title: Tales Before Tolkien: The Roots of Modern Fantasy
author:  Douglas A. Anderson 
description: Terry Brooks. David Eddings. George R. R. Martin. Robin Hobb. The top names in modern fantasy all acknowledge J. R. R. Tolkien as their role model, the author whose work inspired them to create their own epics. But what writers influenced Tolkien himself? Here, internationally recognized Tolkien expert Douglas A. Anderson has gathered the fiction of authors who sparked Tolkiens imagination in a collection destined to become a classic in its own right.<br><br>Andrew Langs romantic swashbuckler, The Story of Sigurd, features magic rings, an enchanted sword, and a brave hero loved by two beautiful women and cursed by a ferocious dragon. Tolkien read E. A. Wyke-Smiths The Marvelous Land of Snergs to his children, delighting in these charming tales of a pixieish people only slightly taller than the average table. Also appearing in this collection is a never-before-published gem by David Lindsay, author of <i>Voyage to Arcturus</i>,<i> </i>a novel which Tolkien praised highly both as a thriller and as a work of philosophy, religion, and morals.<br><br>In stories packed with magical journeys, conflicted heroes, and terrible beasts, this extraordinary volume is one that no fan of fantasy or Tolkien should be without. These tales just might inspire a new generation of creative writers.<br><br><br><b>Tales Before Tolkien: 22 Magical Stories<br><br></b>The Elves by Ludwig Tieck<br>The Golden Key by George Macdonald<br>Puss-Cat Mew by E. H. Knatchbull-Hugessen<br>The Griffin and the Minor Canon by Frank R. Stockton<br>The Demon Pope by Richard Garnett<br>The Story of Sigurd by Andrew Lang<br>The Folk of the Mountain Door by William Morris<br>Black Heart and White Heart by H. Rider Haggard<br>The Dragon Tamers by E. Nesbit<br>The Far Islands by John Buchan<br>The Drawn Arrow by Clemence Housman<br>The Enchanted Buffalo by L. Frank Baum<br>Chu-bu and Sheemish by Lord Dunsany<br>The Baumhoff Explosive by William Hope Hodgson<br>The Regent of the North by Kenneth Morris<br>The Coming of the Terror by Arthur Machen<br>The Elf Trap by Francis Stevens<br>The Thin Queen of Elfhame by James Branch Cabell<br>The Woman of the Wood by A. Merritt<br>Golithos the Ogre by E. A. Wyke-Smith<br>The Story of Alwina by Austin Tappan Wright<br>A Christmas Play by David Lindsay<br> <br><br><br>Once upon a time, fantasy writers were looked down upon by the literary mainstream as purveyors of mere escapism or, at best, bedtime tales fit only for children. Today fantasy novels stand atop the bestseller lists, while fantasy films smash box office records. Fantasy dominates the role-playing and computer gaming industries, and classic works in the genre are taught in schools and universities throughout the world. Credit for this amazing turnaround belongs to one man more than any other: John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, the beloved author of <i>The Hobbit</i> and <i>The Lord of the Rings</i>.<br><br>Terry Brooks. Robert Jordan. Terry Goodkind. George R.R. Martin. The top names in modern fantasy all acknowledge J.R.R. Tolkien as their model and master, the author whose work first fired their imaginations and inspired them to create their own epics. But what writers influenced Tolkien? Sir Isaac Newton once wrote, If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants. As with the scientific genius of Newton, so, too, with the literary genius of Tolkien. Now internationally recognized Tolkien expert Douglas A. Anderson has gathered the fiction of some of those giants together for the first time in a collection destined to become a classic in its own right.<br><br>In The Golden Key, the inspiration for Tolkiens short story <i>Smith of Wootton Major</i>, George Macdonald tells the tale of a boy whose quest for the end of the rainbow leads beyond the borders of the world. Andrew Langs romantic swashbuckler, The Story of Sigurd, features magic rings, an enchanted sword, and a brave hero loved by two beautiful womenand cursed by an evil dragon. Tolkien read E.A. Wyke-Smiths <i>Marvelous Land of Snergs</i> to his children, delighted with these charming tales of a pixieish people only slightly taller than the average table. Creatures with a fondness for human flesh are featured in Lord Dunsanys The Hoard of the Gibbelins, in which Alderic, a knight, sets out to rob the evil, man-eating Gibbelins of their fabled treasure-trove.<br><br>In stories packed with magical journeys, conflicted heroes, and terrible beasts, this extraordinary volume is one that no fan of fantasy or Tolkien should be without. These tales just might inspire a new generation of creative writers.
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  Tales of Lemuria
  
  
  Book Two: The Three Charms
  
  
  By
  
  
  Brian Spielbauer
  
  
  
  
  
  Copyright © 2018
  
  
  
  
  
  [Brian Spielbauer Facebook Fan
  Page](https://www.facebook.com/authorbrianspielbauer/)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  Introduction
  
  
  Brian first read The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings in sixth grade, and in those
  moments of deep reading, he fell in love with fiction, the fantasy world, and
  story-telling for the first time.
  
  
  “I really enjoy writing, and linking words and phrases together. Words can be
  very powerful, and move people to make changes in themselves, and have
  feelings,” Spielbauer said. “Often when we talk, we are not allowed to get our
  entire thoughts out to fully illustrate what we mean.”
  
  
  Inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, Spielbauer began writing down
  his own ideas for a story approximately eight years ago.
  
  
  “I loved the dwarves and wanted them to have larger parts in the [Lord of the
  Rings] books and movies,” Spielbauer said. “I thought this 