Publisher Description
The Princess and the Goblin, first published in 1872, was one of the very first fantasy novels and had a strong influence on the work of Lewis Carroll, C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien. It is loved by fans of fantasy fiction to this day.
Eight-year-old Princess Irene lives in a remote mountainous region with no one but her nursemaid for company. Then she meets a mysterious old woman and Curdie, a young miner. Meanwhile, deep in the heart of the earth beneath her lurk grotesque and hideous creatures seeking vengeance against human kind.
The Goblin and the Grocer by Hans Christian Andersen is a short fairy story about a very different sort of goblin who must choose between poetry and an edible Christmas treat.
Hailed by The Times (London) as “hugely entertaining,” award-winning narrator Alison Larkin uses her wide range of voices to bring these powerful, delightful classics to a brand new audience.
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About the Authors
George MacDonald (1824–1905), Scottish children’s author and novelist, was educated at Aberdeen University before training as a Congregational minister. Finding his own individualistic views unacceptable to his parish, he gradually turned to literature. He published over fifty volumes of fiction, verse, children’s stories, and sermons but is remembered chiefly for his fairy stories, including The Princess and the Goblin (1872) and its sequel The Princess and Curdie (1873).
Hans Christian Andersen (1805–1875) was born in Odense, Denmark, the son of a poor shoemaker and a washerwoman. As a young teenager, he became quite well known in Odense as a reciter of drama and as a singer. When he was fourteen, he set off for the capital, Copenhagen, determined to become a national success on the stage. He failed miserably, but made some influential friends in the capital who got him into school to remedy his lack of proper education. In 1829 his first book was published. After that, books came out at regular intervals. His stories began to be translated into English as early as 1846. Since then, numerous editions, and more recently Hollywood songs and Disney cartoons, have helped to ensure the continuing popularity of the stories in the English-speaking world.
About Alison Larkin
Alison Larkin is a playwright, stage actress, stand-up comic, voice artist, and Earphones Award–winning narrator whose wide range of voices can be heard in cartoons and movies, including Pocahontas and The Wonder Pets.