The secrets of an old desk: I make a discovery with George MacDonald

In this episode I read you the opening of George MacDonald’s fantasy novel Phantastes and it leads me to discover something in my old writing desk!
If you like you can encourage me with coffee and cake here: www.buymeacoffee.com/malcolmg...

[@Olliemar28]

"Ohh come in, come in!" Day made.

[@andrewnicholson3448]

*zippo flick* Perfection

[@nat040496]

I love that little part of every video. It adds so much personality and charm

[@a.j.r_ball]

My favorite side of KZbin. There’s hope with this channel in the world!!!

[@nealgarner6431]

Thanks Malcolm who is your favourite American poet Walt Whitman mine

[@a.j.r_ball]

@@nealgarner6431 Same. Frost is great as well.

[@levitator55]

No doubt !

[@chainslayer101]

When a wizard as human as the trees, graces us with a voice of ancient words, echoed only by the breath of the wind, comes to KZbin. We get something that is long since forgotten. Thank you Malcom.

[@Andre-kd1tk]

Remember your ancestors ❤️😢I awoke, beautiful ❤️

[@torimillan1922]

I have a confession to make. I found you Mr. Guite almost by accident in that I was looking for some videos about pipe smoking. I am a commercial truck driver where my day usually ends around 3 am. Since discovering you here on youtube, I cannot end my day without checking in with you and listening to you read some passage of poetry or other and, only then can I close my eyes and call it a day. What calm, what joy, what a smile you bring to an otherwise ordinary day. Thank you!

[@stoicepictetus3875]

Thank you, I'm not Malcolm, but I liked reading your comment just the same. Drive safely !

[@MalcolmGuitespell]

We all depend on Truck Drivers so I am glad to have helped one on his way!

[@StephanieSoressi]

It is good to see such a lovely comment. There are so many horror stories about highways & highwaymen, Teamsters & truckdrivers at truck stops, I am afraid I have a rather frightful notion of lorry life on the road.

[@Dark3stB3foreDawn]

I am by no means a reader of literature, nor of poetry, but I feel a comfort listening to Malcolm speak of things I have no particular interest in.

[@hueyfreeman8845]

It's pretty cool when it is something you remember from childhood. It's almost like he's your grandfather.

[@geoffjohnson2152]

Ditto

[@mytzyxptlyx]

A tornado has left me without power and as I sit here in the light of a very old lamp smoking my pipe. I realize how blessed we are to be able to share these moments with you. Thank you.

[@davidrn5600]

Every book you mention I buy the exact copy if I don't already have it!! Your a blessing in a dark world. God bless

[@kpainter2193]

Good to hear that it is not just me.

[@re1v3r]

I do the same

[@drewbowski]

Same here! Difficult to find this copy. Did you find it by chance?

[@stevesaddler1443]

I’m pleased to say, I likewise, the latest being Sweet Thames Run Softly.

[@zacharycurrie3708]

The rose leaves "witnessed so mutely to the law of oblivion." Wonderful. You're a good man, Mr. Guite. Thank you for all these wonderful snippets of the imagination.

[@KlassicKraze]

My girlfriend lost her book collection due to weather not long ago, and you've been giving me great ideas of books to get for her to start rebuilding her library.

[@MalcolmGuitespell]

Happy to help!

[@theradiantknight9771]

My parents have a similar secretary, I've always loved it. There's something magical about them.

[@IAMNationX]

Thanks to you good Sir I borrowed Wind in the Willows from the library and managed to pick up Hobbit/LOTR series from a charity shop for £3.00. I never read as a child and I am simply in love.

[@kenmandelin7812]

That is a good score for that price my friend! Enjoy!

[@MalcolmGuitespell]

My work is complete! the aim of this channel is to stir people to enjoy once more the pleasures of reading!

[@DublinOdinson]

What a great joy it is to find old, yet never lost, treasures.

[@MalcolmGuitespell]

Yes indeed!

[@jeffcokenour3459]

Wow! A marvelous modern writer with a marvelous elder author. My kids gave me a brand new edition of phantastes for my birthday!

