The Golden Compass

philip pullman

Published in 40 countries, Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy-- The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife , and The Amber Spyglass --has graced the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, Book Sense , and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists. In 1996, The Golden Compass changed the face of fantasy publishing, and 2006 marks its 10 Year Anniversary--and an opportunity to celebrate with a deluxe hardcover. Pullman created new material just for this edition (archival documents, scientific notes and "found" letters of Lord Asriel) which has been illustrated and handlettered by renowned British artist Ian Beck and will be included in the back matter. The deluxe edition also features Pullman's own chapter opening spot art. A quality collectible--with the enticement of never-before-seen new material--for Pullman fans.

Genres fantasyyoung adultfictionchildrensadventuremiddle gradeaudiobookscience fictionsteampunkscience fiction fantasy

432 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1,1995

Series

His Dark Materials

Literary awards

guardian childrens fiction prize, audie award, lincoln award, carnegie medal,

Places

oxford oxfordshire england, svalbard spitsbergen,

This edition

Format: 432 pages, Hardcover
Published: October 24, 2006 by Knopf Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 9780375838309
ASIN: 0375838309
Language: English

Characters More characters

Lyra Belacqua

A young girl who inhabits a universe parallel to our own. Brought up in the cloistered world of Jordan College, Oxford, she finds herself embroiled in a cosmic war between angels and a pseudodeity called The Authority. Source: Wikipedia and Wikipedia.&hel...
Pantalaimon

Pantalaimon is Lyras dæmon. We first meet him in the form of a moth, camouflaging with the dark wooden atmosphere of Jordan College. He takes many forms throughout the trilogy, but is most often seen as an ermine, a wildcat or a mouse. He even takes...
Lord Asriel

A member of the aristocracy in a universe parallel to our own. Lord Asriel is a military leader and a fellow of Jordan College, Oxford, as well as the guardian of Lyra Belacqua.more...
Iorek Byrnison

Iorek Byrnison is a male armoured bear (panserbjørn in Norwegian). Like all Panserbjørn, Iorek follows a very strict code of conduct, and will not, in any situation, betray a promise he has made. He possesses incredible strength, and like many of his kind...
Iofur Raknison

A tyrant king of the Panserbjørnes at Svalbard. Raknisons dream is to be like a human, that is having his own dæmon, owing to which he was easily tricked by Lyra into a combat against Iorek Byrnison, in which Raknison loses, and Byrnison succeeds Ra...
Marisa Coulter

A woman from a universe parallel to our own. Mrs Coulter is a cunning politician who is highly placed and trusted in the Magisteriums hierarchy.more...

About the author

philip pullman

Sir Philip Nicholas Outram Pullman is an English writer. His books include the fantasy trilogy His Dark Materials and The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ, a fictionalised biography of Jesus. In 2008, The Times named Pullman one of the "50 greatest British writers since 1945". In a 2004 BBC poll, he was named the eleventh most influential person in British culture. He was knighted in the 2019 New Year Honours for services to literature.
Northern Lights, the first volume in His Dark Materials, won the 1995 Carnegie Medal of the Library Association as the year's outstanding English-language children's book. For the Carnegie's 70th anniversary, it was named in the top ten by a panel tasked with compiling a shortlist for a public vote for an all-time favourite. It won that public vote and was named all-time "Carnegie of Carnegies" in June 2007. It was filmed under the book's US title, The Golden Compass. In 2003, His Dark Materials trilogy ranked third in the BBC's The Big Read, a poll of 200 top novels voted by the British public.