The Story of the Glittering Plain: fully illustrated

The Story of the Glittering Plain (full title: The Story of the Glittering Plain which has been also called the Land of Living Men or the Acre of the Undying) was first printed in The English Illustrated Magazine in 1890, and then in book form the following year by William Morris’s private press, the Kelmscott Press. 23 illustrations were supplied by Walter Crane on a profit-sharing basis. These were wood engravings, in accordance with Morris’s commitment to techniques typical of early European book production.The novel is one of the first to unite an imaginary fantasy world with elements of the supernatural, and can thus be said to be a precursor of much of present-day fantasy literature. The story’s hero is Hallblithe: he sets off on a quest to rescue his fiancée, who has been kidnapped by pirates. His journey takes him to the utopian Land of the Glittering Plain, whose inhabitants are thought to be immortal.William Morris (1834-1896) is best known as a designer of fabrics, wallpaper, tapestries, furniture, and stained glass windows. He was also a poet, artist, novelist, architectural conservationist, printer, translator and socialist activist, in fact one of the most culturally significant figures of Victorian Britain. His literary works helped to establish the modern fantasy genre.Novels by William Morris published by orrydian and available on Amazon:News from Nowhere, ISBN 979-8353189534, ASIN: B0BFJDSZSGThe Story of the Glittering Plain, ISBN 979-8320885957, ASIN: B0CZ66XSB4The Sundering Flood, ISBN 979-8353615446, ASIN: B0BFVQ521YThe Well at the World’s End, ISBN 979-8449673756, ASIN: B09XLQ9HP3The Wood Beyond the World, ISBN 979-8353029618, ASIN: B0BFH6CJ6Zwww.orrydian.co.uk Read more