[@BadgerOfTheSea]

Malcolm, you really are like a living Inkling

[@anonaki-mt6xb]

Bravo!

[@StephanieSoressi]

I had a women's Peterson pipe I bought in Dublin, but someone stole it from my desk back in the states thirty years ago, give or take. I miss it still. I too love the "Come in, come in" welcome enthusiastic. How I wish I could fill my day with such visits, and in person.

[@freethagoy]

Absolute delightful session with a beautiful word of philosophy. Anyone else feel a type of ambition to read more cause of this channel?

[@stuartgreen4512]

I once had the honour of a small (but meaningful) correspondence with Malcolm via Email. It is a correspondence I have kept, and one I treasure. These jaunts into the library bring me peace, passion, inspiration and immense joy. Through these videos and the happenstance of finding them, Ihave been welcomed to the fireside by authors, poets and words which I might not have heard otherwise, and my life is richer for it. I have always been a reader, but now I am a listener, and new words reach me, and enrich me in spirit and soul. Malcolm, you have touched many lives, and I thank you for touching mine, a ripple in a pond which will be felt on the shores of tomorrow.

[@JordanWilliams-ok4bx]

Glad to share another afternoon pipe with you Malcolm! Thanks for another timely upload!

[@MalcolmGuitespell]

Any time!

[@laurenstrickland8536]

You've reignited my passion for literature, sadly lost after I graduated a few years ago. I can't believe how long it's taken me to discover this hidden gem!

[@Colinmck16]

If i had a office that i could relax, have a smoke it would look like that amazing wish my English teachers were like him👍👍

[@shetuski]

My co-workers and I are organizing a "pipes and pints" night, inspired by your videos. We all work at a church and plan to discuss theology and literature. Also, I'm looking forward to seeing you this September at the Sing! Conference in Nashville! Any chance you're teaching a pipe smoking breakout session? ;)

[@MalcolmGuitespell]

that would be fun but I'm sure they wouldn't allow it, but I'd be happy to gather with some fellow pipe smokers in the little lobby just outside the dome which is where I smoke when I'm there!

[@shetuski]

Wonderful! Perhaps we’ll have a chance to meet in person. I’ll be sure to bring my pipe.

[@karenlooby7569]

How wonderful!! Perhaps there are delights hidden in each of our homes.

[@thattimestampguy]

2:09 George McDonald's Phantastes. 2:48 The Opening of Phantastes. *The Main Character Wakes Up* 4:36 "I awoke one morning..." The young man, 21 years old. 6:28 The Crystalline Forms. 6:57 A Secretary, not a person, but a piece of English furniture. *Uncovering Buried Starta* 8:00 Learning from records. 8:58 Approaching and opening The Secretary cubbards. 9:14 The Door in The Center, laying the secret of the world. 9:54 Flexible Portcullis *Meeting The Fairy* 10:47 A tiny woman, as if a statuette. 11:38 "You never saw such a little creature before, did you?" 14:56 Consciousness, Revelation, Great Grandmothers. *Malcolm Guile's Secretary* 15:29 16:38 C.S. Lewis wrote a letter to Malcolm Guile's father. 17:35 Years ago, Malcolm wrote Narnia's High Heraldic Poem. 18:32 Completely forgotten it, but here it is! *The Transformative Business of Writing and Reading* 19:05 A Change in Consciousness. New Discoveries.

[@usfaaartillerist]

Could we get audio books of you reading these?! Seriously!!

[@MalcolmGuitespell]

I'm working on that!

[@Musicandcoffee247]

@@MalcolmGuitespelloh just hearing that makes my heart smile!

[@RebuildRetreat]

Loved seeing your old desk of treasures. My dad has one with his scientific papers but no CS Lewis note unfortunately

[@brandontrueblood3584]

I am struck by how you always reference the beautiful pictures in novels and it makes me want to stop and really gives these images a second glance. I think I often can quickly move past these without giving them the appreciation they deserve.

