Antiquities: Seven Stories [Hardcover]

John Crowley (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 100 pages
• Publisher: Incunabula; 1st edition (June 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0963363727
• ISBN-13: 978-0963363725
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,426,533 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John Crowley was born in the appropriately liminal town of Presque Isle, Maine, in 1942, his father then an officer in the US Army Air Corps. He grew up in Vermont, northeastern Kentucky and (for the longest stretch) Indiana, where he went to high school and college. He moved to New York City after college to make movies, and did find work in documentary films, an occupation he still pursues. He published his first novel (The Deep) in 1975, and his 14th volume of fiction (Lord Byron's Novel: The Evening Land) in 2005. Since 1993 he has taught creative writing at Yale University. In 1992 he received the Award in Literature from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters. He finds it more gratifying that almost all his work is still in print.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A lovely little collection, July 11, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Antiquities: Seven Stories (Hardcover)

Only 1,000 copies of this collection were printed in its trade edition, so it's hard to find. It contains the following stories: "The Green Child," a retelling of a medieval legend; "Missolonghi 1824," about Lord Byron; "Antiquities," an Edwardian traveller's tale; "The Reason for the Visit," about a visit from Virginia Woolf; "Her Bounty to the Dead," a ghost story; "Snow," an SF story; and "Exogamy," a modern fable.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Seven Dishes Cooked by Master Crowley., April 10, 2008

By 

Maximiliano F Yofre "Maxi" (Buenos Aires, Argentina) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Antiquities: Seven Stories (Hardcover)

I'm a confessed fan of John Crowley (1942). He is not a very prolific sci-fi and fantasy writer, only twelve novels between 1975 and 2007, but all his books have a very distinctive style. A very special and rich "taste" I risk to say. He surely more than compensates quantity by quality!


"Antiquities" is an almost unfindable short-story collection published in 1993 that bring together tales written between 1977 and 1993, allowing the reader to perceive and follow the author's evolution in that time period.

Each story may be tasted as a special dish cooked by the author to be served to literary gourmets.

"The Green Child" (1981) is a recreation of a medieval legend and shows a little image of those days daily life.

"Missolonghi 1824" (1990) let the readers perceive a semblance of Lord Byron controversial personality and at the same time reconstruct a mythological character. This multilayer characteristic of the tale is Crowley's trade mark.

"Antiquities" (1977) is a fascinating story about a mysterious "disease" that overcomes a small village in England. IMHO it is one of the best narrations of this book.

"The Reason for the Visit" (1980) depicts an interesting situation that may give way in the future to many similar encounters. Alas, as my knowledge of the main character is scarce, I wasn't able to fully appreciate this tale.

"Her Bounty to the Dead" (1978) is the most representative of the author's style, full of tenderness and nostalgia combined with a poignant conclusion.

"Snow" (1985) the most definite sci-fi narration of the collection and nevertheless a deep meditation about life, death and memory.

"Exogamy" (1993) IMHO is the weakest of the stories hear to be read describing a more oneiric backdrop but going nowhere.

I really love Crowley's writing style, showing a deep connection with existentialism, hippie movement and mysticism.

Enjoy this good collection!
Reviewed by Max Yofre.

5.0 out of 5 stars Seven Gems by Master Crowley., November 27, 2009

By 

Maximiliano F Yofre "Maxi" (Buenos Aires, Argentina) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: ANTIQUITIES: Seven Stories. (Hardcover)

I'm a confessed fan of John Crowley (1942). He is not a very prolific sci-fi and fantasy writer, only twelve novels between 1975 and 2007, but all his books have a very distinctive style. A very special and rich "taste" I risk to say. He surely more than compensates quantity by quality!

"Antiquities" is an almost unfindable short-story collection published in 1993 that bring together tales written between 1977 and 1993, allowing the reader to perceive and follow the author's evolution in that time period.

Each story may be tasted as a special dish cooked by the author to be served to literary gourmets.

"The Green Child" (1981) is a recreation of a medieval legend and shows a little image of those days daily life.

"Missolonghi 1824" (1990) let the readers perceive a semblance of Lord Byron controversial personality and at the same time reconstruct a mythological character. This multilayer characteristic of the tale is Crowley's trade mark.

"Antiquities" (1977) is a fascinating story about a mysterious "disease" that overcomes a small village in England. IMHO it is one of the best narrations of this book.

"The Reason for the Visit" (1980) depicts an interesting situation that may give way in the future to many similar encounters. Alas, as my knowledge of the main character is scarce, I wasn't able to fully appreciate this tale.

"Her Bounty to the Dead" (1978) is the most representative of the author's style, full of tenderness and nostalgia combined with a poignant conclusion.

"Snow" (1985) the most definite sci-fi narration of the collection and nevertheless a deep meditation about life, death and memory.

"Exogamy" (1993) IMHO is the weakest of the stories hear to be read describing a more oneiric backdrop but going nowhere.

I really love Crowley's writing style, showing a deep connection with existentialism, hippie movement and mysticism.

Enjoy this good collection!

Reviewed by Max Yofre.