In opening our conversation on the foundations of Sword & Sorcery, I asked how we should go about identifying who exactly qualifies for inclusion in the parenting conversation. After some thoughtful commentary, I've decided to follow either a 20+/- or a 25+/- 1936 approach to narrowing the number of contestants. Personally, I lean toward the 40 year range to keep things a bit tighter, as the only advantage I really see in going up to 50 years is the 'neatness' of hitting 1961 -- the year in which Moorcock and Leiber named this genre. Outside that, I don't see any other true gain in increased authors/events that influenced the creation of S&S, as neither span gets us to Wagner, Saunders, or Salmonson.
Sticking with the idea we want to include the authors who evolved the genre, I'm seeking to identify the dozen or so key players. I'll break the book into two or three sections based around REH and 1936, using either a Pre-/Post-REH or a Pre-, Peer-, Post- format. Regardless, REH will be the centerpiece. Numerous quality names have already been offered and discussed; I'm going to toss out a few integral ones that mostly should be undisputable (with the years they were published). Then I'll await your input.
Pre-REH authors whose works influenced the creation of S&S (1911-1920s):
Rafael Sabatini (1902-1920s)
Lord Dunsany (1905-1950s)
Clark Ashton Smith (1910-1950s)
A. Merritt (1917-1940s)
Harold Lamb (1917-1960s)
Peers-to-REH authors whose works influenced the creation of S&S (1920s-1936):
H.P. Lovecraft (1920s-1930s)
C.L. Moore (1930s-1980s)
Post-REH authors whose works influenced the creation of S&S (1936-1961):
Fritz Leiber (1939-1990s)
Leigh Brackett (1940s-1970s)
Poul Anderson (1940s-2000s)
Michael Moorcock (1950s-present)