep you long; most of what I would want to say has been said by other GR reviewers.
This is a oversized book with all the beauty that DK Publishing brings. It is both a book for casual browsing of “The Hyborian Age,” and a chance to delve deeply into the subject: by geography; by character; or by period. It all revolves around the basic character of Conan, as created by Robert E. Howard, but it includes all additions made in each generation of Conan authors including Sprague de Camp, Carter, Jordan, Thomas, etc.
I found what I was seeking and you might, too, if classic fantasy if your cup of tea. There is a reason why authors such as Michael Chabon and George R. R. Martin describe the Conan saga as a sword & sorcery touchstone.
This is a oversized book with all the beauty that DK Publishing brings. It is both a book for casual browsing of “The Hyborian Age,” and a chance to delve deeply into the subject: by geography; by character; or by period. It all revolves around the basic character of Conan, as created by Robert E. Howard, but it includes all additions made in each generation of Conan authors including Sprague de Camp, Carter, Jordan, Thomas, etc.
I found what I was seeking and you might, too, if classic fantasy if your cup of tea. There is a reason why authors such as Michael Chabon and George R. R. Martin describe the Conan saga as a sword & sorcery touchstone.
August 14, 2024
This is an interesting book that lingered upon my nightstand for three years. It’s that sort of book that need not be read all at once, but could be.
Written by Roy Thomas and lavishly illustrated by too many talented artists to name, the book has a chapter on each widely accepted eras of Conan’s career. The Nemedian Chronicles name some myths as factual, read those stories written by REH, and others as legends.
The legends are the Marvel and Dark Horse comics series along with pastiche from the Lancer/Ace collections.
It is an entertaining read for fans of REH’s most famous barbarian.
Written by Roy Thomas and lavishly illustrated by too many talented artists to name, the book has a chapter on each widely accepted eras of Conan’s career. The Nemedian Chronicles name some myths as factual, read those stories written by REH, and others as legends.
The legends are the Marvel and Dark Horse comics series along with pastiche from the Lancer/Ace collections.
It is an entertaining read for fans of REH’s most famous barbarian.
July 21, 2016
A real disappointment. While there was plenty of artwork throughout the book, taken from Frazetta, and the Conan comic books, as well as other sources, it was impossible to follow the text, or the thread of Conan's life. I realize that Howard didn't write all the Conan stories with a clear biography in mind. But in trying to pull everything together that's ever been written about Conan, from Howard's work to the comic books to the other books written, it turned out to be just one big hodge-podge that was more trouble to read than it was worth.
July 24, 2020
A fairly complete history of Conan up until about 2006. Written with authority by one of the greatest Conan writers Roy Thomas Who did as much to popularize him as a character as did his creator Robert E. Howard. The book has great summaries of all the major characters and story arcs from the original short stories and novels of Howard and the later Marvel Comics. All told in a chronological order of Conan's Life. The art in this book is also fantastic with pieces From all the Conan masters. A fantastic book for any fan of the barbarian hero.
March 18, 2015
Never been a big Conan fan. I'm more of X-mutant, Inhumans, Avengers, Daredevil guy. however I did like this book. Bite size explanations of the various story arcs. I like the Frank Franetta-ish artwork. I can appreciate that work that was put into this. Not the Arnold Scwarzennegar Conan and that is a relief. Kudos
February 2, 2022
This is a basically a narrative chronology of Conan's adventures as related in the books written by Howard and the comics from Roy Thomas as such, it is somewhat of a conceit that the comics are canon. In any case, the book is presented as a history, purportedly filled with unverified legends of the barbarian. Every territory and kingdom is briefly described, likewise the pantheon of gods in the Hyborian world.
The art presented is a mixture of of those from Marvel comics, Dark Horse Comics and also presumably from the Age of Conan MMORPG.
The material presented is not particularly interesting or well written and does not provide additional insights on Conan, the reader would be well-advised to read the novels or the comics instead.
The binding of this DK publication, published by a printer in Mexico is terrible. The hardcover volume is falling apart.
The art presented is a mixture of of those from Marvel comics, Dark Horse Comics and also presumably from the Age of Conan MMORPG.
The material presented is not particularly interesting or well written and does not provide additional insights on Conan, the reader would be well-advised to read the novels or the comics instead.
