[Editorial commentary by Annie Coghill, Mrs Oliphant's cousin] 'George Macdonald's first book, or at any rate his first successful book, "David Elginbrod", had been published many years before by Messrs Hurst & Blackett, at Mrs Oliphant's warm recommendation. She always spoke of it as a work of genius, and quoted it as one of the instances of publishers' blunders, for when the MS. came to her it came enveloped in wrappings that showed how many refusals it had already suffered.'
Century: 1850-1899 Reader/Listener/Group: Margaret Oliphant Manuscript: MS of a book
"Read my birthday book from Walter. 'Alec Forbes of Howglen' by Mac Donald."
Century: 1850-1899 Reader/Listener/Group: Agnes Blanche Hemming Print: Book
"Had a long morning to read 'Alec Forbes of Howglen'".
Century: 1850-1899 Reader/Listener/Group: Agnes Blanche Hemming Print: Book
'Elinor Glyn recalled "The Princess and the Goblin" (1872) being read to her as a child ...'
Century: 1850-1899 Reader/Listener/Group: Elinor Glyn Print: Book
'Lovely books she read to us...:"The Wide Wide World", with all the religion and deaths from consumption left out, and all the farm life and good country food left in; "Masterman Ready", with that ass Mr Seagrave mitigated, and dear old Ready not killed by the savages; "Settlers at Home", with the baby not allowed to die; "The Little Duke" with horrid little Carloman spared to grow more virtuous still; "The Children of the New Forest"; "The Runaway"; "The Princess and the Goblin", and many more'.
Century: 1850-1899 Reader/Listener/Group: Henrietta Litchfield Print: Book
'It was through the reading of his narrative poem, "Within and Without" (published in 1855, but written a few years earlier), that their acquaintance began. She wrote to him of her admiration, and soon afterwards they met'.
Century: 1850-1899 Reader/Listener/Group: Anne Isabella (Annabella), Baroness Byron Print: Book
'Her reading as a child was voracious, although her late start in learning to read for herself left her with a cosy taste for being read to. Her governess hads read aloud to her the story of Perseus and "Jungle Jinks" and most things in between. Once she read for herself, she had a passion for George Macdonald: his Curdie was one of her heroes. She loved Baroness Orczy's "Scarlet Pimpernel", and E. Nesbit's books. She read Dickens exhaustively as a child and, as a result, could not read him as a young adult: "There is no more oxygen left, for me, anywhere in the atmosphere of his writings".'
Century: 1900-1945 Reader/Listener/Group: Elizabeth Bowen Print: Book
'In the evening I sat down to read "the Vicar's Daughter" & got so interested in it that I began to read tit bits aloud. Polly who was very tired got interested also & pressed me to go on reading I did so till nearly ten o'clock then we had some toddy & went to bed'
Century: 1850-1899 Reader/Listener/Group: John Buckley Castieau Print: Book
'Lady Byron was to [George] MacDonald the protectress, the adviser, and once at least the extremely rigorous critic.
'It was through the reading of his narrative poem, Within and Without (published in 1855, but written a few years earlier), that their acquaintance began. She wrote to him of her admiration, and soon afterwards they met.'
Century: 1850-1899 Reader/Listener/Group: Anne Isabella Lady Noel Byron Print: Book
'Read fairy tales by George MacDonald.'
Unknown
Century: 1900-1945 Reader/Listener/Group: Harriet Bickersteth Cook Print: Book
'I have had a great literary experience this week. I have discovered yet another author to add
to our circle — our very own set: never since I first read "The well at the world's end" have I
enjoyed a book so much — and indeed I think my new "find" is quite as good as Malory or
Morris himself. The book, to get to the point, is George Macdonald's "Faerie Romance",
Phantastes, which I picked up by hazard in a rather tired everyman copy — by the way isn't it
funny, they cost 1/1d. now — on our station bookstall last Saturday.... you simply MUST get
this at once.... of course it is quite hopeless for me to try to describe it, but when you have
followed the hero Anodos along that little stream to the faery wood, have heard about the
terrible ash tree and how the shadow of his gnarled, knotted hand falls upon the book the hero
is reading... I know that you will quite agree with me.... There are one or two poems in the
tale — as in the Morris tales you know — which, with one or two exceptions, are shockingly
bad,
so don't TRY to appreciate them: it is just a sign, isn't it, that some geniuses can't work in
metrical forms.'
Century: 1900-1945 Reader/Listener/Group: Clive Staples Lewis Print: Book
(1) 'Your verdict upon Macdonald's tale was worthy of so shrewd and serious a gentleman as
yourself...' (2) 'And talking about books I am surprised that you don't say more of "The Golden
Key": to me it was absolute heaven from the moment when Tangle ran into the woods to the
glorious end in those mysterious caves. What a lovely idea "The country from which the shadows
fall"!'
Century: 1900-1945 Reader/Listener/Group: Clive Staples Lewis Print: Book
