The anthology is question was Swords & Sorcery, which contains classic stories by many DMR favorites, including Robert E. Howard, Lord Dunsany, Poul Anderson, C.L. Moore, and Clark Ashton Smith. De Camp, the anthology’s editor, had sent Tolkien a copy in July 1964. “Shadows in the Moonlight” by Howard is included in Swords & Sorcery, so we know for a fact that Tolkien had at least one Conan story in his possession. But did he like it? For that matter, did he even read it?

In 2011, Tolkien’s personal copy of the book was offered for sale, along with a handwritten critique of some of the stories. Unfortunately for us Tolkien did not offer his thoughts on “Shadows in the Moonlight;” however, of the stories he did comment on, his opinions were far from complimentary. Tolkien declared “The Distressing Tale of Thangobrind the Jeweler” was “Dunsany at his worst” and disparaged the ending as “lamentable” and “ghastly.” He turned up his nose at the “very bad” nomenclature in Anderson’s “The Valor of Cappen Varra” and found the monster in Smith’s “The Testament of Athammaus” “wholly unbelievable” and “disgusting.” Moore’s “Hellsgarde” was the only tale that contained any elements Tolkien felt worthy of praise, stating that the atmosphere was “eerie and credible,” yet he dismissed Jirel’s struggle with the undead as “quite unconvincing.”

Considering how distasteful he found these classic sword and sorcery stories, it’s difficult to imagine he would have enjoyed “Shadows in the Moonlight,” which is solid, but hardly considered one of Howard’s best. Perhaps he preferred other Conan tales? Let us return to where the rumor sprang from, L. Sprague de Camp. In a 1983 letter to John Rateliff, he clarified what he wrote in Literary Swordsmen and Sorcerers: