The Last Book of Jorkens
Encyclopedia
The Last Book of Jorkens is a collection of fantasy short stories
around the character Joseph Jorkens
by author Lord Dunsany
. First prepared for publication in early 1957, it was left unpublished on Dunsany's death later that year, and was finally issued in a limited first special edition only in 2002, and become widely available on its inclusion (together with the preceding book, Jorkens Borrows Another Whiskey
) in the later omnibus edition The Collected Jorkens, Volume Three, issued by Night Shade Books
in April, 2005.
The collection has an introduction by a curator at Dunsany, J.W. Doyle, who gives some background to the collection, which he discovered at Dunsany Castle in early 2001 (also in the 2000s finding an unpublished novel, poems and a few plays and other stories), and its existence seems to have been a surprise. The cover illustration is a full-bleed reproduction of a rare coloured Sidney Sime
work, one of three on the walls of Dunsany Castle, which illustrates one of the early Jorkens stories.
While most early Jorkens was magazine-published, and then collected, many of the stories in this volume appear to have been for book publication only, and so had not been seen in any form, and were something new for Dunsany fans. Under special provisions in law for first-published material, such stories enjoy extended copyright protection (in the USA until 2047, for example, or 2052 in Russia).
The Last Book of Jorkens was the sixth and last collection of Dunsany's Jorkens tales to be published. Despite the title (agreed by the publishers and the literary estate, as the author had not agreed a title with the potential publishers in the 1950s, the collection being referenced in house records only as "Some Further Adventures"), it did not include all of his previously uncollected Jorkens stories, four having been omitted, mostly from the earlier collections, and one more written after the collection was prepared for publication. These stories were finally brought together with the rest of the Jorkens tales in The Collected Jorkens; two of them in Volume Two, and the remaining three, including Dunsany's last Jorkens story, written within months of his death, in Volume Three.
The book collects twenty-two short pieces by Dunsany.
Short Stories
Short Stories may refer to:*A plural for Short story*Short Stories , an American pulp magazine published from 1890-1959*Short Stories, a 1954 collection by O. E...
around the character Joseph Jorkens
Joseph Jorkens
Joseph Jorkens, usually referred to simply as Jorkens, is the lead character in over 150 short stories written by the Irish author Lord Dunsany between 1925 and 1957...
by author Lord Dunsany
Edward Plunkett, 18th Baron Dunsany
Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany was an Irish writer and dramatist, notable for his work, mostly in fantasy, published under the name Lord Dunsany...
. First prepared for publication in early 1957, it was left unpublished on Dunsany's death later that year, and was finally issued in a limited first special edition only in 2002, and become widely available on its inclusion (together with the preceding book, Jorkens Borrows Another Whiskey
Jorkens Borrows Another Whiskey
Jorkens Borrows Another Whiskey is a collection of fantasy short stories, narrated by Mr. Joseph Jorkens, by author Lord Dunsany. It was first published in London by Michael Joseph in 1954. It was the fifth collection of Dunsany's Jorkens tales to be published...
) in the later omnibus edition The Collected Jorkens, Volume Three, issued by Night Shade Books
Night Shade Books
Night Shade Books is an independent publishing company based in San Francisco, specializing in science fiction, fantasy, and horror. It was started in 1997 by Jason Williams, with Jeremy Lassen coming on board as a partner shortly after the company's founding...
in April, 2005.
The collection has an introduction by a curator at Dunsany, J.W. Doyle, who gives some background to the collection, which he discovered at Dunsany Castle in early 2001 (also in the 2000s finding an unpublished novel, poems and a few plays and other stories), and its existence seems to have been a surprise. The cover illustration is a full-bleed reproduction of a rare coloured Sidney Sime
Sidney Sime
Sidney Sime was an English artist in the late Victorian and succeeding periods, mostly remembered for his fantastic and satirical artwork, especially his story illustrations for Irish author Lord Dunsany.-Early life:...
work, one of three on the walls of Dunsany Castle, which illustrates one of the early Jorkens stories.
While most early Jorkens was magazine-published, and then collected, many of the stories in this volume appear to have been for book publication only, and so had not been seen in any form, and were something new for Dunsany fans. Under special provisions in law for first-published material, such stories enjoy extended copyright protection (in the USA until 2047, for example, or 2052 in Russia).
The Last Book of Jorkens was the sixth and last collection of Dunsany's Jorkens tales to be published. Despite the title (agreed by the publishers and the literary estate, as the author had not agreed a title with the potential publishers in the 1950s, the collection being referenced in house records only as "Some Further Adventures"), it did not include all of his previously uncollected Jorkens stories, four having been omitted, mostly from the earlier collections, and one more written after the collection was prepared for publication. These stories were finally brought together with the rest of the Jorkens tales in The Collected Jorkens; two of them in Volume Two, and the remaining three, including Dunsany's last Jorkens story, written within months of his death, in Volume Three.
The book collects twenty-two short pieces by Dunsany.
Contents
- "A Fatal Mistake"
- "A Prophet Without Honour"
- "A Big Bang"
- "Jorkens’ Regret"
- "The Two Scientists"
- "The Lost Charm"
- "Bringing Things Up to Date"
- "A Snake Story"
- "The Deal"
- "In the Mojave"
- "A Modern Conqueror"
- "The Little Light"
- "Across the Colour Bar"
- "A Bit of Counter-Espionage"
- "A Wonderful Day"
- "Not Guilty"
- "The Explanation"
- "A Deal with a Witch"
- "Jorkens’ Dilemma"
- "A Plaything of Our Betters"
- "The Visitor"
- "On Wings of Song"
External sources
- Jorkens Compleat - review and contents lists of The Collected Jorkens by TexasBestGrok
- Trinity College, Dublin: Library Web Catalogue (Geoweb), checked 30 August 2007