Most Popular Books by Philip Pullman

release date: Jul 01, 2002

Best Books for Young Adults

In a landmark epic of fantasy and storytelling, Philip Pullman invites readers into a world as convincing and thoroughly realized as Narnia, Earthsea, or Redwall. Here lives an orphaned ward named Lyra Belacqua, whose carefree life among the scholars at Oxford's Jordan College is shattered by the arrival of two powerful visitors. First, her fearsome uncle, Lord Asriel, appears with evidence of mystery and danger in the far North, including photographs of a mysterious celestial phenomenon called Dust and the dim outline of a city suspended in the Aurora Borealis that he suspects is part of an alternate universe. He leaves Lyra in the care of Mrs. Coulter, an enigmatic scholar and explorer who offers to give Lyra the attention her uncle has long refused her. In this multilayered narrative, however, nothing is as it seems. Lyra sets out for the top of the world in search of her kidnapped playmate, Roger, bearing a rare truth-telling instrument, the compass of the title. All around her children are disappearing—victims of so-called "Gobblers"—and being used as subjects in terrible experiments that separate humans from their daemons, creatures that reflect each person's inner being. And somehow, both Lord Asriel and Mrs. Coulter are involved.

Lists with This Book:

Great Books for Boys (9-12)

Carnegie Medal

20th Century's Best Books

The Golden Compass

release date: Jan 01, 2007

20th Century's Best Books

Philip Pullman's classic trilogy is now available as a stunning, large-format, bind-up edition. Since the first volume was published in 1955, and has now been filmed as "The Golden Compass", the trilogy has been acclaimed as a modern masterpiece, and has won the UK's top awards for children's literature. Today, the fabulous story of Lyra and her daemon is read and loved by adults and children alike. The extraordinary story moves between parallel universes. Beginning in Oxford, it takes Lyra and her animal-daemon Pantalaimon on a dangerous rescue mission to the ice kingdoms of the far north, where she begins to learn about the mysterious particles they call Dust - a substance for which a terrible war between different worlds will be fought...

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Carnegie Medal

Amber Spyglass, The

release date: Jan 01, 2003

Lyra and Will, the two ordinary children whose extraordinary adventures begin in The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife, are in unspeakable danger. With help from Iorek Byrnison the armored bear and two tiny Gallivespian spies, they must journey to a dank and gray-lit world where no living soul has ever gone.

All the while, Dr. Mary Malone builds a magnificent amber spyglass. An assassin hunts her down. And Lord Asriel, with troops of shining angels, fights his mighty rebellion, a battle of strange allies and shocking sacrifice.

As war rages and dust drains from the sky, the fate of the living, and the dead, finally comes to depend on two children and the simple truth of one simple story. The Amber Spyglass reveals that story, bringing Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials to an astonishing conclusion.

The Subtle Knife

release date: Jan 01, 2003

As the boundaries between worlds begin to dissolve, Lyra and her daemon help Will Parry in his search for his father and for a powerful, magical knife. She had asked: What is he? A friend or an enemy? The alethiometer answered: He is a murderer. When she saw the answer, she relaxed at once. Lyra finds herself in a shimmering, haunted otherworld – Cittàgazze, where soul-eating Spectres stalk the streets and wingbeats of distant angels sound against the sky. But she is not without allies: twelve-year-old Will Parry, fleeing for his life after taking another's, has also stumbled into this strange new realm. On a perilous journey from world to world, Lyra and Will uncover a deadly secret: an object of extraordinary and devastating power. And with every step, they move closer to an even greater threat – and the shattering truth of their own destiny.

The Ruby in the Smoke

"Beware the seven blessings" When she first utters there words, sixteen-year-old Sally Lockhart doesn't know their meaning. But when an employee of her late father hears them, he dies of fear. Thus begins Sally's terrifying journey into the seamy underworld of Victorian London, in search of clues that will solve the puzzle of ther father's death. Pursued by villains and cutthroats at every turn, she at last uncovers two dark mysteries. One involves the opium trade; the other, a stolen ruby of enormous value. Sally soon learns that she is th the key to both- and that it's worth her very life to find out why.

Once Upon a Time in the North

release date: Apr 08, 2008

In this new prequel episode from Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials universe, Lee Scoresby--Texan aeronaut and future friend to Lyra Belacqua--is just 24 years old, and he's recently won his hot-air balloon in a poker game. He finds himself floating North to the windswept Arctic island of Novy Odense, where he and his hare daemon Hester are quickly tangled in a deadly plot involving oil magnate Larsen Manganese, corrupt mayoral candidate Ivan Poliakov, and Lee's longtime nemesis from the Dakota Country: Pierre McConville, a hired killer with at least twenty murders to his name.

