"Red Nails" by Robert E. Howard. NY: Berkley Putnam, (1977). Jacket Art by Ken Kelly
Quoting from the dust jacket:
"CONAN THE BARBARIAN: born on a battlefield in Cimmeria, fathered by a blacksmith, his people northern barbarians. His life was spent wandering the world of the lost and legendary Hyborian Age, through civilized lands and waste places, a thief, pirate, mercenary, leader of outlaws and wild tribes, penniless adventurer. At the age of forty he seizd the throne of Aquilonia and became a great king. CONAN: the savage and enduring creation of Robert E. Howard.
" 'Red Nails' is the third volume in the authorized edition of Conan edited by Karl Edward Wagner and supervised by Glenn Lord, trustee of Robert E. Howard's estate. 'Red Nails' assembles the authentic versions of three of Howard's greatest Conan stories: 'Shadows in Zamboula,' 'Beyond the Black River,' and the long novelette 'Red Nails.' These first appeared in 'Weird Tales' during the flowering of the pulps in the 1930s. Since Howard's tragic suicide in 1936, no one has written tales of such magnitude. Also in this volume is Howard's own masterful essay on the world of Conan, 'The Hyborian Age.'
"In 'Beyond the Black River,' we find Conan in the employ of the governor of Conajohara, defending the settlement on the westernmost frontier of civilization. The town of Velitrium and the protecting Fort Tuscelan are under attack by the Picts, a barbarian tribe whose land the settlers have taken. But it becomes apparent that their real enemy is the wizard Zogar Sag and his demon spirits. In a struggle to the death, Conan prevails over Zogar's hideous manifestations.
"In 'Shadows in Zamboula' Conan falls into the hands of a mercenary inn-keeper who drugs and sells innocent guests to a nearby tribe of cannibals. But ever-alert Conan outwits everyone, rescues a beautiful damsel from the tribe's hungry clutches, and feeds them the inn-keeper in her place. The alluring lady, who is really the Princess Nafertari, is in trouble and implores Conan to help her. For her favors, Conan fights a deadly duel with the evil Lord Totrasmek and his grotesque minions.
" 'Red Nails' chronicles Conan's adventures in the demon-haunted city of Xuchotl and his encounter with Valeria, the fiery adventuress.
"Robert E. Howard was one of the giants of the pulp era. During his short career he wrote hundreds of stories for the pulp magazines: westerns, pirate stories, detective tales, fantasies, science fiction, boxing tales, and adventures of all kinds. His most famous creations, however, are his heroic 'Sword & Sorcery' adventures, featuring such great heroes as King Kull, Solomon Kane and Conan. In these tales he created a new genre of popular fiction and spawned a host of famous imitators, including Fritz Leiber, Michael Moorcock, and L. Sprague De Camp. Conan lives on in paperback, in the successful Marvel Comics adaptations, and in the numerous continuations and pastiches by various authors. Howard's stories have been reprinted separately in many editions and collectively in more than thirty volumes."
"Red Nails" by Robert E. Howard. NY: Berkley Putnam, (1977). Jacket Art by Ken Kelly
Quoting from the dust jacket:
"CONAN THE BARBARIAN: born on a battlefield in Cimmeria, fathered by a blacksmith, his people northern barbarians. His life was spent wandering the world of the lost and legendary Hyborian Age, through civilized lands and waste places, a thief, pirate, mercenary, leader of outlaws and wild tribes, penniless adventurer. At the age of forty he seizd the throne of Aquilonia and became a great king. CONAN: the savage and enduring creation of Robert E. Howard.
" 'Red Nails' is the third volume in the authorized edition of Conan edited by Karl Edward Wagner and supervised by Glenn Lord, trustee of Robert E. Howard's estate. 'Red Nails' assembles the authentic versions of three of Howard's greatest Conan stories: 'Shadows in Zamboula,' 'Beyond the Black River,' and the long novelette 'Red Nails.' These first appeared in 'Weird Tales' during the flowering of the pulps in the 1930s. Since Howard's tragic suicide in 1936, no one has written tales of such magnitude. Also in this volume is Howard's own masterful essay on the world of Conan, 'The Hyborian Age.'
"In 'Beyond the Black River,' we find Conan in the employ of the governor of Conajohara, defending the settlement on the westernmost frontier of civilization. The town of Velitrium and the protecting Fort Tuscelan are under attack by the Picts, a barbarian tribe whose land the settlers have taken. But it becomes apparent that their real enemy is the wizard Zogar Sag and his demon spirits. In a struggle to the death, Conan prevails over Zogar's hideous manifestations.
"In 'Shadows in Zamboula' Conan falls into the hands of a mercenary inn-keeper who drugs and sells innocent guests to a nearby tribe of cannibals. But ever-alert Conan outwits everyone, rescues a beautiful damsel from the tribe's hungry clutches, and feeds them the inn-keeper in her place. The alluring lady, who is really the Princess Nafertari, is in trouble and implores Conan to help her. For her favors, Conan fights a deadly duel with the evil Lord Totrasmek and his grotesque minions.
" 'Red Nails' chronicles Conan's adventures in the demon-haunted city of Xuchotl and his encounter with Valeria, the fiery adventuress.
"Robert E. Howard was one of the giants of the pulp era. During his short career he wrote hundreds of stories for the pulp magazines: westerns, pirate stories, detective tales, fantasies, science fiction, boxing tales, and adventures of all kinds. His most famous creations, however, are his heroic 'Sword & Sorcery' adventures, featuring such great heroes as King Kull, Solomon Kane and Conan. In these tales he created a new genre of popular fiction and spawned a host of famous imitators, including Fritz Leiber, Michael Moorcock, and L. Sprague De Camp. Conan lives on in paperback, in the successful Marvel Comics adaptations, and in the numerous continuations and pastiches by various authors. Howard's stories have been reprinted separately in many editions and collectively in more than thirty volumes."