[Steve Roby]

Is there any significant difference between the 1970s Bantam Kull collection and the more recent Baen collection? Is it worth buying the second if I have the first?

[Bri]

From the Locus Index
http://www.locusmag....b238.html#A3289

There is an introduction by David Drake [in the Baen edition], replacing the Offut introduction in the Bantam edition. This is slightly revised from the earlier King Kull (Lancer 1967) and drops the stories finished by Lin Carter.

The contents of the Baen edition:
1 • Introduction: The Human Side • David Drake • in
5 • Prologue • pr King Kull, New York: Lancer, 1967
7 • Exile of Atlantis • ss King Kull, New York: Lancer, 1967
15 • The Shadow Kingdom • nv Weird Tales Aug ’29
51 • The Altar and the Scorpion • ss King Kull, New York: Lancer, 1967
57 • Delcardes’ Cat • nv King Kull, New York: Lancer, 1967
85 • The Skull of Silence • ss King Kull, New York: Lancer, 1967
95 • By This Ax I Rule! • nv King Kull, New York: Lancer, 1967
117 • The Striking of the Gong • ss King Kull, New York: Lancer, 1967; revised.
123 • Swords of the Purple Kingdom • nv King Kull, New York: Lancer, 1967
153 • The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune • ss Weird Tales Sep ’29
165 • The King and the Oak • pm Weird Tales Feb ’39
167 • The Black City • uw King Kull, New York: Lancer, 1967
171 • Untitled • uw King Kull, New York: Lancer, 1967
191 • Untitled • uw King Kull, New York: Lancer, 1967
195 • The Curse of the Golden Skull • ss The Howard Collector Spr ’67
201 • Epilog • aw King Kull, New York: Lancer, 1967

The 1967 Lancer edition of KING KULL:
• Prologue • Robert E. Howard • pr *
• Exile of Atlantis • Robert E. Howard • ss *
• The Shadow Kingdom • Robert E. Howard • nv Weird Tales Aug ’29
• The Altar and the Scorpion • Robert E. Howard • ss *
• Black Abyss • ss *; edited and completed by Carter from an unfinished draft entitled “The Black City”.
• Delcardes’ Cat • Robert E. Howard • nv *
• The Skull of Silence • Robert E. Howard • ss *
• Riders Beyond the Sunrise • ss *
• By This Ax I Rule! • Robert E. Howard • nv *
• The Striking of the Gong • Robert E. Howard • ss *
• Swords of the Purple Kingdom • Robert E. Howard • nv *
• Wizard and Warrior • ss *
• The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune • Robert E. Howard • ss Weird Tales Sep ’29
• The King and the Oak • Robert E. Howard • pm Weird Tales Feb ’39

I couldn't find the contents of the Bantam edition for comparison.

-Bri

[Isaacson]

Hi all.

... Bri Wrote:

>I couldn't find the contents of the Bantam edition for comparison.


- "Kull: The Fabulous Warrior King" (Bantam pb, USA, Sept 1978).

Contents:

- Intro. By Andrew J Offutt.
- Prologue ("The Hyborian Age" segment).
- Exile of Atlantis.
- The Shadow Kingdom.
- The Altar and the Scorpion.
- Delcardes' Cat.
- The Skull of Silence.
- By This Axe I Rule.
- The Striking of the Gong.
- Swords of the Purple Kingdom.
- The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune.
- The King and the Oak.
- The Black City (Fragment).
- Untitled (Fragment ... " 'Thus,' said Tu, chief Councilor ..." ).
- Untitled (Fragment ... "Three Men sat at a table playing ..." ).
- Epilogue ("The Hyborian Age" segment).



Cheers, Danny.

[Steve Roby]

Thanks. Looks like Curse of the Golden Skull is the only significant difference, and according to http://www.pulpandda...onan/kull2.html Kull doesn't even appear in it. I guess the Bantam edition will do for now.

[Bri]

Steve Roby, on Oct 7 2003, 08:23 PM, said:

Looks like Curse of the Golden Skull is the only significant difference, and Kull doesn't even appear in it.

Kull is mentioned as the killer of 'Rotath of Lemuria', but they are correct in that he doesn't appear. However, Roy Thomas expanded on this and wrote the tale of Kull killing Rotath. It appeared in SAVAGE SWORD 233 with great art by E.R.Cruz.

-Bri

[El Borak's Li'l Brother]

I bought the 70's Kull book...well, when it came out in the 70's and later bought the 67 Howard/Carter Kull book to read a Howard/Carter story or two not in the 70's Kull. When the latest Baen books Howard set came out I bought the Kull book 'cause...well, it was part of the set. I also have a couple editions of Cormac Mac Art, Bran MaK Morn and Solomon Kane books 'cause they were parts of sets. Silly? *Shrug* I'm just a Howard collector.

[TwZtdJuGGalo]

Not silly my man! Howard is available now much more than back in the 70's and 80's.........it's been a long time coming and I'm glad that many are able to discover the many worlds of REH's vast imagination.

[alex]

It's all good. (though Conan was big back then)

Recently I picked up an issue of FANTASTIC from '73 which contains Black Sphynx of Nebthu in it's first printing. (this is simply a chapter in CONAN OF AQUILONIA) There's bold letters proclaiming CONAN IS BACK on the cover as well as interior illustrations. (naturally) You think the simple fact of already owning the story would stop me, no way.

The SSOC adaption of Curse Of The Golden Skull is pretty cool, but check out the one Neal Adams and Roy did in CTB # 37. That is one of the finest issues ever!!!!

