''The Last Book of Wonder'', originally published as ''Tales of Wonder'', is the tenth book and sixth original short story collection of Irish
fantasy
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 d ...
writer
Lord Dunsany, considered a major influence on the work of
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, ; 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''.
From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlins ...
,
H. P. Lovecraft,
Ursula K. Le Guin
Ursula Kroeber Le Guin (; October 21, 1929 – January 22, 2018) was an American author best known for her works of speculative fiction, including science fiction works set in her Hainish universe, and the '' Earthsea'' fantasy series. She was ...
and others.
Editions and title variants
The first edition, in hardcover, was published in London by
Elkin Mathews
Charles Elkin Mathews (1851 – 10 November 1921) was a British publisher and bookseller who played an important role in the literary life of London in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Mathews was born in Gravesend, and learned his tr ...
in October 1916 as ''Tales of Wonder'', followed by a Boston hardcover publication in November, by John W. Luce & Co. The title of the American edition, ''The Last Book of Wonder'', was Dunsany's own preferred title. The British and American editions also differ in that they arrange the material slightly differently.
The book collects nineteen short stories by the author.
Contents
*"Preface"
*"A Tale of London"
*"Thirteen at Table"
*"The City on Mallington Moor"
*"Why the Milkman Shudders When He Perceives the Dawn" (also published in a chapbook)
*"The Bad Old Woman in Black"
*"The Bird of the Difficult Eye"
*"The Long Porter's Tale"
*"The Loot of Loma"
*"The Secret of the Sea"
*"How Ali Came to the Black Country"
*"The Bureau d'Echange de Maux"
*"A Story of Land and Sea"
*"A Tale of the Equator"
*"A Narrow Escape"
*"The Watch-Tower"
*"How Plash-Goo Came to the Land of None's Desire"
*"The Three Sailors' Gambit"
*"The Exiles' Club"
*"The Three Infernal Jokes"
References
*
External links
*
*
1916 short story collections
Fantasy short story collections
Short story collections by Edward Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany
{{1910s-fantasy-story-collection-stub