It can only be guessed at why this book was out of print in the US until recently. In it, the reader can discover a charming collection of VERY short stories, which flit from whimsical to mythological, humorous to chilling. All are written in Dunsany's incomparable prose, which ranges from arch first-person narrative to stuff that sounds like embellished mythology.

In this you'll find centaurs, sphinxes, master thieves, about-to-retire pirate chiefs, kings trying to move an emotionless queen to tears, a magical window, a pair of feuding idols, and a delightful story called "Miss Cubbidge and the Dragon of Romance." In addition, this new reprint by Wildside Press has a beautiful cover of a young boy on a winged horse.

The stories are a little short -- much shorter than most present-day short fantasy stories -- but they are just amazing. A must-read for immediate suspension of belief.

It can only be guessed at why this book is out of print in the US, though it can be obtained with other Dunsany works from the UK. In it, the reader can discover a charming collection of VERY short stories, which flit from whimsical to mythological, humorous to chilling. All are written in Dunsany's incomparable prose, which ranges from arch first-person narrative to stuff that sounds like embellished mythology.

In this you'll find centaurs, sphinxes, master thieves, about-to-retire pirate chiefs, kings trying to move an emotionless queen to tears, a magical window, a pair of feuding idols, and a delightful story called "Miss Cubbidge and the Dragon of Romance." The stories are a little short -- much shorter than most present-day short fantasy stories -- but they are just amazing. A must-read for immediate suspension of belief.

Three tales of famous thieves are part of this collection. _The Book of Wonder_ consists of 14 of Dunsany's short stories (I've sorted them by title rather than order of appearance); it's in print as I write this, as part of the Fantasy Masterworks edition of _Time and the Gods_.

"The Bride of the Man-Horse" - Shepperalk the centaur headed from the first for the city of Zretazoola, though all the mundane plain lay between.

"Chu-bu and Sheemish" - The idol Chu-bu was worshipped alone in his temple for over a hundred years, until the day the priests brought in the upstart idol Sheemish to be worshipped beside him.

"The Coronation of Mr. Thomas Shap" - When Mr. Shap perceived the beastliness of his occupation as a salesman, he began to venture into the lands of dream and wonder as an escape.

"Distressing Tale of Thangobrind the Jeweller" - Thangobrind, a master thief operating behind a cover as a jeweller, is offered the soul of a Merchant Prince's daughter in exchange for stealing a diamond from the temple of Hlo-Hlo...

"The Hoard of the Gibbelins" - The Gibbelins maintain their hoard only to attract a continual supply of food...humans...

"The House of the Sphinx" - A visitor chances to come to the House of the Sphinx after a mighty deed has been done, and her servants are in a panic...

"How Nuth Would Have Practiced His Art Upon the Gnoles" - Nuth the incomparable is a master thief. "It may be urged against my use of the word incomparable that in the burglary business the name of Slith stands paramount and alone; and of this I am not ignorant; but Slith is a classic, and lived long ago, and knew nothing at all of modern competition..."

"How One Came, as Was Foretold, to the City of Never" - "Time had been there, but not to work destruction...by I know not what bribe averted." But not even that Ultimate City is perfect.

"The Injudicious Prayers of Pombo the Idolater" - It is unwise to pray to one idol, only to become impatient and ask another idol to curse the first one; it's against their etiquette....

"The Loot of Bombasharna" - The seas are becoming too hot to hold Captain Shard and the crew of the pirate ship _Desperate Lark_. The sacking of Bombasharna is to be their last hurrah before retirement...

"Miss Cubbidge and the Dragon of Romance" - If princesses are in short supply, sometimes a dragon might have to kidnap the daughter of a member of Parliament.

"Probable Adventure of Three Literary Men" - "When the nomads came to El Lola they had no more songs, and the question of stealing the golden box arose in all its magnitude." The legendary thief Slith, along with two assistants because of the weight of the box of poems, are chosen to make the attempt.

