The book collects sixteen tales and excerpts from novels from five varieties of fantasy writing, with an overall introduction and notes on the individual authors by Carter. The collection is a companion volume to Carter's later anthology Realms of Wizardry (1976).

• "Magic Casements: An Introduction" (Lin Carter)
• I. The Forerunners of Modern Fantasy

• "The History of Babouc the Scythian" (Voltaire)
• "The Palace of Subterranean Fire" - from Vathek (William Beckford)
• "The Witch Woman" - from Lilith (George Macdonald)

• II. Fantasy as Saga

• "The Folk of the Mountain Door" (William Morris)
• "A Night-Piece on Ambremerine" - from Mistress of Mistresses (E. R. Eddison)
• "Dr. Meliboë the Enchanter" - from The Well of the Unicorn (Fletcher Pratt)
• "The Two Best Thieves in Lankhmar" - from Swords Against Wizardry (Fritz Leiber)

• III. Fantasy as Parable

• "Shadow and Silence" (Edgar Allan Poe)
• "Fables from the Edge of Night" (Clark Ashton Smith)
• "The Tomb of the God" (Robert H. Barlow)

• IV. Fantasy as Anecdote

• "Merlyn Vs. Madame Mim" - from The Sword in the Stone (T. H. White)
• "The Owl and the Ape" (L. Sprague de Camp)
• "The Twelve Wizards of Ong" (Lin Carter)

• V. Fantasy as Epic

• "Deep Magic from the Dawn of Time" - from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
• "The Bridge of Khazad-Dûm" - from The Fellowship of the Ring (J. R. R. Tolkien)
• "The Story of the Blessing of El-Ahrairah" - from Watership Down (Richard Adams)

• "More Magic Casements. Suggestions for Further Reading" (Lin Carter)