Search Worlds Without End

A glowing anthology of gems from the ancient writers, including excerpts from:

The Volsunga Saga
Beowulf
The Mabinogion
The Shah-Namah
The Kalevala
and many, many more.

The companion volume to "The Young Magicians." Edited and with introduction and notes by Lin Carter

Contents:

• 1 - Introduction: Over the Hills and Far Away - essay by Lin Carter
• 10 - The Ogre - (1961) - short story by unknown
• 30 - The High History of the Sword Gram - [Volsungs] - (1870) - short story by unknown
• 54 - Manawyddan Son of the Boundless - (1930) - short story by Kenneth Morris
• 64 - Puck's Song - (1905) - poem by Rudyard Kipling
• 67 - Barrow-Wight - juvenile - (1890) - short story by Sabine Baring-Gould [as by S. Baring-Gould]
• 73 - Fingal at the Siege of Carric-Thura - poem by James Macpherson
• 83 - The Sword of Avalon (excerpt from Le Morte d'Arthur) - short fiction by Sir Thomas Malory
• 98 - Tom O'Bedlam's Song - poem by Anonymous
• 102 - The Last Giant of the Elder Age - (1886) - short story by unknown (variant of Ilya of Murom the Peasant Hero, and Hero Svyatogor)
• 112 - The Lost Words of Power - poem by unknown
• 125 - Wonderful Things Beyond Cathay - (1895) - short story by unknown
• 135 - Prospero Evokes the Air Spirits (excerpt from The Tempest) - poem by William Shakespeare
• 138 - The Lords of Faerie (excerpt from The Faerie Queen) - (1953) - short fiction by Edmund Spenser
• 144 - Tales of the Wisdom of the Ancients - (1959) - short story by unknown
• 160 - The Magical Palace of Darkness (excerpt from Palmerin of England) - [Amadis de Gaula] - (1807) - short story by Francisco de Moraes
• 178 - Rustum Against the City of Demons - short story by Firdausi
• 197 - Childe Rolande to the Dark Tower Came - (1855) - poem by Robert Browning
• 203 - The Princess of Babylon (abridged) - (1885) - novella by Voltaire
• 275 - The Horns of Elfland - (1909) - poem by Alfred Tennyson [as by Alfred Lord Tennyson]

Contents:

• 1 - Diana's Foresters - essay by Lin Carter
• 8 - Rapunzel - (1858) - poem by William Morris
• 22 - The Sword of Welleran - (1908) - short story by Lord Dunsany
• 39 - In Valhalla (excerpt) - (1926) - short fiction by E. R. Eddison
• 45 - The Way of Ecben - [Biography of the Life of Manuel - 4.2] - (1929) - novelette by James Branch Cabell (variant of The Way of Ecben: A Comedietta Involving a Gentleman 1928)
• 86 - The Quest of Iranon - [Dream Cycle] - (1935) - short story by H. P. Lovecraft
• 96 - The Cats of Ulthar - [Dream Cycle] - (1920) - short story by H. P. Lovecraft
• 101 - The Maze of Maal Dweb - [Maal Dweb] - (1933) - short story by Clark Ashton Smith
• 121 - The Whelming of Oom - short story by Lin Carter
• 126 - Through the Dragon Glass - (1917) - short story by A. Merritt
• 144 - The Valley of the Worm - [James Allison] - (1934) - novelette by Robert E. Howard
• 170 - Heldendämmerung - (1964) - poem by L. Sprague de Camp
• 172 - Cursed Be the City - [Prince Raynor] - (1939) - novelette by Henry Kuttner
• 202 - Ka the Appalling - [Pusadian] - (1958) - novelette by L. Sprague de Camp
• 203 - Turjan of Miir - [Dying Earth] - (1950) - short story by Jack Vance
• 249 - Narnian Suite - (1953) - poem by C. S. Lewis
• 254 - Once Upon a Time - (1965) - poem by J. R. R. Tolkien
• 257 - The Dragon's Visit - (1937) - poem by J. R. R. Tolkien
• 263 - Azlon (from Khymyrium, a work in progress) - [Khymyrium] - short fiction by Lin Carter
• 276 - A Basic Reading List of Modern Heroic Fantasy - essay by Lin Carter

Contents:

