Charles Vess began his career in 1976 and has since gone on to become a premier fantasy illustrator. His most famous works are his collaborations with bestselling and award-winning writer Neil Gaiman; these include not just the Book of Ballads but also The Books of Magic, the acclaimed Sandman series and most famously of all, Stardust, turned into a movie by director Matthew Vaughn. Other writers contributing to the collection include Charles de Lint and Emma Bull, leading lights in the birth of the urban fantasy genre who both went on to become hugely successful novelists.