Phantastes: A Faerie Romance for Men and Women is a fantasy novel written by George MacDonald. The story centers on the character Anodos and takes its inspiration from German Romanticism, particularly Novalis. It concerns a young man who is pulled into a dreamlike world and over there he hunts for his ideal of female beauty, embodied by the "Marble Lady". Anodos lives through many adventures and temptations while in the other world, until he is finally ready to give up his ideals. George MacDonald (1824-1905) was a Scottish author, poet, and Christian minister. He was a pioneering figure in the field of fantasy literature and the mentor of fellow writer Lewis Carroll. His writings have been cited as a major literary influence by many notable authors including W. H. Auden, C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Walter de la Mare, E. Nesbit and Madeleine L'Engle. G. K. Chesterton cited The Princess and the Goblin as a book that had "made a difference to my whole existence".

O pai da Fantasia moderna "Ouvi dizer que, para os que entram no Reino das Fadas, não há volta. Devem continuar e atravessá-lo. Como, eu não faço a menor ideia." A obra de fantasia clássica que influenciou C.S. Lewis e J.R.R. Tolkien, considerada uma das obras mais importantes de George MacDonald, é a história do jovem Anodos e suas aventuras no reino das fadas que, em última análise, revelam a condição humana. "Escrevo não para crianças", disse George MacDonald, "mas para crianças, sejam elas de cinco, cinquenta ou setenta e cinco anos". Tudo escrito com um capricho inocente e um anseio cheio de alma, o coração da jornada de Anodos através do Reino das Fadas revela uma busca espiritual que requer uma entrega de si mesmo. "Nunca escondi o fato de que o considerava meu mestre; na verdade, imagino nunca ter escrito um livro em que não fizesse nenhuma citação dele." – C.S. Lewis "George MacDonald [...] [criou] histórias de poder e beleza." – J.R.R. Tolkien "Certamente, George MacDonald é o avô de todos nós que lutamos para chegar a um acordo com a verdade por meio da fantasia." – Madeleine L. Engle

Two volumes in one. A fantasy novel for adults, Lilith is the story of the aptly named Mr. Vane, his magical house, and the journeys into another world into which it leads him. Encountering one mystery after another, he explores the mystery of humanity's fall from grace--and of their redemption. Instructed into the ways of seeing the deeper realities of this world--seeing, in a sense, by the light of the spirit--the reader senses that MacDonald writes from his own deep experience of radiance, from a bliss so profound that death's darkness itself is utterly eclipsed in its light. "I was dead, and right content," the narrator says in the penultimate chapter of Phantastes. C.S. Lewis said that upon reading this astonishing 19th-century fairy tale he "had crossed a great frontier," and numerous others both before and since have felt similarly. In MacDonald's fairy tales, both those for children and (like this one) those for adults, the "fairy land" clearly represents the spiritual world, or our own world revealed in all of its depth and meaning. At times almost forthrightly allegorical, at other times richly dreamlike (and indeed having a close connection to the symbolic world of dreams), this story of a young man who finds himself on a long journey through a land of fantasy is more truly the story of the spiritual quest that is at the core of his life's work, a quest that must end with the ultimate surrender of the self. The glory of MacDonald's work is that this surrender is both hard won (or lost!) and yet rippling with joy when at last experienced. As the narrator says of a heavenly woman in this tale, "She knew something too good to be told." One senses the same of the author himself. Both Lilith and Phantastes, meant to be read together, are included in this comprehensive volume.

“Lilith” is a 1895 fantasy novel by Scottish writer George MacDonald. One of his darkest works, it follows the story of a library owner called Mr. Vane whose library is haunted by the former librarian. When he eventually encounters the ghost, Vane learns that the apparition knew his father, who had visited the strange parallel universe wherein he now resides. George MacDonald (1824 – 1905) was a Scottish poet, author, poet and Christian minister. He is considered to have been a pioneer in the genre of fantasy literature and was the mentor of Lewis Carroll. Many notable writers have cited him as a literary influence, including W. H. Auden, Lloyd Alexander, C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Walter de la Mare, and more. Many vintage books such as this are increasingly scarce and expensive. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially-commissioned new biography of the author.

Crossing a Great Frontier collects twenty-one hard-to-find scholarly essays about Phantastes into one convenient volume. In his comprehensive introduction, editor John Pennington describes the essays as reflecting four main perspectives about Phantastes as a religious work, a structurally coherent work, an insightful psychological work, and within its cultural/literary context. The book's title is derived from C.S. Lewis who wrote that after reading Phantastes, he knew he had "crossed a great frontier. Lewis's praise for MacDonald influenced more people to read MacDonald. His comments, however, diminished MacDonald's reputation as a skilled writer. Crossing a Great Frontier presents indisputable proof that Lewis underestimated the skill of his 19th century mentor. Readers will discover a multitude of insights into a book and author whose genius continues to be revealed. John Pennington, professor of English at St. Norbert College, specializes in Victorian fairy tales and is the editor of North Wind: The Journal of George MacDonald Studies.

An 365-day anthology of readings from one of the most influential writers of all time, George MacDonald, compiled by CS Lewis himself. MacDonald was a major Christian writer of the late nineteenth, early twentieth centuries. He influenced nearly everyone who was a major twentieth century writer (including Lewis Carroll, WH Auden, JRR Tolkien, Walter de la Mare, and CS Lewis. Not only was he a pioneer in the fantasy fiction genre, laying the path for people like Tolkien to write Lord of the Rings, but also a major Christian thinker, which influenced Lewis profoundly. Lewis, in fact, wrote that MacDonald was his 'master', and said 'I know hardly any other writer who seems to be closer, or more continually close, to the Spirit of Christ Himself.' These words will challenge and uplift you, and illuminate the faith which underpins all of CS Lewis's popular and enduring writing.