Lilith [Annotated]

by George MacDonald

Lilith, first published in 1895, tells the story of Mr. Vane, the owner of a library that seems to be haunted by a raven—the ghost of the library’s former owner. Mr. Vane eventually follows this strange figure through a mirror and into another world, the “region of seven dimensions.” There Vane meets a number of characters, including Biblical characters like Adam and his first wife Lilith. Thus begins a battle of good versus evil that reverberates through dimensions. The narrative is heavy with Christian allegory, and MacDonald uses the world to expound on his Christian universalist philosophy while telling a story of life, death and ultimately salvation.

Critics consider Lilith to be one of MacDonald’s darker works, but opinion on it is divided. Despite this, some critics praise it for its rich imagery, with scholar Neil Barron claiming that the novel is the “obvious parent of David Lindsay’s A Voyage to Arcturus,” itself a highly influential work of fantasy.

This new annotated edition includes several never-before-seen features,
•The original editor’s preface that accompanied the original printing.
•Easily navigable Table of Contents

332 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 1, 2025

About the author

George MacDonald was a Scottish author, poet and Christian Congregational minister. He became a pioneering figure in the field of modern fantasy literature and the mentor of fellow-writer Lewis Carroll. In addition to his fairy tales, MacDonald wrote several works of Christian theology, including several collections of sermons.