From the advent of the first works of literature many millennia ago, writers have used imaginary worlds both to entertain their readers and to examine concepts, highlight key issues and consider their personal beliefs about the society, natural surroundings and experience of being of which they are a part. Lovingly researched and beautifully produced, Literary Wonderlands explores the most fantastic and influential fictional worlds in literary history and delves into the captivating features of their formation – from the writer’s own lives to the relevance of their fiction within a broader social context and the meaning that can be extracted from the details of their composition. This truly global collection draws on texts from around the world, spanning over two thousand years of creative endeavour to offer up enchanting and universally appealing tales of imaginary worlds, old and new. Roaming from well-known worlds to less traversed terrain, Literary Wonderlands is a fascinating read for anyone who has ever been transported to another place through the power of the written world.