Books by George Macdonald

At the Back of the North Wind (Tor Classics)

by George Macdonald

Tor Classics are affordably-priced editions designed to attract the young reader. Original dynamic cover art enthusiastically represents the excitement of each story. Appropriate "reader friendly" type sizes have been chosen for each title--offering clear, accurate, and readable text. All editions are complete and unabridged, and feature Introductions and Afterwords.

This edition of At the Back of the North Wind includes a Foreword, Biographical Note, and Afterword by Nancy Springer.

Listen hard...you can hear magic in the wind!

Diamond lives in a hayloft. But that was all right with him. He loves to snuggle up to the horses at night and listen to them snore away. Sometimes he can even hear the stars twinkling in the sky.

One night Diamond is visited by a beautiful fairy with long flowing hair. She calls herself North Wind, and she lives in the enchanged land far, far away. Best of all, she has come to take Diamond back with her--back to the land at the back of the North Wind.

Adored by millions of young readers since its first publication in 1871, George MacDonald's magical tale continues to delight.

At the Back of the North Wind

by George Macdonald

With 13 children of his own clamouring for bedtime stories it isn't surprising that author George MacDonald discovered he had a gift for composing fairy tales. But these were fairy tales with a difference. At the Back of the North Wind, the first to be published, became a Victorian favourite and marked something of a milestone in children's fiction. While owing a debt to Hans Andersen, Dickens and Kingsley, MacDonald created a distinctive imaginary world existing in parallel with the grim social realities of mid-19th-century England. "A fairy tale is not al allegory," he once remarked. It is, of course, but the trick was to disguise it, to entertain the reader as well as instruct, leaving them to draw a moral if they pleased, or else simply to enjoy the fantasy. Children for over a hundred years have been enchanted and moved by the story of Nanny the crossing sweeper, her lame friend Jim, and above all Diamond, the poor coachman's son, whose life is transformed by a brief glimpse of a beautiful country "at the back of the north wind". The first edition (1871) was illustrated by the pre-Raphaelite artist Thomas Hughes, whose romantic and highly individualistic drawings are reproduced in the Everyman edition.

At the Back of the North Wind

by George Macdonald

The unique blend of fairy tale atmosphere and social realism in this novel laid the groundwork for modern fantasy literature. In the novel, Little Diamond, a kind and precocious boy living in poverty, is befriended by the mysterious North Wind, who takes him on her nightly adventures. Written in intensely poetic language, At the Back of the North Wind transcends the genres of children’s book or fairy tale.
Appendices include essays on childhood by contemporaries such as John Ruskin and Charles Dickens, as well as contextualizing selections from Victorian fantasy and fairy tales.

The Princess and the Goblin (Charming Classics)

by George Macdonald

Irene is still a very young princess, but she must grow up quickly when she and her mountain home are threatened by the goblins who dwell below it.

George MacDonald: An Anthology 365 Readings

by George Macdonald

C. S. Lewis said everything he wrote was influenced by George MacDonald. According to Lewis, there is "hardly any other writer who seems to be closer, or more continuously close, to the Spirit of Christ Himself." Writing a preface and selecting MacDonald's most poignant passages, Lewis introduces us to these extraordinary treasures. Ranging from "Inexorable Love" to "The Torment of Death," these words will instruct and uplift.

The Princess and Curdie (Puffin Classics)

by George Macdonald

A classic story of magic, mystery, and adventure in a fairy-tale world.

Princess Irene’s great-great-grandmother has a testing task for Curdie. Curdie will not go alone though; she provides him with a companion, the oddest and ugliest creature Curdie has ever seen, but one who turns out to be the most loyal friend he could have hoped for.

The Princess and the Goblin

by George Macdonald

Princess Irene lives in a castle in a wild and lonely mountainous region. One day she discovers a steep and winding stairway leading to a bewildering labyrinth of unused passages with closed doors - and a further stairway. What lies at the top? Can the ring the princess is given protect her against the lurking menace of the boglins from under the mountain?

The Princess and the Goblin

by George Macdonald

Princess Irene lives on the side of a mountain in a giant old house with a secret stairway that doesn't always lead to the same place--unless her mysteriously ageless great-great-grandmother wants to be seen. Meanwhile, deep inside the mountain, cruel goblins are hatching an evil plot to steal away the princess and overthrow her king-papa. But their plot is overheard by Curdie, the miner's son. Will the princess with her great faith and Curdie with his great courage be able to stop the goblins? Dive into this timeless mystical fairytale and find out!

