The Book of Wonder

The Book of Wonder (1912) is a short story collection by Lord Dunsany. Published at the height of his career, The Book of Wonder would influence such writers as J. R. R. Tolkein, Ursula K. Le Guin, and H. P. Lovecraft. Recognized as a pioneering author of fantasy and science fiction, Dunsany is a man whose work, in the words of Lovecraft, remains “unexcelled in the sorcery of crystalline singing prose, and supreme in the creation of a gorgeous and languorous world of incandescently exotic vision.” The Book of Wonder, Dunsany’s fifth collection of stories, contains fourteen of his finest tales of fantasy and adventure. In “The Hoard of the Gibbelins,” originally published in London weekly The Sketch, is the story of Alderic, a Knight of the Order of the City. Courageous and strong, he ventures to the island realm of the Gibbelins, where a horde of treasure is rumored to be held at the base of a treacherous castle. In “Chu-Bu and Sheemish,” two idols held in the same ancient temple compete for the adoration of their worshippers. As Chu-Bu and Sheemish attempt more and more astounding miracles, they risk striking fear in the hearts of their superstitious people. Humorous and inventive, Dunsany’s tales of high fantasy continue to delight over a century after they first appeared in print. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Lord Dunsany’s The Book of Wonder is a classic of Irish fantasy fiction reimagined for modern readers.