William Morris is the man generally credited with originating the genre of modern heroic fantasy. A man of many achievements-poet, novelist, artist, designer, and printer of fine books-he is chiefly remembered as a designer of furniture, tapestries, wallpaper, and other decorative objects, and as the author of a number of novels set in almost-medieval but imaginary worlds of great beauty. These prose romances have influenced many writers of fantasy, such as Lord Dunsany, C S Lewis, J R R Tolkien, and continue to delight new generations of readers with their flights of high adventure in strange lands, their beautiful maidens, and stalwart heroes.