The Republic Index

It occurred to me that as this blog grew and expanded and some of the posts became longer and longer, perhaps a nice friendly index of sorts would be in order. It seemed like a Dusty thing to do, and I will add it to the relevant links portion on the homepage so it will be immediately accessible. The blog archive is of course also available on the sidebar, but this adds more specific information. And keep in mind I was a librarian for years, and that need and appreciation for literary order and indexing doesn't just go away. 

Hopefully it will help make navigating these maiden voyages into the waters of the Pullmanverse a little easier, and point to any specific areas of interest any roving Pullman Studies majors might have. I plan on adding every individual post to it if I can remember, so it's not going to be a static thing. I want to be - if not the best Jordan Scholar I can be - certainly the best Pullman one. 

I'll also mention that certain titles will repeat with alternating subtitles, such as "My Jordan Library," documenting my growing Pullman collection, or "Readings in the Republic," regarding what current relevant books I may be perusing, or "Citizens of the Republic," highlighting certain people who have or are now making vast contributions to a Republic of Heaven lifestyle. 

Perhaps one of these days I can add some kind of virtual Retiring Room, complete with a lantern projector and photograms and decanters of Tokay, and even some smokeleaf and poppy for everyone to enjoy. As they say, the latter clarifies the mind, stimulates the tongue, and makes for rich conversation, but hopefully this blog provides much the same experience online!

Welcome to the Republic - Published on 10/12/20 - The very first post providing an introduction to not only this blog, but also the worlds of Philip Pullman, His Dark Materials, The Book of Dust, and what exactly this Republic of Heaven stuff is all about. 

My Jordan Library - Published on 10/16/20 - My own little version of Bodley's Library, as I share some facts about myself, but specifically all the HDM and TBoD related books and novels I love to collect. Considerably more editions have found their way into my hands, and I will try to keep things updated throughout. Hopefully my book photography skills will also improve. 

Sincerely Serpentine - Published on 10/22/20 - My review of Serpentine, the quaint little novella that was published last year. It chronicles Lyra's return to Trollesund, as well as some drama developing between her and Pantalamion. This was my first time attempting to write anything scholarly about the Materials, so bear with me. No Svalbard pun intended. 

Northern Lights Online Event - Published on 10/22/20 - Easily the least relevant post thus far. This was my announcement regarding a special live event featuring Pullman and others to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Northern Lights. Most notable here is the release of the Illustrated Edition, which will soon be available in the U.S. Said event is obviously over, though I do cover it later. 

Trailers and Featurettes and Subtle Knives - Published on 10/27/20 - A first look and some talk regarding season two of the HBO His Dark Materials series. 

On First Looking Into Pullman's Materials - Published on 10/28/20 - This is a not-so-subtle nod to Keats' "On First Looking into Chapman's Homer." Just as Keats beautifully outlined his own feelings upon first reading a translation of Homer, I frame my own readings of His Dark Materials, as well as the profound impact they have had on me. Literary and otherwise. I'm proud of this one, as it also begins to delve heavily into the poetic scaffolding this enterprise is built around. 

Poe, Pullman, and Poetics - Published on 10/31/20 - Ending a very prolific first month here at BtR, this commemorates a certain edition of Edgar Allan Poe I secured that features a wonderful introduction by Pullman himself. It seemed relevant for Halloween, and it also continues to explore the more poetic approaches to life. 

My Jordan Library: Subtle Scores - Published on 11/6/20 - A short but sweet post chronicling not only my acquisition of the deluxe tenth anniversary edition of The Subtle Knife, but also my long lost movie Lyra-themed bookmark.

My Thoughts on the Evening with Philip Pullman Event - Published on 11/7/20 - Just a recap of what the online event was like, as it featured not only Philip Pullman but also others such as his longtime publisher, as well as people who are working on the HBO series. 

A Boy, a Canoe, and Eternity's Sunrise - Published on 11/13/20 - A post that I harbor a certain fondness for, as it explores some of the symbolism of La Belle Sauvage, specifically as seen through the lens of William Blake and his visionary experiences. This is the sort of thing I plan to write a lot of in the future, not the least of which in any upcoming scholarly books. 

Into This Wild Abyss (Of Speculation) - Published on 12/3/20 - One of my two longest posts, but by far one of my most popular. This is an admittedly detailed look at what may or may not happen in the third and final installment of The Book of Dust, as  thoroughly explored through Pullman's philosophy of fiction and literature. 

