The first in a three-volume set collecting all of Lord Dunsany's club stories, as told by Jorkens. Long unavailable, and essential reading for all fans of classic fantasy. Introduction by Sir Arthur C. Clarke.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A collection of short story treasures,
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This review is from: The Collected Jorkens, Vol. 1: The Travel Tales of Mr. Joseph Jorkens and Jorkens Remembers Africa (Hardcover)
The 18th Lord Dunsany (d 1957) was an incredibly prolific writer who delved into poetry, plays, short stories, novels, essays, whatever. His prose work is characterized by two things: clever ideas and gorgeous English. He would get an idea--perhaps, while shooting snipe or fox-hunting, and then he'd dedicate himself (and the lives of family and servants) to its realization in whatever written medium seemed appropriate. One category of stories is probably best described as "lies." He felt a bit uncomfortable with the distance some of these tales achieved from plausibility, and so he put them into the mouth of a rather disreputable member of his club: Jorkens. Judging from the collection of stories (the writing of which spanned his entire prose career), Jorkens traveled everywhere in the world and did everything. I especially like story of the man who flew a biplane to Mars (the planets were fortuitously aligned) and what he finds there. Night Shade is publishing the entire collection of Jorkens stories, a great boon to those of us who either haven't been able to find copies of the originals or couldn't afford these now collector items.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic adventures,
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This review is from: The Collected Jorkens, Vol. 1: The Travel Tales of Mr. Joseph Jorkens and Jorkens Remembers Africa (Hardcover)
Fantastic tall-tales with low-key humor told by Jorkens at the Billiards Club. The old man's remembrances of unusual adventures at the edge of the world in the 1920s and 1930s are quite amusing. They include a story about a mermaid, adventures in Africa, and trees that are alive. Jorkens recounts his adventures for club members in return for a whiskey, and the club members are never quite sure how truthful he's being. This first collection by Nightshade of three volumes includes tales originally published as The Travel Tales of Joseph Jorkens (1931) and Jorkens Remembers Africa (1934).
I love the atmosphere of these stories. Dunsany knew how to grab readers at the start: The talk had veered round to runes and curses and witches, one bleak December evening where a few of us sat warm in easy chairs round the cheery fire of the Billiards Club. "Do you believe in witches?" one of us said to Jorkens. "It isn't what I believe in that matters so much" said Jorkens, "only what I've seen." How can you not read further after a beginning like this? Dunsany knew how to tell good stories. I quite enjoyed this collection of stories. If you like old ghost stories or Sherlock Holmes, you may enjoy Jorkens.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outrageous prices,
This review is from: The Collected Jorkens, Vol. 1: The Travel Tales of Mr. Joseph Jorkens and Jorkens Remembers Africa (Hardcover)
The Jorkens tales by Lord Dunsany are fun to read. However, the prices for vol. 1 in the series are just simply outrageous. If you do a search on Amazon you will find that you can buy original copies of the two Jorkens books (Travel Tales and Jorkens Remembers Africa) for less than what is being asked for the Night Shade Press reprint. Check your options before contributing to price inflation.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
When I met my friend Murcote in London he talked much of his Club. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
slugly beast, abu laheeb, golden gods, large whiskey, bare truth Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
The Trave, Joseph Jorkens, Billiards Club, Abdul Eblis, Joseyh Jorkens, Port Said, Lolo Molo, Red Sea, Jack Smith, Casa Viljeros, Dead Horse, Ned Boleby, South Africa, Ttie Trave, Grand Hotel, King of Sarahb, Ludd's Dun, White Nile, Arthur Tibbuts, Charing Cross Road, City of London, Cow Temple, Dick Isden, House of Egypt, Joseyti Jorkens New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
When I met my friend Murcote in London he talked much of his Club. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
slugly beast, abu laheeb, golden gods, large whiskey, bare truth Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
The Trave, Joseph Jorkens, Billiards Club, Abdul Eblis, Joseyh Jorkens, Port Said, Lolo Molo, Red Sea, Jack Smith, Casa Viljeros, Dead Horse, Ned Boleby, South Africa, Ttie Trave, Grand Hotel, King of Sarahb, Ludd's Dun, White Nile, Arthur Tibbuts, Charing Cross Road, City of London, Cow Temple, Dick Isden, House of Egypt, Joseyti Jorkens New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 7
books:
See all 7 books this book cites
- Tales of Three Hemispheres by Edward John Moreton Dunsany in Front Matter (1), and Front Matter (2)
- Tales of Three Hemispheres by Dunsany Lord Dunsany in Front Matter (1), and Front Matter (2)
- Tales of Three Hemispheres by Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett in Front Matter (1), and Front Matter (2)
- The Book of Wonder by Lord Dunsany in Front Matter (1), and Front Matter (2)
- The Charwoman's Shadow (Del Rey Impact) by Lord Dunsany in Front Matter
See all 7 books this book cites
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