Golden Key [Hardcover]

George MacDonald (Author), Peter Gauld (Illustrator)

Book Description

The adventurous wanderings of a boy and girl to find the keyhole which fits the rainbow's golden key.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

[This] "edition illustrated with remarkable sensitivity makes available once more one of the most beautiful of allegorical fairy tales...The story is itself a key that will open to many children a door on their own imaginative experiences and the pleasure and mystery of allegorical speculation." --The Horn Book

"A new edition illustrated with remarkable sensitivity makes available once more one of the most beautiful of allegorical fairy tales...The story tells of the girl and boy, Tangle and Mossy, who meet and travel together to a mysterious land. For a while their paths separate as Tangle encounters, one after another, the three Old Men--of the Sea, of the Earth, and of the Fire--and she grows wiser and more beautiful with each stage of her journey. Tangle is reunited at last with Mossy, who carries the golden key, and they reach the rainbow, climbing along it toward the 'country whence the shadows fall.' The story, full of dreamlike events and exquisite images, is itself a key that will open to many children a door on their own imaginative experiences and the pleasure and mystery of allegorical speculation." --Horn Book

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Scottish novelist and poet, especially popular for his children's literature. MacDonald is acclaimed for his innovative fairy tales in which he masterfully weaves together his imagination with Christian symbolism. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 72 pages
• Publisher: Basement Press; New edition edition (October 30, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0952740427
• ISBN-13: 978-0952740421
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

59 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lovely mystical fairy tale, March 20, 2001

By 

Richard R. Horton (Webster Groves, MO United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Golden Key (A Sunburst Book) (Paperback)

A couple of shortish pieces by the great 19th Century Scottish clergyman and writer George MacDonald were illustrated by Maurice Sendak in the 1960s, and they are now available in attractive paperback editions from Sunburst. One is a very light-hearted story called _The Light Princess_, and the other is a mystical and lovely fairy tale called _The Golden Key_.

_The Golden Key_ is the story of two children, a boy and a girl, who live (not together) on the border of Fairyland. The boy has been told that at the end of the rainbow he can find a golden key -- it is not to be sold, and no one knows what door it may open, but it will surely lead somewhere wonderful. One day he sees a rainbow, and decides to follow it into Fairyland, where it seems the end of it might be -- and there he finds the golden key. Meantime, the girl, much mistreated, wanders into the forest of Fairyland, following a strange owl-like flying fish. Soon she meets a beautiful, ageless, woman, and she learns that she and the boy must journey together, looking for the keyhole into which the golden key will fit.

Their journey is long (though the story is short), and quite wonderful. They meet some strange and wise old men, and encounter many beautiful and curious sights. At last, of course, they find the doorway with keyhole. The ending is unexpected and quite moving and beautiful.

It is tempting to try to analyze this story -- is it an allegory of marriage? or the story of a joint journey to salvation? Perhaps, though, as W. H. Auden suggests in his afterword, it is best to simply let yourself be absorbed by the story, to enjoy its lovely and haunting images. This book is listed as for ages 4-8, which is absurd -- it will satisfy all ages, and if anything the target audience is definitely older children than 8. MacDonald, a key influence on C. S. Lewis, was one of the greatest of all children's fantasists -- try his _Princess and Curdie_ books, or especially his fabulous novel _At the Back of the North Wind_. (He also wrote such fine adult fantasies as _Lilith_.) The Sendak illustrations are fine and quirky as well.

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An adult fairy tale, October 22, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Golden Key (A Sunburst Book) (Paperback)

It is a pity that George MacDonald is usually thought of as a writer of children's stories. The Golden Key is a fairy tale but there are few children indeed who will truly appreciate the symbolism and mystery of scenes like the journey through the valley of shadows. This one has me thinking and wondering for weeks after each time I read it.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heaven in a wildflower, August 24, 2000

By 

William Timothy Lukeman - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Golden Key (A Sunburst Book) (Paperback)

A perfect fairy tale, lovely and deeply moving, containing more within its few short pages than most novels could ever hope to achieve. While sensitive children will certainly enjoy it, I think adult readers will discover far more - rich in symbolism, which never overwhelms the narrative, and conveying an atmosphere of unearthly peace, "The Golden Key" acquires a patina of subtle beauty and meaning with each new reading. Highly recommended!