The hand-written manuscript and printed typescript were auctioned and bought by Glenn and Phyllida Earle for a substantial sum, with all proceeds going to charity. The standalone short story was written for a charity auction at the request of the National Theatre’s then-director, Nicholas Hytner, during the award-winning stage production of His Dark Materials. The announcement coincides with the 25th anniversary of Northern Lights, the first volume of Pullman’s ground-breaking, internationally bestselling His Dark Materials trilogy, which was published in 1995. Serpentine – a novella set after the events of His Dark Materials but before those of The Secret Commonwealth – was written in 2004, but has remained under wraps until now.

Penguin Random House have today, Thursday 9 th July 2020, announced that they will be publishing a previously unseen manuscript by Philip Pullman this autumn.

BBC One and HBO’s His Dark Materials Season Two confirmed for this autumn, based on The Subtle Knife.

Academy Award-winning actress Olivia Colman to narrate audiobook edition.

Serpentine, a new book featuring a teenage Lyra Silvertongue, will be published in October 2020.“When I wrote Serpentine, I had no idea that I was going on to write another trilogy, showing Lyra as an adult, but she and her world wouldn’t leave me alone.” – Philip Pullman

Northern lights the illustrated edition