The Fantasy Stories of George MacDonald

by George MacDonald, Craig Yoe (Illustrator)

GEORGE MACDONALD, the great nineteenth-century innovator of modern fantasy, came to influence not only C.S. Lewis, who once called MacDonald his master, but also J.R.R. Tolkien, who has paid his own tribute to the "power and beauty" of MacDonald's accomplishment.

This newly illustrated set of four paperbacks holds the complete fantasy stories (except for several longer stories readily available elsewhere) of George MacDonald.

"What he does best is fantasy -- fantasy that hovers between the allegorical and the mythopoeic. And this, in my opinion, he does better than any man." -C.S. Lewis

"Surely, George MacDonald is the grandfather of us all -- all of us who struggle to come to terms with truth through fantasy.... I am delighted that these wonderful stories are available to a world that is in dire need of their message." -Madeleine L'Engle

Includes the following volumes and stories:
The Wise Woman and Other Fantasy Stories
"The Wise Woman or the Lost Princess: A Double Story"
"Little Daylight"
"Cross Purposes"
"The Castle: A Parable"
The Gray Wolf and Other Fantasy Stories
"The Gray Wolf"
"The Cruel Painter"
"The Broken Swords"
"The Wow O'Rivven"
"Uncle Cornelius, His Story"
"The Butcher's Bills"
"Birth, Dreaming, Death"
The Light Princess and Other Fantasy Stories
"The Light Princess"
"The Giant's Heart"
"The CArasoyn"
"Port in a Storm"
"Papa's Story [A Scot's Christmas Story]"
The Golden Key and Other Fantasy Stories
"The Golden Key"
"The History of Photogen and Nycteris"
"The Shadows"
"The Gifts of the Child Christ"

Genres: Fantasy

694 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1980

About the author

George MacDonald was a Scottish author, poet and Christian Congregational minister. He became a pioneering figure in the field of modern fantasy literature and the mentor of fellow-writer Lewis Carroll. In addition to his fairy tales, MacDonald wrote several works of Christian theology, including several collections of sermons.

Reviews

[Renee M · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read The Princess and the Goblin for the first time in January and have enjoyed some of MacDonald’s fairy tales in preparation and since. They are less gruesome than those collected by Andrew Lang or the Grimm Brothers, but also less well-known.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Foundational books from my childhood. I will need to find some copies.

March 2015:
I now have some copies! And I have some valuable ISBNs as well.

The Golden Key: 0-8028-1859-5
The Gray Wolf: 0-8028-1862-5
The Light Princess: 0-8028-1861-7
The Wise Woman: ?

[Ray]

The Wise Woman - great story of two spoiled girls and one woman bringing in some discipline. More interestingly the wise woman represents God, and the whole story is filled with imagery.

[Don Gubler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mentored C.S. Lewis. Not up to his student but still very good.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of these is usually beside my bed. The Day Boy and the Night Girl. The Light Princess.