Edited by Leo Grin
40 pages

This issue was printed in two editions. The deluxe edition, numbered 1–75, uses a black linen cover with foil-stamped midnight blue text. The limited edition, numbered 76–225, uses a midnight blue cover with solid black text.

DELUXE COPIES DESTROYED: 21

LIMITED COPIES DESTROYED: 98

Features full coverage of the third annual Cimmerian Awards, including a report on Awards Night in Cross Plains, interviews with all of the winners, full breakdowns of the voting with charts and percentages, hundreds of comments and opinions from voters in each category, and breaking information on future projects. Also includes an essay by Don Herron titled “The New Eidolon on the Block,” about some of the various award trophies in the fantasy field and how The Cimmerian Skulls stack up.

EXCERPTS:

As you can see from perusing the graphs in this issue, there were more votes earned and allocated this year than ever before, a result of the barn-burning twelve-issue run of Volume 3 of TC. There were also more essays, books, and other assorted accomplishments to choose from, courtesy of Howard’s Centennial growing like The Blob into a monstrous force to be reckoned with (compare that year-long saturnalia to de Camp’s centennial, forgotten by all of his allegedly staunchest admirers and given its just due only by this writer on his blog).

— Leo Grin, from “June 8, 2007”

Shortly after Fritz’s death on September 5, 1992, his son and heir delegated dispersal of the various awards among his friends. By that point in time I had known Fritz for almost twenty years and from off his trophy shelves came away with a Hugo, a Nebula, and one of the World Fantasy Awards, as well as a British Fantasy Award in the form of a Cthuloid entity poised on a small pedestal. I can’t say that I was that much better a pal to Fritz than others, to have so many awards given into my care — perhaps the thought was that I would keep them safe and together, a solid outpost of Fritz Awards against the barbarism and decay ever threatening civilization. And now I have three different Cimmerian Awards to stand beside the Fritz trophies.

— Don Herron, from “The New Eidolon on the Block”

When I was first asked to write a biography/lit-crit book about Our Favorite Author way back in 2004, I thought long and hard about what exactly I wanted to write. I knew that I’d only have roughly one year for both research and writing, not counting the production timeline. I also knew that no one else would be able to get a biography out in time for the Centennial. Finally, I was operating under the impression that a reprint of Dark Valley Destiny was inevitable. That was the climate in which I made my various choices.

— [redacted], from “The Atlantean”

Apart from the writers that inspire me (Lovecraft, Howard, Tolkien, C. A. Smith, Dunsany, Hodgson, Blackwood, Bradbury), I have always found that those who write about my favorites interest me, too. I would rather read about Lovecraft or Howard than seek out and read new authors, and that is why pioneers such as August Derleth and Sam Moskowtiz interest me, and periodicals such as Fantasy Commentator, Whispers, Lovecraft Studies, or The Cimmerian.

— John Haefele, from “The Venarium Award”

Some Howardists have little patience with JRRT, let alone passion for him, and of course there’s no reason why I or anyone else should even try to change that. . .But I saw an opening for an article that might persuade a reader or three that both writers not only did many things superbly well, but did many of the same things superbly well. As in the old rumor about blondes, devotees of both REH and JRRT really do have more fun.

— Steve Tompkins, from “The Hyrkanian — Second Place”

With a writer like Bob Howard, no one will ever have the final word.

— Rusty Burke, from “The Black Circle Award”