HIS DARK MATERIALS ONE-VOLUME TRILOGY [NORTHERN LIGHTS, THE SUBTLE KNIFE, THE AMBER SPYGLASS] [Signed]

London, UK: Scholastic Press, 2001. First UK Edition, First Printing. Hardcover. Large Octavo, 1016 pages. In Very Good plus condition with a Very Good condition dust jacket. Black spine with a golden alethiometer design in the center and white and gold lettering. Dust jacket is wrapped in a mylar covering, has mild wear along spine tail edge, has a bend along the spine, and has mild finger-staining. Textblock has mild age-toning along edges. Contains a golden silk bookmark ribbon attached to the spine head. Signed flat by Philip Pullman on title page. JW consignment. Shelved in Case 8. Philip Pullman was born on the 16th of October, 1946 in Norwich England. Due to his father's position in the RAF, Pullman frequently traveled, living briefly in the now defunct state of Southern Rhodesia. After his father's death in 1954, Philip Pullman moved to North Wales with his mother and step-father where he spent much of his formative years. It is here that Pullman discovered comic books, in particular Superman and Batman, which alongside the illustrations of William Blake and the work Paradise lost by John Milton, would become great influences on Pullmans works. Perhaps his greatest influence, however, would be his work on school plays during his time teaching. Pullman would start work on 'His Dark Materials' in 1993, releasing 'Northern Lights' in 1995, winning both the Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, which encouraged him to leave teaching and write full time, as he does into today. Since the release of the trilogy, Pullman has gone on to write 2 volumes of the planned 'the Book of Dust' trilogy, a companion to 'His Dark Materials'. He is also patron to the Palestine Festival of Literature and Shakespeare Schools Festival charitable organizations.

'His Dark Materials' was originally published as a 3-volume trilogy consisting of 'Northern Lights' 'The Subtle Knife' and 'The Amber Spyglass', and first published from 1995-2000. All three volumes are collected in this single-volume collection of the trilogy.
The series itself, while marketed as a young-adult series, was written with no particular audience in mind, with elements of fantasy and science-fiction coming together in a tale which explores physics, philosophy, and theology. Outside of the pages, the series is known for Philip Pullman's statement that it is meant to commend humanity for what the poet John Milton coined "original sin" in his work 'Paradise Lost'. This has earned the series some controversy for "criticizing religion" 1384118. Shelved Dupont Bookstore.