Bobby Derie’s new essay “An Irreparable Loss: Robert E. Howard and Weird Tales, 1936″ scrutinises R.E. Howard’s publication history in regard to Weird Tales in 1935-36, interestingly delving into the financial intricacies and arrangements of the magazine.
“…it is likely that [William] Sprenger [the Weird Tales business manager] made the ultimate decision as to whom [among the writers] would be paid and how much; certainly he signed some of the checks.”
One hopes we may learn more of the Weird Tales finances and management in the forthcoming and final book of the Scarecrow Press / Rowman & Littlefield Studies in Supernatural Literature series, which according to S.T. Joshi is set to be…
“an anthology of essays on Weird Tales [magazine] edited by Jeffrey Shanks”.
I daresay that the focus of the essays will be on the writers and their fans, Brundage and other artists, and the demographics and geography of the readership. But a couple of thorough essays by business historians would also be very welcome.
Picture: Cover of Weird Tales December 1936, published shortly after Howard’s death.
I covered Weird Tales‘ financial situation in considerable detail in my paper “Weird Tales and the Great Depression,” in Darrell Schweitzer’s The Robert E. Howard Reader.
Aha! Thanks, wonderful. That had escaped my notice. Another one to put on the wishlist of books! Although Google Books picks up some of it.