Welcome to the online home of The Dark Man: The Journal of Robert E. Howard Studies. While inactive in 2003, publication began again in 2004 with a new editorial board, which has been stable through 2008, with some attrition but also additions. With our revised procedures we have been able to produce issues 7 & 8 for 2004, double issue Vol 2 No 1/2 (9) for 2005, and Vol 3 No 1 for 2006, and Vol 3 No 2 for 2007. These latter two are in effect double issues. Vol 4 No 1 has been released as of Feb. 10, 2009

The Dark Man is an academic journal devoted to the study, discussion, and criticism of the life and literary works of Robert Ervin Howard (1906-1936).  The journal is intended to provide a scholarly forum for the study of Howard's legacy, literary achievement, influences, and the impact he has had on other writers and popular culture. 

Individuals are encouraged to submit essays, book reviews, short notes and comments to the editor, Mark Hall.  See the submission guidelines for further details. 

We would like to welcome Gene Melton of North Carolina State University, to our board. In his own words, "I'm Senior Lecturer in the English Department at North Carolina State University, Raleigh, where I teach courses in composition and in British Literature; the editorial assistant for the _John Donne Journal_, which is published out of NC State and associated with the John Donne Society; the research/editorial assistant for Renaissance Papers, the journal of the Southeastern Renaissance Conference published by Camden House; and a student in the PhD program in English at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. My PhD research focuses on Elizabethan and seventeenth-century prose, especially narratives of real-world travel and exploration and tales of imaginary voyages. I am also interested in science fiction (which has many roots in the Renaissance texts I study), film, and contemporary popular culture.

Subscriptions and Sales

We are not currently taking subscriptions. The journal appears once a year minimum; however, we are attempting to maintain a bi-annual appearance. Back orders are available on some issues. 2008 has been a tough year in many ways so the planned release of Vol 4 No 1 in 2008 could not be completed until early 2009.

Orders should be sent to:

Gavin Smith, Gavinicuss Books

http://www.gavinicussbooks.com/

Payment is by PayPal online or Money Order. Individual copies can be purchased from Gavinicuss or specialty fantasy book dealers in the USA, UK, and Canada as listed below.

BACK ISSUES of issues No. 5 and No. 6 are available from  Gavinicuss Books, and some specialty dealers. Back issues of No. 7 and No. 8 are available from Gavinicuss, and other specialty dealers. Issue 9, Vol 2 No 1/2 may be available from some dealers below. No 10 sold out very fast but copies have been noted at some of our dealers. No. 11 Isle of Eons remains available through most dealers. Early Necronomicon Press issues No. 1~4 are only available from used dealers or eBay. Recommended specialty dealers are:

Bloodletting Books, CA...............Borderlands Books, CA

The Coven, CA..........................Dark Hollow Books, NH ..............DreamHaven Books, MN

Lisa's Lair Bookstore, ON, Canada.............Mythos Books, MO ....................Shocklines, NY

Fantastic Literature Limited, Essex, UK

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Current Issue

Vol. 4 No. 1, Feb. 2009 (Whole #12) This issue may prove both interesting and controversial when it comes to comparing Tolkien's ideology in LOTR versus Howard's Conan. In addition stalwart articles from Gris Gruber, Steve Trout, and Steve Tompkins, all well known for their Howard scholarship, will make it a good and thought provoking read. Brian Taves anchors us with an article on his eastern adventure stories, which are widely praised by all Howard readers. This issue is available for sale as of Feb. 10, 2009. The print run is limited so it is highly recommended to order your copy as soon as possible if you have not already pre-ordered, from your bookdealer. Orders can also be sent to the editor, Mark Hall.

DARK MAN, Vol. 4, No. 1 for 2009. The contents are:

Editorial Comments by Mark Hall

James Braddock: From Dockhand to Cinderella Man
by Chris Gruber

Howard's Eastern Adventures
by Brian Taves

Blood, Sweat, and Tears -- and Oil
by Steve Tompkins

From the Klondike to Cross Plains
by Steve Trout

A Comparison of the Ideology of Robert E. Howard's Conan Tales

and J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings

by Ian Nichols

This issue is about 78 pages, cover designed by Scotty Henderson. Price is $10 plus postage & handling. A single issue first class is about $3.50 postage & handling.

