compass collectibles

an archive of official (and official-ish) merchandising related to the his dark materials series

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Edited by Scott Westerfeld (of The Uglies fame), “The World of ‘The Golden Compass’: The Otherworldly Ride Continues” is a collection of essays on The Golden Compass. It was published in 2007 by Borders Group, Inc.

On Amazon

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George Beahm’s “Discovering ‘The Golden Compass’: A Guide to Philip Pullman’s Dark Materials” was published with Hampton Roads Publishing Company in 2007. As well as acting as a universe guide, this work includes a 10,000 word auto-biographical essay by Pullman himself.

On Amazon

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“Killing the Imposter God: Philip Pullman’s Spiritual Imagination in ‘His Dark Materials’” is coauthored by Donna Freitas and Jason King. It was published in 2007 by Jossey-Bass/Wiley.

On Amazon

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“The Rough Guide to Philip Pullman’s ‘His Dark Materials’“ is a guide book by Paul Simpson, published in 2007 as a Rough Guide Reference Title.

On Amazon

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“The Magical Worlds of Philip Pullman: Inside ‘His Dark Materials’” is written by David Colbert as part of his Magical Worlds series (includes Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Narnia.) It was published in 2006 by Puffin Books.

On Amazon

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Lance Parkin and Mark Jones cowrote “Dark Matters: An Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to Philip Pullman’s Internationally Bestselling ‘His Dark Materials’ Trilogy” as a guide to the story and published it with Virgin Publishing in 2005. The second, revised edition was published in 2007 and is slightly reordered, as well as having additional content on the movie.

On Lance Parkin’s Website

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OwlCrate, a monthly subscription book box that often includes gifts, has included two Golden Compass-themed items in their boxes. The first is a tapestry with a quote from Philip Pullman, Iorek, and the alethiometer, which was included in the January 2019 “Magical Artifacts” box, and was designed by Holly Dunn. The second is a water bottle, designed by Janine Lecour, for the October 2020 OwlCrate Junior box, “Epic Quests.”

Each item can be purchased individually on the OwlCrate website. The tapestry is $15 and the water bottle is $10.

Tapestry | Water Bottle

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The official merch shop for the His Dark Materials BBC show has several sweatshirt designs in sweatshirt and hoodie forms. These are quote sweatshirts and hoodies, with different lines spoken in the show. Sweatshirts cost 35 GBP or $51. Hoodies cost 40 GBP or $58.

His Dark Materials Sweatshirt Collection | His Dark Materials Hoodie Collection

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The official merch shop for the His Dark Materials BBC show has several sweatshirt designs in sweatshirt and hoodie forms. These are character sweatshirts and hoodies, with each for a human including their daemon’s name. Currently released characters are Lyra & Pan, Iorek, Asriel & Stelmaria, Boreal & Grizel. Sweatshirts cost 35 GBP or $51. Hoodies cost 40 GBP or $58.

His Dark Materials Sweatshirt Collection | His Dark Materials Hoodie Collection

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The official merch shop for the His Dark Materials BBC show has several sweatshirt designs in sweatshirt and hoodie forms. These are logo sweatshirts and hoodies, the first two representing ‘National Aerobus,’ the zeppelin company, the third has the Magesterium logo, and the fourth is for the Arctic Institute, where Mrs. Coulter is a member. Sweatshirts cost 35 GBP or $51. Hoodies cost 40 GBP or $58.

Again, I can only offer my highest recommendation AGAINST purchasing and wearing merchandise with the Magesterium logo. I don’t think I need to overexplain to fans of the series that the Magesterium is an allegory for real fascist organization, and many explanations have been written by people other than I about the poor choice behind wearing the logos of fictional fascist groups, like the Dark Mark, Hydra, and First Order logos from Harry Potter, Marvel, and Star Wars.

His Dark Materials Sweatshirt Collection | His Dark Materials Hoodie Collection

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The official merch shop for the His Dark Materials BBC show has several sweatshirt designs in sweatshirt and hoodie forms. These are title logo sweatshirts and hoodies, with different variations on “His Dark Materials.” Sweatshirts cost 35 GBP or $51. Hoodies cost 40 GBP or $58.

His Dark Materials Sweatshirt Collection | His Dark Materials Hoodie Collection

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PopCo released these four keychains to go along with the 2007 movie. There are four designs; two are solid metal, one with the movie logo and the other with the Magesterium logo. The other two feature scenes from the movie, one of Iorek and Lyra and the other of Lee Scoresby. It is difficult to find information about the original sales of these items, given their age and that PopCo has closed down, and the only sources I have for them are eBay listings that may sell and be cleared from the internet at any time.

eBay Listing

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PopCo released these four mugs to go along with the 2007 movie. The four characters featured are Lyra, Mrs. Coulter, Lee Scoresby, and Lord Asriel. It is difficult to find information about the original sales of these items, given their age and that PopCo has closed down, and the only sources I have for them are eBay listings that may sell and be cleared from the internet at any time.

eBay Listing I | eBay Listing II

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omg i've never been able to listen to the radio play but now i think i'm gonna buy the cds thank you!!! (the vinyls are so expensive though oh no)

The vinyl edition is really very expensive. I'm graduating this month and I may treat myself to it, but it's a lot of money and most people won't have vinyl players to listen anyway so I don't imagine it's in high demand. Though, as a collector's item? Amazing.

And if you like, it seems that at least Overdrive and Audible have ways to listen. Audible is run through Amazon but Overdrive may be available to you through your local library!

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In 2020, Demon Records released a box set of vinyls of the recordings from the BBC Radio Dramatization from 2003, called the Daemonic Dustburst Splatter Vinyl Set. Originally airing on January 4th, 11th, and 18th of 2003, each book was aired starting at 2:30 and lasting 2.5 hours. In the vinyl set, each book has three vinyl LPs with two sides. Each novel can be purchased as a standalone piece, but the full set is not any more expensive to purchase than three individually. While the price will depend on the retailer, on average the full-priced set falls over $170.

HDM on Demon Records | NL | TSK | TAS | HDM on Barnes & Noble | HDM on FYE

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In 2019, Penguin Books UK released a box set of audio CDs of the recordings from the BBC Radio Dramatization from 2003. Originally airing on January 4th, 11th, and 18th of 2003, each book was aired starting at 2:30 and lasting 2.5 hours. In the set, each book has two CDs. The full set is 25 GBP, or you can purchase each from Penguin Books for 9 GBP each.

On Penguin Books | NL | TSK | TAS | On Amazon

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The original trilogy was adapted by Nicholas Wright and printed by Nick Hern Books in 2004 for their Modern Plays Series. This is the dramatization that was performed at the London National Theatre in 2003 and 2004. On NHB, it can be purchased in paperback or ebook format for 11 GBP, and on Barnes & Noble it can be purchased for $23 or $13.

On Nick Hern Books | On Barnes & Noble