1900 Rare Book - At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald illustrated by Arthur Hughes.
(description)
Author: George MacDonald. (illustrated by Arthur Hughes).
Title: At the Back of the North Wind With Seventy-Five Illustrations by Arthur Hughes. Frontispiece and Cover-Design by Laurence Housman.
Publisher: London, Glasgow, Dublin, Blackie and Son Limited, 1900.
Language: Text in English.
Size: 7.5" X 5".
Pages: vi-378 pages + publisher's catalog.
Binding: Attractive and very good original decorated full-cloth binding (hinges fine, overall slightly worn and scuffed - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover.
Content: Very good content (bright, tight, and clean, rare light foxing - as shown, gift note from a previous 1902 owner on the first blank page - as shown).
Illustrations: Profusely and beautifully illustrated with seventy-five illustrations by Arthur Hughes, frontispiece, and cover design by Laurence Housman.
The book: A Beautiful Edition of At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald, a classic of children's literature that combines fantasy with profound philosophical insights. This story of young Diamond and his adventures with the mysterious North Wind has been beloved by readers for its deep moral and spiritual underpinnings. This edition is notable for its exquisite illustrations by Arthur Hughes and the striking cover design by Laurence Housman, which together enhance the ethereal and magical quality of the text.
The author: George MacDonald (10 December 1824 – 18 September 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, J. M. Barrie, Lord Dunsany, Hope Mirrlees, Robert E. Howard, L. Frank Baum, T.H. White, Lloyd Alexander, C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Walter de la Mare, E. Nesbit, Peter S. Beagle, Neil Gaiman and Madeleine L'Engle. C. S. Lewis 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".
The illustrator: Arthur Hughes (27 January 1832 – 22 December 1915) was an English painter and illustrator associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.