The Wallet of Kai Lung
Encyclopedia
The Wallet of Kai Lung is a collection of fantasy
stories by Ernest Bramah
, all but the last of which feature Kai Lung
, an itinerant story-teller of ancient China
. It was first published in hardcover in London
by Grant Richards in 1900, and there have been numerous editions since. Its initial tale, "The Transmutation of Ling", was also issued by the same publisher as a separate chapbook in 1911. The collection's importance in the history of fantasy literature was recognized by the anthologization of two of its tales in the celebrated Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series
, edited by Lin Carter
and published by Ballantine Books
; "The Vision of Yin" in Discoveries in Fantasy
(March, 1972), and "The Transmutation of Ling" in Great Short Novels of Adult Fantasy Volume II
(March, 1973).
Although the collection is presented in the fashion of a novel, with each of its component stories designated chapters, there is no overall plot aside from each of the first eight tales being presented as narratives told by Kai Lung at various points in his itinerant career. The final tale is represented as being from a manuscript left by its own separate first-person narrator, Kin Yen.
for this story has expired in the United States, and thus now resides in the public domain
. The text is available via Project Gutenberg
.
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
stories by Ernest Bramah
Ernest Bramah
Ernest Bramah , born Ernest Brammah Smith, was an English author. He published 21 books and numerous short stories and features. His humorous works were ranked with Jerome K Jerome, and W.W. Jacobs, his detective stories with Conan Doyle, his politico-science fiction with H.G. Wells and his...
, all but the last of which feature Kai Lung
Kai Lung
Kai Lung is a fictional character in a series of books by Ernest Bramah, consisting of The Wallet of Kai Lung , Kai Lung's Golden Hours , Kai Lung Unrolls His Mat , The Moon of Much Gladness , Kai Lung Beneath the Mulberry Tree , Kai Lung: Six and Kai Lung Raises His...
, an itinerant story-teller of ancient China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. It was first published in hardcover in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
by Grant Richards in 1900, and there have been numerous editions since. Its initial tale, "The Transmutation of Ling", was also issued by the same publisher as a separate chapbook in 1911. The collection's importance in the history of fantasy literature was recognized by the anthologization of two of its tales in the celebrated Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series
Ballantine Adult Fantasy series
The Ballantine Adult Fantasy series was an imprint of Ballantine Books. Launched in 1969 , the series reissued a number of works of fantasy literature, which were out of print or dispersed in back issues of pulp magazines , in cheap paperback form—including works...
, edited by Lin Carter
Lin Carter
Linwood Vrooman Carter was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor and critic. He usually wrote as Lin Carter; known pseudonyms include H. P. Lowcraft and Grail Undwin.-Life:Carter was born in St. Petersburg, Florida...
and published by Ballantine Books
Ballantine Books
Ballantine Books is a major book publisher located in the United States, founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine with his wife, Betty Ballantine. It was acquired by Random House in 1973, which in turn was acquired by Bertelsmann AG in 1998 and remains part of that company today. Ballantine's logo is a...
; "The Vision of Yin" in Discoveries in Fantasy
Discoveries in Fantasy
Discoveries in Fantasy is an anthology of fantasy short stories, edited by Lin Carter. It was first published in paperback by Ballantine Books in March 1972 as the forty-third volume of its celebrated Ballantine Adult Fantasy series...
(March, 1972), and "The Transmutation of Ling" in Great Short Novels of Adult Fantasy Volume II
Great Short Novels of Adult Fantasy Volume II
Great Short Novels of Adult Fantasy Volume II is an anthology of fantasy novellas, edited by Lin Carter. It was first published in paperback by Ballantine Books as the fifty-sixth volume of its celebrated Ballantine Adult Fantasy series in March, 1973...
(March, 1973).
Although the collection is presented in the fashion of a novel, with each of its component stories designated chapters, there is no overall plot aside from each of the first eight tales being presented as narratives told by Kai Lung at various points in his itinerant career. The final tale is represented as being from a manuscript left by its own separate first-person narrator, Kin Yen.
Contents
- "The Transmutation of Ling"
- "The Story of Yung Chang"
- "The Probation of Sen Heng"
- "The Experiment of the Mandarin Chan Hung"
- "The Confession of Kai Lung"
- "The Vengeance of Tung Fel"
- "The Career of the Charitable Quen-Ki-Tong"
"First Period: The Public Official"
"Second Period: The Temple Builder" - "The Vision of Yin, the Son of Yat Huang"
- "The Ill-Regulated Destiny of Kin Yen, the Picture Maker"
Copyright
The copyrightCopyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
for this story has expired in the United States, and thus now resides in the public domain
Public domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
. The text is available via Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks". Founded in 1971 by Michael S. Hart, it is the oldest digital library. Most of the items in its collection are the full texts of public domain books...
.