[@kenmandelin7812]

Man I wish I had a neighbor like you.. where I could sit and listen to part of a good book or some poetry while enjoying a tankard of ale and the smell of pipe smoke

[@MalcolmGuitespell]

Wow, thanks

[@thepipersmantel]

George MacDonald's "Phantastes" was the first modern fantasy novel. The fantasy genre can be traced back to him. He inspired both J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, but nobody could write truth through fantasy better than George MacDonald. He was truly in a league of his own.

[@MalcolmGuitespell]

yes indeed!

[@maryfilippou6667]

You have really kicked off my day in a happy way with your program popping up! I am enchanted by your book room and your choice. Ive had The Light Princess and MacDonald' s others on my bookshelves for decades, much enjoyed. A foggy morning turned to reflection before EDM throbs the neighborhood this afternoon.

[@jmwalls73]

Wonderful...Malcolm's enthusiasm and joy in rediscovery is infectious.

[@kevinmcmanus5892]

I was just listening to Lilith and sipping on some Old Dublin in my Peterson 306 when I took a wee Facebook break and saw this 😊

[@zumbach3032]

I noticed the wooden sailor with the yellow coat. My nan has one in the 80s. It also had a little pipe you could take out of his mouth. I'd forgotten all about that memory until seeing this.

[@zoobee]

every video an adventure and discovery with you Malcolm x

[@TheRoobs74]

I had never heard that before. It was enchanting. I must find a copy. Wonderful.

[@jimjiminy5836]

Yeah that a wonderful opening sentence. One that’s very relatable and I wish I’d come up with it myself!

[@Techgnome21]

It's a great day when a new video is released. I was about to make a cup of tea but Papa Malcolm comes first!!!

[@willgriggers-ex5zq]

Malcom, you are a treasure.

[@gagecohlrae]

Beautifully read. My parents have a Secretary just like it, gorgeous piece of furniture, made by talented craftsman.

[@joelharris4399]

I feel you mate. Montreal's spring began with a tireless snow storm and just a few days ago, it snowed. Strange weather these days. I'm pleased to see you assigning proper credit where it is due. Sort of like how Darwin in popular discourse gets all the songs and praise for evolution, when others like Richard Owens and the French aristocrat, George-Louis LeClerc de Buffon deserves equal mention and attribution. We do stand on the shoulders of giants, no doubt about that

[@les6186]

Also Wallace.

[@robertboyle2573]

Those Narnia poems sound interesting.

[@christofferhoff6669]

In the corner of KZbin, there is a odd fellow that has the glee of the happiness of life. For some few, a gift from God himself to the wanderers of the interwebs in the hours before and after twilight. With him our yoke is easy and our burden is light. May his soul always be blessed and his spirit never dimmed. I can now rest lightly because of him.

[@oldfilmguy9413]

So well said!

[@les6186]

I've been thinking of finding my Erdman's copy of Phantastes/Lilith which edition I've had for over 40 years, and now I've been inspired to look for it in my (yes) double rows of books. I often wonder what was it that happened to him in the North of Scotland when he spent time organizing a library at a manor house, something extraordinary and mysterious that set off waves that resonate through to our day in the writings of Lewis and Tolkien as well as his own enduring works. George MacDonald reminds there is a Goodness that is beyond words.

[@MalcolmGuitespell]

Yes, I think his experience in that mysterious library is the key to all his work!

[@malcolmhart1795]

Re working in the library... Did you ever read his book called There and Back? We're enjoying it again after a long hiatus. I've wondered if it was autobiographical. It'd be interesting to know if the two tie up.

[@chocolatemonk]

Thank you for the story! I have a copy enroute now. "Come in" yes, indeed I will

[@MalcolmGuitespell]

Welcome

[@carolslater6253]

Marvelous! MacDonald with Malcolm Guite! Thank you for sharing! 💖

[@kjmav10135]

And this writing reminded me of another British writer who wrote on the edges of theology and the supernatural-Charles Williams. I believe I read MacDonald and Williams in the same college course back in the early 80s. I’ll have to revisit both. Thanks for the reminder!