Philip Pullman, Michael Sheen, and a Great Conversation - Published on 12/10/20 - A short and simple post regarding an interview on YouTube with Philip Pullman and the performer who worked on The Book of Dust audio versions. Informative and entertaining. 

Readings in the Republic - Published on 12/15/20 - My first in a series of articles detailing books I am reading that I have found to be very complimentary to Pullman Studies, normally of a poetic nature. This not only centers on William Blake and John Milton, but also contemporary thinkers that Pullman has noted or recommended, such as Philip Goff or Iain McGilchrist. It also highlights the importance of tracking a trail of inspiration from the writers who inspired you, all the way to the writers who inspired them. 

The Golden Compass Illustrated Edition - Published on 1/11/20 - Starting out the new year with a post announcing the release of the first His Dark Materials novel to receive an illustrated edition, as well as a handy link to pre-order it. Here's hoping The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass will eventually receive similar treatment.

The Golden Compass 2007 Retrospective - Published on 1/12/21 - My other longest post beside "Into This Wild Abyss," and yes, also easily my second most popular. This is something I have been meaning to do for awhile, in one context or another. This inches toward being a rather definitive discussion of The Golden Compass film by New Line Cinema, documenting everything from the cast to the director to the screenwriting to the reviews to the soundtrack to the video game to its eventual cinematic fate. I am reasonably proud of this one too, and a lot of people seem to have genuinely enjoyed this look back at what was, and what might have been ...

Pan and the Alethiometer - Published on 1/18/21 - Simply a wonderful image I found that features everyone's favorite daemon and alethiometer and just had to share. The artist was hard to track down, but apparently Andrew Ferez is the one, and his picture is painted with a stunning vibrancy.

My Jordan Library: Film Edition - Published on 1/21/21 - Hopefully a fun one. The "My Jordan Library" series continues, only this time, I'm sharing the few artifacts I've managed to secure from the 2007 Golden Compass film. This includes a poster, bookmarks, a tie-in book, as well as a full-on review of the Blu-Ray special edition. 

"Appareled in Celestial Light" - Published on 2/5/21 - This features a stunning video clip of the real world aurora borealis, as well as a substantial quote from Northern Lights itself that beautifully captures the phenomenon in prose. This is followed by a few paragraphs where I once again try to wax lyrical regarding poetry and nature and Romanticism, and draw an honestly pretty neat parallel between Coleridge's "Eolian Harp" poem and the alethiometer. 

Lyra & Will: A Poetic Tribute - Published on 2/13/21 - Actually it was published right after midnight on Valentine's, because how could someone's thoughts not to turn HDM's power couple on that day? Featuring very appropriate poetry from the likes of Poe, Keats, Blake, and Byron, as well as a certain bench in the Botanic Gardens at Oxford. 

My Jordan Library: Unpacking His Dark Materials - Published on 2/21/21 - Another foray into my Pullman collection, this time featuring the deluxe tenth anniversary edition of The Amber Spyglass and, most importantly, my illustrated edition of Northern Lights, courtesy of Amazon UK. The standout here is my breaking out an old projecting lantern and actually posting the video on YouTube for your viewing enjoyment. 

Readings in the Republic: Bargain Book Edition - Published on 3/3/21 - Nothing too special, just my second in this particular series documenting any additional material I'm reading that I deem closely tied to this whole Republic of Heaven endeavor. In this case a collection of books scoured from the bargain section at Books-A-Million featuring naked eye astronomy, an intro the I Ching, and of course, more poetry. 

The Coolest T-Shirts in the Many Worlds - Published on 3/11/21 - A chronicle of my first purchase on Red Bubble, a novelty website which is overflowing with awesome His Dark Materials merch - so if you're in the market for an alethiometer clock or an Iorek throw pillow or a Cittagazze hoodie, this is the place for you. Links and recommendations provided, starting with ones for my Jordan College Alumni t-shirt!

"He took the Golden Compasses" - Published on 3/15/21 - A little Milton quote to kick us off, as I talk about an illustration of the alethiometer I found in a tie-in book, as originally designed by Pullman for the stage production of His Dark Materials. 

Everyone has their Daemons - Published on 3/24/21 - In which I introduce everyone to Anthora, the daemon I scored on the very old Golden Compass film website over a decade ago. As now existing in stuffed animal form. 

