The Elements of His Dark Materials: The Guide to Philip Pullman's Trilogy [Paperback]

Laurie Frost (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2006

An illustrated, comprehensive, reader-friendly reference to Pullman's brilliant trilogy--valuable for fans and researchers alike. Packed with clues to literary imagery and subtle allusions, Frost's encyclopedia-style guide exposes the depths of all three titles, including the appendices in the 10th anniversary editions of Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass published in the UK in 2005 (not yet released in the US).

The Elements of His Dark Materials features:
Foreword by Philip Pullman
140 photos
26 illustrations
11 maps (for example: Gobbler sightings, gyptians' voyage, Scoresby's journeys, Will and Iorek's route to the Himalayas)
12 chapters (for example: characters, places, applied and natural sciences, and social structures)

US and UK page numbers for each element described
Reference section with suggestions for further reading, works relating to His Dark Materials, and a Pullman bibliography.

Extra-textual remarks accompany some elements' entries and include:
Notes on text-level differences between the UK and US editions or between the three volumes;
Observations-- speculative comments
Facts-- real world counterparts to the fictional elements of the books
Updates--based on the appendices Philip Pullman added to the tenth anniversary editions of the trilogy (not yet released in the US).

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"I can't recommend it too highly to the reader who's found anything interesting or enjoyable in this story of mine. I know I've turned to it frequently during the writing of the book I'm doing now, and I know I'll continue to do so." -- Philip Pullman

About the Author

Laurie Frost holds a PhD in English from Rice University where she specialized in the contemporary novel. Her publications range from a popular culture article on the role of companion animals in prose to a scholarly study of Anthony Powell. She lives in Huntsville, Alabama.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Fell Press (September 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0975943014
• ISBN-13: 978-0975943014
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,240,853 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #90 in Books > Education & Reference > Encyclopedias > Science Fiction & Fantasy

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Resources should always be shiny., November 25, 2007

By 

Heather E. Waddell (Medford, MA, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Elements of His Dark Materials: The Guide to Philip Pullman's Trilogy (Paperback)

There's no better recommendation for a reference book than when the author of the original series states that he's using it to help him remember his own books. And this reference has just such a recommendation.

This is an awesome source, part concordance, part encyclopedia, part character guide. It's a great companion and helped me innumerable times when I was looking for an elusive quote. I also enjoyed seeing the differences between the US and UK versions of the books laid out. The information is presented in a concise and entertaining way, and it's as easy to simply flip open a page and read a bit for fun as it is to look up a specific character or concept.

Frost's attention to detail makes this a book that I will always be glad to own. (Plus, the cover is a shiny picture of the Northern Lights, which just makes it that much more attractive.)

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I was astounded, January 21, 2008

By 

Stephen Thoemmes "All sins are just efforts t... (AZ, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Elements of His Dark Materials: The Guide to Philip Pullman's Trilogy (Paperback)

If Philip Pullman refers to this book, how can you go wrong? It is totally encyclopedic. A dense reference book that covers everything that you have remembered or may have forgotten. I keep referring to this tome though I am not currently re-reading the trilogy. The drawings, the cultural references (in the real world), the UK and US differences, this is a mind boggling work. I cannot imagine the effort put into this book. Laurie Frost has seemed, to me, to have exceeded all human limitations in documenting this masterwork.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Knowledge adds dimension to reading, November 28, 2010

By 

bernie "xyzzy" (Arlington, Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Elements of His Dark Materials: The Guide to Philip Pullman's Trilogy (Paperback)

Most fiction stands alone as a good read. Some make you think and some do not. However as with all the classics, many writers do not create characters and places out of whimsy.

There are so many hours in a day and it is not possible for the masses to be educated in every discipline needed to understand the deeper meaning of many of the symbols, places, and names involved in the stories we read. So we can use the help of books like "The Elements of His Dark Materials" by Laurie Frost to fill in the gaps and keep us focused on the original story. The book seems more massive than the book it is describing.

Even with books like "Annotated Alice" the philosophy is absent and another book "Alice in Wonderland and Philosophy" is needed to fill in the gaps. This book may not be the whole story but it is a great starting place.

From the Back Cover:
Spoiler Warning
Please be aware that the encyclopedic nature of this book makes spoilers inevitable.