/lit/ - Literature

>>16157887
They were written for teen American boys during the Great Depression (19302), OP. Of course they're about a man who through simple strength and willpower, can overcome anything. Nobody suggested they were profound literature: they're manly pulp tales with a flavour that was new and unique at the time (sword & sorcery, barbarians and monsters, fantasy world-building) but has since been copied a million times.

>>15901559
Howard is great, and that book has most of his Conan stories as first published in Weird Tales. For other fine S&S, go for Jack Vance, Clark Ashton Smith, Fritz Leiber, Eddison, and Karl Edward Wagner, Gene Wolfe, etc.

>>15823565
Well, that set is more expensive, takes up much more room, and is hideous to look at.

>>15729410
>>15731008
This thread is about genre pulp, anons. If you want fine literature, look elsewhere.

>>15688697
Quite a few new fantasy books don't, but since the whole subgenre of high fantasy is based off that medieval meets Tolkien filtered through D&D world, that's what many authors copy, aiming for that sweet LOTR/Conan/D&D/Warcraft/GoT crowd's precious money.

>>15592023
Tell them you're reading it ironically. Then smite them.

>>14822805
I have another one around (hardcover Collected Ghost Stories by M.R. James, Oxford Press 512 pages) that's more complete, but that looks good.
>>14822850
James is very good as well, but I really love Shirley Jackson. I have many other volumes that could add to the pile (and I forgot to put Polidori in this time too).