Customer Reviews

Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: A Celebration of the First Edition (Narnia)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Being a Narnia fan I was excited to see that "A Celebration of the First Edition" of LWW was published. This is a hardcover with dustjacket and includes one color illustration of Aslan playing with Susan and Lucy. The first few pages are different but the story printing on each page coincides with the first edition. The reason I gave it only 3 stars is there are several pages in the story where the ink must have been running short on the printer because some of the words are difficult to make out. Also, the book boards are covered with paper not cloth and the pages are glued not sewn. The Chronicles of Narnia have such a huge following. I think I speak for all book fans of this series in saying I wish a publisher would get it right. Print the Chronicles of Narnia as they were originally published including cloth boards and sewn pages. A little quality in this product would be a huge seller.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950) is a children's fantasy novel, the first and best-known in C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. During World War II, four siblings are sent from London to a house in the country, where they are drawn into a magical world ruled by an evil witch.

Here, Lewis introduces the reader to a charming fantasy world populated with creatures drawn from Norse and Greek mythology. This kind of world will be instantly familiar to fantasy readers of all ages, as Lewis, one of the cornerstones of the modern high fantasy genre, has inspired a great deal of imitation (and, let's be honest, some outright cribbing).

Lewis's narration is perfect for the children's genre: it is full of quaint homey details and little assurances to the reader (he also speeds through what would otherwise be graphic or horrific scenes). Additionally, Lewis does a nice job giving all four siblings the broad strokes of distinct personalities in such a short book.

While The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is not an allegory in the strict sense of the word, it does contain a great deal of strong and rather unmistakable Christian imagery. The most apparent such imagery centers around Aslan, who is an obvious Christ figure, and whose fate parallels Christ's Passion. Indeed, while Aslan debuts rather late in the book, he dominates the story, which is, at its core, all about what Aslan is doing rather than what the children are doing.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a delightful read and a wonderful initiation to the world of Narnia. Yes, The Magician's Nephew comes first chronologically, but it is here that Lewis makes his introductions.

*****

I was happy to hold a hardcover with Pauline Baynes' illustrations. The font is good, the pages of good quality, and it made re-reading this classic a warming experience.

I especially enjoyed re-reading this book in light of Michael Ward's The Narnia Code: C. S. Lewis and the Secret of the Seven Heavens, which has helped me appreciate all the more the rich and subtle messages of this classic, Christianity-permeated fairy tale.

You'll enjoy this edition. It's worth the couple of extra bucks.

*****

This is a beautifully presented edition. My nephew was delighted at receiving it and after a week or so of not being interested in reading over the summer break, devoured this title. I supplemented it with a DVD of the recent film, but he preferred to read the book.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe takes an adventurous journey through a mystical land, Narnia. As Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy learn of their royal inheritance, they must fight the evil witch of Narnia to claim it.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe will take your imagination to a place it has never been before with its mystical land, talking creatures, and suspenseful journey to a hopeful victory. After having visited Narnia only once, Lucy states, "It's a magic wardrobe. There's a wood inside it, and it's snowing, and there's a Faun and a Witch and it's called Narnia; come and see."

If you like magical adventures and action, this book is for you. Narnia will captivate your mind as it takes you into a new world full or excitement. Twisting and turning, the journey of four young children through an unknown land to ultimately restore peace and claim their awaited thrones will keep you on edge the whole way through.

This book is easy to read. The sentences are short consisting of lower level vocabulary making this book perfect for kids. If you are looking for a serious, in-depth adventure of a similar sort, I would recommend J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. C.S. Lewis uses a simple writing style that makes the book very easy to understand, especially for youth. He also narrates the book like he is telling the story right there giving a homely feel to the experience.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is an excellent read, quick and easy. I would rate this book high for plot and creativity. The value of the story is exceptional. If you have some free time and want adventure, this book is great and will satisfy your need.

This was one of the first in a myriad of novels that I first explored in the infancy of my interests in literature. I enjoyed reading this book at the prepubescent stage of my life because the children in the book were reminiscent of contemporary children but they exhibited aspects of children coping with a terrible situation, such as war and they sough escape through the wardrobe. The novel began in war-torn times and created a wonderful dream world to alleviate the pain of reality.

The fascinating part of the novel that takes you away from the terrible reality is that the animals in the book talk and are presented with real human emotions. Somehow animals explain emotion turmoil and loss in life when the people characters were lackluster and stoic. Soon the children gradually grow up through their contact with animals in the dreamscape of their imagination. Narnia is a place where issues that are difficult to grapple with in reality are skillfully explained and dealt with in the imaginative and creative world of a child's mind.