George MacDonald was a Scottish author, poet and minister who wrote over 50 volumes of novels, essays, poetry, and children's stories. He was one of the most beloved writers of the 19th century. At the Back of the North Wind, one of MacDonald's fairy tales, was published in 1861 as a serial piece in the children's magazine, Good Words for the Young. It was first published as a stand-alone story in 1871. This book, Diamond and the North Wind, is an excerpt from the original story, and is newly illustrated by Juliette Watts.