Swordsmen and Sorcerers: The Shadow Library Re-Organized

 

Lest Darkness Fall … L. Sprague de Camp

The Fallible Fiend … L. Sprague de Camp

The Goblin Tower; The Clocks of Iraz; The Unbeheaded King; The Honorable Barbarian … L. Sprague de Camp

The Complete Compleat Enchanter …L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt

The Enchanter Reborn … L. Sprague de Camp & Christopher Stasheff

Land of Unreason ... L. Sprague De Camp & Fletcher Pratt

The Blue Star … Fletcher Pratt

The Well of the Unicorn … Fletcher Pratt

H. P. Lovecraft: A Biography … L. Sprague de Camp

A Midsummer Tempest … Poul Anderson

Hrolf Kraki’s Saga … Poul Anderson

Three Hearts and Three Lions … Poul Anderson

The Moon’s Fire-Eating Daughter … John Myers Myers

Mention My Name in Atlantis … John Jakes

Swords and Deviltry; Swords Against Death; Swords in the Mist; Swords Against Wizardry; The Swords of Lankhmar; Swords and Ice Magic … Fritz Leiber (but not those last two in the picture)

If I speak of Robert E. Howard and Conan, can L. Sprague De Camp (1907 – 2000) be far behind? Part of the heroic and foundational nerds of the Fifties and Sixties (although his career began in the Thirties), I always picture him in the intellectual regalia of the time: horn-rimmed glasses, a cigarette holder, a goatee, and two-piece plaid suits. In his professional career as an aeronautical engineer, he worked with Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein. What follows is a patchwork of facts from Wikipedia:

“De Camp was a founding member of the Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America (SAGA), a loosely knit group of Heroic fantasy writers that was founded during the 1960s and led by Lin Carter, with entry by credentials as a fantasy writer alone … De Camp and his wife moved to Plano, Texas, in 1989, and Sprague de Camp died there on November 6, 2000 …  L. Sprague de Camp is credited with [the word “extraterrestrial] first usage as a noun with the meaning of "alien life" and with coining the abbreviation "E.T." in the first part of his two-part article "Design for Life", published in the May 1939 issue of Astounding Science Fiction …  

“De Camp was a materialist who wrote works examining society, history, technology and myth. He published numerous short stories, novels, non-fiction works and poems during his long career … De Camp had the mind of an educator, and a common theme in many of his works is a corrective impulse regarding similar previous works by other authors. A highly rational and logical thinker, he was frequently disturbed by what he regarded as logical lapses and absurdities in others' writings.

“De Camp was best known for his light fantasy, particularly two series written in collaboration with Pratt, the Harold Shea stories (from 1940 et seq.) and Gavagan's Bar (from 1950) … He was also known for his sword and sorcery, a fantasy genre revived partly by his editorial work on and continuation of Robert E. Howard's Conan cycle.”

De Camp’s autobiographies and analysis of other Fantasy authors’ books have been criticized as downgrading their work as compared to his personal criteria. Fantasy is a rather odd choice of genre for someone so firmly ‘materialist’ and ‘logical’, although a loose inner consistency, a ‘plausible impossible’ does help sell a magical tale. His most popular works (certainly the ones I’ve enjoyed) seem to be riding still on the coattails of Fletcher Pratt and Robert E. Howard. But he is definitely responsible for rescuing and revitalizing Howard from his pulp obscurity; it is largely due to De Camp that Conan has such a presence in pop culture today.

Included in this list are some swordsmen and sorcerers I equate with his type. I so much wanted to like Poul Anderson (1926 – 2001; also a SAGA founding member; also spent a period of his life in Texas!) from what I’d heard of him, but these books were not to be my entrance to his multifarious and award-winning work.

Robert E. Howard and Conan: The Shadow Library Re-Organized

 

Stan Lee Presents Conan the Barbarian: Volumes #2 and #5

The Hills of the Dead; The Hour of the Dragon; Worms of the Earth; Conan; Conan of Cimmeria; Conan of the Isles … Robert E. Howard, L. Sprague de Camp, Lin Carter

The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian; The Best of Robert E. Howard Vol. I: Crimson Shadows; The Best of Robert E. Howard Vol. II: Grim Lands; Bran Mak Morn: The Last King; The Conquering Sword of Conan; The Bloody Crown of Conan; The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard; Kull: Exile of Atlantis; The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane … Robert E. Howard

The Riot at Bucksnort and Other Western Tales; The Black Stranger and Other American Tales; El Borak and Other Desert Adventures; Boxing Stories … Robert E. Howard

The Blade of Conan … L. Sprague de Camp (ed.)

The Spell of Conan … L. Sprague de Camp (ed.)

