Description

Dark Valley Destiny: The Life of Robert E. Howard – The Creator of Conan       Hardcover w/ Dust Jacket
By: Catherine Crook de Camp, L. Sprague de Camp & Jane Whittington Griffin
Cover by: Kevin Eugene Johnson

This is the definitive biography of Robert E. Howard, a giant of the pulp era, who created the archetypal brooding fantasy figure. To the general public, he is virtually unknown, but millions are familiar with the name and exploits of his most famous creation: Conan, the barbarian. This was the first full book-length look at Robert E. Howard and for many years the only one. This book might have been a milestone in Robert E. Howard studies, but has been largely superseded by later works. Many of the more serious and great biographies that have since been written. More recent books like Mark Finn’s Blood & Thunder or Todd Vick’s Renegades & Rogues show a more balanced portrayal of Howard’s life, especially with regard to his fiction. While Dark Valley Destiny focused was mostly interested in Conan and these other biographers give a lot more focus on Howard’s other works too. But there’s no doubt that Howard’s Conan is a great place to be focused…

On the morning of June 11, 1936, thirty-year-old Robert E. Howard ascertained from his mother’s nurse that Mrs. Howard would not regain concsciousness. He had spent the night before sorting through his papers; he had made funeral arrangements earlier in the week. Then he calmly walked out the door, got into his car, carefully rolled up the window, and shot himself in the head. Thus ended the life of one of America’s most significant fantasy writers.

At last, here is the definitive biography of Robert E. Howard, who created the archetypal fantasy hero. To the general public, he is a shadowy, mysterious figure, but millions know the name and exploits of the extraordinary character he created – Conan The Cimmerian. A barbarian with the strength of a prizefighter, the agility of a leopard, and the wiliness of a thief, Conan strides through Howard’s Hyborian world, conquering enemies and winning a kingdom.

Howard’s career began in 1921, when, at the age of fifteen, he won both short story prizes offered by his high school newspaper. His first professional sale came three years later. Soon, his tales of such heroes as Solomon Kan, Kull, Bran Kak Morn, Steve Costigan and others were appearing regularly in Weird Tales, alongside the work of other fantasy writers who later became his friends: H.P. Lovecraft, August Derleth, Clark Ashton Smith, E. Hoffman Price, Talbot Mundy. The heroic sweep of his narratives, the vividness of his imagery, and his ability to convey mood, magic, and mystery mark his writing as exceptional. Had he lived, he might have become one of the most celebrated of all American fantasy writers.

What made an intelligent and talented young man take his own life at the very brink of a successful literary career? In a marvelous recreation of Texas life in the first third of this century, L. Sprague and Catherine Crook de Camp, along with educator and child psychologist Dr. Jane Griffin, describes the family relationships and the physical and social background that made Robert Howard what he was. The Texas of Howard’s childhood was not far removed from pioneer days, and the conflict between a rough-and-ready environment and a sensitive young boy’s perception of it was just part of Howard’s problems. The writers also explore the psychological implications of the striking physical resemblance between Howard’s father and the descriptions of Conan; and Howard’s inability to escape his mother’s dominance. Dark Valley Destiny is a fascinating work of research, interpretation and writing that illuminates the personality of the man who, almost singlehandedly, created the subgenre of American Fiction now called “heroic fantasy.”

Table of Contents:
Introduction (Page 1)
“Dream and Dream” (Page 5)
“Destiny’s Child” (Page 18)
“Dark Valley Lord” (Page 36)
“Boy Nomad” (Page 53)
“The Realm of the X-Triple-Bar” (Page 70)
“The Violent Land” (Page 98)
“Barbarian in a Boom Town” (Page 124)
“Apprentice Pulpster” (Page 171)
“Singer in the Shadows” (Page 214)
“Serpents, Swords, ands Supermen” (Page 245)
“The Transcendent Barbarian” (Page 262)
“Love and the Loner” (Page 296)
“Faithful in his Fashion” (Page 327)
“Dark Valley Destiny” (Page 355)
Notes (Page 369)
Bibliography (Page 383)
Index (Page 391)

Hardcover w/ Dust Jacket is bagged & boarded and will be carefully / securely packaged then shipped via USPS Priority Mail to ensure that it arrives to you perfectly and quickly.

First Edition
Publisher: Bluejay Books
Publication Date: December 1983
Format: 402 pages, HC/DJ, 9.25” x 6.25”
ISBN-10: 0312940742
ISBN-13: 9780312940744

Collectible Entertainment note: Hardcover w/ Dust Jacket is in Very Good condition.  (writing inside book >> see scan #9) Otherwise… Very Nice!  Please See Scans!!  A must have for any serious Robert E. Howard collector and/or enthusiast.  A fun & entertaining read.  Very Highly Recommended.

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