The Crock of Gold

Fantasy, mystery, satire, and poetry mingle in this 1912 masterpiece of the Irish comic tradition. A philosopher framed for murder, a woman seduced by Pan, and leprechauns who bring in the police to protect their gold feature in a novel praised as one of the underappreciated classics of the twentieth century.

Fantasy, mystery, satire, and poetry mingle in this 1912 masterpiece of the Irish comic tradition. A philosopher framed for murder, a woman seduced by Pan, and leprechauns who bring in the police to protect their gold feature in a novel praised as one of the underappreciated classics of the twentieth century.

James Stephens (1882-1950) was an Irish novelist and poet known for his lyrical and humorous retellings of Irish myths and fairy tales. Fearing he might not complete Finnegans Wake, James Joyce approached Stephens about helping to finish that mammoth work. A popular contributor to the BBC, Stephens’s works include Deirdre and Etched in Moonlight.