Readers of the now-classic His Dark Materials trilogy may have guessed at the depth of Philip Pullman, and this collection of his miscellaneous nonfiction writings confirms his talent and intelligence. At once personal and wide-ranging, the articles, essays, and prefaces are tributes to the narratives that have shaped his own vision, his experience of writing, and the keys to mastering the art of storytelling. In these 30 selections, Pullman is witty and insightful, surveying Charles Dickens, William Blake, John Milton, Stephen Hawking, Art Spiegelman, Heinrich von Kleist, and the Brothers Grimm, as well as his own body of work.