The Crock of Gold
#7243.88 adjusted 3.91 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 1912 Reading commitment Low James Stephens Last reviewed 2026-11-02
Overview
The Crock of Gold is a standalone comic novel by the Irish writer James Stephens, published by Macmillan in 1912. It mixes philosophy, Irish folklore and the supernatural. An elderly Philosopher sets out to rescue a farmer's daughter, Caitilin Ni Murrachu, after the Greek god Pan lures her away. His travels bring him to Angus Og, while the leprechauns, who have had a crock of gold stolen, become entangled with the police and with the Philosopher's household. Stephens wrote no sequel.
Mythic fantasy, Comic fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
The Crock of Gold James Stephens
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Crock of Gold | 1912 | 1 | core | 3.88 (967 ratings) |
A standalone comic fantasy novel drawing on Irish folklore and Greek myth.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Crock of Gold? The Crock of Gold's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is The Crock of Gold finished? Complete (1912).
- How much reading does The Crock of Gold take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book).
- How is The Crock of Gold ranked? #724 in this site's official ranking, based on 967 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #724?
Ranked #724 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.88 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (967 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- 0.02 behind #723, The Braided Path.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Rated · 1 book · Complete · 967 ratings · Ranks #724 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment mythic fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- Polignac Prize, 1913: won: The Crock of Gold
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- The Sandsea Trilogy Epic fantasy / Mythic fantasy · Ongoing · Low commitment · 3.97
- In the Forests of Serre Fairy-tale retelling / Mythic fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 3.97
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.88 across 967 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon Extension: 29 universes; Inda widened to Sartorias-deles; 5 candidates ruled out accepted 2026-11-02
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-11-02
Rule: Core Canon = The Crock of Gold (1912).