JAMES STEPHENS has been described as the author whose double domain is Ireland and Fairyland, and his genius for combining wit, philosophy, satire, nonsense, and beauty into an entrancing book is displayed at its best in The Crock of Gold, a story of fairies, gods, and delightful fantasies.

The wise and whimsical Mr. Stephens was born and bred in Ireland, the land of pixies and leprechauns. He was working as a typist for a lawyer there when some of his musings and "scribblings," published in a Dublin journal under the title "Jottings of a Philosopher," attracted the attention of George Russell ("AE") the distinguished artist, poet and mystic.

Thus began a long-lived friendship, and thus also began The Crock of Gold, for these "Jottings" became the base of this celebrated classic.

This special edition of THE CROOK OF GOLD by James Stephens has been made available to the Armed Forces of the United States through as arrangement with the original publisher, The Macmillan. Company, New York.

Editions for the Armed Services, Inc., a non-profit organization established by the Council on Books in Wartime