Weird Talers: Essays on Robert E. Howard and Others

by Bobby Derie

For more than a decade, Bobby Derie has written insightful and penetrating essays on some of the leading authors of pulp fiction in the 1920s and 1930s, especially Robert E. Howard and his friends, colleagues, and fellow-writers. In this collection of twenty-six essays, Derie covers an extraordinarily wide range of subjects; but in every instance he draws upon primary documents to illuminate some of the obscurer corners in the realm of the pulp magazines, especially the legendary Weird Tales.   Here we find studies of the expansive and at times contentious correspondence of H. P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard; Howard’s association with such colleagues in the pulp world as Clark Ashton Smith, Henry S. Whitehead, and Frank Belknap Long; Howard’s sporadic involvement with such fans as R. H. Barlow, Stuart M. Boland, and Francis T. Laney; a discussion of Howard’s writing for amateur papers; and numerous other topics.   Derie’s perspicacity and keenness of analysis are apparent on every page of his work. His thorough familiarity, not only with Robert E. Howard’s fiction but also with his bountiful letters, serves as the foundation of his critical work, and he exhibits a wide knowledge of the work of Lovecraft, Smith, and others who form the inexhaustibly fascinating cadre of writers associated with Weird Tales.   Bobby Derie is the author of Sex and the Cthulhu Mythos (2014) and the compiler of The Collected Letters of Robert E. Index and Addenda (2015). He has written numerous articles on pulp fiction that have appeared in print and in online venues.

Genres: Nonfiction

352 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 11, 2019

Reviews

[Clint · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good collection of essays about REH, pulp and the era in which it was conceived. I particularly enjoyed reading about the early days of fandom; particularly of interest, Robert Bloch did not like the Conan stories, not one bit

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended! Well researched historical information not just on Robert E Howard but on many of his contacts he experienced through his pulp writer contacts and fans.

[Gene Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm going to recommend this book to fans of REH as it's dense with information and dives deep into some of the minutiae of the life and work of the pulp authors. I'm also going to recommend it to those interested in the pulp magazines of the first half of the 20th Century and the nature of fandom.

I especially appreciated the looks at the fandom, both of REH and the pulps in general. Having spent some time immersed in other fandoms, it was interesting to see that some fan behaviors have been around longer than I thought. Once again, I put this book down having learned something.

[Ben Duerksen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of Derie’s essays regarding the relationships between various Weird Tales authors, and in some cases on specific topics discussed amongst their various correspondence. The author’s command of the material- letters between the writers, as well as the general context of their correspondence and writing, is extremely impressive. That said, the overwhelming content of the book is synopsis, and I think it’s better as a reference or guide than as an enlightening or critical compilation to read and understand cover to cover.

[Tom Shapira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-researched, well-written and well-argued collection of articles. Just expected from the top scholar of this field.