Discovering Classic Fantasy Fiction: Essays on the Antecedents of Fantastic Literature is a compilation of critical essays exploring the roots and development of classic fantasy literature. Published in 1996, this anthology includes contributions from notable scholars and critics who examine the works of various influential authors in the fantasy genre.

Included are:

Introduction - Darrell SchweitzerLord Dunsany: The Career of a Fantaisiste - S.T. JoshiJames Branch Cabell: No Fit Employment for a Grown Man - Don D'AmmassaMervyn Wall and the Comedy of Despair - Darrell SchweitzerJohn Collier, Fantastic Miniaturist - Alan WarrenA. Merritt: A Dreamer and a Visionary - Jack L. ChalkerHope Mirrlees: Antiquarian and Innovator - Gary C. HoppenstandE. R. Eddison: A Literary Biography - Brian AtteberyFritz Leiber and the New, Improved Weird Tale - Bruce ByfieldThe Secret Life of Arthur Machen - Mark ValentineClark Ashton Smith: The Last of the Great Romantics - Steve BehrendsBibliographical Checklist of Critical Studies in Classic Fantasy Literature - Compiled by Marshall B. Tymn