Four fairy tales featuring a stupid coppersmith's son, a witch unhappy in her profession, a gnome with power to change things, and a fat, bespectacled Jewish boy who hopes to marry a princess.

The classic children’s collection: four fantastical stories filled with wit and wisdom, humor and heart In this wonderful collection of fairy tales, John Gardner turns a timeless tradition into a topsy-turvy whirlwind. In the title story, a kindly simpleton unwittingly becomes sovereign of an avian race. A wicked witch seeks a new profession—and, thus, identity—in “The Witch’s Wish.” In “The Pear Tree,” a sweet young boy is rewarded for his good deeds. And “The Gnome and the Dragon” presents a realm so mixed-up not even the reader can distinguish reality from illusion. With tongue-in-cheek wit and laugh-out-loud humor, Gardner has created a world that will delight readers of all ages.

A series of short stories in which the fantastic joins comedy and horror. Themes such as aliens, cannibals, psychopaths, vampires, ghosts, zombies, dealing with the devil, buried people alive and eternal beings, are developed in a very peculiar way, demonstrating that already known stories can be retold endlessly in very different ways, without losing originality.

Like its companion volume, "The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction", this massive reference of 4,000 entries covers all aspects of fantasy, from literature to art.

Survey of twentieth century English-language writers and writing from around the world, celebrating all major genres, with entries on literary movements, periodicals, more than 400 individual works, and articles on approximately 2,400 authors.

First published in 1987. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.