George MacDonald

Author profile

born

in Huntly, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, The United Kingdom

December 10, 1824

died

September 18, 1905

genre

Children's Books, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Religion & Spirituality

About this author

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George MacDonald was a Scottish author, poet, and Christian minister.

Known particularly for his poignant fairy tales and fantasy novels, George MacDonald inspired many authors, such as W. H. Auden, J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, and Madeleine L'Engle. It was C.S. Lewis that wrote that he regarded MacDonald as his "master": "Picking up a copy of Phantastes one day at a train-station bookstall, I began to read. A few hours later," said Lewis, "I knew that I had crossed a great frontier." G. K. Chesterton cited The Princess and the Goblin as a book that had "made a difference to my whole existence."

Elizabeth Yates wrote of Sir Gibbie, "It moved me the way books did when, as a child, the great gates of literature began to open and first encount...more

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George MacDonald's Books

Average rating: 4.04 · 36,678 ratings · 2,515 reviews · 295 distinct works · Similar authors

	The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald, Arthur Hughes (Illustrations) 3.99 of 5 stars 3.99 avg rating — 11,331 ratings — published 1872 — 129 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Princess and Curdie by George MacDonald, Helen Stratton (Illustrator) 4.05 of 5 stars 4.05 avg rating — 3,341 ratings — published 1883 — 79 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Phantastes 3.99 of 5 stars 3.99 avg rating — 2,925 ratings — published 1858 — 50 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald, Arthur Hughes (Illustrator) 3.98 of 5 stars 3.98 avg rating — 2,618 ratings — published 1871 — 98 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Light Princess by George MacDonald, Veronica Murphy (Narrator) 4.04 of 5 stars 4.04 avg rating — 2,380 ratings — published 1864 — 40 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Lilith 3.94 of 5 stars 3.94 avg rating — 2,328 ratings — published 1895 — 79 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Golden Key by George MacDonald, Maurice Sendak (Illustrations) 4.11 of 5 stars 4.11 avg rating — 960 ratings — published 1867 — 27 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Fisherman's Lady by George MacDonald, Michael Phillips (editor) 4.16 of 5 stars 4.16 avg rating — 660 ratings — published 1875 — 27 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Curate's Awakening by George MacDonald, Michael Phillips (Editor) 4.14 of 5 stars 4.14 avg rating — 541 ratings — published 1876 — 21 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Wise Woman and Other Stories by George MacDonald, Craig Yoe 4.22 of 5 stars 4.22 avg rating — 422 ratings — published 1875 — 3 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by George MacDonald…

Series by George MacDonald

Princess Irene and Curdie (2 books)
by George MacDonald, Helen Stratton (Illustrator)
4.006194690265486 of 5 stars 4.01 avg rating — 14,690 ratings

Quotes by George MacDonald

“To be trusted is a greater compliment than being loved.”
― George MacDonald

tags: trust

843 people liked it

“Her heart - like every heart, if only its fallen sides were cleared away - was an inexhaustible fountain of love: she loved everything she saw. ”
― George MacDonald, The Day Boy and the Night Girl

tags: heart, love

128 people liked it

“Work is not always required. There is such a thing as sacred idleness.”
― George MacDonald

tags: leisure, meditation, solitude

115 people liked it

See all George MacDonald's quotes »

Polls

Random Fantasy for May

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6 votes, 5.6%

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5 votes, 4.7%

Lilith, by George MacDonald

5 votes, 4.7%

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3 votes, 2.8%

107 total votes

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