The Last Unicorn

For the film based on the novel, see The Last Unicorn (film). For other uses, see The Last Unicorn (disambiguation).
The Last Unicorn
First edition dust jacket (Viking, 1968)[1]
AuthorPeter S. Beagle
Cover artistUnknown (depicted); Gervasio Gallardo (first paperback)[2]
LanguageEnglish
GenreFantasy
PublisherViking Press
Publication date
1968
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (hardcover)
Pages218 (first)[1]
248 (first paper)[2]
288 (Deluxe Ed.)
ISBN0-345-02892-9 [2] 978-0-7607-8374-0
LC ClassPZ4.B3657 Las PS3552.E13
Preceded by"The Woman Who Married the Man in the Moon" 
Followed by"Two Hearts" 

The Last Unicorn is a fantasy novel by American author Peter S. Beagle and published in 1968, by Viking Press in the U.S. and The Bodley Head in the U.K. It follows the tale of a unicorn, who believes she is the last of her kind in the world and undertakes a quest to discover what has happened to the other unicorns.[1] It has sold more than six million copies[3] worldwide since its original publication, and has been translated into at least twenty-five languages (prior to the 2007 edition).

In 1987, Locus ranked The Last Unicorn number five among the 33 "All-Time Best Fantasy Novels", based on a poll of subscribers;[4] it ranked number eighteen in the 1998 rendition of the poll.[5] It was recognized in 2024 as belonging to a "New Canon" of fantasy literature by Palgrave Macmillan, which published an academic study dedicated exclusively to it titled Peter S. Beagle's The Last Unicorn: A Critical Companion.

  1. ^ a b c The Last Unicorn title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database (ISFDB). Retrieved 2012-04-25.
  2. ^ a b c First paperback edition, February 1969, Ballantine Adult Fantasy, catalogue #345-01503. According to ISFDB the earliest contemporary ISBN for this edition is ISBN 0-345-02892-9 for the 4th printing, October 1972.
  3. ^ ""Last Unicorn" creator Peter S. Beagle recalls his novel, revives his film". The Denver Post. 2013-06-05. Retrieved 2022-10-10.
  4. ^ "Locus Poll Best All-time Novel Results: 1987, fantasy novels". Locus. Retrieved 2012-04-18. Originally published in the monthly Locus, August 1987.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
    • See also "1987 Locus Poll Award". ISFDB. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
  5. ^ The Locus Online website links multiple pages providing the results of several polls and a little other information. "The Locus Index to SF Awards: 1998 Locus All-Time Poll". Locus Publications. Archived from the original on 2004-01-13. Retrieved 2012-04-25. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)