Editing Robert E. Howard (section)

===Lovecraft Circle===
In August 1930 Howard wrote a letter to ''Weird Tales'' praising a recent reprint of [[H. P. Lovecraft]]'s "[[The Rats in the Walls]]" and discussing some of the obscure [[Scottish Gaelic|Gaelic]] references used within. Editor Farnsworth Wright forwarded the letter to Lovecraft, who responded warmly to Howard, and soon the two ''Weird Tales'' veterans were engaged in a vigorous correspondence that would last for the rest of Howard's life.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Finn|2006|pp=148–149}}</ref><ref name="Burke ¶ 32">[[#CITEREFBurke|Burke]] (¶ 32)</ref><ref>{{Harvtxt|Derie|2016|p=199}}</ref> By virtue of this, Howard quickly became a member of the "Lovecraft Circle", a group of writers and friends all linked via the immense correspondence of H. P. Lovecraft (who wrote over 100,000 letters in his lifetime{{sfnm|1a1=de Camp|1y=1975|1p=xii|2a1=Joshi|2y=1996|2pp=236–242}}), who made it a point to introduce his many like-minded friends to one another and encourage them to share stories, utilize each other's invented fictional trappings, and help each other succeed in the pulp field.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Finn|2006|pp=150–151}}</ref> In time this circle of correspondents has developed a legendary patina about it rivaling similar literary conclaves such as [[The Inklings]], the [[Bloomsbury Group]], and [[the Beats]].<ref group="nb">{{Harvtxt|Herron|2004|pp=161–162}}: "Suddenly one Golden Age in literature had drawn to a close...For just over a decade these three [REH, CAS, and HPL] had created a phenomenal array of new imaginative fiction and poetry...In these same years another Golden Age played out in the detective pulp The Black Mask...In England, C. S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and others called their group centered in Oxford University The Inklings...the Bloomsbury Group, which flourished from 1904 until World War II, form yet another. So do the American poets and novelists who became known as The Beats..."</ref>

[[File:Lovecraft Linocut.jpg|thumb|upright|left|A linocut of H. P. Lovecraft by [[Duane W. Rimel]]|alt=A linocut portrait of H. P. Lovecraft, facing right]]

Howard was given the affectionate nickname "Two-Gun Bob" by virtue of his long explications to Lovecraft about the history of his beloved [[Southwestern United States|Southwest]], and during the ensuing years he contributed several notable elements to Lovecraft's [[Cthulhu Mythos]] of horror stories (beginning with "[[The Black Stone]]", his Mythos stories also included "[[The Cairn on the Headland]]", "[[The Children of the Night (short story)|The Children of the Night]]" and "[[The Fire of Asshurbanipal]]"). He also corresponded with other "Weird Tale" writers such as [[Clark Ashton Smith]], [[August Derleth]], and [[E.&nbsp;Hoffmann Price]].<ref>{{Harvtxt|Finn|2006|pp=150–151, 156–157}}</ref><ref>[[#CITEREFBurke|Burke]] (¶ 35)</ref>

The correspondence between Howard and Lovecraft contained a lengthy discussion on a frequent element in Howard's fiction, barbarism versus civilization. Howard held that civilization was inherently corrupt and fragile. This attitude is summed up in his famous line from "[[Beyond the Black River]]": "Barbarism is the natural state of mankind. Civilization is unnatural.  It is a whim of circumstance. And barbarism must always ultimately triumph." Lovecraft held the opposite viewpoint, that civilization was the peak of human achievement and the only way forward. Howard countered by listing many historic abuses of the citizenry by so-called 'civilized' leaders.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Finn|2006|pp=151–152}}</ref> Howard initially deferred to Lovecraft but gradually asserted his own views, even coming to deride Lovecraft's opinions.<ref name="Burke ¶ 32" />

In 1930, with his interest in Solomon Kane dwindling and his Kull stories not catching on, Howard applied his new sword-and-sorcery and horror experience to one of his first loves: the [[Picts]]. His story "Kings of the Night" depicted King Kull conjured into pre-Christian [[Iron Age Britain|Britain]] to aid the Picts in their struggle against the invading [[Ancient Rome|Romans]], and introduced readers to Howard's king of the Picts, [[Bran Mak Morn]]. Howard followed up this tale with the now-classic revenge nightmare "[[Worms of the Earth]]" and several other tales, creating horrific adventures tinged with a [[Cthulhu]]-esque gloss and notable for their use of metaphor and symbolism.<ref name="Burke ¶ 19" /><ref name="Lord 1976 76" /><ref name="Finn 2006 159">{{Harvtxt|Finn|2006|p=159}}</ref>

With the onset of the [[Great Depression]], many pulp markets reduced their schedules or went out of business entirely. Howard saw market after market falter and vanish.  ''Weird Tales'' became a bimonthly publication and pulps such as ''Fight Stories'', ''Action Stories'', and ''Strange Tales'' all folded.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Lord|1976|pp=76–77}}</ref><ref>{{Harvtxt|Finn|2006|p=160}}</ref><ref name="Louinet 2003 347">{{Harvtxt|Louinet|2003|p=347}}</ref>  Howard was further hit when his savings were wiped out in 1931 when the Farmer's National Bank [[Bank run|failed]], and again, after transferring to another bank, when that one failed as well.<ref name="Finn 2006 159" />{{Clarify|reason=if his savings had already been wiped out in one bank, how could he have had any monies to be wiped out in some other bank?|date=August 2018}}