"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
The author, William Corlett, remembers the inspiration for the stories, which began to unfold when he moved to a house in the heart of the Hertfordshire countryside... soon to be joined by a black Labrador puppy named Charlie...
"...Charlie and I started going for solitary walks twice a day in the forest and, little by little, "The Magician’s House" began to unfold in my imagination. The first of the quartet, "The Steps up the Chimney" was published in 1990. "The Door in the Tree" and "The Tunnel Behind the Waterfall" followed in 1991, and the final book, "The Bridge in the Clouds" came out in 1992. A full-length novel every six months? I’m not sure now how I did it. I was undoubtedly sustained by those long walks in all weathers, discovering secret paths and unexpected places with Charlie bounding ahead chasing rabbits, then tearing back to check on my progress, and sometimes (her particular bliss) swimming in a favourite pond.
"One early dawn we met two young badgers on a narrow path and the theme of "The Door in the Tree" was born; on another occasion we came face to face with a fox and Cinnabar arrived in the story. A dreary cleft through dying conifers became "The Dark and Dreadful Path" where, in the books, the creatures of the Golden Valley go to die. On a cold winter night I watched Charlie seeing the sparks flying up from the log fire in the sitting room hearth, and the idea of secret steps up the chimney came to me. At the top there would be a room. But whom would I find there? An earlier inhabitant of the house, perhaps? An Elizabethan alchemist, maybe, in his hidden study, beavering away at the magic of science?
"Years before my interest in the history of the Tudors and particularly Queen Elizabeth I had been stirred by reading about her connection with Doctor Dee, the alchemist. Alchemy, the search for man’s pure internal gold, the elixir of life, the ability to travel through time – what a character for a magical story. And so Stephen Tyler, the Magician of the title, materialised out of the glowing logs and what began as a series of random thoughts grew and exploded into full-grown books. The owls that swoop and screech round the house at night gave birth to Jasper, the Magician’s owl, and Charlie with her dark brown eyes that tell you precisely what she’s thinking took on a stirring role as Spot, the black and white sheepdog with the ability to talk – if one knows how to listen.
"Rarely have I started work in a more fruitful position – all my research was living and breathing around me. Meanwhile, my imagination was throwing up many paradoxes. One example; above the fireplace in our sitting room is a convex mirror. I moved the mirror to the Magician’s study and transformed it into a concave bowl in which he dreams his spells. Later, after the books were finished, I was reading yet another biography on Queen Elizabeth I and discovered that Dr Dee used a glass bowl for meditation purposes... There are times when imagination becomes uncanny!
"I was in the middle of book three of the quartet, "The Tunnel Behind the Waterfall," when my father died after a brief illness. Then, quite suddenly, my mother – utterly lost without him – followed him two months later. Somehow I managed to get the book in on time, sitting at my desk in my study under the eaves with Charlie lying at the top of the stairs – willing me to stop writing and come for another walk. But the final book was still waiting to be written and that one was hardest. Yet in some ways, it is for me the most successful, shaped and tautened as it was by the shock of the deaths.
"Now, all these years later, the books are taking a new life as a television series and I have been lucky to do the adaptation. Last year for Series One we amalgamated books one and two of the quartet. The new series is based on book three – "The Tunnel Behind the Waterfall" – the one I was writing when my parents died. And in that odd way that life has of repeating itself, it was during the final stages of post production on this series, while the finishing touches were being applied, that the only real begetter of the original idea, Charlie, died on night in her sleep having come to the end of her joyful life the forest. So, for me, this is Charlie’s series." – William Corlett, 2000
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Book Description Couverture souple. Condition: Bon. Red Fox, 2000. 1 volume broché(s) format In-12 bon. Seller Inventory # 172638
Book Description Paperback. Condition: Very Good. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # GOR004051183
Book Description Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Door in the Tree (Magician's House) This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. Seller Inventory # 7719-9780099407676
Book Description Paperback. Condition: Good. All orders are dispatched the following working day from our UK warehouse. Established in 2004, we have over 500,000 books in stock. No quibble refund if not completely satisfied. Seller Inventory # mon0005271321
Book Description Condition: Very Good. 1705404318. 1/16/2024 11:25:18 AM. Seller Inventory # U9780099407676
Book Description Paperback. Condition: Very Good. This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. Seller Inventory # 6545-9780099407676
Book Description Condition: Very Good. Ships from the UK. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects. Seller Inventory # 42562986-75
Book Description Mass Market Paperback. Condition: Very Good. 261pp, softback covers with a photo from the TV series. A small printer tear to margin of first few pages, otherwise a very clean, tight copy. The children return to the Magician's House. Seller Inventory # 10372
Book Description Condition: Used: Very Good. VERY GOOD CLEAN COPY SENT NEXT WORKING DAY FROM THE U/K 1ST CLASS 0.0. Seller Inventory # 1108L752683
Book Description Paperback. Condition: Good. Book is in good condition. Inscription to the previous owner written on a page at the front of the book. Pages are yellowing. Seller Inventory # G0182135