The Crock of Gold (Paperback)

by James Stephens (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Meehawl MacMurrachu's old skinny cat kills a robin redbreast on the roof one day, forging the first link in a long, peculiar chain of events. For the robin redbreast is the particular bird of the Leprecauns of Gort na Gloca Mora, and the Leprecauns retaliate by stealing Meehawl MacMurrachu's wife's washing-board, and Meehawl asks the Philosopher who lives in the center of the pine wood called Coilla Doraca for advice in locating the washboard...and the chain leads on and on, up to Angus Og himself and to the country of the gods. Unique and inimitable, this is one of the great tales of our century. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Description
When their hidden gold is stolen, the leprechauns of Gort na Cloca seek revenge from local villagers. Captivating, unique fantasy, written by one of modern Ireland’s best-loved authors, abounds with bizarre adventures, curious characters, and weird sights. A wise and beautiful fairy tale for grown–ups, "full of sympathy and tenderness and sly satire, of merriment and of poetry."—The New York Times.


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Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (July 10, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486299317
• ISBN-13: 978-0486299310
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,300,541 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A genuine timeless classic., January 30, 2004

By	Sailoil (Dublin Ireland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crock of Gold (Hardcover)

James Stephens is one of the writers who produced the works that have come to be called the "Celtic Revival". In the late Victorian era writers in Ireland, Scotland and Wales had their own rennaisance of the classical works of medieval celtic literature. In Ireland this revival took on an added dimension as it became associated through figures such as Yeates and Maude Gonne with the struggle for Irish Independence. Ultimately the rediscovery of classical celtic poetry and prose gave a language, a history and a nationalistic justification to the rebels.

William Butler Yeates, John Millington Synge, Oliver St.John Gogarty, James Joyce and Samuel Beckett are all renowned worldwide for their contributions to international literature. Be it on stage or in prose, they brought a poetic flavour to their art, a free flowing and lilting verse that permeates all their work. This signature blank verse gives an ancient grandeur to the literature of the period, carrying echoes of the ancient celtic poets, and redolent of Chauser and Shakespeare.

James Stephens is less well known than his compatriots, but no lesser in quality. If anything his is the purest voice of the Celtic Revival. He is easily on a par with writers such as John Milton and Edmunde Spencer, who wrote similarly high works of art.

But the beauty of Stephens is that his subject is the folklore of daily Irish life. Happy and jolly tales of leperachauns and fairies, small events of great import, the philosophy of field and wood. It is at once grand and accessible. The tales have a childlike attraction and simplicity to them that is belied by the quality of the prose.

Whether reading for a bit of fantasy, a good laugh, or to study literature, you will not regret reading these tales.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Philosopher's Delightful Life-Companion, July 17, 1999

By A Customer

Pure free-poetry as only Stephens can do it, these pages have informed and nourished me--along with friends and lovers--for nearly fifty years: From the time when I first happily seduced my young wife by reading Chapter VI to her...to my having now become one of the Two Philosophers who continue its argument. I was overjoyed to find this edition back in print again, with its wood-block prints and original type plates still intact. Don't miss this one.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Irish traditional folktales with wit, humor and light., August 30, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: The Crock of Gold (Paperback)

The book is appealing on many levels. It has fantasy, mystery, myth and abundant humor. Most of the tales are mythical in nature. Some are fabricated tall tales. The writing is excellent, with rich detail expressed in terse language. A delight from cover to cover.