The cover design is by Scotty Henderson. The classic studio portrait of Robert E. Howard with his signature offset in the lower right corner, taken from the back of another picture he signed. The rear cover picture of the Howard House in Cross Plains, TX, is well known to anyone who has visited, or seen it in photographs on the REHupa or Cimmerian websites. It is a collage by Mr. Henderson of a photograph he took in 2001, a copy of which was rendered in old time sepia tone. The two were merged in Photoshop with an effect to produce a mottling look that shows the restored house with a hint of its old age dating back to the 1920's or earlier.

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Back Issues

Some back issues are available.  Back issues are priced at $7.50 each plus postage for #5 and #6, and $8.00 for #7 and #8.  Vol. 2, issue No. 1/2 (# 9) is now out of print. Vol 3 No 1 is still available at this time, but is close to being sold out. Postage will vary depending on the quantity ordered.  Email Gavinicuss Books for these issues or check with one of the dealers listed above. A recent check Feb. 2009 showed that many of our dealers have new or used copies in stock of No 5 to No 11 for those seeking missed copies.

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 The Dark Man is actively seeking submissions relevant to the foci of this journal.  We are looking for original works, previously unpublished in the form submitted.  Simultaneous submissions are not permitted.  Since we are an academic journal, please realize that all submissions undergo a formal review.  The types of works we are actively seeking include:

Articles of 3,000 words or more in length. 

Notes of less than 3,000 words in length. 

Review essays of books over 1,500 words in length. 

Book reviews under 1,500 words in length. 

Letters less than 1,500 words in length. 

Feel free to talk to the editor about any concerns or ideas you have regarding your submission. 

 All articles, book reviews, notes, and review essays should be formatted in accordance to the style conventions of the Modern Language Association (MLA Style).  Examples of the MLA Style sheet can be found here and on many other sites on the internet.  Alternatively, one can also check in bookstores and libraries for The Essentials of MLA Style (by Joseph Trimmer), or MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (by Joseph Gibaldi, et al.).  While we do not expect the formatting to be perfect, we do expect a good-faith effort.   

 All submissions should be sent via email to the editor Mark Hall.

Copies should be submitted in either Rich Text Format (RTF) or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF).  If files are larger than 2MB, please notify the editor for special instructions on how to submit the document.  Please include both valid e-mail and postal addresses with your submission.   

 All submissions will be acknowledged within 48 hours of being received.  We hope to have the reviews of all submissions completed inside of two months.  You will be notified if the review process takes longer.  If you have questions, by all means contact the editor or assistant editors.

 Before publication, all authors must certify:

1)     that they have obtained permission from the copyright holder and/or owner to reproduce in the article material which they do not hold copyright to, and/or ownership of;

2)      that the article contains no violation of any existing copyright or third party right; and

3)     that they will indemnify and keep indemnified the Editor(s) and review board of The Dark Man: The Journal of Robert E. Howard Studies against all claims and expenses arising from any breach of this agreement. 

 Unless negotiated otherwise, copyright is assigned to The Dark Man: The Journal of Robert E. Howard Studies. Copyright assignment is necessary to facilitate the inclusion of The Dark Man in such academic archives as JSTOR, and Project Muse. The author's moral rights will be preserved, permission will be granted should the author want to reprint the work elsewhere, and The Dark Man will not in turn assign the copyright elsewhere without the consent of the author.

 Upon publication, all contributors receive two gratis copies of the journal in which their article appeared.   

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Editorial and Review Board

Editor: Mark Hall (University of California at Berkeley).

Assistant Editors: Charles Gramlich (Xavier University of Louisiana).

Assistant Book Review Editors: Scotty Henderson, Morgan Holmes.

Business Manager: Scotty Henderson (University of BC)

Review Board: Rusty Burke, Charles Hoffman, Larry Richter, Steve Tompkins, Steve Trout, Jeffrey Kahan (University of La Verne, CA), Chris Gruber, Gene Melton (Senior Lecturer, English Dept, North Carolina State University, Raleigh)

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