The Book of Wonder · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for The Book of Wonder by Lord Dunsany.
Chapter 1
Acknowledgments
The author thanks the editors of The Sketch and The Saturday Review for permission to reprint the tales in this collection, noting that some were abbreviated for publication and are now presented in full.
Chapter 2
The Book of Wonder
A collection of fantastical adventures set at the edge of the world, introducing various characters and their quests in a mythic, wonder-filled landscape.
Chapter 3
The Bride of the Man-Horse
On his 250th birthday, the centaur Shepperalk leaves his mother's cavern in the Athraminaurian mountains, taking a golden amulet and the silver horn of the centaurs. He gallops across the mundane plain, reveling in freedom and speed, passing through cities of men who tremble at the memory of ancient mythical wars. His goal is Zretazoola, the city of Sombelenë, a being of divine and mythical lineage, unwed and unwooed. He finds her temple by a lake, seizes her by the hair, and carries her away, blowing three blasts on his horn as his wedding bells.
Chapter 4
Distressing Tale of Thangobrind the Jeweller
Thangobrind, a renowned thief-jeweller, accepts a Merchant Prince's quest to steal the Dead Man's Diamond from the spider-idol Hlo-hlo. He successfully drugs the priests and steals the gem, but Hlo-hlo follows him. In a final battle on the narrow way, Thangobrind is overcome and hanged in place of a left-hand man, while the Merchant Prince's daughter becomes tediously respectable.
Chapter 5
The House of the Sphinx
The narrator arrives at the House of the Sphinx seeking shelter from a dark forest. The Sphinx and her attendants are in a state of dread following a mysterious 'deed,' and they fear the arrival of an 'arch-inquisitor of the forest.' The narrator attempts to help by oiling the lock, but the door is too decayed to hold. As a hideous laughter approaches, the narrator escapes through a back route, climbing down a pine tree into the forest, leaving the Sphinx to her uncertain fate.
Chapter 6
Probable Adventure of the Three Literary Men
Three thieves—Slith, Sippy, and Slorg—are sent by the nomadic tribe of Heth to steal the golden box containing priceless poems from the Owner of the Box, who lives in a rocky house beside the crack in the World. They navigate the perilous Dubious Land, avoid the mipt and a monstrous creature, and successfully retrieve the box. However, as they attempt to escape, a mysterious red light from an upper chamber pursues them. Sippy and Slorg panic, while Slith leaps into the abyss.
Chapter 7
The Injudicious Prayers of Pombo the Idolater
Pombo, an idolater in London, prays to many gods for a simple but necessary request, but is refused due to a breach of divine etiquette. After smashing his own idols in frustration, he consults an arch-idolater who directs him to a disreputable idol named Duth at World's End. Pombo journeys to the edge of the world, descends a stairway past Lonely House and Maharrion, but in his haste runs past Duth and falls off the world into the void.
Chapter 8
The Loot of Bombasharna
Captain Shard, a notorious pirate, decides to retire with his crew to a secret floating island he discovered years ago. Before settling, they sack the coastal city of Bombasharna, where Shard captures the Queen of the South. After a naval chase, they escape to the island, where they live for years, plundering occasionally. Shard tries to win the Queen's affection, but she remains morose, and he laments his ignorance of queens.
Chapter 9
Miss Cubbidge and the Dragon of Romance
On her eighteenth birthday, Miss Cubbidge of Prince of Wales' Square is abducted from her balcony by a golden dragon and carried away to the eternal, mystical lands of Romance by the sea. There she is kept not by chains but by an ancient spell, surrounded by fabled princes, elves, and gnomes who offer pearls and emeralds. She gradually forgets the modern world of politics and advertisements, living in a timeless twilight where the dragon's dreams shape the mist over the sea. Only one message reaches her from her old life—a note from a schoolfriend in Putney saying, 'It is not Proper for you to be there alone.'
Chapter 10
The Quest of the Queen's Tears
Queen Sylvia of the Woods sets a unique quest for her suitors: whoever can move her to tears will win her hand. Ackronnion, a king in disguise, devises a plan to obtain the tears of the Gladsome Beast, a joyful creature whose tears can inspire weeping in others. With the help of his knight Arrath and guidance from the Old Man Who Looks After Fairyland, Ackronnion uses his music to make the Beast weep, then Arrath slays it. Ackronnion collects the tears, drinks them, and sings before the court, moving everyone to tears except the Queen herself.
Chapter 11
The Hoard of the Gibbelins
Alderic, a knight driven by avarice, devises a cunning plan to rob the Gibbelins of their vast treasure. Instead of following the traditional advice of previous failed burglars, he tames a dragon, flies over the Unpassable Forest, swims the river, and tunnels into the tower from below. He breaches the emerald cellar, but the Gibbelins capture and hang him on the outer wall, ending the tale without a happy ending.
Chapter 12
How Nuth Would Have Practised His Art Upon the Gnoles
Mr. Nuth, a master burglar, takes on an apprentice named Tommy Tonker. After a successful heist at Lord Castlenorman's residence, Nuth plans an audacious burglary of the gnoles' secret house to steal their emeralds. Despite Tonker's misgivings, they venture into the dreadful wood. Tonker is captured by the gnoles, but Nuth escapes, as no one ever catches Nuth.
Chapter 13
How One Came, as Was Foretold, to the City of Never
The chapter recounts the prophecy and journey of a destined man who, using a magic halter given by an old woman, captures a hippogriff at dawn and rides to the legendary City of Never, a twilight city perched on the cliffs of Toldenarba. He passes the mysterious Under Pits, enters the city, and marvels at its agate streets and copper domes, but ultimately sees an even greater city beyond, which his mount refuses to approach, leaving his quest unfulfilled.
Chapter 14
The Coronation of Mr. Thomas Shap
Mr. Thomas Shap, a businessman, begins to escape his mundane life by imagining a fantastical Eastern city called Larkar, where he becomes king. His imagination grows increasingly vivid and consuming, leading him to neglect his real-world responsibilities. He eventually proclaims himself king over all the lands of Wonder and prepares for a grand coronation, but the chapter ends with him being told to go to bed in a mental institution.
Chapter 15
Chu-bu and Sheemish
The chapter tells the story of two idols, Chu-bu and Sheemish, placed in the same temple. Chu-bu, an older idol, becomes jealous when Sheemish is introduced and worshipped alongside him. Their rivalry escalates into a contest of miracles, each trying to cause an earthquake. Their conflicting wills inadvertently combine to produce a real earthquake that destroys the temple, burying both idols. The narrator later finds Chu-bu in the ruins and keeps him on his mantelpiece, occasionally praying to him in jest.
Chapter 16
The Wonderful Window
Mr. Sladden, a dreamy young man working at Messrs. Mergin and Chater, buys a magical window from an old man in the street. The window reveals a distant medieval city with golden dragon banners. He becomes obsessed with the city, but one day he sees it under attack. In a desperate attempt to help, he breaks the window, only to find his ordinary cupboard behind it, and the vision is lost forever.
Chapter 17
Epilogue
The narrator bids farewell to readers, hinting at future tales of gnomes robbing fairies, the fairies' vengeance, the King of Ool's insult to troubadours, and the troubadours' revenge through song, before returning to the Edge of the World.
Chapter 18
List of Illustrations
A listing of the illustrations that appear throughout the book, providing a visual index of key scenes and characters.
