Dunsany ws very influentil in the genre of fantasy and science ficton, even before Jule Verne and HG Wells (I think he is considered by mny to be the father of modern ficton. I discovered a volume of his short stories about death when I was a child and was very impressed with it. Though he writes in a formal language, he manages to convey many ironies about his charecters, even in very short prose. I highly recomend all of his writings. It is important that his works be included in any thoughful library of early ficton. -William Posey