Unknown was an American pulp fantasy fiction magazine, published from 1939 to 1943 by Street & Smith, and edited by John W. Campbell. Unknown was a companion to Street & Smith's science fiction pulp, Astounding Science Fiction, which was also edited by Campbell at the time; many authors and illustrators contributed to both magazines. The leading fantasy magazine in the 1930s was Weird Tales, which focused on shock and horror. Campbell wanted to publish a fantasy magazine with more finesse and humor than Weird Tales, and put his plans into action when Eric Frank Russell sent him the manuscript of his novel Sinister Barrier, about aliens who own the human race. Unknown's first issue appeared in March 1939; in addition to Sinister Barrier, it included H. L. Gold's "Trouble With Water", a humorous fantasy about a New Yorker who meets a water gnome. Gold's story was the first of many in Unknown to combine commonplace reality with the fantastic.
Dark fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy literary, artistic, and cinematic works that incorporate disturbing and frightening themes of fantasy. It often combines fantasy with elements of horror or has a gloomy dark tone or a sense of horror and dread.
Donald M. Grant, Publisher, Inc. is a fantasy and science fiction small press publisher in New Hampshire that was founded in 1964. It is notable for publishing fantasy and horror novels with lavish illustrations, most notably Stephen King's The Dark Tower series and the King/Peter Straub novel The Talisman.
Elements of the supernatural and the fantastic were an element of literature from its beginning. The modern genre is distinguished from tales and folklore which contain fantastic elements, first by the acknowledged fictitious nature of the work, and second by the naming of an author. Works in which the marvels were not necessarily believed, or only half-believed, such as the European romances of chivalry and the tales of the Arabian Nights, slowly evolved into works with such traits. Authors like George MacDonald created the first explicitly fantastic works.
Fantasy Press was an American publishing house specialising in fantasy and science fiction titles. Established in 1946 by Lloyd Arthur Eshbach in Reading, Pennsylvania, it was most notable for publishing the works of authors such as Robert A. Heinlein and E. E. Smith. One of its more notable offerings was the Lensman series.
Phyllis Eisenstein was an American author of science fiction and fantasy short stories as well as novels. Her work was nominated for both the Hugo Award and Nebula Award.
The Tower of the Elephant is a 1975 collection of two fantasy short stories by American writer Robert E. Howard featuring his sword and sorcery hero Conan the Barbarian. The book was published in 1975 by Donald M. Grant, Publisher, Inc. as the third volume of their deluxe Conan set. The title story originally appeared in the magazine Weird Tales. "The God in the Bowl" is the original version of the story that first appeared, edited by L. Sprague de Camp, in the magazine Space Science Fiction.
Donald Metcalf Grant was an American publisher.
Grant-Hadley Enterprises was the first of three names used by an American small press publishing house specializing in science fiction titles. The company was founded in 1945 by Donald M. Grant and Thomas G. Hadley and published one title as Grant-Hadley Enterprises. Kenneth J. Krueger joined the company in 1946 and the name was changed to The Buffalo Book Company. Later in 1946, Hadley continued the company on his own as The Hadley Publishing Co.
Slaves of Sleep is a science fantasy novel by American writer L. Ron Hubbard. It was first published in book form in 1948 by Shasta Publishers; the novel originally appeared in 1939 in an issue of the magazine Unknown. The novel presents a story in which a man travels to a parallel universe ruled by Ifrits. The protagonist takes on the identity of a human in this dimension, and becomes involved in the politics of Ifrits in this fictional "Arabian Nights" world.
William Levi Crawford was an American publisher and editor.
Red Shadows is a collection of Fantasy short stories and poems by Robert E. Howard. It was first published in 1968 by Donald M. Grant, Publisher, Inc. in an edition of 896 copies. The stories and poems feature Howard's character, Solomon Kane. Many of the stories first appeared in the magazine Weird Tales.
Black Vulmea's vengeance & Other Tales of Pirates is a collection of adventure short stories about pirates by Robert E. Howard. It was first published in 1976 by Donald M. Grant, Publisher, Inc. in an edition of 2,750 copies. The title story first appeared in the magazine Golden Fleece in 1938.
Bazaar of the Bizarre is a collection of fantasy short stories by American writer Fritz Leiber. It was first published in 1978 by Donald M. Grant, Publisher, Inc. in an edition of 1,350 copies. The stories feature Leiber's characters Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser and originally appeared in the magazine Fantastic. The stories were previously published in book form in the complete collected edition of Fafhrd and Mouser stories in the same order, as the final piece in Swords Against Death and the first two in Swords in the Mist.
The Revenge of Dracula is a horror novel by British writer Peter Tremayne. It was first published in the United Kingdom in 1978 by Bailey Brothers & Swinfen. The first United States edition was published by Donald M. Grant, Publisher, Inc. in 1978 in an edition of 1,250 copies which were signed by the author and the illustrator, Dan Green. It is the second book in Tremayne's Dracula Lives trilogy.
The Road of Azrael is a collection of historical short stories by Robert E. Howard. It was first published in 1979 by Donald M. Grant, Publisher, Inc. in an edition of 2,150 copies, of which, 300 were boxed and signed by the artist.
Durandal is a novel of historical fiction by Harold Lamb. The first part of a 1931 novel, it was published as a stand-alone book titled simply Durandal in 1981 by Donald M. Grant, Publisher in an edition of 1,875 copies of which 400 were boxed and signed by the artists. Intended as the first part in a proposed trilogy, it was followed in 1983 by The Sea of the Ravens, comprising the second section of the 1931 novel. A final volume to complete the trilogy, to be titled Rusudan, has yet to be published. The book has illustrations by George Barr and Alicia Austin.
A Monster at Christmas is a fantasy horror poem by Thomas Canty. The poem, a stranger Christmas fantasy was first published in 1985 by Donald M. Grant, Publisher, Inc. Though a well-known artist, Canty chose Phil Hale to illustrate his book. While the book's colophon states that 1,050 copies were printed, the actual number was 890. All copies were numbered and signed by the author and artist.
Post Oaks & Sand Roughs is a semi-autobiographical adventure novel by Robert E. Howard. It was first published in 1989 in France by NéO under the title of "Le Rebelle", since 1990 by Donald M. Grant, Publisher, Inc. in an edition of 850 copies. The book contains an introduction and appendix by Glenn Lord where Lord identifies the real people who appear as thinly disguised characters in the novel.
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and drama. From the twentieth century, it has expanded further into various media, including film, television, graphic novels, manga, animations and video games.
