# Is "Skull-Face and Others" by Robert E. Howard a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Skull-Face and Others by Robert E. Howard (Arkham House, 1946) is identified by: First major Howard collection from Arkham House; edition of 3,004 copies, black cloth gilt-lettered on the spine, dust jacket by Hannes Bok carrying the printed price unclipped. The 3,004-copy 1946 Arkham printing is the true first omnibus of Howard's weird fiction.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First major Howard collection from Arkham House; edition of 3,004 copies, black cloth gilt-lettered on the spine, dust jacket by Hannes Bok carrying the printed price unclipped
- Single printing
- Collects twenty-three stories and a poem with appreciations by E. Hoffmann Price and H.P. Lovecraft
- Publisher imprint reads Arkham House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert E. Howard |
| Publisher | Arkham House |
| Year | 1946 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First major Howard collection from Arkham House; edition of 3,004 copies, black cloth gilt-lettered on the spine, dust jacket by Hannes Bok… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First major Howard collection from Arkham House; edition of 3,004 copies, black cloth gilt-lettered on the spine, dust jacket by Hannes Bok carrying the printed price unclipped. Single printing. Collects twenty-three stories and a poem with appreciations by E. Hoffmann Price and H.P. Lovecraft.

## Is this the true first?
The 3,004-copy 1946 Arkham printing is the true first omnibus of Howard's weird fiction.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition exists; a genuine 1946 Arkham copy is the first. Beware ex-library copies and later facsimile dust jackets.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Skull-Face and Others* by Robert E. Howard a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/skull-face-and-others
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.