Author(s): Philip Pullman

TEEN FICTION

This exclusive limited edition is a must-have for Philip Pullman fans and collectors.

This specially designed hardback, cloth-bound edition in a cloth slipcase, finished with gold and silver foil, is limited to 5,000 copies.

Each  copy is signed by Philip Pullman, numbered and stamped with a blind-embossed John Lawrence engraving. The beautifully designed silver pantone end papers echo the content of the book, and the cover illustration is a  newly commissioned piece by Chris Wormell. 




The first volume of Philip Pullman’s The Book of Dust – which has been speculated about for years – will be published on Thursday 19 October 2017.

The Book of Dust is a work in three parts, like His Dark Materials. 22 years after Northern Lights, The Book of Dust will return to the parallel world that has enthralled readers young and old.

Eleven-year-old Malcolm Polstead and his dæmon, Asta, live with his parents at the Trout Inn near Oxford. Across the River Thames (which Malcolm navigates often using his beloved canoe, a boat by the name of La Belle Sauvage) is the Godstow Priory where the nuns live. Malcolm learns they have a guest with them; a baby by the name of Lyra Belacqua . . . 

James Daunt, Managing Director, Waterstones: “The importance of Philip Pullman to the cause of reading cannot be overstated. The generations still in their first quarter century read first Harry Potter, then the complex, gripping and provocative His Dark Materials. Other books, other authors, make claims and bring huge rewards, but these two imprint on everyone who calls themselves a reader, and it is Philip who cements the sophisticated, unique pleasures of reading. As we account for the vigour of reading in a digital age, we need look no further. It is exhilarating to anticipate The Book of Dust, and in this I speak for those of all ages.”

The Artwork of Chris Wormell

Sporting glorious cover art from master British illustrator Chris Wormell, Pullman declared that “I’ve admired Chris Wormell’s artwork for a long time, and when the chance of having him illustrate the covers of my new novel came along I leapt at it… it’s been a delight to see the work emerge and I’m thrilled with the result.”

About His Dark Materials

Published by Scholastic between 1995 and 2000, the His Dark Materials trilogy is widely regarded as a modern classic. Individually, the three books of His Dark Materials – Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass – have won several literary prizes, counting amongst them the Carnegie Medal (1996) and Carnegie of Carnegies (2007) and the Costa Award (2001).

The books have been adapted for stage and screen countless times, including Nicholas Wright’s acclaimed 2004 stage adaptation of His Dark Materials, directed by Nicholas Hytner at the National Theatre. His Dark Materials will appear once again in a BBC One adaptation in 2018, adapted by Jack Thorne and produced by Bad Wolf and New Line Cinema. The BBC called the upcoming adaptation “a drama event for young and old - a real family treat that shows [the BBC’s] commitment to original and ambitious storytelling.”