Princess and the Goblin: classic literature

George MacDonald (10 December 1824 - 18 September 1905) was a Scottish author, poet, and Christian minister. Though no longer wellknown, his works (particularly his fairy tales and fantasy novels) have inspired admiration in such notables as W. H. Auden, J. R. R. Tolkien, andMadeleine L'Engle. For instance C. S. Lewis wrote that he regarded MacDonald as his "master". Picking up a copy of Phantastes one day at atrain-station bookstall, he 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."