Editing Robert E. Howard (section)

===Leisure activities===
Howard enjoyed listening to other people's stories. He listened to tales told by family members growing up and, as an adult, collected stories from any older people willing to tell them.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Finn|2006|p=57}}</ref> Howard's parents were both natural storytellers of different kinds and he grew up in early 20th century Texas, an environment in which the telling of tall tales was a standard form of entertainment.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Finn|2006|pp=57–58}}</ref> Howard himself was a natural storyteller and later a professional storyteller. Combined, this often led to Howard embellishing facts in his communication, not with an intention to deceive but just to make a better story. This can be a problem for biographers reading his works and letters with an aim to understand Howard himself.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Finn|2006|pp=63, 71}}</ref>

Howard had an almost [[Eidetic memory|photographic memory]] and could memorize long poems after only a few readings.<ref name="Finn 2006 41" /> Howard also enjoyed listening to music and drama on the radio. However his main interests were sports and politics, and he would listen to match reports and election results as they came in.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Finn|2006|pp=44–45}}</ref>

After Howard bought a car in 1932, he and his friends took regular excursions across Texas and nearby states. His letters to Lovecraft also contain information about the history and geography he encountered on his journeys.<ref>[[#CITEREFBurke|Burke]] (paragraph 34)</ref> Howard was also a practitioner and fan of boxing, as well as an avid weightlifter.