The binding of this DK publication, published by a printer in Mexico is terrible. The hardcover volume is falling apart.
January 23, 2025
A brilliant presentation of Conan's life in an in-universe historical style. I particularly liked the way the text made a distinction between the Nemedian Chronicles - i.e., the original Robert E. Howard stories - and the Marvel and Dark Horse comics (even alluding to that time Conan visited the 20th Century), referred to as "legends", which helped establish the conceit.
I do wish that an attempt had been made to integrate the prose Conan material that existed when this was published, as well as mentioning Conan's team-ups with Red Sonja, but I suspect there might have been some thorny rights issues. At least we got a cheeky reference to Klarkash-Ton, aka Howard's fellow Weird Tales writer Clark Ashton Smith.
I do wish that an attempt had been made to integrate the prose Conan material that existed when this was published, as well as mentioning Conan's team-ups with Red Sonja, but I suspect there might have been some thorny rights issues. At least we got a cheeky reference to Klarkash-Ton, aka Howard's fellow Weird Tales writer Clark Ashton Smith.
February 6, 2009
After the strong showing of DK Publishing on the DC Encyclopedia, I had high expectations for their similarly all-encompassing guide to the world of Robert E. Howard’s barbarian. I wasn’t disappointed. This oversized hardcover tome, with a heft and thickness worthy of the Cimmerian it represents, is a treasure trove for Conan fans old and new. It expertly mixes artwork from Conan’s appearances in older Marvel Comics, new Dark Horse Comics and of course plenty of pinups, prints and book covers by fantasy legends to create a beautifully illustrated and masterfully designed look at Conan’s birth, life and death. And on the writing and information side of things, the whole thing is guided by the man who has probably written more Conan than anyone save REH himself, Roy Thomas. How’s that for a pedigree?
Conan: The Ultimate Guide to the World’s Most Savage Barbarian is a mostly chronological look at the barbarian, from his days as a young boy in Cimmeria all the way up through his time of king, his journeys to other continents and even a page on what happened to civilization after he passed on. The Ultimate Guide draws from many sources in telling the tales of Conan, from the books to the comics adaptations, and in so doing reveals the rich history that the character has had. Thomas also takes advantage of the different adaptations to give Conan’s stories a mythic spin, making them out as more universal tales of a real figure that have been interpreted different ways in different stories. Conan is presented, quite credibly, as a legendary figure on the level of Robin Hood or King Arthur. Curiously, the death of Conan is never spelled out, but rather left shrouded in mystery, which I found an interesting twist on legendary figures like these, whose death is usually as epic and important as their life itself. Robert E. Howard’s life was cut short, and thus he probably never tired of his character like an Arthur Conan Doyle and decided to kill him off, and I suppose that the writers who followed didn’t want to definitively end a character that they saw as someone else’s.
Interior pages from Conan Ultimate GuideIt wasn’t until I started reading the Dark Horse Conan series that I realized that the character was so much more than a simple muscle-bound sword swinger, and the Ultimate Guide further reinforces the depth of the character. The chapter titles reveal Conan’s life to have gone through transitions, from young barbarian to canny thief, from mercenary to pirate, from rebel to king, among others. Memorable adventures are given one or two-page write-ups decorated with beautiful artwork that evoke all the mystery and danger in Conan’s life. Thomas’s writing style is straightforward, like that found in, well, an encyclopedia, rather than the flowery prose of the Nemedian Chronicles, but it’s a style that works. The sense given in reading the Ultimate guide is reading an archaeologist’s treatise on a legendary find, but like all the narrators of Conan’s tales, this hypothetical archaeologist gets somewhat caught up in the adventure and free spirited nature of Conan.
If you’re like me, a reader whose exposure to Conan is mostly limited to Dark Horse’s new comic series and Marvel reprints, you needn’t worry that reading the sourcebook will spoil future comic stories for you. Like the best kind of sourcebooks, the Ultimate guide’s write-ups usually leave the reader with the urge to see the full version told, rather than a feeling that every bit of life has been wrung out of the stories. This is not to say Thomas’s write-ups are inadequate, but rather that dry words can never quite capture the adventures of Conan the way Howard’s more elaborate prose or the words and pictures of the comics can.
