Lyra's Oxford
First edition
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| Author | Philip Pullman |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | John Lawrence |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fantasy short story |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers |
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Publication date
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28 October 2003 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 64 pp |
| ISBN | |
| OCLC | 53317246 |
| [Fic] 22 | |
| LC Class | PZ7.P968 Ly 2003 |
| Preceded by | The Amber Spyglass |
| Followed by | The Book of Dust |
Lyra's Oxford is a short book by Philip Pullman depicting an episode involving the heroine of His Dark Materials, Pullman's best-selling trilogy. Lyra's Oxford is set when Lyra Belacqua is 15, two years after the end of the trilogy.
The book consists mainly of an illustrated short story, "Lyra and the Birds". A fold-out map of "Oxford by Train, River and Zeppelin" is bound in the book, a fictional map of the Oxford that exists in Lyra's world. It also includes some advertisements for books and travellers' catalogues. Two pages from a Baedeker published in Lyra's world (including entries for the Eagle Ironworks, the Oxford Canal, the Fell Press and the Oratory of St Barnabas the Chymist, all in the Jericho area of Lyra's Oxford), a postcard from the character Mary Malone, and a brochure for the cruise ship Zenobia are also included. The postcard contains four images of sites in the His Dark Materials trilogy: the physics lab in which Mary Malone works, the house occupied by Lord Boreal, the row of hornbeam trees where Will first discovered a window between the worlds, and the bench where Lyra and Will have pledged to visit each other in spirit once a year.
The preface by Pullman begins:
"This book contains a story and several other things. The other things might be connected with the story, or they might not; they might be connected to stories that haven't appeared yet. It's hard to tell."
Lyra is looking at a flock of birds from the tower of Jordan College in her Oxford, when she notices that the birds are attacking what turns out to be a dæmon in a bird shape. This dæmon must be a witch's because there is no human near. Lyra saves the dæmon, called Ragi, from the flock, and he urges Lyra to help him find a man called Sebastian Makepeace. Lyra cleverly finds out where to find him and that he is the last remaining alchemist, and promises Ragi to bring him to the alchemist after school. In the evening, Lyra escapes from St Sophia's School and leads Ragi from Norham Gardens to Juxon Street where Sebastian Makepeace lives. Ragi flies above Lyra and hides on roofs to avoid suspicion. On the way, Ragi is attacked by some pigeons, but manages to save himself. Ragi also tells Lyra why he needs Sebastian Makepeace's help: his witch, Yelena Pazhets, is seriously ill. This new illness causes witches to die while not affecting their dæmons, leaving them alive and lonely after their witch's death. Lyra is shocked by this.
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