A Dreamer's Tales

A Dreamer's Tales is the fifth book by Irish fantasy writer Lord Dunsany, considered a major influence on the work of J. R. R. Tolkien, H. P. Lovecraft, Ursula K. Le Guin, and others. It was first published in hardcover by George Allen & Sons in September 1910, and has been reprinted a number of times since. Issued by the Modern Library in a combined edition with The Sword of Welleran and Other Stories as A Dreamer's Tales and Other Stories in 1917.

A Dreamer's Tales
First edition
AuthorLord Dunsany
IllustratorSidney Sime
CountryUK
LanguageEnglish
GenreFantasy
PublisherGeorge Allen & Sons
Publication date
1910
Media typePrint (hardback)
Preceded byThe Sword of Welleran and Other Stories 
Followed byThe Book of Wonder 

The book is actually Dunsany's fourth major work, as his preceding book, The Fortress Unvanquishable, Save for Sacnoth (March 1910), was a chapbook reprinting a single story from his earlier collection The Sword of Welleran and Other Stories (October, 1908).

In common with most of Dunsany's early books, A Dreamer's Tales is a collection of fantasy short stories.

Contents
  • "Preface"
  • "Poltarnees, Beholder of Ocean"
  • "Blagdaross"
  • "The Madness of Andelsprutz"
  • "Where the Tides Ebb and Flow"
  • "Bethmoora"
  • "Idle Days on the Yann"
  • "The Sword and the Idol"
  • "The Idle City"
  • "The Hashish Man"
  • "Poor Old Bill"
  • "The Beggars"
  • "Carcassonne"
  • "In Zaccarath"
  • "The Field"
  • "The Day of the Poll"
  • "The Unhappy Body"

Summaries

Poltarnees, Beholder of Ocean

In this story there is a mountain of which, if any man climbs, they never return; many have promised to come back after looking over the peak, but none have returned. There is one woman whose beauty is such that (in theory) a man would come back if promised her hand in marriage. So a man is sent to look over the mountain.

Blagdaross

An interesting tale of several objects coming alive.

The Madness of Andelsprutz

A tale in which a man visits a city and engages in conversation with two men as to whether or not the city of Andelsprutz is dead or was never alive then one of the men tells a tale of the city and how all cities have souls; he knows because he saw Andelsprutz's soul and engaged in a conversation with her.

Where the Tides Ebb and Flow


Sources
  • Joshi, S. T. (1993). Lord Dunsany: a Bibliography / by S. T. Joshi and Darrell Schweitzer. Metuchen, N.J.: The Scarecrow Press, Inc. p. 3.
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