Gateway to George: Elisabeth Elliot’s MacDonald Reading List

The famous American missionary Elisabeth Elliot was an avid reader of classic books. An authoress in her own right, she readily appreciated the great literature she discovered, and (in the spirit of freely giving what she had freely received) eagerly passed it on in the form of a “recommended reading” list.

Such was Elisabeth’s admiration for one great writer, George MacDonald, that she listed not only four of his books for children, but advised reading ANY of his vast array of novels for adults. Taking each category in turn, here is the fiction she singles out:

FOR CHILDREN
The Princess and the Goblin
The Princess and Curdie
At the Back of the North Wind
The Golden Key

The first three are novel-length fairy tales, our editions of which (including this all-in-one Kindle version) feature exclusive introductions by C.S. Lewis’ stepson, Douglas Gresham. The Golden Key is a shorter story, available from us in paperback and hardcover, with beautiful new artwork by Rachel Alm.

MacDonald’s novels for adults, while they are treasures, might at first seem more of an embarrassment of riches, given that he wrote so many. But for Elisabeth’s admirers, it seems excellent sense to begin with these two—

FOR ADULTS
Sir Gibbie
Salted With Fire

—Sir Gibbie being, in Elisabeth’s words “one of my favourites”, and Salted With Fire one of the 5 books that influenced her most. Our fully translated editions of both novels are unabridged, as Elisabeth read them, with the latter featuring an exclusive introduction by her daughter Valerie Elliot Shepard.  Our own recommendation is that those who enjoy Salted With Fire try MacDonald’s The Elect Lady and Heather and Snow next, as these are books with similar themes, and of similar lengths (the novella Far Above Rubies may also appeal to the same readership.) If these whet your appetite yet further, consult this handy list to discover more of MacDonald’s Scottish and English classics.