An inspiration for both The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings, this story is deeply Christian (without being overtly Christian) in the sense that it conveys profound truths of the Kingdom of God in a way that even a child can understand.

First published in 1872, The Princess and the Goblin is a true classic that has never been out of print, and most major publishers, both secular and Christian, have had an edition. But now Walking Together Press has created a brand-new and beautifully illustrated hardcover edition--with forty-six illustrations--in a pseudo-manga style for a twenty-first century audience.

Tales Before Tolkien: The Roots of Modern Fantasy

by George Macdonald, E. Nesbit, Ludwig Tieck, Douglas A. Anderson, Richard Garnett

Terry Brooks. David Eddings. George R. R. Martin. Robin Hobb. The top names in modern fantasy all acknowledge J. R. R. Tolkien as their role model, the author whose work inspired them to create their own epics. But what writers influenced Tolkien himself? Here, internationally recognized Tolkien expert Douglas A. Anderson has gathered the fiction of authors who sparked Tolkien’s imagination in a collection destined to become a classic in its own right.

Andrew Lang’s romantic swashbuckler, “The Story of Sigurd,” features magic rings, an enchanted sword, and a brave hero loved by two beautiful women— and cursed by a ferocious dragon. Tolkien read E. A. Wyke-Smith’s “The Marvelous Land of Snergs” to his children, delighting in these charming tales of a pixieish people “only slightly taller than the average table.” Also appearing in this collection is a never-before-published gem by David Lindsay, author of Voyage to Arcturus,a novel which Tolkien praised highly both as a thriller and as a work of philosophy, religion, and morals.

In stories packed with magical journeys, conflicted heroes, and terrible beasts, this extraordinary volume is one that no fan of fantasy or Tolkien should be without. These tales just might inspire a new generation of creative writers.

Tales Before Tolkien: 22 Magical Stories

“The Elves” by Ludwig Tieck
“The Golden Key” by George Macdonald
“Puss-Cat Mew” by E. H. Knatchbull-Hugessen
“The Griffin and the Minor Canon” by Frank R. Stockton
“The Demon Pope” by Richard Garnett
“The Story of Sigurd” by Andrew Lang
“The Folk of the Mountain Door” by William Morris
“Black Heart and White Heart” by H. Rider Haggard
“The Dragon Tamers” by E. Nesbit
“The Far Islands” by John Buchan
“The Drawn Arrow” by Clemence Housman
“The Enchanted Buffalo” by L. Frank Baum
“Chu-bu and Sheemish” by Lord Dunsany
“The Baumhoff Explosive” by William Hope Hodgson
“The Regent of the North” by Kenneth Morris
“The Coming of the Terror” by Arthur Machen
“The Elf Trap” by Francis Stevens
“The Thin Queen of Elfhame” by James Branch Cabell
“The Woman of the Wood” by A. Merritt
“Golithos the Ogre” by E. A. Wyke-Smith
“The Story of Alwina” by Austin Tappan Wright
“A Christmas Play” by David Lindsay

The Princess and the Goblin (Looking Glass Library)

by George Macdonald

One of the most successful and beloved of Victorian fairy tales, George Macdonald’s The Princess and the Goblintells the story of young Princess Irene and her friend Curdie, who must outwit the threatening goblins who live in caves beneath her mountain home. Macdonald’s pioneering use of fanstasy as a literary medium had a great influence on Lewis Carroll, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Madeleine L’Engle, all great admirers of his work, which has remained popular to this day. "I write, not for children," he wrote, "but for the child-like, whether they be of five, or fifty, or seventy-five."This edition includes illustrations by Arthur Hughes.

Phantastes: A Faerie Romance

by George Macdonald

One of the first great works of nineteenth-century fantasy fiction, Phantastes inspired many of the great Christian and fantasy authors of the twentieth century. A fairy tale for adults, it is the captivating story of a wealthy young man who takes an unplanned journey into a fantastic nether world. Led by an enchanting sprite (discovered inside an old desk once owned by his deceased father), he meets a diverse cast of characters, among them a fairy queen, as well as sinister figures who threaten his spiritual well-being.
Outstanding for its imaginative characters, vivid action, and subtle yet powerful moral messages, this book, first published 100 years ago, earned MacDonald recognition as "The Grandfather of Modern Fantasy," and a tribute from W. H. Auden as "one of the most remarkable writers of the 19th century." Of this work, C. S. Lewis wrote, "It will baptize your imagination."
Enhanced with 14 illustrations by Pre-Raphaelite artist Arthur Hughes, Phantastes offers readers an enlightening experience and a memorable literary journey.

