A press release from LoneStarCon 3:

LoneStarCon 3, the 71st World Science Fiction Convention (“Worldcon”), is pleased to invite convention members to join a unique guided tour commemorating the life and work of author Robert E. Howard.

This special day-long event will take place on Wednesday, August 28. A chartered bus will take participants on a tour of Robert E. Howard’s home town haunts, including a visit to the Robert E. Howard House and Museum in Cross Plains. The tour will be led by Robert E. Howard experts Mark Finn and Rusty Burke, and will offer a rare chance to see Texas through the eyes of this legendary author. Places on the tour are available on a first-come, first-served basis. The cost is $50, and places and may be booked through the LoneStarCon 3 website at www.LoneStarCon3.org/exhibits/howard.shtml.

LoneStarCon 3 will also be featuring a special exhibit on Robert E. Howard, giving all members a chance to see artifacts drawn from the museum’s collection, and from the Cross Plains Library. Other contributors to this unique exhibit include Dark Horse Comics (publishers of several REH comics titles), Paradox Entertainment (the rights holders of the Robert E. Howard literary estate) and several private collectors. Much of this material has never been seen before, and will be on display only for the duration of LoneStarCon 3. In addition, several noted experts will be on hand to talk about the items on display, and to answer your questions about the Robert E. Howard House, Howard Days, and more.

For more information, please see www.LoneStarCon3.org/exhibits/howard.shtml or write to howard-tour [at] LoneStarCon3 [dot] org.

About Robert E. Howard: Robert E. Howard (1906-1936) is the father of modern sword and sorcery, sometimes referred to as heroic fantasy. His characters, Conan the Cimmerian, King Kull, Solomon Kane, Bran Mak Morn, Francis X. Gordon, Sailor Steve Costigan, Breckinridge Elkins, and many others, were published in Weird Tales and other pulp magazines during the 1920’s and 1930’s. Howard was also a gifted poet, and his most famous prose and poetry was published during the golden age of Weird Tales magazine. Howard was amazingly prolific, writing over 300 short stories and novellas and over 700 poems in a career that stretched a little more than ten years.