It's only after Lee forms an alliance with one of the island's reviled armored bears that he can fight to break up the conspiracy in a gun-twirling classic western shoot out--and battle of wits. This exquisite clothbound volume features the illustrations of John Lawrence, a removable board game—Peril of the Pole—on the inside back cover, and a glimpse for Pullman fans into the first friendship of two of the most beloved characters in the His Dark Materials trilogy: Lee Scoresby and armored bear Iorek Byrnison.

Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm

release date: Nov 08, 2012

Two centuries ago, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm published the first volume of Children's and Household Tales. Now Philip Pullman, one of the most accomplished authors of our time, makes us fall in love all over again with the immortal tales of the Brothers Grimm.

Clockwork, Or All Wound Up

by: Philip Pullman, Leonid Gore

release date: Oct 01, 1998

Long ago in Germany, a storyteller's story and an apprentice clockwork maker's nightmare meet in a menacing, lifelike figure created by the strange Dr. Kalmenius.

His Dark Materials

The Amber Spyglass: His Dark Materials

In the astonishing finale to the His Dark Materials trilogy, Lyra and Will are in unspeakable danger. With help from Iorek Byrnison the armored bear and two tiny Gallivespian spies, they must journey to a dank and gray-lit world where no living soul has ever gone. All the while, Dr. Mary Malone builds a magnificent Amber Spyglass. An assassin hunts her down, and Lord Asriel, with a troop of shining angels, fights his mighty rebellion, in a battle of strange allies—and shocking sacrifice. As war rages and Dust drains from the sky, the fate of the living—and the dead—finally comes to depend on two children and the simple truth of one simple story.

The Firework-Maker's Daughter

In a country far to the east, Chulak and his talking white elephant Hamlet help Lila seek the Royal Sulphur from the sacred volcano so that she can become a master maker of fireworks like her father.

Told Again

by: Walter De La Mare, A.H. Watson, Philip Pullman

**An enchanting retelling of nineteen fairy tales, introduced by popular fantasy writer Philip Pullman** Originally published in 1927, Told Again is an enchanting collection of elegant fairy tales, showcasing the formidable talents of Walter de la Mare, one of the most celebrated writers of children's literature during the first half of the twentieth century. His abundant literary gifts can be savored once more in this beautiful new edition. Nineteen adapted classics, including "Rapunzel," "Little Red Riding-Hood," "Rumplestiltskin," and "The Sleeping Beauty," are made new by de la Mare's poetic insights and graceful prose, making these tales appropriate for younger readers. With marvelous black and white illustrations by A. H. Watson, this volume also presents a splendid introduction by Philip Pullman, the contemporary master of fantasy literature.

The Tiger in the Well

In London in 1881, twenty-four-year-old Sally finds her young daughter and her possessions assailed by an unknown enemy, while a shadowy figure known as the Tzaddik involves her in his plot to defraud and exploit the hordes of Jewish immigrants pouring into the country.

Lyra's Oxford

An exciting new tale set in the world of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials saga. This collectible hardcover volume includes a short story by Mr. Pullman, plus a fold-out map of Oxford and various "souvenirs" from the past. The book is illustrated throughout with woodcut illustrations by John Lawrence.From the Hardcover edition.

The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ

This is a story. In this ingenious and spell-binding retelling of the life of Jesus, Philip Pullman revisits the most influential story ever told. Charged with mystery, compassion and enormous power, The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ throws fresh light on who Jesus was and asks the reader questions that will continue to resonate long after the final page is turned. For, above all, this book is about how stories become stories.

The Broken Bridge

Over the course of a long summer in Wales, sixteen-year-old Ginny, the mixed-race, artist daughter of an English father and a Haitian mother, learns that she has a half-brother from her father's earlier marriage, and that her own mother may still be alive.

Two Crafty Criminals!

Eleven-year-old Benny Kaminsky leads a rag-tag gang of neighborhood children as they use improbable disguises and crazy ruses while investigating such crimes as counterfeiting and stolen silver in 1894 London.

