The Tough Guide to Fantasyland

The Tough Guide To Fantasyland
First edition (UK)
AuthorDiana Wynne Jones
Cover artistSteve Crisp (first)
Tony Sahara (rev.)
LanguageEnglish
SubjectFantasy literature, adult fiction, parody
GenreDictionary
PublisherVista Books
Firebird Books (rev.)
Publication date
1996
2006 (rev.)
Publication placeUnited Kingdom
United States (revised)[1]
Media typePrint (paperback)
Pages223 pp
234 pp (rev.)
ISBN978-0-575-60106-2
OCLC34674975
828/.91407
LC ClassPR6060.O497 Z468 1996
(same) 2006
Followed byDark Lord of Derkholm (fiction) 

The Tough Guide to Fantasyland is a nonfiction book by the British author Diana Wynne Jones that humorously examines the common tropes of a broad swathe of fantasy fiction. The U.S. Library of Congress calls it a dictionary.[a] However, it may be called a fictional or parodic tourist guidebook. It was first published by Vista Books (London) in 1996. A revised and updated edition was completed in 2006 and published by Penguin (Firebird Books), first in the U.S.[1][b]

Jones has written many fantasy novels, mainly for children or young adults, including some that simply rely upon and some that subvert common fantasy motifs. (The) Dark Lord of Derkholm (1998) is one that subverts, and a conceptual sequel. It is set in a fantasy world that maintains the cliches detailed in the Tough Guide for the benefit of commercial tourism from our world.

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