Product Description

The Rough Guide to Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials explores the beguiling world of Philip Pullman’s classic trilogy. The guide covers Pullman’s inspiration from science and literature, including string theory, climate change and dark matter, Milton, Blake and fantasy fiction. The Story and characters are unraveled with insight into the key mysteries and events and how everyone from Lyra Belacqua to the golden monkey demon fit in to the author’s grand design. You’ll find everything from the story behind the filming and cast of the first His Dark Materials film, The Golden Compass to how the Victorian era shaped Pullman’s imagination, with a tour of Oxford’s Exeter College, Geneva (home of the Magisterium), Venice (Cittagazze), and of course where to catch the Northern Lights. Pullman shares his views on religion, and discover what organised religion has to say about his books.Cut threw the darkness and step into another universe with The Rough Guide to Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #466684 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

About the Author

Paul Simpson is author of The Rough Guide to Cult Movies, The Rough Guide to James Bond, The Rough Guide to Kid’s Movies & The Rough Guide to Westerns.

Paul Simpson is author of The Rough Guide to Cult Movies, The Rough Guide to James Bond, The Rough Guide to Kid’s Movies & The Rough Guide to Westerns.

Paul Simpson is author of The Rough Guide to Cult Movies, The Rough Guide to James Bond, The Rough Guide to Kid’s Movies & The Rough Guide to Westerns.

Customer Reviews

Seductive style masks sloppy scholarship
At first I thought that this was a great addition to the growing number of books about His Dark Materials.

But when I wanted to learn more about an idea, like that "the alethiometer has been likened to the liahona. . . used by the Mormon prophet Lehi" (p. 50), I changed my mind. Who came up with this idea? I found what I think is the source by googling -- but that isn't how it is supposed to work. The source should have been noted in Paul Simpson's book.

You give credit where credit is due -- you don't take a bit from this writer and a bit from that, fail to identify your source, and call it writing a book.

Another example: Even when Simpson appears to be citing sources, he's sloppy. On page 40 he attributes to David Colbert's book a quotation by Pullman regarding daemons that originally appeared in an interview by Catherine Andronik -- I know this because Colbert did the right thing, and credited his source (Andronik) in his book. But Paul Simpson's Rough Guide makes it appear as if Colbert's book, The Magical Worlds of Philip Pullman, is where this information first appeared.

The argument that this Rough Guide isn't for scholars doesn't hold up. Colbert's very rigorously honorable book also isn't for academics.

It's all about fairness and respect.

Opened up my world.
After having read the trilogy and thinking about it a long time, I was curious about this book. To be totally subjective, I loved the format and printing of the book. Then, it also made me think even more about the trilogy. I welcomed the illumination of such a dense work. It brought up many details that I have either forgotten or glossed over. I appreciate this book and have purchased it for other fans of the trilogy.