It was originally published in February 1954, in an edition of 200 numbered copies, and has been reprinted many times, notably in an edition illustrated by Eddie Jones in 1962; in Amazing Stories in 1972/3; and in Warhoon 28, a hardcover fanzine collection of Willis's writing, in 1980.
It is an allegory of the journey of a science fiction fan, loosely based on John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress (though Shaw and Willis denied having read it beforehand).
[2] The Tower of Trufandom, the eventual location of the Enchanted Duplicator in the story, was based on Scrabo Tower in Newtownards, near Walt Willis' home in Northern Ireland.
A revised version premiered at the Dublin World Science Fiction Convention in 2019.
[4][5] A 1982 stage version written by Shelley Dutton Berry, Gary Farber, and Jerry Kaufman was performed at the convention Norwescon 5.