The book collects sixteen tales and excerpts from novels by various fantasy authors, with an overall introduction and notes on the individual authors by Carter. The collection is a companion volume to Carter's earlier anthology Kingdoms of Sorcery (1976).

• "Introduction: The Horns of Elfland" (Lin Carter)
• I. Fantasy as Legend

• "Lord Dunsany" (Lin Carter)
• "The Hoard of the Gibbelins" (Lord Dunsany)
• "The Doom That Came to Sarnath" (H. P. Lovecraft)
• "H. P. Lovecraft" (Lin Carter)
• "Robert Bloch" (Lin Carter)
• "Black Lotus" (Robert Bloch)
• "Gary Myers" (Lin Carter)
• "The Gods of Earth" (Gary Myers)

• II. Fantasy as Satire

• "Richard Garnett" (Lin Carter)
• "The City of Philosophers" (Richard Garnett)
• "James Branch Cabell" (Lin Carter)
• "Some Ladies and Jurgen" (excerpt from Jurgen) (James Branch Cabell)
• "Donald Corley" (Lin Carter)
• "The Book of Lullûme" (Donald Corley)

• III. Fantasy as Romance

• "H. Rider Haggard" (Lin Carter)
• "The Descent Beneath Kôr" (excerpt from She) (H. Rider Haggard)
• "A. Merritt" (Lin Carter)
• "The Whelming of Cherkis (excerpt from The Metal Monster) (A. Merritt)
• "Hannes Bok" (Lin Carter)
• "How Orcher Broke the Koph (excerpt from The Sorcerer's Ship) (Hannes Bok)

• IV. Fantasy as Adventure Story

• "Robert E. Howard" (Lin Carter)
• "Swords of the Purple Kingdom" (Robert E. Howard)
• "Clifford Ball" (Lin Carter)
• "The Goddess Awakes" (Clifford Ball)
• "C. L. Moore and Henry Kuttner" (Lin Carter)
• "Quest of the Starstone" (C. L. Moore and Henry Kuttner)

• V. New Directions in Fantasy

• "Jack Vance" (Lin Carter)
• "Liane the Wayfarer" (Jack Vance)
• "Michael Moorcock" (Lin Carter)
• "Master of Chaos" (Michael Moorcock)
• "Roger Zelazny" (Lin Carter)
• "Thelinde's Song" (Roger Zelazny)

• "Other Realms of Wizardry: Suggestions for Further Reading" (Lin Carter)