Other editions of book Phantastes: A Faerie Romance for Men and Women

The classic fantasy that influenced C. S. Lewis and Tolkien, considered one of George MacDonald s most important works, is the story of the young man, Anodos, and his adventures in fairyland which ultimately reveal the human condition. I write, not for children, wrote George MacDonald, but for the child-like, whether they be of five, or fifty, or seventy-five. All-at-once written with an innocent whimsy and soulful yearning, the heart of Anodos journey through fairyland reveals a spiritual quest that requires a surrender of the self. MacDonald s fantasy novel as well as his other works have had major influence on many authors who considered him their mentor: C. S. Lewis said, I have never concealed the fact that I regarded him as my master; indeed I fancy I have never written a book in which I did not quote from him. J. R. R. Tolkien called his fairy tales stories of power and beauty. Madeleine L Engle said, Surely, George MacDonald is the grandfather of us all all of us who struggle to come to terms with truth through fantasy. Special Features Full color printing throughout, with beautiful, new color renditions of all 33 of Arthur Hughes original illustrations."

This classic tale by master Scottish story teller George Macdonald Phantastes: A Faerie Romance for Men and Women is a fantasy novel first published in London in 1858.The story is about the main character character Anodos, a young man who is pulled into a dreamlike world and there searches for his ideal of female beauty, Anodos has many adventures and temptations while in the other world, until he is finally ready to give up his ideals.George MacDonald was the inspiration for authors, such as W. H. Auden, J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, E. Nesbit 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."

Phantastes: A Faerie Romance for Men and Women is a fantasy novel by Scottish writer George MacDonald, first published in London in 1858. It was later reprinted in paperback by Ballantine Books as the fourteenth volume of the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series in April 1970.The story centres on the character Anodos ("pathless", or "ascent" in Greek) and takes its inspiration from German Romanticism, particularly Novalis. The story concerns a young man who is pulled into a dreamlike world and there 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.

Phantastes: A Faerie Romance for Men and Women is a fantasy novel by Scottish writer George MacDonald, first published in London in 1858. The story centres on the character Anodos ("pathless", or "ascent" in Greek) and takes its inspiration from German Romanticism, particularly Novalis. The story concerns a young man who is pulled into a dreamlike world and there 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.

2011 Reprint of 1905 Edition. "Phantastes: A Faerie Romance for Men and Women" is a fantasy novel written by George MacDonald, first published in London in 1858. The story centers on the character Anodos ("pathless" or "ascent" in Greek) and takes its inspiration from German Romanticism, particularly Novalis. The story concerns a young man who is pulled into a dreamlike world and there 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. C.S. Lewis wrote, concerning his first reading of Phantastes at age sixteen, "That night my imagination was, in a certain sense, baptized; the rest of me, not unnaturally, took longer. I had not the faintest notion what I had let myself in for by buying Phantastes."

C. S. Lewis reports that this book by George MacDonald 'baptized his imagination.' It would take years, but eventually this baptism would contribute to Lewis' conversion to Christianity. Lewis also writes that there isn't anything that he had written that had not been influenced by the writings of MacDonald. Given the influence of Lewis, it is astonishing that it has taken the world so long to discover George MacDonald--but discovering, it is. This 'fairie romance' calls forth the question: is there more to reality than we suppose?

Phantastes: A Faerie Romance for Men and Women is a fantasy novel by Scottish writer George MacDonald, first published in London in 1858. It was later reprinted in paperback by Ballantine Books as the fourteenth volume of the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series in April 1970.The story centres on the character Anodos ("pathless", or "ascent" in Greek) and takes its inspiration from German Romanticism, particularly Novalis. The story concerns a young man who is pulled into a dreamlike world and there 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.

Phantastes: A Faerie Romance for Men and Women is a fantasy novel written by George MacDonald, first published in London in 1858. It was later reprinted in paperback by Ballantine Books as the fourteenth volume of the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series in April 1970. The story centres on the character Anodos ("pathless", or "ascent" in Greek) and takes its inspiration from German Romanticism, particularly Novalis. The story concerns a young man who is pulled into a dreamlike world and there 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.

Phantastes is adult fantasy novel follows Anodos, a man who searches for his ideal of female beauty in a dream-like world. Anodos has many adventures and faces many temptations in this fairyland, from tree spirit confrontations to a long trek to the palace of the fairy queen, where he eventually meets the Marble Lady. MacDonald would later astonish and influence writers such as C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and W. H. Auden, who saw in this work the successful embodiment of the depth and meaning of our inner, spiritual world. The poignancy of "Phantastes" lies in its representation of a spiritual quest, one in which ideals are compromised, and the ultimate surrender of the self brings both overflowing joy and profound sadness.

In 1858, George MacDonald published his first story in the prose form: Phantastes. It is an intriguing and imaginative tale of a young man named Anodos (Greek for "ascent") who travels into a fairy land. As always, MacDonald writes on two levels: there is the adventure of this young man in fairy land, but more importantly, there are underlying lessons that address our perceptions of both humanity and beauty. Regarding this book, CS Lewis stated, "That night my imagination was, in a certain sense, baptized; the rest of me not unnaturally, took longer. I had not the faintest notion what I had let myself in for by buying Phantastes."

For offering this new edition of my father's Phantastes, my reasons are three. The first is to rescue the work from an edition illustrated without the author's sanction, and so unsuitably that all lovers of the book must have experienced some real grief in turning its pages. With the copyright I secured also the whole of that edition and turned it into pulp. My second reason is to pay a small tribute to my father by way of personal gratitude for this, his first prose work, which was published nearly fifty years ago. Though unknown to many lovers of his greater writings, none of these has exceeded it in imaginative insight and power of expression. To me it rings with the dominant chord of his life's purpose and work.