George MacDonald
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Project Gutenberg
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English
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Phantastes tells the story of Anodos and his magical journey through a Fairy Land that hints at but always eludes allegory. Anodos discovers that "self will come to life even in the slaying of self, but there is ever something deeper and stronger than it, which will emerge from the unknown abysses of the soul." Published in 1858, this is the earliest novel by George MacDonald, who is generally considered the grandfather of modern fantasy. Our rejuvenated...
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Project Gutenberg
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English
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A king and queen have a daughter and invite everyone to the christening except the king's sister Princess Makemnoit, a spiteful and sour woman. She arrives without an invitation and curses the princess to have no gravity. Whenever the princess accidentally moves up in the air, she has to be, brought, down, and the wind is capable of carrying her off. As she grows, she never cries, and never can be, brought to see the serious side of anything. She...
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Project Gutenberg
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English
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This 1882 story of a dysfunctional family features another of MacDonald's memorable female protagonists. Reminiscent of Mary St. John of Robert Falconer, Hester Raymount chooses a single life of ministry among London's downtrodden (whose character and work were inspired by MacDonald friend and social activist Octavia Hill), and, like Mary Marston, uses her musical gifts to further that ministry. The poignant character of Hester's brother Mark brings...
4) Sir Gibbie
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Project Gutenberg
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English
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One of the true high marks in George MacDonald's literary career was reached with the publication in 1879 of Sir Gibbie, the captivating story of a mute orphan with an angel's heart set in the highlands of Scotland. Every MacDonald reader has his or her favorite, but it is safe to say that Sir Gibbie is near the top of the list for lovers of fairy tale, poetry, and novels alike. The character of "wee Sir Gibbie" mysteriously embodies hints from the...
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Project Gutenberg
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English
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This unique novel in the MacDonald collection, his only true historical novel, is set during the mid-17th century English civil war. MacDonald's use of the idiom and stylistic old-English of the post-Shakespearean era make this a slow read in the original. It is greatly enhanced in this new and updated edition by Michael Phillips. St. George and St. Michael is an enchanting love story that offers a unique and balanced perspective on a tumultuous and...
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Project Gutenberg
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English
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This final installment of the Thomas Wingfold trilogy from 1891 adds yet further dimensions to the personal search for faith and the nature of belief, exemplified in the characters of Barbara Wilder and Richard Tuke. Both Barbara and Richard must ask whether or not God's existence is true, what God's character is like, and what demands are placed upon them as a result. Wingfold's conversations with Barbara probe the foundations of belief with depth...
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Project Gutenberg
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English
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This 1877 sequel to Malcolm begins where the first volume of the doublet left off, at Lossie House in Cullen's fictionalized Portlossie. Soon thereafter Malcolm travels to London to rescue Florimel from the harmful influences of duplicitous friends who do not have her best interests in mind. Kidnapping her out of London, Malcolm's and Florimel's return to the north coast of Scotland brings to a stirring climax the divergent threads of mystery and...
8) Malcolm
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Project Gutenberg
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English
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This towering 1875 novel, set in the Scottish fishing village of Cullen, is considered by many as George MacDonald's fictional masterwork. The intricate tale is more true to place than any of MacDonald's books. As Malcolm is drawn into the web of secrets surrounding majestic Lossie House, with the marquis of Lossie and his tempestuous daughter Florimel at the center of them, we meet some of MacDonald's most memorable characters. Through them Malcolm...
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Project Gutenberg
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English
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In George MacDonald's most well-known novel, published in 1868, the quest of young Robert Falconer for his father becomes a parallel quest to break free from the oppressive Calvinist theology of his grandmother. As he struggles to come to terms with the strict orthodoxy prevalent in Scotland for two centuries, the doctrine of hell looms as the great stumbling block in Robert's mind. His lifelong search reveals to Robert the groundbreaking truth that...
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Project Gutenberg
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English
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The character of Thomas Wingfold is introduced in this preeminent of George MacDonald's English novels, a young curate suddenly brought face-to-face with the hypocrisy of having sought the pulpit as a profession rather than a spiritual calling. Wingfold's prayerful journey into faith highlights MacDonald's most powerful "theological novel." We also meet the dwarf Joseph Polwarth, Wingfold's spiritual mentor and one of MacDonald's most memorable humble...