[Bri]

TwZtdJuGGalo, on Oct 14 2003, 08:03 PM, said:

Howard is available now much more than back in the 70's and 80's.

Not so. There were 16 REH paperbacks Berkley-Medallion put out between 1977 and 1980. For a lot of those stories, it's the only time they were collected into book form. Not to mention the Lancer, Grant, Bantam and Ace Conan paperbacks and reissues throughout those decades.

Currently we have two companies publishing Conan, Kull and Bran Mak Morn in two different formats (three if you count the Millennium Conan books as still being in print), plus the odd collection like "Waterfront Fists" and the Chaosium book. We aren't getting any Cormac Mac Art, Dark Agnes, El Borak, Stephen Costigan, Kirby O'Donnell, Turlough O'Brien or any other character series.

If anything, I'd say that there is less variety of Howard stories available today than in the 1970s. If you had said that "there seems to be more Howard Conan being published in the last couple years than in most of the 80s and 90s", I would have agreed with you.

-Bri

[El Borak's Li'l Brother]

Bri, on Oct 14 2003, 10:45 PM, said:

TwZtdJuGGalo, on Oct 14 2003, 08:03 PM, said:

Howard is available now much more than back in the 70's and 80's.

Not so. There were 16 REH paperbacks Berkley-Medallion put out between 1977 and 1980. For a lot of those stories, it's the only time they were collected into book form. Not to mention the Lancer, Grant, Bantam and Ace Conan paperbacks and reissues throughout those decades.

Currently we have two companies publishing Conan, Kull and Bran Mak Morn in two different formats (three if you count the Millennium Conan books as still being in print), plus the odd collection like "Waterfront Fists" and the Chaosium book. We aren't getting any Cormac Mac Art, Dark Agnes, El Borak, Stephen Costigan, Kirby O'Donnell, Turlough O'Brien or any other character series.

If anything, I'd say that there is less variety of Howard stories available today than in the 1970s. If you had said that "there seems to be more Howard Conan being published in the last couple years than in most of the 80s and 90s", I would have agreed with you.

-Bri

You are correct. In the 70's there was a plethora of Howard stories published. As you mentioned, Berkley did a series of Howard books sporting Ken Kelly covers, featuring such characters as El Borak, etc., and a two volume set of his western stories. Ace did the 12 Conan books and several other sets of Howard stories. Bantam did Kull and a two book set of Solomon Kane stories, as well as other story collections. And Zebra released a series of books featuring Bran Mak Morn, Cormac Mac Art and Howard's boxing stories as well. Basically in the 70's everything or as close as you could get to everything Howard wrote appeared in book form. Needless to say, I bought a lot of Howard books back then.

And let's not forget Karl Edward Wagner's valiant attempt in the 70's to bring us Howard's Conan stories as they original appeared in Weird Tales in a series by Berkley that sadly discontinued after three books.

[deuce]

Bri, on 06 October 2003 - 01:04 PM, said:

From the Locus Index
http://www.locusmag....b238.html#A3289

There is an introduction by David Drake [in the Baen edition], replacing the Offut introduction in the Bantam edition. This is slightly revised from the earlier King Kull (Lancer 1967) and drops the stories finished by Lin Carter.

The contents of the Baen edition:
1 • Introduction: The Human Side • David Drake • in
5 • Prologue • pr King Kull, New York: Lancer, 1967
7 • Exile of Atlantis • ss King Kull, New York: Lancer, 1967
15 • The Shadow Kingdom • nv Weird Tales Aug '29
51 • The Altar and the Scorpion • ss King Kull, New York: Lancer, 1967
57 • Delcardes' Cat • nv King Kull, New York: Lancer, 1967
85 • The Skull of Silence • ss King Kull, New York: Lancer, 1967
95 • By This Ax I Rule! • nv King Kull, New York: Lancer, 1967
117 • The Striking of the Gong • ss King Kull, New York: Lancer, 1967; revised.
123 • Swords of the Purple Kingdom • nv King Kull, New York: Lancer, 1967
153 • The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune • ss Weird Tales Sep '29
165 • The King and the Oak • pm Weird Tales Feb '39
167 • The Black City • uw King Kull, New York: Lancer, 1967
171 • Untitled • uw King Kull, New York: Lancer, 1967
191 • Untitled • uw King Kull, New York: Lancer, 1967
195 • The Curse of the Golden Skull • ss The Howard Collector Spr '67
201 • Epilog • aw King Kull, New York: Lancer, 1967


I couldn't find the contents of the Bantam edition for comparison.

-Bri

Here's the Bantam contents:

Contents:

- Intro. By Andrew J Offutt.
- Prologue ("The Hyborian Age" segment).
- Exile of Atlantis.
- The Shadow Kingdom.
- The Altar and the Scorpion.
- Delcardes' Cat.
- The Skull of Silence.
- By This Axe I Rule.
- The Striking of the Gong.
- Swords of the Purple Kingdom.
- The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune.
- The King and the Oak.
- The Black City (Fragment).
- Untitled (Fragment ... " 'Thus,' said Tu, chief Councilor ..." ).
- Untitled (Fragment ... "Three Men sat at a table playing ..." ).
- Epilogue ("The Hyborian Age" segment).

[Hawkbrother]

Of course the Kull to get now is the Del Rey edition, which has all the Kull just as Howard wrote it. I used to have the Lancer and Bantam editions, and suppose if you want the Lin Carter completions, you'd want those. But beware, there was editing of Howard's own words in some of the stories.