The Golden Compass book cover by Philip Pullman

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The store links use this book's US print edition, ISBN 9780679879244.

Where The Golden Compass sits

Series
Book 1 of His Dark Materials. See all His Dark Materials books in order
The book before
None. This is where the series starts.
The book after
The Subtle Knife
Order checked
Last checked: September 24, 2026, against penguinrandomhouse.com
Place in the series
It is book 1 of the His Dark Materials series. (penguinrandomhouse.com; read November 6, 2026) His Dark Materials ... The Golden Compass
Next book
Book 2 is The Subtle Knife. (penguinrandomhouse.com; read November 6, 2026) The Golden Compass ... The Subtle Knife

Checked facts about The Golden Compass

Under each line: where it was read, and when.

This edition
The edition checked here is a 399-page edition from Alfred A. Knopf ;Distributed by Random House. (Library of Congress; read November 6, 2026) 0679879242 ... 399 p. ... Alfred A. Knopf ;Distributed by Random House

What The Golden Compass is about

The setup only, with no spoilers. Each line names the record it rests on.

  • Lyra Belacqua sets out with her daemon to save her closest friend and other children who have been kidnapped. (Library of Congress; read November 6, 2026) her daemon, Lyra Belacqua sets out to prevent her best friend and other kidnapped children
  • Someone in the Far North plans to make them the subjects of grisly experiments. (Library of Congress; read November 6, 2026) becoming the subject of gruesome experiments in the Far North

Philip Pullman in brief

Birth
Born in Norwich, United Kingdom, in 1946. (Wikidata and the place's own entry; read November 6, 2026)
Prizes
Philip Pullman was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2001. (Wikidata, citing Who's Who; read November 6, 2026)
Prizes
Philip Pullman was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2004. (Wikidata, citing Who's Who; read November 6, 2026)

All checked facts about Philip Pullman

Topics in this book

A linked topic opens its page on bookslike.app, with every book on the site that shares it.

Genres

Topics

Places

  • London
  • Norway
  • Oxford
  • Svalbard
  • Sápmi
  • The Fens

Reading ages

  • Young Adult

Other books in His Dark Materials

3 books listed so far

  1. Book 2: The Subtle Knife
  2. Book 3: The Amber Spyglass

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