I purchased all these books at a local Barnes and Noble, which had a dedicated display that showcased Philip Pullman’s The Golden Compass, the official movie tie-in books, and books about The Golden Compass. Due to the similarities in design, the tie-in books tended to blend together at first glance. Clearly, the idea was to come up with a design that would clearly “brand” all the tie-in books, but it did lead to some confusion: it was hard to tell (for instance) The Story of the Movie and Movie Storybook apart.
The Golden Compass: The Official Movie Quiz Book by Lisa Regan
$3.99, 144 pages. Black-and-white throughout.
With 300 questions running the gamut from easy to hard and a nifty section called “Unleash Your Inner Daemon” (a multiple choice quiz on how to identify your daemon), this inexpensive book is illustrated with photographs from the movie and conceptual sketches as well. The only thing one could wish for is to see this book in full color because of all the photographs.
The Golden Compass: Lyra’s World
$3.99, 32 pages. Full color throughout.
A very basic primer with very brief descriptions of the Lyra, Daemons, Roger, Lord Asriel, Jordan College, the Alethiometer, Mrs. Coulter, Lyra’s London, The Gyptians, the Elders, Serafina Pekkala, Iorek Brynison, Lee Scoresby, Bolvangar, Ragnar Sturlusson, and the Nothern Lights. Perfect for the young newbie.
The Golden Compass: The Story of the Movie
$5.99, 64 pages. Full color throughout.
A “storybook,” this condenses the 399 pages of Pullman’s rich, complex story into this bare-bones narrative. Younger children will find this version accessible, whereas Pullman’s original text is more appropriate for precocious teens, young adults, and adults.
The Golden Compass: Movie Storybook
$8.99, 48 pages. Full color throughout.
A good selection of photographs from the movie. The text closely follows that of The Story of the Movie. Given the similarities, both textual and photographic, my thinking would have been to produce one storybook, not two.
The Golden Compass Movie Poster Book by Lisa Regan
$5.99, 32 pages. Full color throughout.
An excellent selection of photos from the movie, which will appeal to children and adults alike. The design is awkward, though; the text on the left doesn’t match up to the image on the right. For instance, page six has text about Lyra Belacqua and the facing page has a photograph of Pan--but the text on Pan in on the reverse side! It would have been preferable to lay the book out with text on the left and matching photo on the rights. Images include Lyra, Pantalaimon, Mrs. Coulter, The Golden Monkey, Lord Asriel, Serafina Pekkala, Roger Parslow, the Gyptians, John Faa, Lee Scoresby, Iorek Brynison, King Ragnar, Lyra’s World, and the Alethiometer.
The World of the Golden Compass by Clive Gifford
$9.99, 48 pages. Full color throughout.
Four page insert with cut-out paper figurines. Profusely illustrated with over 200 photos (large and small). Write-ups on Lyra, Daemons, Pantalaimon, Jordan College, the Alethiometer, Lord Asriel, Mrs. Coulter, Technology and Transport, the Magisterium, the Gobblers, Lyra’s London, the Gyptians, John Faa, Farder Coram, Serafina and the Witches, Lee Scoresby, Iorek Byrnison, Bolvanger, Svalbard, and the Gateway to Other Worlds. Suitable for children and adults.
The Golden Compass wall calendar from Andrews McMeel Publishing
$13.99, twelve months (January to December 2008).
A best buy, this 12 x 12 inch calendar is both attractive in its selection of photographs and functional, with ample space for daily comments. Moreover, the calendar is beautifully designed with a layout that complements the head-shot portraits of (in order) Mrs. Coulter, Lyra Belacqua, the Gyptians, Lee Scoresby, Mrs. Coulter and Lyra, Roger Parslow, Lord Asriel, Lyra in Bolvangar, Farder Coram, Serafina Pekkala, Iorek Byrnison, and a group shot of Lyra with the Gyptians for their journey north. A Best Buy.
The Golden Compass: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion by Brian Sibley
$14.99, 80 pages.
In terms of page count and size (9 x 11 inches), it’s the most elaborate book of the bunch, with well written text by a veteran movie chronicler -- Brian’s known for his texts on Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings -- and over 150 color photographs, including the spectacular concept art by Dennis Gassner whose renditions of the Magisterial Sky Ferry, Mrs. Coulter’s elegantly understated flat (i.e., apartment to U.S. readers), and Magisterial Carriage all have an otherworldly yet familiar aspects to them.
The text covers the behind-the-scenes making of the movie -- the story of the movie, as it were. As such, it’s succinct and covers a lot of ground, from the initial publication of The Golden Compass to the editing and post-production of the film.
Clearly not for young children, this book is a “must” for Pullman fans who want a single source of information about the making of the movie. My only complaint is that given the subject matter, the book could have been significantly bigger in size, with more production stills, conceptual art, and the screenplay itself. (I am reminded here of the magnificent Stardust: The Visual Companion, which ran 240 pages. That’s a stunning example of how a book like this ought to be put together. Imaginative movies deserve correspondingly imaginative books.)
If you buy one Scholastic book about the movie, it should be this one. A Best Buy.
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