Interior pages from Conan Ultimate GuideAs much as choosing the right writer for the project is key, so too is the proper selection of art, and here again the DK Publishing team proves their worth. The art selection ranges from the black and white work in Savage Sword of Conan to fantasy art by legends like Frank Frazetta to the newest work by Cary Nord and Tim Truman. It all coexists side by side in perfect layouts, so that the black and white, often fading into sepia background tones, never looks out of place, and the old school Marvel art and flashy new colored Dark Horse art looks just fine side by side. There are occasional moments in the layout, mostly in Todd McFarlane’s foreword, when the background images overwhelm the words and make for difficult reading, but these moments are few and far between. In general, this is a colorful, visual and clearly laid out guidebook.
Part of my love for comics and my knowledge of a lot of the characters comes from the Marvel Universe and Who’s Who that were published in my youth. While there’s no substitution for reading the actual source material, a well-done guidebook can really spur the reader to seek out that original material and spark a love for characters that were previously unknown. DK Publishing has shown the ability to do top-notch versions of these kind of guidebooks, and with Conan: The Ultimate Guide proving that the DC Encyclopedia was no fluke, I know I’ll be keeping an eye out for future products of these nature. A Marvel Encyclopedia is already on the way, and with any luck we’ll get more volumes, maybe looking at Image or the ’80s color indy boom or who knows what else. If you’re a fan of Conan, or if you’ve always wanted to be one but didn’t know where to start, the Ultimate Guide is probably worth a look.
Conan: The Ultimate Guide to the World’s Most Savage Barbarian is a mostly chronological look at the barbarian, from his days as a young boy in Cimmeria all the way up through his time of king, his journeys to other continents and even a page on what happened to civilization after he passed on. The Ultimate Guide draws from many sources in telling the tales of Conan, from the books to the comics adaptations, and in so doing reveals the rich history that the character has had. Thomas also takes advantage of the different adaptations to give Conan’s stories a mythic spin, making them out as more universal tales of a real figure that have been interpreted different ways in different stories. Conan is presented, quite credibly, as a legendary figure on the level of Robin Hood or King Arthur. Curiously, the death of Conan is never spelled out, but rather left shrouded in mystery, which I found an interesting twist on legendary figures like these, whose death is usually as epic and important as their life itself. Robert E. Howard’s life was cut short, and thus he probably never tired of his character like an Arthur Conan Doyle and decided to kill him off, and I suppose that the writers who followed didn’t want to definitively end a character that they saw as someone else’s.
Interior pages from Conan Ultimate GuideIt wasn’t until I started reading the Dark Horse Conan series that I realized that the character was so much more than a simple muscle-bound sword swinger, and the Ultimate Guide further reinforces the depth of the character. The chapter titles reveal Conan’s life to have gone through transitions, from young barbarian to canny thief, from mercenary to pirate, from rebel to king, among others. Memorable adventures are given one or two-page write-ups decorated with beautiful artwork that evoke all the mystery and danger in Conan’s life. Thomas’s writing style is straightforward, like that found in, well, an encyclopedia, rather than the flowery prose of the Nemedian Chronicles, but it’s a style that works. The sense given in reading the Ultimate guide is reading an archaeologist’s treatise on a legendary find, but like all the narrators of Conan’s tales, this hypothetical archaeologist gets somewhat caught up in the adventure and free spirited nature of Conan.
If you’re like me, a reader whose exposure to Conan is mostly limited to Dark Horse’s new comic series and Marvel reprints, you needn’t worry that reading the sourcebook will spoil future comic stories for you. Like the best kind of sourcebooks, the Ultimate guide’s write-ups usually leave the reader with the urge to see the full version told, rather than a feeling that every bit of life has been wrung out of the stories. This is not to say Thomas’s write-ups are inadequate, but rather that dry words can never quite capture the adventures of Conan the way Howard’s more elaborate prose or the words and pictures of the comics can.
Interior pages from Conan Ultimate GuideAs much as choosing the right writer for the project is key, so too is the proper selection of art, and here again the DK Publishing team proves their worth. The art selection ranges from the black and white work in Savage Sword of Conan to fantasy art by legends like Frank Frazetta to the newest work by Cary Nord and Tim Truman. It all coexists side by side in perfect layouts, so that the black and white, often fading into sepia background tones, never looks out of place, and the old school Marvel art and flashy new colored Dark Horse art looks just fine side by side. There are occasional moments in the layout, mostly in Todd McFarlane’s foreword, when the background images overwhelm the words and make for difficult reading, but these moments are few and far between. In general, this is a colorful, visual and clearly laid out guidebook.
