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The first chronology Conan the Cimmerian was written by two Robert E. Howard fans, P. Schuyler Miller and Dr. John D. Clark in 1936. This "Miller/Clark" chronology was regarded as canonical for many years and formed the basis of L. Sprague de Camp's timeline that framed the Lancer/Ace series. However, at least since 1983, when Joe Marek pointed out some inconsistencies, the chronology has become a matter of debate.

One of the key issues that divides Conan and Howard fans is that a chronology focuses attention on the character rather than Howard's (or anyone else's) body of work.

"A Probable Outline of Conan's Career" • P. Schuyler Miller and Dr. John D. Clark[]

The chronology of the Lancer/Ace series[]

Conan

Conan of Cimmeria

Conan the Freebooter

Conan the Wanderer

Conan the Adventurer

Conan the Buccaneer

Conan the Warrior

Conan the Conqueror

Conan the Avenger

Conan of Aquilonia

Conan of the Isles

Miller/Clark/de Camp chronology[]

Building on his timeline of Conan's life, established in the Lancer/Ace chronology (above), L. Sprague de Camp continued to arrange subsequent novels into the timeline up to, and including, the 7th TOR novel, Conan the Victorious. After that, new series editor Robert Jordan took over the responsibility of ordering the continuing saga (Jordan's timeline is next). The final version of de Camp's timeline is "Conan the Indestructible" (1984):

  • "Legions of the Dead"
  • Conan the Barbarian (as an alternate account of Conan's early years)
  • "The Thing in the Crypt"
  • "The Tower of the Elephant"
  • Conan the Destroyer
  • Conan the Magnificent
  • Conan the Invincible
  • "The Hall of the Dead"
  • "The God in the Bowl"
  • "Rogues in the House"
  • Conan and the Sorcerer
  • Conan the Mercenary
  • The Sword of Skelos
  • Conan the Victorious
  • Conan the Unconquered
  • "The Hand of Nergal"
  • "The City of Skulls"
  • "The People of the Summit"
  • "The Curse of the Monolith"
  • Conan and the Spider God
  • "The Blood-Stained God"
  • "The Frost Giant's Daughter"
  • "The Lair of the Ice Worm"
  • Conan the Defender
  • Conan the Triumphant
  • "Queen of the Black Coast" (Part 1)
  • Conan the Rebel (between chapters 1 and 2 of "Queen of the Black Coast")
  • "Queen of the Black Coast" (Part 2)
  • "The Vale of Lost Women"
  • "The Castle of Terror"
  • "The Snout in the Dark"
  • "Hawks Over Shem"
  • The Road of Kings
  • "Black Colossus"
  • "Shadows in the Dark"
  • "Shadows in the Moonlight"
  • "The Road of the Eagles"
  • "A Witch Shall Be Born"
  • "Black Tears"
  • "Shadows in Zamboula"
  • "The Star of Khorala"
  • "The Devil in Iron"
  • "The Flame Knife"
  • "The People of the Black Circle"
  • "The Slithering Shadow"
  • "Drums of Tombalku"
  • "The Gem in the Tower"
  • "The Pool of the Black One"
  • Conan the Buccaneer
  • "Red Nails"
  • "Jewels of Gwahlur"
  • "The Ivory Goddess"
  • "Beyond the Black River"
  • "Moon of Blood"
  • "The Treasure of Tranicos"
  • "Wolves Beyond the Border"
  • Conan the Liberator
  • "The Phoenix on the Sword"
  • "The Scarlet Citadel"
  • Conan the Conqueror
  • Conan the Avenger
  • "The Witch of the Mists"
  • "Black Sphinx of Nebthu"
  • "Red Moon of Zembabwei"
  • "Shadows in the Skull"
  • Conan of the Isles

"The Conan Chronology" • Robert Jordan[]

