Chronology of Conan’s Stories
The 21 original Conan stories by Robert E. Howard are listed below in approximate (best guess) chronological sequence in the Hyborian Age (Conan’s internal world timeline / in-story career progression). This order reflects Conan’s life arc: teenage thief → pirate → mercenary/adventurer → war leader → king. Publication was non-chronological. Howard wrote them out of sequence, starting with the king stories.
The Frost-Giant’s Daughter (alt: “Gods of the North”)
~ Conan age 15–17: Earliest exploit, post-battle in the far north.
Pub: March 1934 (Weird Tales, as “Gods of the North”; full version later).
Brief: Conan pursues a seductive figure in icy wastes after a skirmish.
The God in the Bowl
~ Early thief years in Nemedia (~17–19).
Pub: Unpublished in lifetime; first full 1952 (Space Science Fiction).
Brief: Conan burgles a mysterious museum and encounters ancient horror.
The Tower of the Elephant
~ Young thief in Zamora (~19).
Pub: March 1933 (Weird Tales).
Brief: Conan infiltrates a wizard’s tower for a legendary jewel.
Rogues in the House
~ Shortly after Tower, still a young thief (~19–20).
Pub: January 1934 (Weird Tales).
Brief: Conan gets entangled in political intrigue and a monstrous pet.
The Hall of the Dead (fragment only by Howard)
~ Early adventures (often placed here).
Pub: Posthumous completion.
Brief: Incomplete; Conan explores ruins.
Black Colossus
~ Mercenary phase (~20–22).
Pub: June–July 1933 (Weird Tales).
Brief: Conan leads troops against an ancient resurrected sorcerer.
Queen of the Black Coast
~ Pirate years begin (~21–23).
Pub: May 1934 (Weird Tales).
Brief: Conan flees authorities, joins pirate Belit on the Black Coast.
The Slithering Shadow (alt: “Xuthal of the Dusk”)
~ Pirate/early mercenary (~23).
Pub: September 1933 (Weird Tales).
Brief: Conan and his companion stumble into a decadent lost city.
The Pool of the Black One
~ Pirate adventures (~23–24).
Pub: October 1933 (Weird Tales).
Brief: Conan joins buccaneers hunting treasure on a mysterious island.
Iron Shadows in the Moon (alt: “Shadows in the Moonlight”)
~ Pirate phase (~24).
Pub: April 1934 (Weird Tales).
Brief: Conan escapes slavery and faces horrors on an island.
The Devil in Iron
~ Transitional mercenary (~25).
Pub: August 1934 (Weird Tales).
Brief: Conan is drawn into an intrigue involving a demonic statue.
The People of the Black Circle
~ Hill chief/mercenary (~25–26).
Pub: Sept–Oct–Nov 1934 (Weird Tales, serial).
Brief: Conan kidnaps a princess amid sorcery in the Himelian mountains.
A Witch Shall Be Born
~ Later mercenary (~26–27).
Pub: December 1934 (Weird Tales).
Brief: Conan aids against a usurping witch-queen in Khauran.
Jewels of Gwahlur (alt: “Teeth of Gwahlur”)
~ Treasure hunter (~27).
Pub: March 1935 (Weird Tales).
Brief: Conan seeks legendary gems in lost Keshan.
Shadows in Zamboula (alt: “Man-Eaters of Zamboula”)
~ Wandering (~27–28).
Pub: November 1935 (Weird Tales).
Brief: Conan navigates intrigue and cannibals in a decadent city.
The Vale of Lost Women
~ Mid-mercenary (~28).
Pub: 1967 (The Magazine of Horror).
Brief: Conan rescues captives in a hidden valley.
Red Nails
~ Late pirate/mercenary (~28–30).
Pub: July–Aug–Oct 1936 (Weird Tales, serial).
Brief: Conan and Valeria discover a bizarre enclosed city of feuding clans.
Beyond the Black River
~ Frontier scout (~30).
Pub: May–June 1935 (Weird Tales, serial).
Brief: Conan fights Picts on Aquilonia’s border.
The Black Stranger
~ Pirate/treasure (~30–31).
Pub: Posthumous full (1987; earlier revised).
Brief: Conan on the coast with pirates and hidden treasure.
The Phoenix on the Sword
~ King of Aquilonia (~40+).
Pub: December 1932 (Weird Tales).
Brief: Conan, now king, faces assassination and ancient evil.
The Scarlet Citadel
~ Kingship (~40+).
Pub: January 1933 (Weird Tales).
Brief: Conan is captured by an enemy sorcerer-king.
The Hour of the Dragon (novel, alt Conan the Conqueror)
~ Late kingship (~40+).
Pub: Dec 1935–Apr 1936 (Weird Tales, serial).
Brief: Conan loses his throne to sorcery and quests to reclaim it.
Additional related Howard material often bundled:
- Cimmeria (poem) — ~1932; pub. 1934 It first appeared in The Howard Collector (Winter 1965) according to some sources, but earlier amateur appearances in 1934 fanzines circulated among weird fiction fans have been referenced in Howard scholarship. The 1934 printing was in a small, non-professional fan magazine produced by and for pulp/weird fiction enthusiasts.
- The Hyborian Age (essay) — Parts 1936; full 1938 (fan pub).
- First partial publication: Serialized in the fanzine called The Phantagraph.
- Part 1: February 1936 (Volume 4, Number 3)
- Part 2: August 1936 (Volume 4, Number 5)
- Part 3: October–November 1936 (Volume 5, Number 1)
- First complete publication: 1938 as a standalone fan publication (fan pub) titled The Hyborian Age, issued by the Los Angeles–New York Cooperative Publications (often abbreviated as LANY Cooperative), a fan group that produced amateur booklets.
The Hyborian Age (Facsimile Edition)
These 21 are the core canon by Howard alone (no posthumous completions or pastiches).
Eye Of Balor Magazine 