The Great Project - Published on 4/8/21 - Referencing an old quote from Pullman about the nature of Dust. In this case, specifically how we can adopt it as a metaphor through which to see the bigger world, as well as engage with it in the "great project" of keeping the universe alive and conscious ....

Taking Center Stage - Published on 4/17/21 - Information on the new date for the stage adaptation of La Belle Sauvage in London this holiday season. 

InstaDust - Published on 4/29/21 - A brief suggestion to go follow the duchessofcornwallsreadingroom on Instagram, as she is currently exploring The Secret Commonwealth. 

The Subtle Knife: Illustrated Edition - Published on 5/14/21 - A notice regarding Christopher Wormell and a preview regarding some of his work on TSK illustrated version. 

New Philip Pullman Interview! - Published on 5/29/21 - A video interview between Pullman and Charles Rosen on children's literature and The Book of Dust and lots besides, now available on Vimeo. 

BBC HDM Special - Published on 6/21/2021 - A linked YouTube video that hails all the way back from 2001 on the BBC ...

Epigrams and Anniversaries - Published on 7/10/21 - My announcement that not only have I finally started official work on my own scholarly HDM book, but that it unknowingly connected perfectly to the 26th anniversary of the publication of Northern Lights.

My Jordan Library: Northern Lights Edition - Published on 08/17/21 - A look at my collection of Northern Lights and Golden Compass books, complete with dramatic northern backdrop. 

Philip Pullman Meets Iain McGilchrist - Published on 10/9/21 - Links to potentially the most exciting event in the Pullmanverse this year! 

The Pullman and McGilchrist Event is Now Available - Published on 11/29/21 - A link to the published discussion between these two great poetic minds. 

The Golden Compass Character Posters - Published on 12/21/21 - A little series of posters featuring all the prominent actors in the Golden Compass movie. 

Of Portraits and Daemons - Published on 12/25/21 - A look at the da Vinci portrait that helped inspire and solidify the relationship of humans and daemons in His Dark Materials. 

The Illustrated Lyra's Oxford: Review and Analysis - Published on 1/3/22 - A review and philosophical look at Pullman's first HDM novella. And birds. Lots of birds.

Readings in the Republic: Alethiometers and Neuroscience - Published on 1/15/22 - A recommendation of the works of Tweedy and McGilchrist and how their work in brain science directly relates to HDM. 

The World of The Golden Compass and a Very Dusty Quote - Published on 2/13/22 - Information about an older compilation of essays about His Dark Materials.

New Release: The Imagination Chamber - Published on 2/26/22 - Information regarding the upcoming companion book to His Dark Materials and The Book of Dust. 

His Graphic Materials - Published on 4/6/22 - My review of the first two graphic novel editions of His Dark Materials. 

To Be Continued ....

And as Always 

Stay Dusty My Friends

#HisDarkMaterials #TheBookOfDust  #PhilipPullman 

#BuildingTheRepublic  #PullmanStudies  #JordanScholarship

#InDustWeTrust  #DownAndDusty   #TheGreatProject

Readings in the Republic: Bargain Book Edition

 

Is life or the pandemic wearing on you? Is winter lingering a bit too long? Is the Magisterium gaining a foothold in your world? Suspect the Consistorial Court of Discipline has you under surveillance? If so, what better way to counteract the situation than by going to a bookstore on a Saturday evening, claiming Scholastic Sanctuary, and loading up on some literature? 

In my case, it was a Books-A-Million and the bargain book section. Maybe I was "getting and spending" too much as William Wordsworth earnestly warned against, but I was also purchasing the very building blocks of our Republic of Heaven, so hopefully it will all come out even in the end. 

The big one at the back is Night Sky: Stargazing with the Naked Eye, and it contains some utterly sublime photographs of not only the stars and moons and Milky Way, but also the stunning aurora borealis itself, which should hold a special place in the hearts of Pullmanites everywhere. I took two semesters of astronomy in college, and would love to formally explore stargazing. The main problem is I live not far from a major metropolitan area, and light pollution is a significant issue. 

- It is food for thought that we are one of the few generations to ever exist on the planet who are not treated to a nightly celestial feast in the heavens, but as with many things now lost, this book seems at least a partial substitute for the real thing.

Next up is The Romantic Poets and their Circle by Richard Holmes, which I had never seen before or even heard of. Naturally I was pleased to obtain it, as it contains many exquisite portraits and paintings of the famous poets, writers, and other important figures of the Romantic era. It begins with a great portrait of Lord Byron, as striking and powerful as Lord Asriel himself, complete with all the requisite Byronic and Miltonic trappings of both men. 

