The Untidy Gnome

More than fifty specialists have contributed to this new edition of volume 4 of The Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature. The design of the original work has established itself so firmly as a workable solution to the immense problems of analysis, articulation and coordination that it has been retained in all its essentials for the new edition. The task of the new contributors has been to revise and integrate the lists of 1940 and 1957, to add materials of the following decade, to correct and refine the bibliographical details already available, and to re-shape the whole according to a new series of conventions devised to give greater clarity and consistency to the entries.

A comprehensive study of children's fantasy literature across the English-speaking world, from the sixteenth century to the present.

This is a magical story set in an overgrown garden the size of a field where one very lonely, sometimes grumpy gnome wishes things were different. Although he wants his garden to be a beautiful place where he can sit, he works with wood all day and does not know how to change the wild growth into something wonderful and inviting. One day, a green-fingered Fairy Princess comes to stay in the Gnome’s cottage, and with a little hard work, a little magic and a little assistance from Mark-o’-the-Wisp who lives next door transforms his wilderness into a gorgeous garden. Along the way, the Fairy Princess helps the Gnome make friends with his neighbours and other locals, and even encourages a furry feline housemate! Touching on themes such as the importance of friendship and the wonder of nature against the backdrop of the seasons, The Grumpy Gnome’s Garden will be loved by children aged 4 upwards. For anyone who loves nature, this modern fairytale is an enchanting read for children and adults to share.

A cave in leads the Tim Crockett on the adventure of his life, meeting strange gnomes and their mad king.

Gnomes are a form of people resembling small, squat humans with a preference for long hats and sturdy clothing, but that’s where the similarity with humankind starts and ends... Gnomes... Friendly, harmless little beings who hide away in remote places and entertain themselves by fishing for no fish while perched on toadstool? Not this lot! The everyday lives of James and Alison Allison become a theatre of chaos and carnage when a group of small, but highly evolved creatures, invade their home. Calling themselves gnomes, they are a mixed bunch, including the compassionate, philosophical Cedric, the ever-inventive Archibald, the grumpy Joshua, the flirty Florence and a moody manic called Ernest and his eternally bored, cranially challenged wife Gertie. But what is the reason for their intrusion? Are they merely intent on emptying every bottle of wine in Cleakheaton? Or is there a more sinister motive? For almost a year, James and Alison endure a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs, including an attempted kidnapping, regular journeys to the beer, wines and spirits aisle of the supermarket and occasional near-death experiences. Yet despite the traumas, James grows fond of the strange little fellows, while Alison grows increasingly weary of the unwanted guests. As her resentment simmers, the story takes an unexpected turn... Gnomes: An Adult ’airy Tale is a hilarious and imaginative story of the mishaps that occur when modern and magical worlds collide that will captivate all fans of fantasy.

There was a time when the Earth had three moons, and when the seductive sorceress Avalona could alter futures and bend "happentracks" with her spells. Indeed, in this vast chaotic universe called the Greataway, with its many imaginable futures, anything is possible. Especially when Nyneve, Avalona's bewitching human disciple, conjures up the complete legend of Camelot and when the roguish gnome Fang, slayer of the dread daggertooth, stumbles into the human happentrack, causing human and gnome worlds to overlap. For then the moons begin to disappear one by one, and Fang, Nyneve, and all their comrades find themselves caught in a happentrack from which there is no escape, a happentrack in which the legend of Arthur might prove their only salvation...