Douglas A. Anderson

A collection of twenty-two classic fantasy tales notes their connection to Tolkien's early works and includes such pieces as George Macdonald's "The Golden Key," Andrew Lang's "The Story of Sigurd," and E. A. Wyke-Smith's "The Marvelous Land of Snergs." Reprint.

The Roots of Modern Fantasy

Tales Before Tolkien

Contemporary Sports Reporting

Verlyn Flieger

J.R.R. Tolkien

A new expanded edition of Tolkien's most famous, and most important essay, which defined his conception of fantasy as a literary form, and which led to the writing of The Lord of the Rings. Accompanied by a critical study of the history and writing of the text.J.R.R. Tolkien's "On Fairy-stories" is his most-studied and most-quoted essay, an exemplary personal statement of his views on the role of imagination in literature, and an intellectual tour de force vital for understanding Tolkien's achievement in the writing of The Lord of the Rings. On Fairy-stories comprises about 18,000 words. What is little-known is that when Tolkien expanded the essay in 1943, he wrote many more pages of his views that were originally condensed into or cut from the published version. An estimate is difficult, but these unpublished passages perhaps amount to half again as much writing as the essay itself. These passages contain important elaborations of his views on other writers, and their publication represents a significant addition to Tolkien studies.Included in this new critical study of the work are:An introductory essay setting the stage for Tolkien's 1939 lecture (the origin of the essay) and placing it within a historical context.A history of the writing ofOn Fairy-stories, beginning with coverage of the original lecture as delivered, and continuing through to first publication in 1947.The essay proper as published in corrected form in Tree and Leaf (1964).Commentary on the allusions in the text, and notes about the revisions Tolkien made to the text as published in Tree and Leaf.Important material not included in the essay as published, with commentary by the editors.Contained within On Fairy-stories are the roots of the tree of tales that bore such glittering fruit in Tolkien's published and unpublished work. Here, at last, Flieger and Anderson reveal through literary archaeology the extraordinary genesis of this seminal work and discuss, in their engaging commentary, how what Tolkien discovered during the writing of the essay would shape his writing for the rest of his life.

Tolkien on Fairy-Stories

THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING. THE TWO TOWERS. THE RETURN OF THE KING.

The Lord of the Rings

An Analysis of the Effect of Design and Measurement Errors on Pump Performance Parameters

Darrell Schweitzer

Evangeline Walton

Available for the first time in hardcover with the lost prologue, excerpts from letters, several short stories, and an interview.

Witch House

E. Nesbit

George MacDonald

Ludwig Tieck

Richard Garnett

Terry Brooks. David Eddings. George R. R. Martin. Robin Hobb. The top names in modern fantasy all acknowledge J. R. R. Tolkien as their role model, the author whose work inspired them to create their own epics. But what writers influenced Tolkien himself? Here, internationally recognized Tolkien expert Douglas A. Anderson has gathered the fiction of authors who sparked Tolkien’s imagination in a collection destined to become a classic in its own right. Andrew Lang’s romantic swashbuckler, “The Story of Sigurd,” features magic rings, an enchanted sword, and a brave hero loved by two beautiful women— and cursed by a ferocious dragon. Tolkien read E. A. Wyke-Smith’s “The Marvelous Land of Snergs” to his children, delighting in these charming tales of a pixieish people “only slightly taller than the average table.” Also appearing in this collection is a never-before-published gem by David Lindsay, author of Voyage to Arcturus, a novel which Tolkien praised highly both as a thriller and as a work of philosophy, religion, and morals. In stories packed with magical journeys, conflicted heroes, and terrible beasts, this extraordinary volume is one that no fan of fantasy or Tolkien should be without. These tales just might inspire a new generation of creative writers. Tales Before Tolkien: 22 Magical Stories “The Elves” by Ludwig Tieck “The Golden Key” by George Macdonald “Puss-Cat Mew” by E. H. Knatchbull-Hugessen “The Griffin and the Minor Canon” by Frank R. Stockton “The Demon Pope” by Richard Garnett “The Story of Sigurd” by Andrew Lang “The Folk of the Mountain Door” by William Morris “Black Heart and White Heart” by H. Rider Haggard “The Dragon Tamers” by E. Nesbit “The Far Islands” by John Buchan “The Drawn Arrow” by Clemence Housman “The Enchanted Buffalo” by L. Frank Baum “Chu-bu and Sheemish” by Lord Dunsany “The Baumhoff Explosive” by William Hope Hodgson “The Regent of the North” by Kenneth Morris “The Coming of the Terror” by Arthur Machen “The Elf Trap” by Francis Stevens “The Thin Queen of Elfhame” by James Branch Cabell “The Woman of the Wood” by A. Merritt “Golithos the Ogre” by E. A. Wyke-Smith “The Story of Alwina” by Austin Tappan Wright “A Christmas Play” by David Lindsay

Douglas A. Anderson

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