[@les6186]

I read a novel by Charles Williams several years ago, I think All Hallow's Eve, and was just bowled over how well written it was. CW is an underrated and forgotten Inkling that deserves to be better known.

[@SpatialSpandex]

Thank you, Malcolm. That was wonderful 🙂

[@yusufsayed1583]

Good Evening 😊 Beautiful Pipe 😍 Awesome Book👌🏽 Thanks for the read and sharing a pipe with me 🌬💨💨 Have a fantastic day 🙏🏽 Greetings from South Africa 🇿🇦

[@julialumina1615]

You are a comfort to me, in stressful times. Many blessings

[@TexasWildlife0915]

Your videos light up my day thank you I’m not sure if you know how much these videos get us through the week.

[@lk29392]

this guy is a treasure to the world

[@drewbowski]

Loved this video! Immediately hunted for this book after watching. Thank you for adding such gems to the reading list. Thank you for these videos. They give me hope and joy.

[@55mmartin]

Wonderful visit with you!

[@ellen823ful]

Amazing. I had a secretary in my bedroom growing up. There I did my homework.

[@SleeplessAnarchist]

Very beautifully written.

[@Velaxity]

This was great, listening to you read is just so relaxing & satisfying. Thanks for sharing it with us.

[@MalcolmGuitespell]

My pleasure 😊

[@user-mo8df6eb2z]

Wonderful Malcolm - it is cold in England the weather is so changeable at the moment

[@johnhopkins947]

This is classic!!! This man is gold!!

[@pleatedskirt18]

I will freely confess that I am not a smoker of any sort, but I do love the smell and the character of pipe smoke. My father smoked a pipe and my old headmaster did too, and the smell that infused their tweed jackets and the leather seats of their cars with that certain perennially evocative odour is still fresh in my mind so many decades later. I now feel I ought to buy a pipe and some tobacco just to have out on my desk. Thank you, Malcolm. As a slight aside, I did find a certain irony when my headmaster had a rack of pipes on his desk and smoked freely in his study that it should be here that the cane was used on boys caught smoking on the school close.

[@dagonet1889]

Thank you Malcolm for this treasure! Cheers!

[@zerapis_ammon]

Cherish all the content that comes from Malcolm. It is a wonderful time to be alive

[@OceanRoadbyTonyBaker]

Well...I'm gonna need to get that book, professor. Thank you much.

[@carolinarose704]

What a magical story and discovery! Thanks for sharing!

[@JBazz2911]

I especially love the miniature bust. I collect large and small and absolutely love them. Your office is quite a treasure. Cheers, sir.

[@AnthonyBets]

It was lovely to spend those 19 minutes together Malcolm! It's amazing the genesis of a thought can circle us back around as the desk, circled you back to your poem. I hope to hear the full version of your poem.

[@jamestregler1584]

Thanks kindly ; I'll have to check with my old book shop in the French Quarter , Old New Orleans 😇

[@dcxxx6850]

Always time well spend watching these. Slainte!

[@ladylocust1118]

What a fun discovery 😁

[@joer5627]

It is time for me to read “the diary of an old soul!”

[@jbclayville]

I’ve heard the lovely comparison between Boaz’s handfuls of purpose to his love, Ruth and our Lord’s sweet provisions of love to us, not just salvation and revelation, but everyday graces that make us fall more in love with him. This too perfect experience of stepping into the story of Phantastes is so special. I’ve been looking for enriching ways to bring the story off the pages for my children and I can’t wait to share this with them. You have my heartfelt appreciation for sharing your unique world and talent with us.

[@savagelee6973]

Always nice to share a pipe with my favorite Englishman.Really, you are truly unique among your people.

[@LeftyLurpy]

Fantastic, so glad to have stumbled upon the deep treasure of your videos. They are beautiful and wonderful and I feel so welcome as though visiting a long lost friend.

[@MalcolmGuitespell]

Welcome!