- As I also like to point out at every given opportunity, Philip Pullman himself freely admitted he was a "Romantic extremist" as a young man, then wryly adding, "Well, you can't be a Romantic moderate." On that point, as on so many others, we agree. 

Following that is an edition of Walden, by of course Henry David Thoreau. He went to the woods to "live deliberately," and so accomplished his mission. Living deliberately is a major Republican virtue, so we can probably mark Thoreau as a Citizen of the Republic in good standing. 

Next is a quaint little introduction to that ancient Chinese divination book, the I Ching. Admittedly, I have not had too much exposure to this one, despite a fondness for ancient Chinese philosophy. But I figured this just might come in handy when writing my own book on His Dark Materials, as Mary Malone so famously references/uses it in The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass. 

Hilary Barrett writes in the opening chapters of this version, "The I Ching is an oracle: something that speaks. Although it comes disguised as a book, it is really a voice in a conversation, and you can talk with it (or with what speaks through it) as you would with a wise friend or mentor." 

As Pullman has said, most cultures have an oracle of sorts, some way of "interrogating the universe." And of course, he himself invented arguably the most famous fictional device of this kind, the alethiometer. Above quote more than closely resembles it, no?

- Fun story: One of my humanities professors in college told my class about the first time he used the I Ching. He was faced with a big decision back when he was a young student himself, namely whether to travel to Hawaii and study philosophy there. Once the yarrow sticks had been cast and the hexagrams divined, the message came back very clearly, something to the effect of "It would be good for you to cross great water." He did so and travelled to Hawaii, which he claims was one of the best decisions he'd ever made. 

Beneath this came the Selected Poems and Letters of Emily Dickinson, who I haven't given enough attention in past years. Sitting on the front porch softly reading her poems aloud, I was struck by the enormous living quality of her words. Of course, she famously sent a letter (to the world that never wrote to her) asking the man who would become her patron "Are you too deeply occupied to say if my verse is alive?", which I find extremely lyrical and revealing. 

Exactly like with the Pullmanverse, everything in the Dickinsonverse is alive, aware, and animate in some way - bees, trees, gardens, woods, etc. This I see as one of the basic missions of poetry - to imbue the universe with an urgent and very tangible sense of life. Dickinson seemed to have lived in constant dialogue with the world around her, which adds a sensational quality to her quatrains, and is precisely the quality that so sings in Pullman's prose. 

I would particularly highlight this Dickinson quote at the beginning of the book - "I find ecstasy in living; the mere sense of living is joy enough." Juxtapose this with a line about the Latvian witch-queen in The Subtle Knife - "[Lyra] felt a quickening of her heart, for Ruta Skadi lived so brilliantly in her nerves that she set up a responding thrill in the nerves of anyone close by." 

This kind of imagery with the witches is brought up again and again in HDM, and it is not hard to see Emily as making a fine witch had she been born a few parallel universes over (a "queen of queens!" even, as Skadi might say?). I also feel compelled to mention the witch chanting and spell work is also one of the few examples we get of some literal rhythmic poetry buried in Pullman's prose. 

- In mentioning her "living" quality, I would submit that even when she's writing about death it's equally and ironically alive. Here I will also draw another Pullman parallel in that they both personified Death, Dickinson in some of her most famous poems, and Pullman of course in The Amber Spyglass. I should also note he quoted her several times in the epigraphs in the very same book.

And along those lines, I ended with a nice hardback edition of some William Butler Yeats. Pullman highly values his poetry, and the introduction mentions how Yeats saw poetry in general as naturally linked to the spells and incantations of the original mystics of his native Ireland. So perhaps one of the male-witches Ruta Skadi mentioned in her talks about Lord Asriel? Certainly Yeats is another poet I haven't perhaps paid enough attention to, but will hopefully make amends for that. 

So thanks for coming along with me on my literary shopping experience, 

And as Always 

Stay Dusty My Friends

#HisDarkMaterials #TheBookOfDust  #PhilipPullman 

#BuildingTheRepublic  #PullmanStudies  #JordanScholarship

#InDustWeTrust  #DownAndDusty   #TheGreatProject

My Jordan Library: Unpacking His Dark Materials

Greetings and Salutations. Now for something a little different. 

