Classic fantasy?

[murphy]

Would you class White Fang by Jack London,which I'm starting next, classic fantasy?

That's an interesting question. But then you would have to group Kipling's Jungle Books under classic fantasy as well.

 

[AE35Unit]

That's an interesting question. But then you would have to group Kipling's Jungle Books under classic fantasy as well.

And that would be fine by me!

 

[Connavar]

If you can find them, try the two MR James collections, or alternatively American Supernatural Fiction and the Dunsany collection In the Land of Time. Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House is also in the Penguin Classics range, as are three volumes of Lovecraft. Well worth getting any of them, as they're all (with the exception of The Haunting...) annotated.

What kind of collection is In The Land of Time ? I have a weakness for anything that is Lord Dunsany. I wonder whats the difference beteween it and his FM masterworks collections that is collected in Time and Gods.

 

[j d worthington]

Here you can compare the table of contents:

In the Land of Time, and Other Fantasy Tales - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_and_the_Gods_(omnibus)

 

[Connavar]

Old news to me then since i have read most of thes stories in Time and the Gods.

10 pages stories more wonderful than the avreage great short stories i have read.

I was hoping it was a new collection to me, the name made think it was since i knew the name of 6 of his rated collections that appear collected in Time and the Gods.

I want to get other collections by Dunsany next,novels wise he is great too but the range he showed in different types of story was too good.

 

[j d worthington]

The main points about this collection are that it also has quite a few things from his later career (giving a more rounded view of his development as a writer) and the generally informed and interesting notations by S. T. Joshi, who is not only himself something of a scholar of Dunsany, but has worked with some of the major scholars in that field, as well.

 

[Connavar]

Yeah but im the kind of fan who plans to get all of his works anyway rounded view isnt for me. Im trying to get anything i can find of him. Even his WWI books sound good.

Lucky enough i found library system showed copies of the few really expensive out of print books like The Last Revolution,Collected Jorkens vol 1

 

[j d worthington]

I'm not urging you to buy the book (though I will say that Joshi is a good editor and very careful to present the writer's intention with texts, not to mention providing some great material of his own), but... all Dunsany's works? The man was quite prolific, so you've got one heck of a task ahead of you.

But, if you're so inclined, I'd be the last to try to dissuade you, as I think it's a worthy goal. I would suggest, at very least, reading some of his other types of novels, as well as his plays and his books of autobiography, which -- like those of Arthur Machen -- are simply wonderful books in their own right....

 

[Connavar]

I'm not urging you to buy the book (though I will say that Joshi is a good editor and very careful to present the writer's intention with texts, not to mention providing some great material of his own), but... all Dunsany's works? The man was quite prolific, so you've got one heck of a task ahead of you.

But, if you're so inclined, I'd be the last to try to dissuade you, as I think it's a worthy goal. I would suggest, at very least, reading some of his other types of novels, as well as his plays and his books of autobiography, which -- like those of Arthur Machen -- are simply wonderful books in their own right....

Thankfully he is better remembered today than before by the number of books,collections in print,plays,poems,war books.

The reason i havent just went for his most famous novels,collections already is im trying to read his other types of story. Why Jorkens appeal to me alot right now.

Since he was a profilic writer short story its easier than you might think. The problem is not to waste money on collections that have the same contents table.

I do respect Joshi, you know his name thats why i was hoping Lands in Time was a new collection to me. He did work on other Dunsany books i plan to get very soon.

 

[j d worthington]

Well, you'll probably have to get this one via a library, considering that even the Kindle edition is going for $95.00 (used copies are showing up at about $430!), but when it comes to tracking Dunsany's work down, Lord Dunsany: A Bibliography, by S. T. Joshi and Darrell Schweitzer, is supposed to be the best ever done; I know they worked on compiling the thing for several years... You might also find Joshi's chapter on Dunsany in The Weird Tale to be both interesting and helpful in this regard, especially as at the back of that book he provides a hefty summary bibliography which could help you track down some of that other work you're interested in....

 

[nixie]

Reading through this thread it struck me that no one has mentioned Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift otherwise known as Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World by Lemuel Gulliver.

 

[Connavar]

Maybe because Swift is one of the most classic authors, you read in school its like recommending a Dickens book to classic reader like he didnt know that name already.
Just now in the bus i was reading a classic Irish Fantasy book from the library and the first word was how Swift classic book is the first fantasy from Ireland.


J.D i will of course look up the book,article and hopefully i will find that book in the library system like Jorkens vol 1 which i found in Stockholm library.

 

[Rob Hasson]

Another few random thoughts...

You could look up the early Weird Tales anthologies - available through their web page.

I'm also slowly coming to terms with the idea that, despite being a newbie on these forums ("I am only an egg"), many of the works I have read and reread over the years are regarded as classics or are unknown to many posters, so here goes with another few oldies...

Sprague de Camp's 'Lest Darkness Fall'
James Blish 'Jack of Eagles'

and the rather more recent -

Stephen Donaldson's 'Chronicles of Thomas Covenant'
- The first trilogy is far stronger than the later books in the series, IMO.

 

[BAYLOR]

Conan Hour of The Dragon by Robert E Howard . One the best fantasy novels ever written.

 

[BAYLOR]

That's an interesting question. But then you would have to group Kipling's Jungle Books under classic fantasy as well.

They do fit into that category .

 

[BAYLOR]

Reading through this thread it struck me that no one has mentioned Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift otherwise known as Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World by Lemuel Gulliver.

I agree , that too fits into the fantasy genre. It should be listed as one of the best fantasy novels of all time.

 

[Extollager]

I agree. And I expect to reread it this month!

 

[clovis-man]

Conan Hour of The Dragon by Robert E Howard . One the best fantasy novels ever written.

Got this one on my Kindle. Time to read it!

In view of some discussion in other threads over the past few years, I would suggest titles by A. Merritt, e.g., The Moon Pool, The Face In The Abyss or The Ship Of Ishtar. Getting close to 100 years old now, they still have some current appeal despite old fashioned mores.

 

[Lafayette]

There seems to be one writer you all have forgotten about, although he may not fit your definitions of fantasy. The category I'm thinking about is swashbuckling. The man: Edgar Rice Burroughs the creator of John Carter of Mars.

 

[BAYLOR]

Got this one on my Kindle. Time to read it!

In view of some discussion in other threads over the past few years, I would suggest titles by A. Merritt, e.g., The Moon Pool, The Face In The Abyss or The Ship Of Ishtar. Getting close to 100 years old now, they still have some current appeal despite old fashioned mores.

Abraham Merritt came up such interesting and imaginative story concepts, he was a terrific writer.