[@CentralCalPiper]

Wonderful, Sir! Thank you :)

[@malcolmhart1795]

Wow! How wonderful for you... we could feel your excitement while listening avidly, and we jumped when halfway through something went bump unexpectedly! 🙂 Thank you for sharing this beautiful passage, and also your joy at finding your own lost treasure. Very best wishes to you both with our love. 💞 💙

[@richardsnow7299]

Thank you very much Reverend

[@r.j.b.1645]

Wonderful! ✨

[@bigal2696]

Amazing. Thank you for this video. And now I'll hurry to my old desk to see what I find!

[@gentimperley8554]

Such a cool find!

[@Freethinker225]

I loved this so so much! 🥲

[@The_Eccentric_Piper]

I'm glad I can be of assistance here. The "gemstone egg" appears at first glance to be made of Opalite - an Opalescent type of synthetic glass which goes by quite a few other names as well

[@jenpedwards]

Oh what a delight is this!! Thank you for reading the opening to one of my favorite stories and for sharing the contents of the secret chamber in your secretary!! I have my grandmother's secretary, which is a bit different from yours, but nevertheless has all the title drawers and slots for holding small things. What a wonderful reading!

[@MalcolmGuitespell]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@brianheffernan8982]

That was a wonderful video, Malcolm. I enjoyed it immensely. I have the same type of desk in my bedroom.

[@richardking1067]

just ordered this book based on your first reading of it and your enthusiasm. thank you

[@MalcolmGuitespell]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@KingDennisJensen]

Every single video is a blessing to be heard. I love winding the day down with your videos, they are super peaceful.

[@MalcolmGuitespell]

Glad you like them!

[@st.davidpipes]

Great episode!

[@jaclyncrain9107]

Thank you, I needed that.

[@PaddyFinnWrites]

Treasure dredged from the depths of creation and forgotten. It is my hope, good sir, that you one day share those poems from Narnia with the people of this world.

[@debcarroll8192]

New subscriber here-- I just listened to your wonderful lecture on George MacDonald and the Prophetic Imagination. I am a huge fan of George MacDonald and love to introduce others to his brilliant works. I look forward to hearing more from you!

[@MalcolmGuitespell]

Welcome aboard! Glad you enjoyed the lecture

[@time_for_fast]

Perhaps you will be pulled into Narnia to have adventures of your own only gaining entrance trough a secret chamber in the secretary and made possible by your poem which had take up a sort of magic having been written about Narnia.

[@MalcolmGuitespell]

now that would be wonderful!

[@TheMadPoetHimself]

I've been meaning to read Phantastes for a while now - thanks for the reminder! And the desk discovery was incredible. I'd love to see that Narnia poem in print.

[@MalcolmGuitespell]

thanks, I think I'll read some more of that Narnia poem in one of these Spells in the library!

[@TheMadPoetHimself]

@@MalcolmGuitespell Looking forward to it!

[@richqualls5157]

Great video!

[@anonaki-mt6xb]

Newly discovered this wonderful man. What a joy! And thanks for introducing me to Phantastes - As a lifelong Hobbit, I had no idea MacDonald's work even existed.

[@donaldcatton4028]

Superb…

[@Nighttrainpiper]

I can only imagine how the two knights felt upon finding out they were celebrities.

[@joemazmo7981]

Wonderful.

[@MalcolmGuitespell]

Many thanks!

[@drewprice8468]

Thank you for the shout out to the “felt change of consciousness…” by Barfield. I think you may be the last inkling.

[@johnburgess6572]

Delightful

[@sumitpaul8153]

Please Make more long videos on Pipe smoking.... make long videos like 30 minutes or 1 hour..... Make 30 minutes or 1 hour soft talk, pipe smoking, life advices, share your life experiences, reading, .... Long videos of your would be adorable to watch....❤️ Love from me!! 😌

[@judy_julien]

How exciting to find the lost treasure of your own writings and a letter from C.S. Lewis. Watching this was as if I were sitting in the room with you on an actual visit. ❤

[@RichardIIfan]

Wonderful story and I feel inspired to acquire and read Phantastes.

[@MalcolmGuitespell]

You should!

[@RichardIIfan]

@@MalcolmGuitespell Thank you.

[@mudlarkingmarionette]

Couldn't agree more.