I recently received a couple of Pullmanverse packages in the mail for my ever-expanding Jordan Library, and I had the bright idea of sharing them via video. Or as they might say in Lyra's world, via projecting lantern. This is one of my maiden voyages on seas that don't include text, so please forgive the occasional verbal typo. 

For the record, I do actually know how to pronounce words like "tokay," and that it's "table of content" rather than "contents." But the more I edited and fiddled about with it the shakier the whole process became. Still, I think it came off relatively well, especially considering it was pretty spontaneous one Saturday. Enjoy!

My complete tenth anniversary deluxe editions, as promised. 

And as Always

Stay Dusty My Friends

#PhilipPullman  #HisDarkMaterials #NorthernLights  

#TheAmberSpyglass  #BuildingTheRepublic 

#InDustWeTrust #PullmanStudies

Lyra & Will: A Poetic Tribute

I was a child and She was a child, 

In this kingdom by the sea, 

But we loved with a love that was more than love -

I and my Annabelle Lee -

With a love that the winged seraphs of Heaven

Coveted her and me. 

- Edgar Allan Poe 

"Annabelle Lee"

Beyond a mortal man impassion'd far

At these voluptuous accents, he arose 

Ethereal, flush'd, and like a throbbing star

Seen mid the sapphire heaven's deep repose;

Into her dream he melted, as the rose 

Blendeth its odour with the violet, -

Solution sweet: meantime the frost-wind blows

Like Love's alarum pattering the sharp sleet

Against the window-panes: St. Agnes' moon hath set. 

- John Keats

"The Eve of St. Agnes"

And the gates of this Chapel were shut 

And Thou shalt not, writ over the door:

So I turn'd to the Garden of Love 

That so many sweet flowers bore.

- William Blake

"The Garden of Love" 

So, we'll go no more a roving 

So late into the night,

Though the heart be still as loving,

And the moon be still as bright.

For the sword outwears its sheath,

And the soul wears out the breast, 

And the heart must pause to breathe,

And love itself have rest. 

Though the night was made for loving,

And the day returns too soon,

Yet we'll go no more a roving

By the light of the moon. 

- Lord Byron

"So We'll Go No More a Roving"

Happy Valentine's Day 

And as Always 

Stay Dusty My Friends 

#LyraAndWill  #PhilipPullman  

#TheAmberSpyglass  #HisDark Materials 

#BuildingTheRepublic #InDustWeTrust #PullmanStudies

 

"Apparelled in Celestial Light"

 

The above video is two and a half hours of the Aurora Borealis, and I don't think William Wordsworth would mind me appropriating his famous phrase for my own blog title, because said video is frankly about as Wordsworthian as one can get. As he himself did say and might again - "how dull of soul" would one have to be to remain unmoved before natural glories such as these? 

During my current scholarly reread of Northern Lights, I chanced upon some prose almost as luscious as the actual Aurora. Well, I say "chanced" when in actuality it is hard to single out a patch of prose that isn't beautiful, because the novel is simply overgrown with it. I had forgotten what a lyrical dance reading these novels is, a borderline musical experience. It is rare that a literary experience is so vivid and rich it can almost drift into the practically sensual, but with Pullman, all the senses are teased and called into play.

As for example the following paragraph I couldn't resist typing out here, as it depicts our young protagonist Lyra's first real encounter with the titular northern lights - 

"The Aurora!"

Her wonder was so strong that she had to clutch the rail to keep from falling. 

The night filled the northern sky; the immensity of it was scarcely conceivable. As if from Heaven itself, great curtains of delicate light hung and trembled. Pale green and rose-pink, and as transparent as the most fragile fabric, and at the bottom edge a profound and fiery-crimson like the fires of Hell, they swung and shimmered loosely with more grace than the most skillful dancer. Lyra thought she could even hear them: a vast distant whispering swish. In the evanescent delicacy she felt something so profound as she'd felt close to the bear. She was moved by it: it was so beautiful it felt almost holy; she felt tears prick her eyes, and the tears splintered the light even further into prismatic rainbows. It wasn't long before she found herself entering the same kind of trance as when she consulted the alethiometer. Perhaps, she thought calmly, whatever moves the alethiometer's needle is making the Aurora glow too. It might even be Dust itself. She thought that without noticing that she'd thought it, and soon forgot it, and only remembered it much later. 

And as she gazed, the image of a city seemed to form itself behind the veils and streams of translucent colour: towers and domes, honey-coloured temples and colonnades, broad boulevards, and sunlit parkland. Looking at it gave her a sense of vertigo, as if she were looking not up but down, and across a gulf so wide that nothing could ever pass over it. It was a whole universe away. 

