"Conceived as the first of a two-volume set, the second to be entitled the St. James Guide to Horror, Ghost, and Gothic Writers," this volume concentrates on "'pure' fantasy: tales of magic, heroic fantasy, sword and sorcery, humorous fantasy, adult fairy tales, animal fantasy, timeslip romances, Arabian-Nights tales and chinoiserie, fantastic allegories, and fabulations."--Editor's note, p. vii.