Description
Kidnapped, The Prisoner of Zenda, The Island of Dr. Moreau, Kim, Ghost Stories of an Antiquary, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Trent’s Last Case, Captain Blood, The Enchanted Castle, The Man Who Was Thursday—these are just a few of the many wonderful works reclaimed for 21st-century readers in Michael Dirda’s The Great Age of Storytelling. Focusing on the period between 1880 and 1930 in England, The Great Age of Storytelling is both a celebration of some of the world’s best “comfort reading” and an introduction to many of the foundational masterpieces of modern genre literature.
Known for his engagingly conversational style, Dirda, a longtime book columnist for The Washington Post, also champions lesser-known works deserving renewed attention today. Readers will be introduced to the thrilling historical romances of Stanley J. Weyman, Richard Marsh's daringly transgressive and macabre chiller, The Beetle (which appeared the same year as Dracula and outsold it), Walter Besant's The Revolt of Man, which reverses the traditional roles of the sexes, and the comic novels of F. Anstey, Barry Pain, J. Storer Clouston and other precursors of P.G. Wodehouse (whose early work is also included).
And that's just a beginning. Who can forget those sinister yet beguiling rivals of Arthur Conan Doyle's Professor Moriarty such as Guy Boothby's suave Dr. Nikola, Sax Rohmer's insidious Dr. Fu Manchu, Elizabeth Thomasina Meade and Robert Eustace's beautiful and ruthless Madame Koluchy, or Anthony Skene's world-weary Monsieur Zenith? There are appreciations, too, of E.R. Eddison's epic The Worm Ouroboros, E.A. Wyke-Smith's The Marvellous Land of Snergs (which influenced Tolkien's The Hobbit), Margaret Irwin's poignant time-slip romance, Still She Wished for Company, and, not least, such cautionary fables as Owen Gregory's Mecannia, the Super-State and Katharine Burdekin's prescient Swastika Night.
Capacious and absorbing, The Great Age of Storytelling can be enjoyed both for the pleasure of Dirda's bookish company and as a guide to a lost world of compulsively entertaining fiction. As admirers of Michael Dirda's earlier books know—these include Browsings, Classics for Pleasure and Bound to Please, among others—he has devoted his life to promoting reading, especially the reading of the great works of the past. The Great Age of Storytelling may be his magnum opus.
Product Details
Writer: Dirda, Michael
Release Date: 2027-01-12
FOC Date: 2026-12-08
Page Count: 560
All comics ship bagged and boarded.
SKU: 9798897106318
Barcode: 9798897106318
NZ Best Price.
We price match + give Pop Perks.
1400+ 5 Star Reviews
Our reviews are independently verified by Judge.me
90-Day Returns (*1)
Return your items hassle free for a full refund. Items must be unopened/unread.
Similar To The Great Age Of Storytelling: The Glory Days Of Adventurers And Rogues, Time Travelers And Great Detectives:
Recently viewed
Shipping
No, we ship all over the great country of New Zealand. Shipping starts from $4.50 for most of Christchurch, $8.50 for NZ and $13 for Rural delivery and will be shown at checkout.
It depends on where you are. From the moment your order has been packed and processed by Pop Weasel it will take 3-4 business days to arrive.
Rural
Rural deliveries will add an extra 2-3 days.
Availability & Delivery
Please refer to the product page for specific delivery timeframes and estimates, such as Available From Supplier or a listed Release Date. These details come directly from our suppliers and can change frequently.
Once the item arrives at Pop Weasel, we’ll carefully pick, pack, and ship your order via your chosen delivery method.
All timeframes are estimates only and may vary.
Delivery details will be provided in a tracking information email.
We use NZ Post. Christchurch Deliveries maybe hand delivered.
Pop Weasel Guarantees
We always aim for make sure our customers love their orders, but if you do need to return an order, we’re happy to help. Just email us directly and we’ll take you through the process. Pop Weasel has a 90 day return guarantee for unused items. If your item has been opened get in contact and we will work with you to resolve any issues. Our terms exclude special order items which we deal with on a case by case basis.
Our Price Guarantee
* If you find a lower price on an in stock identical product, we will beat it by 5% and give you our famous Pop Perks.
Excludes special order, quotes, on account (credit and cash) purchases, stock liquidations and commercial quantities.
The same product must be available to you for delivery or collection and must be in-stock within New Zealand at the competitor. Includes GST and delivery charges. Price matches are limited to one per person per product.
About Pop Weasel
Pop Weasel has a team of 4 who all enjoy Pop Culture. We are based in Christchurch and enjoy spending time playing board games, reading and just hanging out.
We love reading and the story telling that goes into comics, graphic novels and manga inspired us to open a comic book store to help share that passion with others.
We sell online only allowing us to offer some of the best deals around. Pop Weasel is a comic bookshop based in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Any other questions?
If we still haven't answered your question, you can contact us below and we will get back to you as soon as possible.