Considered a writer of great range, depth, and imagination, Philip Pullman is recognized as one of the most talented creators of children's literature to have entered the field in the last several decades of the twentieth century. An author of fiction, nonfiction, and picture books as well as a playwright, he is best known for writing fantasy, historical fiction, and realistic fiction for children and young adults. Pullman is lauded as a gifted storyteller who adds a distinctive, original touch to such literary forms as the mystery, the thriller, the horror story, and the problem novel. As a writer of historical fiction, he usually sets his books in Victorian England, a period he is credited for recreating with accuracy--his works are often praised for their meticulous research--and one that he uses to treat themes with strong parallels to contemporary society, such as feminism, prejudice, and adjustment to new...