(Reviewed by Mary B. Stuart.)

This is a wonderful fantasy by the 19th century author. It's about a young man who is poor and who wants "more" out of life, i.e., fame and riches. He wanders into a shop where he's sold the dried skin of a donkey. The skin is a magic one that can grant the owner any wish and desire. The catch is that, with each wish, the person holding the skin loses some of his life!

The young man grows old quickly, needless to say. A wonderful story and, like "Saint Jack", a thinking person's fantasy.