  • "Legions of the Dead" • L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter • 1263 A.A. • Conan the Swordsman
  • "The Thing in the Crypt" • L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter • 1264 A.A. • Conan
  • Conan the Defiant • Steve Perry • 1264 A.A.
  • "The Tower of the Elephant" • Robert E. Howard • 1265 A.A. • Conan
  • Conan and the Sorcerer • Andrew J. Offutt • 1265 A.A.
  • Conan the Mercenary • Andrew J. Offutt • 1265 A.A.
  • Conan: The Sword of Skelos • Andrew J. Offutt • 1265 A.A.
  • Conan the Destroyer • Robert Jordan • 1266 A.A.
  • Conan the Magnificent • Robert Jordan • 1267 A.A.
  • Conan the Invincible • Robert Jordan • 1267 A.A.
  • "The Hall of the Dead" • Robert E. Howard and L. Sprague de Camp • 1267 A.A. • Conan
  • Conan the Fearless • Steve Perry • 1267 A.A.
  • "The God in the Bowl" • Robert E. Howard • 1267 A.A. • Conan
  • Conan the Warlord • Leonard Carpenter • 1267 A.A.
  • "Rogues in the House" • Robert E. Howard • 1267 A.A. • Conan
  • Conan the Victorious • Robert Jordan • 1267 A.A.
  • Conan the Champion • John Maddox Roberts • 1267-1268 A.A.
  • Conan the Unconquered • Robert Jordan • 1268 A.A.
  • "The Hand of Nergal" • Robert E. Howard and Lin Carter • 1268 A.A. • Conan
  • "The City of Skulls" • L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter • 1268 A.A. • Conan
  • "The People of the Summit" • L. Sprague de Camp and Björn Nyberg • 1269 A.A. • Conan the Swordsman
  • "The Curse of the Monolith" • L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter • 1269 A.A. • Conan of Cimmeria
  • Conan the Valiant • Roland Green • 1270 A.A.
  • Conan and the Spider God • L. Sprague de Camp • 1270 A.A.
  • "The Bloodstained God" • Robert E. Howard and L. Sprague de Camp • 1270 A.A. • Conan of Cimmeria
  • Conan the Valorous • John Maddox Roberts • 1271 A.A.
  • "The Frost Giant's Daughter" • Robert E. Howard • 1271 A.A. • Conan of Cimmeria
  • "The Lair of the Ice Worm" • L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter • 1271 A.A. • Conan of Cimmeria
  • Conan the Defender • Robert Jordan • 1271 A.A.
  • Conan: The Road of Kings • Karl Edward Wagner • 1272 A.A.
  • Conan the Triumphant • Robert Jordan • 1273 A.A.
  • "Queen of the Black Coast" • Robert E. Howard • 1274-1275 A.A. • Conan of Cimmeria
  • Conan the Rebel • Poul Anderson • 1274 A.A. (This story takes place in the middle of "Queen of the Black Coast"
  • "The Vale of Lost Women," • Robert E. Howard • 1275 A.A. • Conan of Cimmeria
  • "The Castle of Terror" • L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter • 1276 A.A. • Conan of Cimmeria
  • "The Snout in the Dark" • Howard, de Camp, and Carter • 1276 A.A. • Conan of Cimmeria
  • "Hawks Over Shem" • Robert E. Howard and L. Sprague de Camp • 1277 A.A. • Conan the Freebooter
  • "Black Colossus" • Robert E. Howard • 1278 A.A. • Conan the Freebooter
  • "Shadows in the Dark" • L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter • 1278 A.A. • Conan the Swordsman
  • Conan the Renegade • Leonard Carpenter • 1278-1279 A.A.
  • "Shadows in the Moonlight" • Robert E. Howard • 1279 A.A. • Conan the Freebooter
  • "The Road of the Eagles" • Robert E. Howard and L. Sprague de Camp • 1279 A.A. • Conan the Freebooter
  • "A Witch Shall be Born" • Robert E. Howard • 1279 A.A. • Conan the Freebooter
  • "Black Tears" • L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter • 1279 A.A. • Conan the Wanderer
  • "Shadows in Zamboula" • Robert E. Howard • 1279 A.A. • Conan the Wanderer
  • Conan the Raider • Leonard Carpenter • 1280 A.A.
  • "The Star of Khorala" • L. Sprague de Camp and Björn Nyberg • 1280 A.A. • Conan the Swordsman
  • "The Devil in Iron" • Robert E. Howard • 1280 A.A. • Conan the Wanderer
  • "The Flame Knife" • Robert E. Howard and L. Sprague de Camp • 1281 A.A. • Conan the Wanderer
  • "The People of the Black Circle" • Robert E. Howard • 1281 A.A. • Conan the Adventurer
  • Conan the Marauder • John Maddox Roberts • 1282 A.A.
  • "The Slithering Shadow" • Robert E. Howard • 1282 A.A. • Conan the Adventurer
  • "Drums of Tombalku" • Robert E. Howard and L. Sprague de Camp • 1282 A.A. • Conan the Adventurer
  • "The Gem in the Tower" • L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter • 1283 A.A. • Conan the Swordsman
  • "The Pool of the Black One" • Robert E. Howard • 1283 A.A. • Conan the Adventurer
  • Conan the Buccaneer • L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter • 1283 A.A.
  • "Red Nails" • Robert E. Howard • 1284 A.A. • Conan the Warrior
  • "Jewels of Gwahlur" • Robert E. Howard • 1284 A.A. • Conan the Warrior
  • "The Ivory Goddess" • L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter • 1284 A.A. • Conan the Swordsman
  • "Beyond the Black River" • Robert E. Howard • 1286 A.A. • Conan the Warrior
  • "The Black Stranger" • Robert E. Howard • 1286 A.A. • Echoes of Valor edited • Karl Edward Wagner
  • "Moon of Blood" • L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter • 1286 A.A. • Conan the Swordsman
  • "The Treasure of Tranicos" • Robert E. Howard • 1287 A.A. • Conan the Usurper
  • "Wolves Beyond the Border" • Robert E. Howard and L. Sprague de Camp • 1288 A.A. • Conan the Usurper
  • Conan the Liberator • L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter • 1287-1288 A.A.
  • "The Phoenix on the Sword" • Robert E. Howard • 1289 A.A. • Conan the Usurper
  • "The Scarlet Citadel" • Robert E. Howard • 1290-91 A.A. • Conan the Usurper
  • Conan the Conqueror • Robert E. Howard • 1293-1294 A.A.
  • "The Return of Conan" • L. Sprague de Camp and Björn Nyberg • 1295 A.A. • Conan the Avenger
  • "The Witch of the Mists" • L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter • 1306 A.A. • Conan of Aquilonia
  • "Black Sphinx of Nebthu" • L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter • 1306 A.A. • Conan of Aquilonia
  • "Red Moon of Zembabwei" • L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter • 1307 A.A. • Conan of Aquilonia
  • "Shadows in the Skull" • L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter • 1307 A.A. • Conan of Aquilonia
  • Conan of the Isles • L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter • 1310 A.A.