• ix - Here There Be Dragons: An Introduction - essay by Lin Carter
• 3 - Introduction to the First Tale: How Nefer-Ka-Ptah Found The Book of Thoth - essay by Lin Carter
• 6 - How Nefer-Ka-Ptah Found the Book of Thoth - short story by Brian Brown
• 15 - Introduction to the Second Tale: The Descent of Ishtar to the Netherworld - essay by Lin Carter
• 20 - The Descent of Ishtar to the Netherworld - poem by Lin Carter
• 29 - Introduction to the Third Tale: Prince Ahmed and the Fairy Paribanou - essay by Lin Carter
• 33 - Prince Ahmed and the Fairy Paribanou - novelette by Antoine Galland (trans. of Histoire de prince Ahmed et de la fée Pari-Banou 1717) [as by Galland]
• 63 - Introduction to the Fourth Tale: The Talisman of Oromanes - essay by Lin Carter
• 65 - The Talisman of Oromanes: The Merchant Abudah's Adventure with the Ivory Box - novelette by Sir Charles Morell [as by uncredited]
• 111 - Introduction to the Fifth Tale: Wars of the Giants of Albion - essay by Lin Carter
• 114 - Wars of the Giants of Albion - short story by Wayland Smith
• 129 - Introduction to the Sixth Tale: Forty Singing Seamen - essay by Lin Carter
• 130 - Forty Singing Seamen - (1906) - poem by Alfred Noyes
• 137 - Introduction to the Seventh Tale: The Shadowy Lord of Mommur - essay by Lin Carter
• 141 - The Shadowy Lord of Mommur - novelette by Robert Steele
• 169 - Introduction to the Eighth Tale: Olivier's Brag - essay by Lin Carter
• 170 - Olivier's Brag - (1909) - short story by Anatole France (trans. of Le gab d'Olivier 1908)
• 181 - Introduction to the Ninth Tale: The White Bull - essay by Lin Carter
• 183 - The White Bull - (unknown) - novelette by Voltaire (trans. of Le taureau blanc 1774)
• 217 - Introduction to the Tenth Tale: The Yellow Dwarf - essay by Lin Carter
• 219 - The Yellow Dwarf - (1889) - novelette by Comtesse d'Aulnoy (trans. of Le nain jaune 1698) [as by Madame d'Aulnoy]
• 243 - Introduction to the Eleventh and Twelfth Tales: Arcalaus the Enchanter and The Isle of Wonders - essay by Lin Carter
• 247 - Arcalaus the Enchanter - short story by Vasco de Lobeira [as by uncredited]
• 262 - The Isle of Wonders - short story by Vasco de Lobeira [as by uncredited]
• 273 - Introduction to the Thirteenth Tale: The Palace of Illusions - essay by Lin Carter
• 276 - The Palace of Illusions - [Orlando Furioso] - (1516) - short story by Ludovico Ariosto
• 299 - A Concluding Word (Golden Cities, Far) - essay by Lin Carter

Contents:

• xi - Makers of Worlds - (1971) - essay by Lin Carter
• 3 - Zulkaïs and Kalilah - [Vathek] - (1909) - novelette by William Beckford (trans. of Histoire de la Princesse Zulkaïs et du Prince Kalilah 1912)
• 58 - Silence: A Fable - [Tales of the Folio Club] - (1903) - short story by Edgar Allan Poe (variant of Siope--A Fable 1838)
• 64 - The Romance of Photogen and Nycteris - (1879) - novelette by George MacDonald (variant of The History of Photogen and Nycteris: A Day and Night Mährchen)
• 113 - The Sphinx - (1894) - poem by Oscar Wilde
• 128 - The Fall of Babbulkund - (1907) - short story by Lord Dunsany
• 145 - The Green Meadow - (1918) - short story by Winifred V. Jackson and H. P. Lovecraft [as by Elizabeth Berkeley and H. P. Lovecraft]
• 154 - The Feast in the House of the Worm - (1970) - short story by Gary Myers (variant of The House of the Worm)
• 166 - Zingazar - (1971) - short story by Lin Carter
• 183 - A Wine of Wizardry - (1907) - poem by George Sterling
• 193 - The Garden of Fear - [James Allison] - (1934) - novelette by Robert E. Howard
• 213 - Jirel Meets Magic - [Jirel of Joiry] - (1935) - novelette by C. L. Moore
• 254 - Duar the Accursed - (1937) - novelette by Clifford Ball
• 279 - The Hashish-Eater - (1947) - poem by Clark Ashton Smith (variant of The Hashish-Eater: or, The Apocalypse of Evil 1922)
• 300 - The Party at Lady Cusp-Canine's - (1969) - short story by Mervyn Peake
• 313 - The Sword of Power (Excerpt from Khymyrium) - [Khymyrium] - (1971) - short fiction by Lin Carter

