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