"The Quest of the Queen's Tears" - Sylvia, Queen of the Woods, cannot love any of her suitors, but as a compromise, will consent to marry the first man who can move her to tears.

"The Wonderful Window" - The mysterious window was being offered for sale in the streets of London, and its price is all you possess.

_A Dreamer's Tales_ consists of 16 short stories (I've sorted them by title rather than order of appearance); it's in print as I write this, as part of the Fantasy Masterworks edition of _Time and the Gods_.

"The Beggars" - The cloaked strangers, begging gracefully, as gods beg for souls, had a gift for seeing past the dreary surface of life in the city.

"Bethmoora" - a story of the desolation of Bethmoora, a city at the desert's edge.

"Blagdaross" - As twilight falls upon a rubbish heap, all the castoff things therein find voices to remember where they have been. Among them is the rocking-horse Blagdaross.

"Carcassonne" - It was prophesied to Camorak at Arn that he should never come to Carcassonne, but he decided to defy Fate.

"The Day of the Poll" - Since everyone in the town had gone raving mad on election day, the lonely poet set out to trap and save an intelligence for company.

"The Field" - Why is it the field of king-cups, and not the hideous ugliness of the town, that is covered with an ominous feeling of foreboding?

"The Hashish Man" - Another visitor to Bethmoora picks up the tale.

"The Idle City" - The city's custom was that anyone who wished to enter must pay a toll of one story at the gate.

"Idle Days on the Yann" - the story of a journey on the ship _Bird of the River_ down the Yann, and of the cities along the Yann.

"The Madness of Andelsprutz" - The city of Andelsprutz had been conquered, and stolen from the land of Akla. What happens to the souls of conquered cities?

"Poltarnees, Beholder of Ocean" - The Inner Lands are those three kingdoms which have no view of the sea, being bounded on the west by the mountain Poltarnees. But none who had ever climbed Poltarnees from the very earliest times had ever come back again...

"Poor Old Bill" - the Captain never talked to the ship's crew, except sometimes in the evening he would talk a bit to the me!n he had hanged at the yard-arm. But just when the crew thought life couldn't get any worse, the Captain learned how to use curses.

"The Sword and the Idol" - Which would have more weight - the family of the man who made the first iron sword, or of he who made the first idol?

"The Unhappy Body" - The body, afflicted with a poet's soul that would not let it rest, was advised to drink and smoke more, so that the soul would cease to trouble it.

"Where the Tides Ebb and Flow" - What happens to the souls of those who are cursed so that they cannot rest on either the earth or the ocean?

"In Zaccarath" - The prophets and singers have spoken of the iniquity of the King, and the onrush of the Zeedians, but the King and his queens and warriors are paying heed only to their feasting and celebration, or so it would seem...

This book, which contains 16 magical tales, is just great. I read it twice from cover to cover and loved every sentence in it. Dunsany has a very particular style, making it easy to envision the story and experiencing it as if it were really happening.

this is a work of art. incredibly imaginative, it speaks directly from the subconscious mind. it is not only art but also an excercise in psychoanalysis. key words are: gods in poppy fields in the twilight. prohpets beheaded and sent on a journey into the outer stars.if you like gods beating up on little people, you will love this guy

A excellent book for someone who wishes to enhance one prayer life. It is also provides a good understanding on how to approach prayer and serves to correct a great deal of misconception about the subject matter. Very good tool for one that is struggling with prayer life. One of the best books I've read cos its practical and must say it has enhanced my relationship with God.

I love this book. Father John Catoir writes in a simple easy to understand way which is perfect for someone who wants to solidify his knowledge and understanding of entering into a proper and healthy spiritual life and relationship with God. He is the right kind of Roman Catholic Priest, who engenders the kind of attitude that is sorely missing in many of our clergy. He's down to earth and real, perhaps some day he'll be canonized a Saint for the great work he does in Patterson,NJ with the poor and for writing books that effectively communicate the meaning of God in our lives. God bless him!