Grimm Tales: For Young and Old

release date: Nov 06, 2018

List with This Book:

Books by Philip Pullman

Outside in

by: Deborah Hallford, Edgardo Zaghini, Philip Pullman

'Outside In' explores the rich tradition and culture of children's literature from a host of countries around the world, and is an invaluable resource, with its comprehensive review of children's books in translation currently available in the UK.

Paradise Lost

by: John Milton, Philip Pullman, Philip Pullman

Paradise Lost is one of the greatest epic poems in the English language. It tells the story of the Fall of Man, a tale of immense drama and excitement, of rebellion and treachery, of innocence pitted against corruption, in which God and Satan fight a bitter battle for control of mankind's destiny. The struggle ranges across three worlds - heaven, hell, and earth - as Satan and his band of rebel angels plot their revenge against God. At the centre of the conflict are Adam
and Eve, motivated by all too human temptations, but whose ultimate downfall is unyielding love.

Milton's influence has been felt by many writers since, none more so in recent times than the novelist Philip Pullman. His acclaimed trilogy His Dark Materials takes its title from a line in the poem, and the worlds he created for Lyra and Will have entranced readers across generations. His introduction to the poem is a tribute that is both personal and full of insight; his enthusiasm for Milton's language, skill, and supreme gifts as a storyteller is infectious and instructive. He
encourages readers above all to experience the poem for themselves, and surrender to its enchantment.

Aladdin And The Enchanted Lamp

by: Philip Pullman, Sophy Williams

The Whitbread Award-winning author of THE GOLDEN COMPASS turns on an enchanted lamp of a story -- brilliantly written, sparklingly funny, and guaranteed to reveal wonders.

Philip Pullman garnered every accolade around with the breathtaking His Dark Materials trilogy. Now he turns his storytelling gifts to one of the most famous of the Arabian Nights tales, "Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp." Aladdin is a shiftless good-for-nothing boy until he unwittingly acquires a magic lamp inhabited by a genie -- and the adventure that follows both makes his fortune and makes him a man. Pullman tells the tale with his trademark crisp writing and fast-paced action, while Sophy Williams's pastels shimmer with the heat and beauty of the Far East. Terrific for reading aloud!

The Complete Alice

by: Lewis Carroll, John Tenniel, Philip Pullman

There are many editions of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, but none to rival The Complete Alice, a gorgeous new gift book celebrating one hundred and fifty years of Alice.

In 1865, Macmillan published the first edition of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, widely acknowledged as one of the most influential children's books of all time. Its equally famous sequel, Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, was published in 1872.

The Complete Alice brings together Lewis Carroll's two extraordinary stories in a single glorious volume. The original artwork has been lovingly restored. Both texts are complete and unabridged, including the rarely seen "deleted" episode The Wasp in a Wig. Also included is The Story of Alice, an exclusive sixteen-page account of the creation and first publication of Alice, told for younger readers and featuring material from Macmillan's rich historical archive. A foreword from Philip Pullman introduces this truly special gift edition.

The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage (Book of Dust, Volume 1)

"The book is full of wonder. . . . Truly thrilling." —The New York Times

More than twenty years after the publication of the groundbreaking The Golden Compass, Philip Pullman returns to that parallel world to expand on the story of Lyra, "one of fantasy's most indelible characters." (The New York Times Magazine)

Malcolm Polstead is the kind of boy who notices everything but is not much noticed himself. And so perhaps it was inevitable that he would become a spy....

Malcolm's parents run an inn called the Trout, on the banks of the river Thames, and all of Oxford passes through its doors. Malcolm and his daemon, Asta, routinely overhear news and gossip, and the occasional scandal, but during a winter of unceasing rain, Malcolm catches wind of something new: intrigue.

He finds a secret message inquiring about a dangerous substance called Dust—and the spy it was intended for finds him.

When she asks Malcolm to keep his eyes open, he sees suspicious characters everywhere: the explorer Lord Asriel, clearly on the run; enforcement agents from the Magisterium; a gyptian named Coram with warnings just for Malcolm; and a beautiful woman with an evil monkey for a daemon. All are asking about the same thing: a girl—just a baby—named Lyra.

Lyra is the kind of person who draws people in like magnets. And Malcolm will brave any danger, and make shocking sacrifices, to bring her safely through the storm.

"Too few things in our world are worth a seventeen year wait: The Book of Dust is one of them." —The Washington Post

"People will love the first volume of Philip Pullman's new trilogy with the same helpless vehemence that stole over them when The Golden Compass came out." —Slate

THE SECRET COMMONWEALTH

release date: Oct 20, 2019