I found a reader's copy of Unknown Worlds from February 1943 and bought it so that I could read the original version of Thieves' House and find the differences between it and the later, collected edition.
Frankly, there's not much to discover. Aside from the occasional change of a word or phrase, which I didn't bother to record, here are all the major differences. I compared the texts paragraph by paragraph, checking both the first and last phrases and general length, but I didn't check it line for line, word for word. Even so, I don't think I missed anything significant. The passages below are numbered in pairs like 1a/1b. 1a would be the passage that appeared in Uknown Worlds and 1b would be the parallel passage from Swords Against Death.
As expected, the only real change is added references to Ivrian and Vlana in the Swords Against Death text. Maybe the most interesting change is in the final words of the story. In the Swords version Mouser is speaking to a young lass, Ivlis, and feels a pang of sorrow/guilt over lost Ivrian right before he makes a pass at Ivlis. In the earlier text he, of course, has no memory of Ivrian (she was invented decades later), but he also doesn't flirt with Ivlis. I suppose without the lost love we don't need to see him moving on with his life, but I miss the flirtation in the Unknown Worlds text, which provides a better closing line.
The illustrations are of Krovas being strangled by the skull Ohmphal, Fafhrd holding a skeletal bat, and Mouser getting a missive from the thieves. The artist is "Frank Kramer." (Listed in the credits only as Kramer and in his signatures as F. Kramer. More of his work can be seen at http://www.pulpartists.com/Kramer.html.)
1a.
“And no wonder, for they were written centuries ago,” said the black-bearded thief.
“Where did you find this parchment?” the red-haired wench asked him.”
1b.
“And no wonder, for they were written centuries ago,” said the black-bearded thief.
The fat thief said, “I never heard tell of a Thieves’ Sepulcher, save the junkyard, the incinerator, and the Inner Sea.”
“Times and customs change,” the black-bearded thief philosophized. “Periods of reverence alternate with periods of realism.”
“Why is it called the skull Ohmphal?” the fat thief wondered. “Why not the skull of Ohmphal?”
The black-bearded thief shrugged.
“Where did you find this parchment?” the red-haired wench asked him.”
2a.
“Tch! They always whistle. They like to be mysterious. I know these thieves, Fafhrd. I've known them all my life. Come on!”
The big man shrugged his shoulders and started forward.”
2b.
“Tcha! They always whistle. They like to be mysterious. I know these thieves, Fafhrd. I know them well. And you yourself have twice entered Thieves’ House and escaped. Come on!”
“But I don’t know all of Thieves’ House,” Fafhrd protested. “There’s a modicum of danger.”
“Modicum! They don’t know all of Thieves’ House, their own place. It’s a maze of the unknown, a labyrinth of forgotten history. Come on.”
“I don’t know. It awakens evil memories of my lost Vlana.”
“And of my lost Ivrian! But must we let them win because of that?”
The big man shrugged his shoulders and started forward.”
3a.
“I wonder who the woman is?” said the Mouser. “No thief is permitted to bring a woman here on pain of death. Krovas' mistress, likely. The Master Thief has special powers and perhaps can take chances.”
“The Master Thief is dead,” muttered Fafhrd.
3b.
“I wonder who the woman is?” said the Mouser. “No thief is permitted to bring a woman here on pain of death. But the Master Thief has special powers and perhaps can take chances.”
“He has taken one too many,” muttered Fafhrd.
4a.
“The skull, Master?” said Fissif in a quavering sepulchral tone. “Why, it’s gone back to the grave from which we three filched it. It has flown back by supernatural powers, and the hands with it. Surely if those bony hands could strangle Krovas, as I saw with my own eyes, there would be no difficulty about the other thing.”
The Mouser could hardly repress a gasp of amazement. Slevyas slapped Fissif across the face.
4b.
“The skull, Master?” said Fissif in a quavering sepulchral tone. “Why, it’s flown back to the grave from which we three filched it. Surely if those bony hands could strangle Krovas, as I saw with my own eyes, the skull could fly.”
Slevyas slapped Fissif across the face.
5a.
“intense that it momentarily precluded panic. A fear such as they felt toward their living master, but magnified many times. Moreover, they were sure that nothing living could be in the alcove. They had peered into it that very night and seen that it was empty None knew of the panel.
And then a high wailing voice spoke from the skull, “Move not, oh you craven thieves of today! Tremble and be silent. It is your ancient master who speaks. Behold, I am Ohmphal!”
“The effect of that voice was peculiar. Most of the thieves shrank back, gritting their teeth and clenching their hands to control trembling. But the sweat of relief trickled down Fafhrd’s head, for he recognized the Mouser. And in fat Fissif’s face puzzlement mingled with fear, for he, too, thought of the Mouser and wondered.”
5b.
“...intense that it momentarily precluded panic. A fear such as they felt toward their living master, but magnified many times.
And then a high wailing voice spoke from the skull, “Move not, oh you craven thieves of today! Tremble and be silent. It is your ancient master who speaks. Behold, I am Ohmphal!”
“The effect of that voice was peculiar. Most of the thieves shrank back, gritting their teeth and clenching their hands to control trembling. But the sweat of relief trickled down Fafhrd’s head, for he recognized the Mouser. And in fat Fissif’s face puzzlement mingled with fear.”
6a.
“This delay gave the thieves time to recover a little from their supernatural fear. Slevyas, sensing the essentials of the situation..."
6b.
“This incident further startled the thieves, yet gave them time to recover from their fear. Slevyas, sensing the essentials of the situation..."
7a.
“How can you dare keep them?” questioned Ivlis. “Think of what happened to all those other thieves!” She shuddered and eyed the Mouser with a certain solicitude.”
“Ay, yes, that was unpleasant," replied the Mouser, "but since I am not an ordinary thief, I can afford to take chances."
The End.
7b.
“How can you dare keep them?” questioned Ivlis. “Are you not afraid of brown bones at midnight?” She shuddered and eyed the Mouser with a certain solicitude.”
“He returned her gaze and replied, though the ghost of his Ivrian rebuked him, “My taste runs to pink bones, fittingly clothed.”
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