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At the Back of the North Wind

George MacDonald

At the Back of the North Wind is 85,891 words — about 5h 44m at 250 words per minute, across 41 chapters. Measure your own speed and read it free, here.

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Public domain 41 chapters
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How it opens

I HAVE been asked to tell you about the back of the north wind. An old Greek writer mentions a people who lived there, and were so comfortable that they could not bear it any longer, and drowned themselves. My story is not the same as his. I do not think Herodotus had got the right account of the place. I am going to tell you how it fared with a boy who went there.…

Details

  • AuthorGeorge MacDonald
  • SourceProject Gutenberg #225
  • Length85,891 words · 5h 44m of reading
  • Chapters41
  • DictionaryNot yet generated
  • CopyrightPublic domain in the United States
  • Source checked2026-08-28

Contents

41 chapters

Recovered from the original source text, so you can open the book at any of them.

  1. 01By George Mac Donald
  2. 02CHAPTER I. THE HAY-LOFT
  3. 03CHAPTER II. THE LAWN
  4. 04CHAPTER III. OLD DIAMOND
  5. 05CHAPTER IV. NORTH WIND
  6. 06CHAPTER V. THE SUMMER-HOUSE
  7. 07CHAPTER VI. OUT IN THE STORM
  8. 08CHAPTER VII. THE CATHEDRAL
  9. 09CHAPTER VIII. THE EAST WINDOW
  10. 10CHAPTER IX. HOW DIAMOND GOT TO THE BACK OF THE NORTH WIND
  11. 11CHAPTER X. AT THE BACK OF THE NORTH WIND
  12. 12CHAPTER XI. HOW DIAMOND GOT HOME AGAIN
  13. 13CHAPTER XII. WHO MET DIAMOND AT SANDWICH
  14. 14CHAPTER XIII. THE SEASIDE
  15. 15CHAPTER XIV. OLD DIAMOND
  16. 16CHAPTER XV. THE MEWS
  17. 17CHAPTER XVI. DIAMOND MAKES A BEGINNING
  18. 18CHAPTER XVII. DIAMOND GOES ON
  19. 19CHAPTER XVIII. THE DRUNKEN CABMAN
  20. 20CHAPTER XIX. DIAMOND'S FRIENDS
  21. 21CHAPTER XX. DIAMOND LEARNS TO READ
  22. 22LITTLE BOY BLUE
  23. 23CHAPTER XXI. SAL'S NANNY
  24. 24CHAPTER XXII. MR. RAYMOND'S RIDDLE
  25. 25CHAPTER XXIII. THE EARLY BIRD
  26. 26CHAPTER XXIV. ANOTHER EARLY BIRD
  27. 27THE TRUE STORY OF THE CAT AND THE FIDDLE
  28. 28CHAPTER XXV. DIAMOND'S DREAM
  29. 29CHAPTER XXVI. DIAMOND TAKES A FARE THE WRONG WAY RIGHT
  30. 30CHAPTER XXVII. THE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
  31. 31CHAPTER XXVIII. LITTLE DAYLIGHT
  32. 32CHAPTER XXIX. RUBY
  33. 33CHAPTER XXX. NANNY'S DREAM
  34. 34CHAPTER XXXI. THE NORTH WIND DOTH BLOW
  35. 35CHAPTER XXXII. DIAMOND AND RUBY
  36. 36CHAPTER XXXIII. THE PROSPECT BRIGHTENS
  37. 37CHAPTER XXXIV. IN THE COUNTRY
  38. 38CHAPTER XXXV. I MAKE DIAMOND'S ACQUAINTANCE
  39. 39CHAPTER XXXVI. DIAMOND QUESTIONS NORTH WIND
  40. 40CHAPTER XXXVII. ONCE MORE
  41. 41CHAPTER XXXVIII. AT THE BACK OF THE NORTH WIND

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