Phantastes

by George Macdonald

Introduction by C. S. Lewis

In October 1857, George MacDonald wrote what he described as “a kind of fairy tale, in the hope that it will pay me better than the more evidently serious work.” This was Phantastes -- one of MacDonald’s most important works; a work which so overwhelmed C. S. Lewis that a few hours after he began reading it he knew he “had crossed a great frontier.”

The book is about the narrator’s (Anodos) dream-like adventures in fairyland, where he confronts tree-spirits and the shadow, sojourns to the palace of the fairy queen, and searches for the spirit of the earth. The tale is vintage MacDonald, conveying a profound sadness and a poignant longing for death.

Lilith

by George Macdonald, Eric Rickstad

Introduction by C. S. Lewis

“Lilith is equal if not superior to the best of Poe,” wrote W. H. Auden in his introduction to the 1954 reprint of George MacDonald’s Lilith, which was first published in 1895.

It is the story of Mr. Vane, an orphan and heir to a large house -- a house in which he has a vision that leads him through a large old mirror into another world. In chronicling the five trips Mr. Vane makes to this other world, MacDonald hauntingly explores the ultimate mystery of evil.

Lilith

by George Macdonald, Eric Rickstad

From the internationally bestselling author of I Am Not Who You Think I Am—a New York Times Thriller of the Year—comes Lilith, an incendiary powerhouse of a novel that strikes straight at the wounded heart of America.
Mother. Hero. Villain. Killer.
After her son Lydan suffers traumatic injuries in a school shooting, single mom Elisabeth Ross grows enraged at men in power. If they won’t do anything to help end this epidemic of violence, she will. Believing it’s her destiny, she sets out to awaken the world to the cowards these men are and commits her own shocking act of violence.
Going by the name Lilith—the first wife of Adam who fled Eden rather than serve a man—she posts a video of her crime that reverberates throughout society.
Praised by some, demonized by others, and hunted by the FBI and vigilantes alike, Elisabeth must keep her identity a secret as she tries to care for her son.
As events take startling twists, Elisabeth begins to question her act of violence and the very roots and mythology of violence itself. Was her act justified or has she become the monster that the original Lilith was accused of being?
As the FBI draws closer, and Lydan starts to display odd, terrifying behavior, Elisabeth plots to avoid capture and keep her son safe at all costs, fearing she’ll never escape what she’s done without losing her son forever.
Written with Rickstad’s singular command of language, human insight, and unnerving suspense, Lilith is a tale of our times. Tragic and profound, it echoes in the mind and lingers in the blood.

Phantastes: A Faerie Romance for Men and Women

by George Macdonald

Follow the young man Anodos on his adventures in fairyland---a quest that requires the surrender of the self and reveals the struggles of the human condition. Written with whimsy yet soulful yearning, MacDonald's classic fantasy greatly influenced writers such as C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Includes color renditions of Arthur Hughes's original illustrations.

At the Back of the North Wind / The Princess and the Goblin / The Princess and Curdie

by George Macdonald

Find Out Why MacDonald is Considered a Master of Fantasies
These three most beloved classic Victorian-era fantasies of George MacDonald transport the reader to another time, real and imagined.
At the Back of the North Wind is the tale of a boy named Diamond and his adventures with the mysterious spirit force, the North Wind. This captivating story of Diamond's radiant spirit in the face of the poverty and fatal contagions of the Victorian Age has served as an inspiration for generations.
The Princess and the Goblin introduces us to Princess Irene, who lives in her father's castle near wild mountains-a land "full of hollow places underneath," where there lived a race of goblins banished by the King. Curdie, a local miner's son, is befriended by the Princess and, aided by Irene's magical great-great-grandmother, works to stop the plot by the goblins to take over the kingdom.
The Princess and Curdie is set two years later, when Curdie is sent by Irene's mysterious great-great-grandmother on a mission to disrupt the enemies of the King as they plot to kill him. Together the old Princess and Curdie rescue the King and Princess Irene, and Irene and Curdie marry, peacefully ruling the kingdom for another generation.
Author George MacDonald was a personal friend and mentor to Lewis Caroll, and also influenced the work of renowned fantasy authors C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkein, and Oz-creator Frank L. Baum. Although MacDonald explored a wide range of subjects in his varied writings, his children's classics remain the most popular, and are clearly written for the young at heart.
This book is also available from Echo Point Books in paperback, ISBN 1635619165.

