Discovering Classic Fantasy Fiction: Essays on the Antecedents of Fantastic Literature is a compilation of critical essays exploring the roots and development of classic fantasy literature. Published in 1996, this anthology includes contributions from notable scholars and critics who examine the works of various influential authors in the fantasy genre. Included are: Introduction - Darrell Schweitzer Lord Dunsany: The Career of a Fantaisiste - S.T. Joshi James Branch Cabell: No Fit Employment for a Grown Man - Don D'Ammassa Mervyn Wall and the Comedy of Despair - Darrell Schweitzer John Collier, Fantastic Miniaturist - Alan Warren A. Merritt: A Dreamer and a Visionary - Jack L. Chalker Hope Mirrlees: Antiquarian and Innovator - Gary C. Hoppenstand E. R. Eddison: A Literary Biography - Brian Attebery Fritz Leiber and the New, Improved Weird Tale - Bruce Byfield The Secret Life of Arthur Machen - Mark Valentine Clark Ashton Smith: The Last of the Great Romantics - Steve Behrends Bibliographical Checklist of Critical Studies in Classic Fantasy Literature - Compiled by Marshall B. Tymn