The Boyhood of Ranald Bannerman

The Boyhood of Ranald Bannerman presents the largely autobiographical story of a young boy growing up in a small Scottish village. Although George MacDonald is generally considered the grandfather of modern fantasy novels, this beautifully written novel is MacDonald's most realistic. The precise portraits of Ranald's father, family, and village characters bring this boyhood brilliantly to life even today and powerfully illustrate the lessons of integrity, faith, and courage that Ranald gathers from them. Although often overlooked, this story is one of MacDonald's best. Our rejuvenated edition makes the story more readable by updating spelling, breaking up very long paragraphs, and replacing quaint but confusing punctuation with more conventional patterns. C.S. Lewis writes, "I know hardly any other writer who seems to be closer, or more continually close, to the Spirit of Christ Himself. Hence his Christ-like union of tenderness and severity. Nowhere else outside the New Testament have I found terror and comfort so intertwined." Although this story was originally published for children in Good Words for the Young, don't assume that this is a children's book. "I write, not for children," MacDonald wrote, "but for the child-like, whether they be five, or fifty, or seventy-five."