Table of Contents:

• About The Spawn of Cthulhu and H. P. Lovecraft - essay by Lin Carter
• The Whisperer in Darkness - (1931) - novella by H. P. Lovecraft
• An Inhabitant of Carcosa - (1886) - short story by Ambrose Bierce
• The Yellow Sign - (1895) - novelette by Robert W. Chambers
• Cordelia's Song: From the King in Yellow - (1938) - poem by Vincent Starrett
• The Return of Hastur - (1939) - novelette by August Derleth
• Litany to Hastur - (1965) - poem by Lin Carter
• The Children of the Night - (1931) - short story by Robert E. Howard
• K'n-yan - (1971) - poem by Walter C. DeBill, Jr.
• The Tale of Satampra Zeiros - (1931) - short story by Clark Ashton Smith
• The Hounds of Tindalos - (1929) - short story by Frank Belknap Long
• The Curse of Yig - (1970) - short story by H. P. Lovecraft and Zealia Bishop
• The Mine on Yuggoth - (1964) - short story by Ramsey Campbell

Contents:

• v - About The Firebird and Edmund Cooper: Phoenix Times Two - essay by Lin Carter
• ix - About From the World's End and Roger Lancelyn Green - essay by Lin Carter
• xi - About Double Phoenix - essay by Lin Carter
• 5 - The Firebird - novella by Edmund Cooper
• 93 - From the World's End - (1948) - novella by Roger Lancelyn Green

Contents:

• ix - Lost Worlds - essay by Lin Carter
• 7 - The Vision of Yin - [Kai Lung] - (1900) - short fiction by Ernest Bramah (variant of The Vision of Yin, the Son of Yat Huang)
• 26 - The Dragon of Chang Tao - [Kai Lung] - (1922) - novelette by Ernest Bramah (variant of The Story of Chang Tao, Melodious Vision and the Dragon)
• 62 - The Poet of Panopolis - (1888) - short story by Richard Garnett
• 78 - The City of Philosophers - (1888) - short story by Richard Garnett
• 104 - The Bird with the Golden Beak - (1931) - short story by Donald Corley
• 125 - The Song of the Tombelaine - (1927) - novelette by Donald Corley
• 154 - The Miniature - (1927) - short fiction by Eden Phillpotts

Contents:

• vii - Four Worlds of Wonder - essay by Lin Carter
• 5 - Wall of Serpents - [Incomplete Enchanter - 4] - novella by L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt (variant of The Wall of Serpents 1953)
• 93 - The Kingdom of the Dwarfs - novella by Anatole France (trans. of Abeille 1883)
• 169 - The Maker of Moons - (1896) - novella by Robert W. Chambers
• 231 - The Hollow Land - (1856) - novelette by William Morris
• 277 - Afterword (Great Short Novels of Adult Fantasy I) - essay by Lin Carter

Contents:

• vii - Four Worlds of Wonder (Great Short Novels of Adult Fantasy: Volume II) - essay by Lin Carter
• 1 - George Macdonald - The Woman in the Mirror (1858) - (1973) - essay by Lin Carter
• 3 - The Woman in the Mirror - (1858) - novelette by George MacDonald
• 25 - Robert W. Chambers - The Repairer of Reputations (1895) - (1973) - essay by Lin Carter
• 28 - The Repairer of Reputations - [King in Yellow (Chambers)] - (1895) - novelette by Robert W. Chambers
• 64 - Ernest Bramah - The Transmutation of Ling (1900) - (1973) - essay by Lin Carter
• 66 - The Transmutation of Ling - [Kai Lung] - (1900) - novella by Ernest Bramah
• 147 - Eden Phillpotts - The Lavender Dragon (1923) - (1973) - essay by Lin Carter
• 148 - The Lavender Dragon - (1923) - novel by Eden Phillpotts

IMAGINARY WORLDS is a book about fantasy, about the men who write it, and how it is written. It is a joyful excursion by a man who himself loves fantasy, into the origins and the magicks of such writers as Dunsany, Eddison, Cabell: it examines the rise of fantasy in the American pulp magazines and delights in the sturdy health of 'sword and sorcery': it looks with pleasure on the works of some modern masters and knowledgeably explores the techniques of world-making.

It is, in short, a happy exploration of worlds, and men, and writers, and writings, by an author whose enthusiasm for his subject is boundless -- and is thus a joyful guide for fantasy lovers everywhere.