"The Conan Timeline" • William Galen Gray[]

WGG's timeline was an attempt to incorporate all the extant pastiche and Howard tales into a timeline, informed by the arguments of purist timeline authors. Annotated to explain his placements, it was intended as both a reading-guide to all the stories and a framework for writing future pastiches. The annotated version can be found here. The following is a title-only summary.

Legends of Conan

Joe Marek chronology[]

Joe Marek's chronology is limited to stories written (or devised) by Howard, though within that context it is essentially a revision of the Miller/Clark/de Camp tradition. Noting the Miller/Clark/de Camp chronology's general approval by Howard, he tends to follow it when it does not contradict the internal evidence of the stories or force Conan into what he perceives as a "mad dash" around the Hyborian world within time-frames too rapid to be credible. Marek's strength is in his well-reasoned arguments for story placement. The major weakness of his chronology is his failure to incorporate into his scheme the chronologically wide gap between "Beyond the Black River" and "Wolves Beyond the Border" he admits to be indicated by Howard's version of "The Black Stranger."

Order[]

"The Dark Storm Conan Chronology" • Dale Rippke[]

Ripke spent hours piecing together hints and evidence from Howard's stories, story-fragments and letters as well as integrating the arguments of other Howard scholars; he credits Joe Marek, Steve Tompkins, and Ed Waterman at the beginning of the his annotated essay, which can be found here. The following is a title-only summary.

References[]

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