Imaginary Worlds

Lin Carter has often gotten short shrift from the world of fantasy readers, but he deserves to be remembered, both as creator & historian. This is one of his finest books, one of the first attempts to write about heroic fantasy as a genre, providing an essential guide to the traditional & sometimes neglected masters of the craft. Highly opinionated, of course; but that's really part of its charm. And the final chapters, regarding the actual craft of writing fantasy, are still well worth reading. I only wish Carter had eventually expanded those chapters into a book of their own. Now out of print & hard to find, it's an important addition to the collection of any serious fantasy reader. Recommended!