So, I just became aware last week through an email from a reader (thanks Paul W.) that the links to all the CLASSICS OF FANTASY articles on my website no longer function. Instead of the article in question, clicking on each link merely brings you to the Wizards of the Coast's book website. The same is true of my movie review of THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, although the review itself turns out to still be up there (cf. http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/dx20020111x ) -- oddly enough, the links for my reviews of THE TWO TOWERS and THE RETURN OF THE KING are still functioning.
Luckily, a quick online search revealed that the folks at EN World have recently revived ("necro'd") an old discussion thread about my column, and in one comment there a poster ("Plane Sailing") provides links to four of the articles which are still available online: the IVth (Leiber), Xth (Le Guin), XVth (Clark Ashton Smith), and XVIIth (Tolkien).
http://www.enworld.org/forum/media-lounge-off-topic/76014-classics-fantasy-5.html
While I'm certainly pleased that these have been archived by web.archive.org, I'm naturally perturbed that the other fourteen don't seem to be available. If anyone is aware of their being archived elsewhere, I'd appreciate your letting me know so I can get those broken links on my main webpage fixed.
So, bear with me while I work to find a solution to this. Given how much work I put into these, I'd like them to be available for anyone interested in those authors, or indeed in classic fantasy, if there's a way to arrange it.
I've also been thinking of reviving the series on my own website, possibly on a quarterly rather than monthly schedule (since monthly pieces wdn't leave enough time for all the other things I'm working on; there are a LOT of pieces I want to write, now that I've finally gotten MR. BAGGINS out of my system). Likely forthcoming authors if the series were to be revived ('in queue', as it were) include Rbt E. Howard (CONAN), Jack Vance (THE DYING EARTH), and James Branch Cabell (THE MIND OF MANUEL). I'd probably also expand the focus a bit to include some more recent authors worthy to stand in the company of such classics, like Gaiman and Pullman and Kay.
We'll see.
--John R.
current reading: REFLECTIONS ON THE PSALMS (CSL)
current audiobook: THE PSALMS, THE IMPERIAL CRUISE
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ReplyDeleteI'm not sure how much use it would be, but www.archive.org has something called the "Wayback Machine" where you put in a broken link & it will sometimes produce the page. (Right-click the broken link, select "save shortcut" from the dropdown menu, then paste into the Wayback machine's search field.) It doesn't cover everything, but it might be worth a shot. Good luck!
ReplyDeletePost edited for clarity.
Whoops! Should be "copy shortcut"
ReplyDeleteLots of "senior" moments lately! :)
Using the list of links provided by user "Morkul" under "Plane Sailing"'s post, I was able to pull all of them up using the "Wayback Machine". Hope I understood correctly & these are actually what you were looking for-
ReplyDeleteThe Worm Ouroboros - http://web.archive.org/web/20070210224609re_rn_2/ww2.wizards.com/books/Wizards/default.aspx?doc=main_classicworm
Hobberdy Dick - http://web.archive.org/web/20050908234729/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=books/main/classicshobberdy
The Books of Wonder- http://web.archive.org/web/20050102084819/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=books/main/classicsdunsany
The Book of Three Dragons- http://web.archive.org/web/20041205222456/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=books/main/classicsbook3dragons
Watership Down- http://web.archive.org/web/20071013212552rn_2/ww2.wizards.com/books/Wizards/default.aspx?doc=main_classicswatership
The Night Land - http://web.archive.org/web/20050415071226/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=books/main/classicsnightland
The Face in the Frost -http://web.archive.org/web/20050301081548/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=books/main/classicsfacefrost
The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath - http://web.archive.org/web/20050420213420/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=books/main/classicsdreamquest
Bridge of Birds - http://web.archive.org/web/20041205023557/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=books/main/classics8
A Voyage to Arcturus - http://web.archive.org/web/20050525021715/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=books/main/classics3
Silverlock - http://web.archive.org/web/20060117155601/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=books/main/silverlock
Collected Ghost Stories - http://web.archive.org/web/20050606080158/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=books/main/ghoststories
The Forgotten Beasts of Eld - http://web.archive.org/web/20041205021125/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=books/main/classics2
The Well At the World's End - http://web.archive.org/web/20050420194932/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=books/dnd/classics
Glad to see these might be accessible again. I enjoyed reading the reviews when I stumbled accross them first. I'd probably never have read 'The Face in the Frost' without reading your review.
ReplyDelete