Unspoken Sermons: Proving the Unseen

by George Macdonald

Well-known Christian author George MacDonald is no stranger to spiritual literature, whether it be fiction or nonfiction. Unspoken Sermons, a collection of essays intent on understanding both theology and faith itself, not just God, is an honest look at what MacDonald refers to as the balance between 'childish heart' and 'righteous duty.'
This edition includes the sermon he gave on the topic of 'proving the unseen' which he preached in June of 1882, with the title "Faith, the Proof of the Unseen."
Unspoken Sermons is not a complete change of pace from his beloved children's fantasy novels, which are known for their didactic nature. MacDonald is highly praised for his ability to include lessons in faith in stories that entertain and fulfil children, and despite the non-fictitious genre, the essays are easily digestible for those looking for answers to their questions in belief.
Unspoken Sermons consists of three series, all of theological impact, which has influenced many religious literary geniuses such as Lewis Carroll, G. K. Chesterton, and even Tolkien. C.S. Lewis regarded him so highly that MacDonald appeared as an important character in Lewis's book, The Great Divorce.
Macdonald's Unspoken Sermons focuses on the on the development of love between the person and God, looking to inspire others to do the will of God rather than just believe the truth about God. With this, Macdonald has created something that will continue to motivate people, even those who are not religious, to concentrate less on dogma and more on love.

The Complete Fairy Tales (Penguin Classics)

by George Macdonald, U. C. Knoepflmacher

George MacDonald occupied a major position in the intellectual life of his Victorian contemporaries. This volume brings together all eleven of his shorter fairy stories as well as his essay "The Fantastic Imagination". The subjects are those of traditional fantasy: good and wicked fairies, children embarking on elaborate quests, and journeys into unsettling dreamworlds. Within this familiar imaginative landscape, his children's stories were profoundly experimental, questioning the association of childhood with purity and innocence, and the need to separate fairy tale wonder from adult scepticism and disbelief.

Where Did You Come from, Baby Dear?

by George Macdonald

A perfect baby shower gift from a bestselling and beloved artist known for capturing the special moments of family life.

Where did you get those eyes so blue?
What makes the light in them sparkle and spin?
What makes your forehead so smooth and high?

The questions new parents ask as they look in amazement on their just-born child are celebrated and fancifully answered in this inspirational poem, brought for the first time to picture-book life.

George MacDonald's lovely ode to newborn babies is beautifully animated in soft colored pencil by a treasure of the children's book world, Jane Dyer. Feauturing a diverse cast of newborns, this classic, moving, and lightly spiritual poem marvels at the miracle of new life.

The Golden Key

by George Macdonald

A children's classic with stunning new artwork

When young Mossy hears the legend that anyone who manages to find the end of a rainbow will be rewarded with a golden key, he becomes determined to do exactly that. But finding the golden key is the easy part--discovering what it unlocks is a much harder task. Together with a runaway girl named Tangle, the two set out to find the key's purpose--and discover their own along the way.

George MacDonald's beloved fairytale is brought to life by Ruth Sanderson's sumptuous illustrations, making this a perfect gift for readers of all ages.

The Princess and Curdie

by George Macdonald

It has been a year since Curdie's heroic defeat of the goblins under the mountain, and now he is growing complacent and forgetful. Is there really such a person as a mysterious and powerful grandmother, who can only be found when she wants to be found? But then something painful happens that changes the course of Curdie's life. He then becomes the only one who can save the king from the deadly plot of evil men. Aided by an alarmingly ugly animal companion, Curdie must learn true faith and trust to overcome dangers on every side.

An inspiration for both The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings, this story is deeply Christian (without being overtly Christian) in the sense that it conveys profound truths of the Kingdom of God in a way that even a child can understand.

First published in 1883, The Princess and Curdie--the sequel to The Princess and the Goblin--has never been out of print, and most major publishers, both secular and Christian, have had an edition. But now Walking Together Press has created a brand-new and beautifully illustrated hardcover edition--with fifty illustrations--in a pseudo-manga style for a twenty-first century audience.