"Here grew trees like feather-parasols, trees with transparent trunks threaded with red and yellow veins, trees with foliage like metal foil, each leaf a different metal -- copper, silver, blue tantalum, bronze, green iridium."

If you are new to Vance's Dying Earth, I recommend starting your exploration with Rhialto the Marvellous, three linked novellas ("The Murthe," "Fader's Weft" & "Morreion") that are Vance at the very height of his powers, la crème de la crème.

Next, assuming you're hooked, I'd read Eyes of the Overworld and Cugel's Saga, humorous picaresque adventures of Cugel the Clever ², who falls afoul of Iucounu the Laughing Magician during an attempted burglary of the latter's manse: "... for your own comfort, do not strain, as Thief-taker is woven of wasp-legs..." Cugel, offered the alternative of the spell of Forlorn Encystment, "which constricts the subject in a pore some 45 miles below the surface of the earth," readily agrees to undertake a quest for the eponymous Eyes -- which turn out, under the fantasy trappings, to be marvellous virtual-reality goggles. I must confess that, on this re-reading, I liked Cugel rather less than before, but this is still wonderful, top-notch stuff.

I'd leave The Dying Earth short stories for last, as reactions to them vary -- Vance's language and descriptive passages are very fine, but his plotting is almost non-existent. Early Vance is not for everyone -- even I, a serious Vanceaholic, had trouble getting into them on this reread. But a remarkable first book, one that is still going strong 50 years on.

So... Vance true fans will welcome this chance to replace their crumbling paperbacks. Those new to Vance's fantasy could start here, but might be better advised to start with the Lyonesse trilogy, Vance's high-fantasy masterwork, and perhaps the crowning glory of his 50+ year writing career. If you've not yet read any Vance, I'd start with his great Hugo-winning classic, The Dragon Masters. These books are out of print at the moment, but can be readily found at libraries or used bookstore. Be aware that Vance is a minority taste, but be warned that, if he's to your taste, he's seriously addictive. In my opinion he's one of the great literary stylists of the 20th century. And still writing, at age 85 -- Lurulu, the sequel to Ports of Call, is due out soon...

² -- who's too clever by half, which is part of the fun. The biter bit, over & over....