George MacDonald was a 19th century Scottish writer, poet and minister. He is best known for his fairy tales and fantasies. His most popular works are Phantastes, The Princess and the Goblin, At the Back of the North Wind, and Lilith. David Elginbrod was MacDonald's first realistic novel published in 1863. This novel of Scottish country life is a story centering on two saintly personalities, a dignified and pious Scottish peasant, and his daughter. Mysticism, mesmerism, and electro-biology are introduced throughout the story. The language is in the dialect of Aberdeen.