This book is written with reference to the Orthodox wedding service, but is a wonderful resource for anybody in or preparing for a Christian marriage. In addition to very interesting and helpful discussions about the meaning of Christian marriage, money management, and other issues, the book contains questionnaires for the partners to answer, to get them to think about and discuss how they feel about a variety of issues, from raising children and birth control, to spending habits, to expectations of what married life should be like. My husband and I used this book together when we were engaged- it really showed us several areas we had not really thought about (that have since become important in our marriage), and also made us happy to see how well we agreed on so many issues. A wonderful resource for marriage!

I am currently using this workbook with my beau of three years. We are going to be bethroed in May and married in September. It is inspiring and gives us hope in this Post-Christian age. I highly recommend for young Orthodox people who are preparing for marriage.

We lived in Finland in the early 1970's and we had this book in finnish. The kids loved it. It's beautifully illustrated and written in a charming whimsical manner. We have been looking for this book in english for years. It was worth it.

While this book is out of print, if you are able to find a copy, BUY IT!! My mom read this to me when I was little and I spent quite a few years looking for a copy when we lost ours. Children will love the sneaky mouse that rides all over the world in a nervous man's rollerskate. The pictures are cute, and will keep their attention.

This novel is a good variation on one of the great standards of scifi: Centuries after present-day civilization is wiped out by (insert nuclear war, plague, alien decimation, meteors, etc.), the earth is a frightening, inimicable place full of mutants, monsters, remnants of ancient technology, mysterious cults, noble villagers, and of course, the mandatory evil overlords. In this case, the evil overlords are known as the Sky Lords, and they're what makes this book a notch above the usual fare. The Lords are neo-feudal warriors, each clan in control of a massive solar-powered zeppelin. Each zeppelin makes a grand circuit through its territory, exacting tribute from the 'earthworms', the poor unfortunates who are forced to eke out a meager suvival on the ground. The Sky Lords, the first book of a trilogy, focuses on Jan Dorvin, the sole survivor of an Amazon village which is wiped out by the local Sky Lord. Taken as a slave, she swears vengeance... Well worth reading; highly recommended.

This book is very cool. it's about the sky lords(huge skyships) that has the people on earth under control, but one woman, Jan Dorvin, has the mision to destroy the skylord that is buging her town. this novel ocurs in a kind of apocaliptic world, what makes the book much interesting.

A MUST have for the Tolkien enthusiast. Totally concur with the first reviewer. Serious fans must get this book. Hard to find book since it is out of print.

A good book for the die-hard fan, lists on Gollum and everyone, like Elves, too. Definatelt worth the price, though, and a nice gem to the collection. (Yes! I'm the first reviewer!) Anyways, yes, it is a very good- yet old- book. But it's not dated or anything like that.

Well, what're ya waiting for? GO AND BUY IT!

What can I say? Just read it...gotta read it again

For those of you who are not Orthodox, this classical/sacred text is gateway to the Eastern Church. Composed more than 1550 years ago, Chrysostom's liturgy is indeed next to the Kingdom. The text is printed neatly in its oringinal Koine Greek and contemporary idiomatic English. Brethrens, come and enjoy the richness of God's grace expressed by the Eastern Orthodoxy! -- the "Formosan"

When I bought this book, I had no idea it was based on Zizioulas' doctoral thesis. Had I known that I probably would not have bought it. However, far from being a dry academic treatise on the Church, this book is one of the most magisterial and profound works I have ever had the pleasure of reading. The essential argument is that in the first centuries of the history of the Church, there did not exist the concept of the unseen, universal Church of which local Churches were "a part". The local Church WAS the Catholic Church by virtue of its celebration of the Eucharist under one Bishop. Zizioulas argues that it was only in the 4th century that the word "Catholic" when applied to the Church came to mean the Universal Church. Early on, "Catholic" was used in its Aristotelian sense of denoting "the whole" or the "fullness" of something. Hence, where Christ was present, there in the local Church was the Catholic Church. A most profound study that shakes modern conceptions of the Church at almost every turn.