Oh, Robert E., Robert E., the one authentic classical Texas fantasist. Fantasist almost by accident; he tried his hand at all sorts of pulp writing, so long as it was red-blooded adventure. He had his most lasting success with his character Conan and the Hyborian Age, though by the end of his short, tragic life he had turned from ‘weird tales’ to Westerns. He had more or less invented the Sword and Sorcery subgenre of Fantasy, but the appreciation of his work came too late to help him.

And how did I find him? “In 1966, [L. Sprague] de Camp made a deal with Lancer Books to republish the Conan series, which led to the "First Howard Boom" of the 1970s; their popularity was enhanced by the cover artwork of Frank Frazetta on most of the volumes. Many of his works were reprinted (some printed for the first time) and they expanded into other media such as comic books and films. The Conan stories were increasingly edited by de Camp and the series was extended by pastiches until they replaced the original stories. In response, a puristic movement grew up demanding Howard's original, un-edited stories. The first boom ended in the mid-1980s. In the late 1990s and early 21st century, the "Second Howard Boom" occurred. This saw the printing of new collections of Howard's work, with the restored texts desired by purists.” – Wikipedia.

By the late Seventies I was really into Fantasy, and Howard was pretty popular in the neighborhood. I was mostly engaged by the Marvel comics and later The Savage Sword of Conan comic magazines. I collected a smattering of the Lancer novels but on the whole did not find Sword-and-Sorcery as engaging as more ‘High Fantasy’ works, such as Tolkien. During that “Second Howard Boom” I tried getting all the Del Rey collected works and some of the Howard published by Bison Books. This led me to a realization: I did not really much care for his writing, even if purged of the additions of later editors. With a bit of a sentimental qualm and the regrets of a ‘student of fantasy’, I sold most of my Robert E. Howard materials, although I retain all my original comic magazines.

Fantasies, and the Fantastical Fantasists Who Fantasize About Them

The King of Elfland’s Daughter, by Lord Dunsany.

A new, upgraded copy, with an Introduction by Neil Gaiman (his “Stardust” was very influenced this book). Otherwise, see the entry under the paperback.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Fantasy. Novel. Softcover.

The Circus of Dr. Lao, by Charles G. Finney

“The Seven Faces of Dr. Lao” was one of my favorite movies of a kid, and its message about the wonder of life and how it challenges the drab outlook on the world. I read the book in the college library, and then spent years looking for a copy (no one who has one parts with it, apparently), then finally found one. Illustrations by Boris Artzybaheff. Part of that 30’s social satire trend (like Cabell or Thorne Smith) that was knocked out for a while by WWII, when the unexciting, commonplace life of the small town didn’t seem to be such a given anymore. That it was now threatened revealed a quality of romance and precious fragility that it always has but needs dark shadows – or in time of peace, fantasy – to bring out. The question remains, however: was it a Russian or a bear?

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Fantasy. Satire. Softcover.

The Complete Pegana, by Lord Dunsany. Edited and Introduced by S. T. Joshi.

A part of the reprint publishing by Chaosium, a game producer with a Cthulhu product, of work connected to Lovecraft. It gathers all the Pegana stories into one volume. S. T. Joshi is the most recent go-to scholar on Lovecraft.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Fantasy. Anthology. Softcover.

Literary Swordsmen and Sorcerers: The Makers of Heroic Fantasy, by L. Sprague de Camp.

I first read this book in the college library, back when I wasn’t very aware of de Camp or Arkham House, which published it. For a while de Camp was a big honcho in what was then mostly termed “sword and sorcery”; he wrote dozens of books and was a wheel in the Society for Creative Anachronism. Now most of his work is as dust. Still, this book is a good look at the lives and works of the major writers of Fantasy as of 1976, with illustrations and pictures of the authors seldom seen at that time. A “manly man” of scientific bent, de Camp often seems judgmental about problems he didn’t have or opinions he could not share. Just look at HIS picture on the jacket, and if you have lived in the 70’s you can read only too well his type. I am proud to own at least this late product of the fabled Arkham House press.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Fantasy. Literary History. Hardback.

Irish Earth Folk, by Diarmuid Mac Manus.

Illustrated with line drawings and with some photos. “In Memory of My Loved and Revered Friend, the late WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS.” Fairy lore, with, as you can imagine, a bit of the Celtic Twilight and Spiritualism sprinkled in. I used to read this book at the public library at least once a summer as a kid. “Fairies are real, they’re not all safe and twinkly, and here’s proof.” Of a piece with my interest in UFOs or Bigfoot or other strange phenomena. So happy to find a copy since the library has retired theirs.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Legend. Occult. Hardback.

A Family Book of Nursery Rhymes, Edited by Iona and Peter Opie. Illustrations by Pauline Baynes.

