Contents
The collection includes three of Dunsany's more obscure plays, only two of them previously acted and only one previously published. The contents in full are:
- "Introduction" (Darrell Schweitzer)
- "The Ginger Cat," a comedy, concerning a seeming fool who takes nothing but laughter seriously, in production in summer 1914, was canceled at the outbreak of World War I
- "The Murderers," a crime melodrama, with a "twist" ending, had one known performance, in 1919, at Yale University, during a visit by the playwright, and never included in Dunsany's play collections, which were primarily of fantasies and comedies
- "Mr. Faithful," another comedy, about the adventures of a man who must literally live a dog's life to marry the woman he has his heart set on, that was written in 1922, when it was also performed on the BBC; an acting edition published by Samuel French in 1935 is now a relative rarity
The Ginger Cat was known to exist but lost for decades, and was rediscovered by Dunsany's literary curator, Joe Doyle, while Mr. Faithful was known in theatrical circles and remained in print in an acting edition for many years. The editor reproduced the first two plays from Dunsany's manuscripts, and the third from a photocopy of the acting edition. [1]
The editor comments that The Ginger Cat and Mr. Faithful remain funny for modern audiences, and describes them as "between Wildean and Screwball comedy."
Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany was an Anglo-Irish writer and dramatist. Over 90 volumes of fiction, essays, poems and plays appeared in his lifetime, and a modest amount of material was published posthumously. He gained a name in the 1910s as a great writer in the English-speaking world. Best known today are the 1924 fantasy novel, The King of Elfland's Daughter, and his first book, The Gods of Pegāna, which depicts a fictional pantheon. Many critics feel his early work laid grounds for the fantasy genre.
"The Cats of Ulthar" is a short story written by American fantasy author H. P. Lovecraft in June 1920. In the tale, an unnamed narrator relates the story of how a law forbidding the killing of cats came to be in a town called Ulthar. As the narrative goes, the city is home to an old couple who enjoy capturing and killing the townspeople's cats. When a caravan of wanderers passes through the city, the kitten of an orphan (Menes) traveling with the band disappears. Upon hearing of the couple's violent acts towards cats, Menes invokes a prayer before leaving town that causes the local felines to swarm the cat-killers' house and devour them. Upon witnessing the result, the local politicians pass a law forbidding the killing of cats.
George H. Scithers was an American science fiction fan, author and editor.
The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath is a novella by American writer H. P. Lovecraft. Begun probably in the autumn of 1926, the draft was completed on January 22, 1927 and it remained unrevised and unpublished in his lifetime. It is both the longest of the stories that make up his Dream Cycle and the longest Lovecraft work to feature protagonist Randolph Carter. Along with his 1927 novel The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, it can be considered one of the significant achievements of that period of Lovecraft's writing. The Dream-Quest combines elements of horror and fantasy into an epic tale that illustrates the scope and wonder of humankind's ability to dream.
Darrell Charles Schweitzer is an American writer, editor, and critic in the field of speculative fiction. Much of his focus has been on dark fantasy and horror, although he does also work in science fiction and fantasy. Schweitzer is also a prolific writer of literary criticism and editor of collections of essays on various writers within his preferred genres.
The Fourth Book of Jorkens is a collection of fantasy short stories, narrated by Mr. Joseph Jorkens, by writer Lord Dunsany. It was first published by Jarrolds in 1947. It was the fourth collection of Dunsany's Jorkens tales to be published. It has also been issued in combination with the third book, Jorkens Has a Large Whiskey, and two uncollected short stories, in the omnibus edition The Collected Jorkens, Volume Two, published by Night Shade Books in 2004.
Don Rodriguez: Chronicles of Shadow Valley is a fantasy novel by Lord Dunsany, issued in the United States under this title and in the United Kingdom as The Chronicles of Rodriguez. The first editions, in hardcover, were published simultaneously in London and New York by G. P. Putnam's Sons in February 1922. The first paperback edition was published by Ballantine Books as the thirtieth volume of its Ballantine Adult Fantasy series in May 1971. It was the series' third Dunsany volume. The Ballantine edition includes an introduction by series editor Lin Carter. It and later editions use the American title.
Verses Dedicatory: 18 Previously Unpublished Poems is a collection of poetry by fantasy author Lord Dunsany, edited by Lin Carter. It was first published in paperback as a chapbook by Charnel House as no. 2 in The Charnel House Chapbooks Series in 1985.
Time and the Gods is the second book by Irish fantasy writer Lord Dunsany, considered a major influence on the work of J. R. R. Tolkien, H. P. Lovecraft, Ursula K. Le Guin, and others.
Five Plays is the eighth book by Anglo-Irish fantasy writer Lord Dunsany, considered a major influence on the work of J. R. R. Tolkien, H. P. Lovecraft, Ursula K. Le Guin and others. It was first published in hardcover by Grant Richards in February, 1914, and has been reprinted a number of times since.
The Book of Wonder is the seventh book and fifth original short story collection of Irish fantasy writer Lord Dunsany, considered a major influence on the work of J. R. R. Tolkien, H. P. Lovecraft, Ursula K. Le Guin, and others. It was first published in hardcover by William Heinemann in November, 1912, and has been reprinted a number of times since. A 1918 edition from the Modern Library was actually a combined edition with Time and the Gods.
Jorkens Borrows Another Whiskey is a collection of fantasy short stories, narrated by Mr. Joseph Jorkens, by writer Lord Dunsany. It was first published in London by Michael Joseph in 1954. It was the fifth collection of Dunsany's Jorkens tales to be published. It has also been issued in combination with the sixth book, The Last Book of Jorkens, and three other short stories, in the omnibus edition The Collected Jorkens, Volume Three, published by Night Shade Books in 2005.
Jorkens Remembers Africa is a collection of fantasy short stories, narrated by Mr. Joseph Jorkens, by writer Lord Dunsany. It was first published in New York City by Longmans, Green & Co. in October, 1934, with the English edition following in November of the same year from the same publisher. It was the second collection of Dunsany's Jorkens tales to be published. It has also been issued in combination with the first book, The Travel Tales of Mr. Joseph Jorkens, in the omnibus edition The Collected Jorkens, Volume One, published by Night Shade Books in 2004.
The Little Tales of Smethers and Other Stories is a collection of fantasy and crime short stories by writer Lord Dunsany. It was first published in London by Jarrolds in October, 1952.
The Robert E. Howard Reader is a collection of essays on fantasy writer Robert E. Howard and his works, edited by Darrell Schweitzer. Originally scheduled for publication in 2007, it was ultimately published in September 2010 by Wildside Press.
The Ghosts of the Heaviside Layer, and Other Fantasms is a collection of ghost stories, essays and plays by Anglo-Irish fantasy writer Lord Dunsany, edited by Darrell Schweitzer and illustrated by Tim Kirk. It was first published in hardcover by Owlswick Press in 1980.
We Are All Legends is a collection of fantasy short stories by American writer Darrell Schweitzer featuring his sword and sorcery hero Sir Julian. The book was edited by Hank Stine and illustrated by Stephen Fabian, and features an introduction by L. Sprague de Camp. It was first published as a trade paperback by The Donning Company in 1981. It was reprinted by Starmount House in 1988, Borgo Press in 1989 and Wildside Press in 1999.
Lin Carter's Simrana Cycle is a collection of fantasy short stories by American writer Lin Carter, selected and edited by Robert M. Price. It was first published in hardcover, trade paperback and ebook by Celaeno Press in February 2018.