If there were ever words or prose capable of catching the material majesty of the sights on the above video, these would have to be it. The picture painted in those paragraphs is indicative of the quality of the writing throughout the trilogy. This is an example of prose as poetry in the sense that - much like a vanishing point in a painting - it imbues what is essentially a flat, one-dimensional experience on a page with the feeling of a much fuller, truer, multi-dimensional one.  I will probably never see the Aurora in person, but if I do I will no doubt feel as if it were a homecoming, as though I'd already visited it once before. 

And while it's even less likely I'll ever see the outline of a city in another world, once atop a mountain I did look up into the sky and experience much the same vertigo Lyra spoke of, the expanse before me so breathtakingly wide and open I felt as though I was falling up into it rather than down. I have also been far out into the country at night and seen such a sky pregnant with stars that I too felt that it was "almost holy." It too drew tears as I simply stood transfixed out in an open field and couldn't quite bring myself to look away. 

And that was only an "ordinary" night sky.

The long paragraph transcribed here is pure Romanticism, and in all the best possible ways. There is not only the stunning and wonderful descriptive prose conjuring up a half-ethereal nightscape. There is not only the deep, profound delight in Nature, as well as a Nature that is experienced as somehow inexplicably alive and animate. There is also the sweet, almost meditative mood the passage strikes up - a passage that does the most important thing of all, and provides a communion, a working dialogue of sorts, between the whole of the universe and the mind of humanity. 

The intuition that Lyra experiences here draws a swift and steady line of connection between the sweeping majesties of the Aurora and the mystical workings of the alethiometer, and it is one of the key ideas powerfully rippling through the fabric of the entire trilogy. While so often missing from modern life, some kind of congress or interaction between the human world and the infinitely larger cosmic one has always been essential to the collective psychology of our species, and Pullman conjures up his own example perfectly and poetically here. 

One might even say his numinous, ineffable Dust plays or conducts the northern lights and the alethiometer and Lyra herself - all individual notes, but all coming together to crescendo into the final symphony that is the story or narrative itself. 

Your blogging Jordan Scholar will have more to say on the relationship with the alethiometer and the Eolian Harp - that favorite music-haunted wind-toy of the Romantics that so reminded them of inspiration - in his eventual His Dark Materials book. But as for now, let's leave off with some very relevant lines from Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem of the same name which evokes much the same feeling. 

Think of Pullman, let yourself sink into the trance of the words, and then go back and enjoy the above video for awhile - 

O! The One Life within us and abroad,

Which meets all motion and becomes its soul,

A light in sound, a sound-like power in light, 

Rhythm in all thought, and joyance everywhere -

Methinks, it should have been impossible

Not to love all things in a world so filled:

Where the breeze warbles, and the mute still air

Is Music slumbering on her instrument. 

(It can be read in its entirety here)

And as Always 

Stay Dusty My Friends 

#AuroraBorealis #NorthernLights  #PhilipPullman #HisDark Materials 

#BuildingTheRepublic #InDustWeTrust #PullmanStudies

My Jordan Library: Film Edition

 

Okay, so the real meat on the bones of this blog lies in the books and the novels and the literature. That was covered in one my first posts here, though said literary collection has grown since then. But for anyone who made it through my formidable The Golden Compass 2007 Retrospective - first off good job, and second off, you might be able to wring some enjoyment out of this as well. 

Above is a nice 11x17 poster I secured on Amazon via a third party seller. I'm growing increasingly fond of 11x17 for film prints. But anyway, it was a great deal, came in mint condition, and also arrived considerably early. When I finally cobble together a full on His Dark Materials book shrine, I sensed this would be a solid edition. I would recommend without hesitation, to be purchased here. 

And while I thought I had forever misplaced my series of TGC bookmarks that came out alongside the film - a couple of which I got on killer sales back when they had bookstores in malls - low and behold I did some serious holiday cleaning and they presented themselves in splendid fashion. 

And if one simply has to have a Dakota-Blue-Richards-as-Lyra-Belacqua bookmark, well once again, Amazon comes to your aid here. I must say, it does work quite well in my multiple editions of The Golden Compass. 

Next up is one of those wonderful little media tie-in books that are sadly being published less and less. Starting with Star Wars, I would always take a pilgrimage to the local bookstore and pick up any supplementary material for a movie I loved. While tooling about on Amazon not long ago, I found The World of the Golden Compass as seen below. 

