His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Book 1)

by PULLMAN, PHILIP

• ISBN13: 9780375823459
• ISBN10: 037582345X
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-09-10
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Summary

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,nothingis 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 disappearingvictims 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.

Author Biography

Philip Pullman was born in Norwich, England and was brought up in Rhodesia, Australia, London and Wales. Philip graduated from Oxford University in 1973 with a degree in English, and has taught middle school at Westminter College. He is the author of many highly-acclaimed books for young readers, from contemporary fiction to Victorian thrillers, and has written plays and picture books for readers of all ages. Philip's current book, <i>The Golden Compass </i>, has been hailed as "a rich combination of high fantasy, high drama, and intense emotion" by author Lloyd Alexander, and "extraordinary storytelling at it's very best" by the <i>Detroit Free-Press </i>.<br><br>Philip currently lives in Oxford with his wife, Judith, and children.

Table of Contents

PART ONE: OXFORD
The Decanter of Tokay	3	(14)
The Idea of North	17	(16)
Lyra's Jordan	33	(33)
The Alethiometer	66	(15)
The Cocktail Party	81	(17)
The Throwing Nets	98	(12)
John Faa	110	(20)
Frustration	130	(11)
The Spies	141	(22)
PART TWO: BOLVANGAR
The Consul and the Bear	163	(20)
Armor	183	(21)
The Lost Boy	204	(10)
Fencing	214	(16)
Bolvangar Lights	230	(17)
The Dæmon Cages	247	(18)
The Silver Guillotine	265	(15)
The Witches	280	(27)
PART THREE: SVALBARD
Fog and Ice	307	(18)
Captivity	325	(19)
Mortal Combat	344	(17)
Lord Asriel's Welcome	361	(18)
Betrayal	379	(10)
The Bridge to the Stars	389