LEWIS, C.S. Illustrations by Pauline Baynes.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, The Horse and His Boy, The Magician’s Nephew, The Last Battle.
London: Geoffrey Bles and The Bodley Head , 1950-1956.
$22,500.00
In Stock
Item Number: RRB-151412
+$450
Rare complete first edition set of C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia; finely bound in full crushed green morocco by Temple Bookbinders
Complete first edition set of C.S. Lewis's best-selling work, one of the best-selling series of all time which has sold 120 million copies in 47 languages. “Adored by children and academics alike, these books are extremely collectable, sought-after, and scarce” (Connolly, 186). Octavo, seven volumes bound in full crushed green morocco by Temple Bookbinders with black morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, gilt ruling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, gilt-ruled inner dentelles, all edges gilt, plates, illustrations, and maps by Pauline Baynes, including color where called for. In fine condition. Ink stamp to half-title pages of The Magician's Nephew and The Last Battle. Housed in a custom velvet-lined slipcase. A rare complete first edition set of Lewis's timeless, cherished series in a lovely binding.
The Chronicles of Narnia is "unforgettable not only for the excitement and suspense of the adventures but also for the strong emotions they describe so well [and they are] further enriched by Lewis' skillful use of language" (Silvey, 406). "Each book has something new and different to offer and there is no weakening of either inspiration or interest" (Eyre, 132). Lewis' inspiration came from a dream: "At first I had very little idea how the story would go. But then suddenly Aslan came bounding into it. I think I had been having a good many dreams of lions about that time. [O]nce he was there, he pulled the whole story together, and soon he pulled the six other Narnian stories in after him (On Stories: And Other Essays on Literature, 1980). Lewis's aim with the series was "to do for children what he had done for an adult readership in his science fiction; to re-imagine the story in an exciting narrative context. [The Narnia books are] intoxicating to all but the most relentlessly unimaginative of readers, and must be judged the most sustained achievement in fantasy for children by a 20th-century author" (Carpenter & Pritchard, 370). “Adored by children and academics alike, these books are extremely collectable, sought-after, and scarce” (Connolly, 186).
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, The Horse and His Boy, The Magician’s Nephew, The Last Battle.
$22,500.00
In Stock
