The Crock of Gold

by James Stephens

Book Overview

When a crock of gold belonging to the leprechauns of Gort na Cloca disappears, strange things begin to happen. Brigid and Seumas, the children of Philosopher and the Thin Woman of Inis Magrath are kidnapped; and even more unusual, the ancient god Pam is seen playing in the fields
Attempting to find his children, the Philosopher undertakes a journey to seek the help of the mighty and mysterious god Angus Og. The journey abounds in fantastic adventures...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0486299317
• ISBN13: 9780486299310
• Release Date: November 2011
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.4" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

The audio version is a gem.

As other reviewers have said at length, The Crock of Gold is a fine read, no doubt. But it is at its best read aloud. If you can find the version read masterfully by (I think) Donal Donnelly, which was offered on cassette a few years ago, you are in for a treat. The language sings, and it is wonderful to hear the Gaelic names read aloud. Listening to this book is a rare pleasure.

A genuine timeless classic.

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.

So much to love!

If you revel in pagan dementia, and are in for a solid laugh, James Stephens's Crock of Gold will have you rolling. The words are poetry. The thoughts are strangely intellectual. The characters are truly from another dimension. A masterpiece like no other. Long live the Philosopher and his musings... "So saying, he returned his eyes to his nose, and his mind to his maxim, and lapsed to a profound reflection wherein nothing sat perched on insubstantiality, and the Spirit of Artifice goggled at the puzzle."Try that one at home!

The Philosopher's Delightful Life-Companion

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.

Irish traditional folktales with wit, humor and light.

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.