Lord Dunsany

Fifty-One Tales Illustrated Lord Dunsany

Fifty-One Tales is a collection of fantasy short stories by Irish writer Lord Dunsany, considered a major influence on the work of J. R. R. Tolkien, H. P. Lovecraft, Ursula K. Le Guinn, and others. The first editions, in hardcover, were published simultaneously in London and New York City by Elkin Mathews and Mitchell Kennelly, respectively, in April, 1915. The British and American editions differ in that they arrange the material slightly differently and that each includes a story the other omits; "The Poet Speaks with Earth" in the British version, and "The Mist" in the American version. Without a doubt, Lord Dunsany was one of the most influential writers of fantasy fiction in the twentieth century. His fiction is an acknowledged influence on entire generations of writers, ranging from H. P. Lovecraft to James Branch Cabell, from Clark Ashton Smith to Lin Carter. Although many of his most famous stories are longer, the miniature portraits of Fifty-One Tales are an ideal introduction to Dunsany. Nowhere is the jewel-like quality of his prose more evident than in the short tales, seminal works that run the gamut from whimsy to fantasy to social satire.