Got for the Baynes illustrations; that it was put together and has scholarly notes by the famous authorities on children’s literature is cake.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Nursery Rhymes. Hardback.

Biblioholism: The Literary Addiction, by Tom Raabe.

A hilarious examination of the bibliophile’s dilemma, his compulsive nature, and famous book-collectors through history. I was certainly once caught in the rage of that book-lust, and while I think I can say I have overcome it to a certain degree, I still show pronounced traces of the disease (as this Inventory itself goes to prove). Some indifferent illustrations.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Wry Examination. Softcover.

Penguin Island, by Anatole France. Illustrated by Frank C. Pape.

Bought solely for the Pape illustrations, but I must admit that I found a spot of political satire here and there that was very droll. After his work for Cabell, Pape had a good run of illustrating famous “scurrilous” old classics that wouldn’t move a pulse these days, and France’s books were among them. The particular shade of purple of the cover leads me to think this was reprinted in the 70’s, and its nearly pristine condition that it wasn’t read very often.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Satire. Fantasy. Softcover.

Wizardry and Wild Romance: A Study of Epic Fantasy, by Michael Moorcock.

Not so much a study as a collection of essays and articles. Moorcock is that annoying and querulous “expert” in your field whose enormous knowledge seems to be only matched by his completely perverse misunderstanding of it. Not a man for delicate shades or noble aspirations, you get the feeling that he wonders why he is not worshipped quite as much as Tolkien and that the only answer to that is that most people are dolts. Moorcock would be in the ash-heap with other “sword-and-sorcery” writers if Tolkien had not elevated the field, and his contrarian opinions (which have the hardihood to disagree with mine) sometimes appear to be expressed only to stir up controversy and thereby an illusion of relevance for his own work. Still, he’s discussing Fantasy, gosh darn it, is a fan of the genre, and he gives me something to sharpen my own rhetoric and opinions on.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Literary Criticism. Fantasy. Softcover.

Apostle of Letters: The Life and Works of Lin Carter, Edited by Stephen J. Servello

Probably the closest we’ll get to a biography of Lin Carter. “Lin Carter played a major role in the introduction of Fantasy into popular culture, both as author and as editor of the Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series … undeniability an important figure in the history in the 20^th Century fantasy.” – from the back of the book. Sad to hear about the illness and poverty that dogged his final years after all his work. Essays and articles.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Biography. Softcover.

The Pyrates, by George MacDonald Fraser.

“Written in an arch, ironic style and containing a great deal of deliberate anachronism, it traces the adventures of a classic hero (Captain Benjamin Avery, RN, very loosely based on Henry Avery), multiple damsels in distress, and the six captains who lead the infamous Coast Brotherhood (Calico Jack Rackham, Black Bilbo, Firebeard, Happy Dan Pew, Akbar the Terrible and Sheba the She-Wolf). It also concerns the charismatic anti-hero, Colonel Thomas Blood (cashiered), a rakish dastard who is loosely modeled on the historical figure, Thomas Blood. All of the above face off against the malevolently hilarious Spanish viceroy of Cartagena, Don Lardo.” – Wikipedia. Fraser wrote the scripts for the entertaining Musketeer movies of my youth, and this tribute to the pirate film is like them, both heroic and comedic. I had a softcover, which I gave to Kenny. I liked that other cover better.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Adventure. Novel. Hardback.

The Shadow-Walkers: Jacob Grimm’s Mythology of the Monstrous, Edited by Tom Shippey.

“Elves and dwarves, trolls and giants, talking dragons, valkyries and werewolves: all these are familiar in modern movies and commercial fantasy. But where did the concepts come from? Who invented them? Almost two centuries ago, Jacob Grimm assembled what was known about such creatures in his work on 'Teutonic Mythology', which brought together ancient texts such as Beowulf and the Elder Edda with the material found in Grimm's own famous collection of fairy-tales. This collection of essays now updates Grimm, adding much material not known in his time, and also challenges his monolithic interpretations, pointing out the diversity of cultural traditions as well as the continuity of ancient myth.” – from the blurb on the back. Tom Shippey is of course the great English scholar and expert on Tolkien. Tolkien’s shadow is never very far away in these essays.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Mythology. Literature. Hardback.

 The Crock of Gold, by James Stephens.

“The Crock of Gold is one of those wild, individual fantasies that were produced before writers decided to get stuck in the furrow that Tolkien had plowed. Hard to describe; it involves a boy and a girl, a philosopher who is an expert on everything but real life, the god Pan, leprechauns, some policemen, and the old gods of Ireland. Concerns humor, adventure, love, and the heart's true calling. And a crock of gold.” This was also one of those summer reads I came back to again and again at the public library. I was delighted when I finally found a more or less exact copy. Illustrations by Thomas Mackenzie.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Fantasy. Novel. Hardback.