Part of my love for comics and my knowledge of a lot of the characters comes from the Marvel Universe and Who’s Who that were published in my youth. While there’s no substitution for reading the actual source material, a well-done guidebook can really spur the reader to seek out that original material and spark a love for characters that were previously unknown. DK Publishing has shown the ability to do top-notch versions of these kind of guidebooks, and with Conan: The Ultimate Guide proving that the DC Encyclopedia was no fluke, I know I’ll be keeping an eye out for future products of these nature. A Marvel Encyclopedia is already on the way, and with any luck we’ll get more volumes, maybe looking at Image or the ’80s color indy boom or who knows what else. If you’re a fan of Conan, or if you’ve always wanted to be one but didn’t know where to start, the Ultimate Guide is probably worth a look.
October 12, 2025
Interesting enough.
Could benefit from some footnotes telling you what story or source particular entries are referring to.
As it is I think the entries that make you think 'hmm I'd like to read that story' are referring to original REH works, while entries that make you roll your eyes and think 'that sounds utterly stupid / nonsense / crap' are referring to stuff that appeared in Marvel comics.
Could benefit from some footnotes telling you what story or source particular entries are referring to.
As it is I think the entries that make you think 'hmm I'd like to read that story' are referring to original REH works, while entries that make you roll your eyes and think 'that sounds utterly stupid / nonsense / crap' are referring to stuff that appeared in Marvel comics.
December 29, 2017
A great tribute which came out concurrent with Dark Horse's early phase of comic reboot just over a decade ago. It follows one of the established outlines of Conan's career and also explores the land of Hyborea using art taken from both comic runs as well as paintings from various artists.
October 1, 2022
Does have some surface level information but I wouldn't consider it the ultimate guide to Conan's stories. Try's to squeeze too much of too little into the book.
December 21, 2025
Covering all things Conan from lands to lovers to enemies and monsters. It features iconic art as well.
June 9, 2016
This is an adventurous and bloody history of fantasy's best bloody bad boy Conan the Barbarian, written by a world famous Conan comic book author. Like an encyclopedic compendium of Conan and his travels from being a Corsair on the Black Coast to being Conan the King, and all points in between. It contains absolute epic illustrations!!! I used to buy Conan Saga's back in the nineties; I have always loved that warrior art and aesthetic, and I love this book, too.
January 28, 2016
If you know nothing of Conan then this is the book for you. If you are already a Conan fan this book is awesome source material. It smoothly merges all of Robert E. Howard's work with much of the Conan comics and B&W magazines. This book even includes references to the horrible Conan TV Show, something best lobotomized from everyone's mind. Very good read. Very recommended
May 12, 2007
The history of Conan is amazing. Perhaps not as extensive as Tolkien's created alter-universe, but definitely more congruent and ... well... interesting.
And for the record, our dear governor was CREATED namely for fulfiling his destiny of being the only man who can/could be Conan
And for the record, our dear governor was CREATED namely for fulfiling his destiny of being the only man who can/could be Conan
November 18, 2012
Short but well done illustrated biography of Robert E Howard's "Conan the Barbarian" by Marvel Comic writer Roy Thomas. Thomas follows Howard's original timeline and fleshes out the book with artwork by Barry Windsor-Smith, Frank Frazetta, Mark Schultz, Gary Gianni, Alex Ross and others.
June 9, 2007
A full color, lots of pictures history of Conan and his adventures. Glossy to the max and the perfect book to pick up and page through whether you have a minute or sixty.
Read
August 23, 2008isbn,original
February 7, 2011
THIS BOOK IS A TREASURE TROVE FOR FANS OF THE BARBARIAN. WHEN I FINISHED READING THIS FANTASTIC GUIDE, I FOUND THAT SOME DETAILS WEREN'T INCLUDED, BUT STILL THIS IS A FABULOUS BOOK.
January 15, 2016
Great book. I highly recommend this book for all fans of Conan the Barbarian. Fun and easy to read with descriptions of many characters, settings and stories of Conan's many adventures.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews