Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, the Eighteenth Baron of Dunsany*, was born on this date in 1878. It just so happens I was reading a post over at David Haden’s excellent Tentaclii website and ran into this:

When I think of Dunsany, it is in terms of The Gods of the Mountain, ‘Bethmoora’, ‘Poltarnees, Beholder of Ocean’, ‘The City of Never’ [sic], ‘The Fall of Babbulkund’, ‘In the Land of Time’, and ‘Idle Days on the Yann.’

That passage can be found on page 354 in Selected Letters of H.P. Lovecraft Volume V. I don't know the date it was written nor to whom it was sent. HPL discovered Dunsany around 1919 and the Baron became an obsession of his from then on. Dunsany exerted a profound influence upon Lovecraft; an influence only exceeded by Poe.

I started reading Lord Dunsany a bit earlier than HPL, age-wise, partially due to the fact that I knew Lovecraft was a fan. Gods, Men and Ghosts (Dover) was my introduction--while still in high school--to the wonders of Dunsany. I still consider it one of the best one-volume collections of old Drax's fantastic fiction.

Lovecraft was a very astute critic of horror/weird/fantasy fiction. Thus, it is no surprise that his Dunsany recommendations are top-drawer.

The Gods of the Mountain is a play that Dunsany wrote during the height of his fantastical phase. Read it here.

"Bethmoora" is a 'Dreamlands' tale that Lovecraft incorporated into his own mythos in "The Whisperer in Darkness". It can be read here.

"Poltarnees, Beholder of Ocean" was a stand-out in 1910's A Dreamer's Tales. Read it here.

Dunsany's "How One Came, As Was Foretold, To the City of Never" was first published in The Book of Wonder. Read it here.

"The Fall of Babbulkund" is one of my favorite Dunsany tales. Read it here.

"In the Land of Time" first appeared in 1905's Time and the Gods. A fantasy classic. It can be read here.

Dunsany's "Idle Days on the Yann" is one of his most reprinted stories. This tale was referenced numerous times by Lovecraft in his letters. It can be read here.

I have no quibbles or complaints with HPL’s selections. Any of the tales listed would make a good introduction to Lord Dunsany’s body of work. Enjoy!

*His surname rhymes with “insaney”.