FANTASISTS

ON FANTASY

Critical Reflections By

Eighteeen Masters of the Art

Editors: Boyer & Zahorski

AVON Discus pb 

1st printing Feb., 1984

Condition:  very good  with some shelfwear, browning with age; some creases on spine show the book has been read.  No markings.

Eighteen of the finest fantasy writers share the secrets of their craft in essays, excerpts, and letters. Candid, controversial, often highly personal, here is a unique glimpse into the author's singular imagination, as the real experts in the field explore the theory, technique, and aesthetics of fantasy literature." Contents include: Intro / The Fantastic Imagination by George Mac Donald / Fairy Tales by K. Chesterton / Intro to "Supernatural Horror in Literature" by H. P. Lovecraft / Fantasy (Fancy) by Sir Herbert Read / The Wizard of Chitenango by James Thurber / Tempest in a Looking Glass by James Thurber / Fantasy by J. R. R. Tolkien / "To W. H. Auden" by J. R. R. Tolkien / The Fantastic Story by August Derleth / Sometimes Fairy Stories May Say Best What's to Be Said by C. S. Lewis / Tell Me a Story by Felix Marti-Ibanez / Tolkien's Magic Ring by Peter S. Beagle / Wishful Thinking - or Hopeful Dreaming? by Lloyd Alexander / On Writing Fantasy by Andre Norton / The Weak Place in the Cloth by Jane Langton / Dreams Must Explain Themselves by Ursula K. Le Guin / From Elfland to Poughkeepsie by Ursula K. Le Guin / One World by Mollie Hunter / Interview Essay - Katherine Kurtz / Wit and Humour in Fantasy by Michael Moorcock / Escaping into Ourselves by Susan Cooper

Commentaries on line:

My friends, if you are a fantasy writer this is a must read! This essay collection is absolutely fantastic! So, so helpful. And if you love fantasy and are academically minded, you will enjoy it, as well. It really gets into what fantasy is, what it does to us as readers, and how individual works in the genre build on one another. A gem!

An excellent investigation for anyone who enjoys fantasy.

These days fantasy is a major mass-market industry, often reduced to D&D-style formula, with plenty of how-to books explaining the best ways to make poor copies of other fantasy novels. You won't find that here. This is for the serious reader & writer of fantasy as enriching art, something always entertaining but far more than just a quick read. In short, it's not about churning out cheap fast food, but creating gourmet cuisine for the discerning palate -- most highly recommended!