Originally I thought it was the same as a certain book that had been published in the U.S. at the time of the movie release, but no, this hails from Britain, and is actually quite neat.

The first thing that nabbed my attention was the intro page, which featured a wonderful little map of Lyra's alternate world, inspired by the one she saw at Mrs. Coulter's when she was dreaming of the North. Not sure how "canon" it is, but I haven't seen it many places, so this is cool. 

The table of contents provides a good overview of the book for any interested parties, outlining all the different characters, places, institutions, and technology dominating the film. 

This is the basic layout of the material, with the main characters and things like daemons and the alethiometer warranting a nice two page spread. 

Curiously the World of the Golden Compass must have been planned and published well before release, because it niftily (and depressingly) ends with a little overview of the pivotal events to come in those final scenes that were ultimately cut. 

The last pages feature concept art for a city, presumably the parallel one in the sky that Lyra would have travelled into for the sequel! Have I mentioned guillotining the ending was a really, really bad idea? 

Lastly, well, I just thought this was really cool. It has several pages of stickers, and as the book is over a decade old, it is impressive they were all intact. I particularly like the one with a surly looking Lee Scorseby that advertises "Aeronaut for Hire." 

While this is about ten dollars more than I remembered paying for my copy, it is still available for purchase on Amazon here. 

And of course, we have to talk about the blu ray. To be honest, if anyone is interested in this film adaptation at all, at this point it would quite frankly be ludicrous not to go all out and purchase the two disc special edition. The film still looks good on a big TV screen, so let's get that out of the way. It will be curious to see if they ever release a 4K special edition or something - preferably with the notoriously aforementioned cut ending. 

Not exactly likely, but we can hope. 

I for one grew up gorging my senses on all the behind-the-scenes and making-of documentaries on such films (yet again, such as Star Wars), and that left me with a lifelong fascination concerning how films are made. And now such a fascination has long since been coupled with the creative process and storytelling in general. 

As I frequently noted in my retrospective, writer-director Chris Weitz does a very admirable job on the full-length movie commentary. It would have been interesting to hear some of the other stars have their say - particularly Dakota Blue Richards - but he steers the ship very well through the oftentimes choppy waters of film narration. 

Particularly back in the day, some directors would simply narrate Every Single Event for you as it played out on screen, leaving you with no insight or even charming anecdotes about the filming process. Not so here. It was invaluable for my retrospecive, and I feel proves that the man did truly care about this project. 

But even better is all the truly cool and in-depth documentaries on display here. This is not a simple cut-and-paste job, nor is it just a fluff promo piece where all the actors get together and compliment each other. This is a full-on, in-depth examination of everything that went in to making this film. It had been years since I'd reviewed all of it, and I for one was wildly impressed with the quality of the material here. 

The first screen is posted above. It features some of my favorite documentaries. I positively loved the ones that talked about the process of adapting the film from the novel, and Philip Pullman was interestingly all over this thing. 

The next round features fascinating looks at the more technical part of the production. The documentary on the alethiometer is inspiring, and each one features photo galleries one can surf through at their leisure. And just kudos in general for addressing the alethiometer as such, as opposed to a Golden Compass ...

It's always nice to learn about film scores, armored bears, and what the anticipation was like before the official release. However, the standout for me here was the featurette on Oxford, a place I grow increasingly eager to visit. Assuming things get back to normal. Actually, I will be doing a post on a potential Pullman-inspired pilgrimage to England later. 

I also can't fail to mention out of 1,178 reviews, The Golden Compass enjoys a rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars, so there's that. It can be purchased for a very reasonable price here. 

Hopefully all this has left one with a renewed enthusiasm or a possible interest in revisiting the film, as I have enjoyed getting all my own thoughts out there finally. I will leave on this note, as apparently at some point even play sets were produced based on the film, including this one I just happened across here. Who knew?

So thanks for reading - 

And as Always 

Stay Dusty My Friends 

#TheGoldenCompass #PhilipPullman #ChrisWeitz #HisDark Materials 

Pan and the Alethiometer

 

I inadvertently came across this fan art of our favorite daemon and symbol reader, and it's so exquisite I just had to share. 

The original image can be found on Pinterest here, and is currently taking the form of the wallpaper on my phone. Enjoy!

And as Always 

Stay Dusty My Friends