14 minSummaryRead it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook editionPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if the sweetest voices hide the greatest danger, and a rough young miner sees what others cannot?
In George MacDonald's The Princess and Curdie, a small mistake in the hills sets a young miner on a difficult path. Curdie grows careless and begins to forget the wonders he once knew. Then the old princess, Irene's mysterious great-great-grandmother, tests him. A strange gift and a hard task ask more of him than bravery alone.
At court, Princess Irene's father is unwell, and the people around him are not what they seem. Irene remains kind and loyal, but respectable faces and sweet words offer no sure guide to goodness. Curdie must learn to trust guidance he cannot fully understand, while danger grows among those who appear worthy of trust.
What you’ll discover
- A gift that tests Follow Curdie as a strange gift brings responsibility rather than an easy escape.
- Danger behind sweet words Enter a court where fine appearances can hide cruelty and an unwell king needs loyalty.
- A princess with heart Meet Irene, whose kindness and love for her father stand against the dishonesty around him.
- Goodness beneath rough appearances Look beyond polished manners to the honest heart of a sometimes careless miner.
- Courage without easy answers Explore the demands of obedience and trust when the reasons remain out of sight.
Who will love it
You will love this if you enjoy fairy tales with a moral core, magical grandmothers, loyal and strange beasts, brave young heroes and wicked courts brought low.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Carelessness brings Curdie face to face
- Knowing someone means looking beyond appearances
- A new gift tests honest intentions
- Lina reveals her goodness through loyalty
- Derba opens the door others close
- Care protects the king from betrayal
- Habits shape the person hidden within
- Trust grows through attention and love
- Small choices give life its direction
Who’s who
- CurdieA young miner who is wise with his hands and loyal to his parents, sent north to serve the king.
- Princess IreneThe king's young daughter, now watching nightly beside her sick father and trusting Curdie when he returns.
- The old princessIrene's great-great-grandmother, who shows herself as a spinner, a lady of emeralds and a keeper of pigeons.
- LinaA hideous creature who becomes Curdie's faithful companion and fights bravely at his side.
- PeterCurdie's father, a quiet miner who thinks twenty thoughts for every word and keeps the green stone.
- JoanCurdie's mother, a wise and warm woman who encourages him to keep his promises.
- DerbaAn old woman in Gwyntystorm who welcomes strangers into her small house, where she lives with her granddaughter Barbara.
- Dr KelmanThe king's smiling doctor, who gives him wine each night and seems far too kind.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 14 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook opens when the book texts go online.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then USD 0.14 a day in your first year on the yearly plan and USD 0.27 a day after, or USD 0.66 a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
The Princess and Curdie in 25 languages, side by side, paragraph by paragraph, once the book texts are online: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
The Princess and Curdie
by George MacDonald · 1883
A miner boy shoots a white pigeon and is sent north by a spinning old woman who can become a lady of light.
Medium level2–5 hours to read20 languages
Learn a language with medium classicsSpanishFrenchGermanItalianJapanesePortugueseEnglishHow we measure levels
Excellent
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeRenews every year · Cancel anytimeHow it works
- Read, large type too
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
“A mountain is a strange and terrible thing.”
In short
Can a boy who is good at heart still drift into carelessness? Curdie, a young miner, does exactly that, and it takes the look of a dying white pigeon to wake him.
The Princess and Curdie at a glance
- Reading time
- About 3 h 40 min2 h 55 min fast, 4 h 25 min slow
- Length
- 52,600 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1883by George MacDonald
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A careless boy shoots a white pigeon
Curdie, the son of Peter the miner, lives in a small cottage on a mountain. A year ago he saved Princess Irene from the goblins, yet he chose to stay with his parents. Since then he has grown careless. He doubts the old lady Irene once described, and he pays less heed to bees and clouds than to silver ore.
One summer evening he shoots a white pigeon with a bow he made himself. The bird looks into his face with eyes that ask where the sky has gone. Then they close, and Curdie sobs, because until that moment he never knew what a pigeon was.
Renews every year · Cancel anytime
You looked at
Which edition is right for me
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer. Your place follows you, and you can make the type as big as you like.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1883
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 4 h 5 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
MacDonald, George. The Princess and Curdie. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-princess-and-curdie.
MacDonald, G. (2026). The princess and Curdie. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-princess-and-curdie (Original work published 1883)
MacDonald, George. The Princess and Curdie. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-princess-and-curdie.
@book{macdonald2026princess,
author = {MacDonald, George},
title = {The Princess and Curdie},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-princess-and-curdie},
note = {First published 1883}
}
Free gifts
USD 580 in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
USD 170FREE - Every eBookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead in 25 languages
USD 60FREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
USD 60FREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about The Princess and Curdie
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is The Princess and Curdie about?
It follows Curdie, a young miner, who is sent by Princess Irene's great-great-grandmother to the city of Gwyntystorm. There he finds the king ill and the court corrupt, and he uses a strange gift to help set things right.
Do I need to read The Princess and the Goblin first?
No. The book recounts what you need to know in its first chapter, where it explains how Curdie once saved the princess from goblins. Reading the first book adds background, but the story stands by itself.
Who is the old lady in The Princess and Curdie?
She is Irene's great-great-grandmother, who appears as a spinner in the tower, a lady of emeralds in the mountain and a keeper of pigeons. She also goes by the name of the Lady of the Silver Moon.
The author
George MacDonald
1824–1905 · Scottish fantasy novelist and minister
George MacDonald (1824–1905) was a Scottish writer and Christian minister. Born in Huntly, Scotland, he later lived in England and Italy. He wrote novels, fairy tales, poetry and sermons. His books include Phantastes (1858), At the Back of the North Wind (1871), The Princess and the Goblin (1872) and Lilith (1895).
“A mountain is a strange and terrible thing.”
More by George MacDonald
See all their booksMore like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