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Project Gutenberg
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English
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Illustrated with beautiful chapter headings that match the book cover!
Renowned Scottish fiction writer, poet, and minister George MacDonald gained literary acclaim for his creative reinvention of age-old fairy tales. Among the many writers who cited MacDonald as a key influence were G.K. Chesterson, W.H. Auden, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Madeleine L'Engle. In this volume of verse, MacDonald offers a poem for every day of the year; each...
12) Far Above Rubies
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Project Gutenberg
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English
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MacDonald's final "novella" of a scant 22,000 words was viewed as so insignificant at the time of its release in 1898 that it never appeared in book form in the U.K and is omitted from many lists of MacDonald's books. Though appearing in magazine form in Britain, its only book edition was published in the United States. For those with eyes to see, however, it reads as an autobiographical retrospective of the beginning of MacDonald's own writing life....
13) The Elect Lady
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Project Gutenberg
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English
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Although one of MacDonald's lesser-known books, The Elect Lady, published in 1888, stands out for the memorable relationship of godliness, trust, honesty, and humility between three children-Andrew and Sandy Ingram and their friend Dawtie-whose growth into adulthood MacDonald follows with simple yet moving power. Their relationships provide the foundation for MacDonald's wisdom to shine forth on the nature and purpose of the church, climaxing in the...
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Project Gutenberg
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English
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While still editing the magazine Good Words for the Young, MacDonald wrote this second "boy's novel," unconnected with but written for a similar audience as Ranald Bannerman's story. Inventive young Willie Macmichael turns everything about him to creative uses, hungrily learning from the grown-ups around him, prompting MacDonald's subtitle, "The Working Genius." Though one of MacDonald's lesser-known titles, editor Michael Phillips comments, "MacDonald's...
15) Mary Marston
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Project Gutenberg
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English
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One of MacDonald's lengthy and powerful, but not widely studied, novels, Mary Marston is the only book in the MacDonald corpus with a woman featured in the title role. As one of MacDonald's many strong and memorable leading ladies, Mary exemplifies a life of dedication to Christ, self-sacrifice, and obedience to parents. We encounter here a touching portrayal of that earthly relationship so dear to MacDonald's heart, because it so embodied man's relationship...
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Project Gutenberg
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English
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In this second of the Thomas Wingfold "trilogy" atheist Paul Faber, encountering spiritually invigorated minister Wingfold, finds himself unexpectedly drawn into his own unwelcome quest for truth. Now it is Wingfold-assisted by Polwarth-sharing his newfound faith with both Paul Faber and Juliet Meredith, whose past secrets draw them together yet also threaten to tear them apart.
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Project Gutenberg
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English
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Released in 1871 after At the Back of the North Wind, MacDonald's first realistic "young readers" novel follows the boyhood adventures of Ranald Bannerman up to the moment in his teens when he realizes that he is "not a man." Thus begins his growth into true manhood. MacDonald's editorship of the highly popular magazine Good Words for the Young in the late 1860s and early 1870s resulted in five young-reader stories, starting with At the Back of the...
19) A Double Story
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Project Gutenberg
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English
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When two girls, a princess and a shepherd's daughter, are captured by a mysterious woman, they must face the ugly truth about their harmful behavior. Despite drastically different backgrounds, both girls have become cruel and disobedient youths.
Rosamond is a young princess who shares a birthday with Agnes, a shepherd's daughter. They grew up with contrasting lifestyles but manage to develop the same negative habits. Both girls are spoiled by their...
20) Salted with Fire
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Publisher
Project Gutenberg
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English
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MacDonald's final full length, realistic Scottish novel of 1897, is replete with dense Scottish dialect and spiritual themes. The repentance (through fire) of young minister James Blatherwick, who recognizes the sham of his pretended spirituality, is reminiscent of Thomas Wingfold's spiritual journey. It also embodies in fictional form one of MacDonald's signature themes from his first volume of Unspoken Sermons, "The Consuming Fire." Along with these...