Stories are the way every human being understands himself, the world, and his place in the world. Ideally, they offer a framework that ends in hopeful resolution, something we desperately need imprinted on our imagination in an age of despair. We need stories like those from the “forgotten father of fantasy fiction” George MacDonald.
The Golden Key and Other Fairy Tales will introduce readers to George MacDonald, the influential 19th century Scottish writer and Christian minister whose fairy tales–though not explicitly religious–continue to fulfill the need for wholesome children’s stories that emphasize virtue, especially the virtues of courage and hope.
According to C.S. Lewis, there is “hardly any other writer who seems to be closer, or more continuously close, to the Spirit of Christ Himself,” than MacDonald, who deeply influenced the Christian fantasy writers who followed him, including G.K. Chesterton, J.R.R. Tolkien and Madeleine L’Engle.
This delightful collection of classics includes MacDonald’s stories “The Golden Key,” “The Light Princess,” and “Little Daylight,” as well as stunning full-color illustrations by Anastasia Nesterova and an introduction for the young reader by children’s book author and Editor of Word on Fire Votive Haley Stewart.