The Magician's Nephew (Book 1) (Narnia) (Hardcover)

by C. S. Lewis (Author), Pauline Baynes (Illustrator) "THIS IS A STORY ABOUT SOMETHING that happened long ago when your grandfather was a child..." (more)
Key Phrases: dem fine woman, green rings, yellow ring, Uncle Andrew, Aunt Letty, Deplorable Word (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
This large, deluxe hardcover edition of the first title in the classic Chronicles of Narnia series, The Magician's Nephew, is a gorgeous introduction to the magical land of Narnia. The many readers who discovered C.S. Lewis's Chronicles through The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe will be delighted to find that the next volume in the series is actually the first in the sequence--and a step back in time. In this unforgettable story, British schoolchildren Polly and Digory inadvertently tumble into the Wood Between the Worlds, where they meet the evil Queen Jadis and, ultimately, the great, mysterious King Aslan. We witness the birth of Narnia and discover the legendary source of all the adventures that are to follow in the seven books that comprise the series.

Rich, heavy pages, a gold-embossed cover, and Pauline Baynes's original illustrations (hand-colored by the illustrator herself 40 years later) make this special edition of a classic a bona fide treasure. (Ages 9 and older) --Emilie Coulter --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
"The magic of C. S. Lewis's parallel universe never fades." The Times --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (July 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060234970
• ISBN-13: 978-0060234973
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (247 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #553,942 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #90 in	Books > Children's Books > Series > Christian > The Chronicles of Narnia

• This is item 6 in The Chronicles of Narnia Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

69 of 72 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In the beginning...., July 31, 2004

By	Amanda Richards "Modest to the extreme" (Georgetown, Guyana) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Magician's Nephew (The Chronicles of Narnia) (Mass Market Paperback)

Whether you read these books chronologically (Narnian time):

The Magicians Nephew
The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Horse and His Boy
Prince Caspian
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Silver Chair
The Last Battle

or in the order they were published:

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950)
Prince Caspian (1951)
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952)
The Silver Chair (1953)
The Horse and His Boy (1954)
The Magicians Nephew (1955)
The Last Battle (1956)

is entirely up to you.

Beginning at the beginning has always sounded like a good approach to me, hence this first review of the Narnia series.

Though written in simple style to be appreciated by young scholars, this book seems to echo with subtle and not so subtle references to the bible. A background check on the late great C. S. Lewis will reveal that he became a theist in 1929, a Christian in 1931, and later was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity by the University of St. Andrews in 1946.

His belief in the existence of one God, viewed as the creative source of man and the world, who transcends yet is immanent in the world, provides the foundation for the series, especially in this book and the magnificent classic "The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe." (Note: definition courtesy of Merriam-Webster)

"The Magician's Nephew" tells of the creation of Narnia by the great and powerful Aslan, and the temptation of a son of Adam, by a deceiver, with an apple from a forbidden tree.

This is the story of Digory and Polly, two friends who, upon an accidental meeting with Magician wanna-be Uncle Andrew, find themselves in a head spinning adventure involving other worlds, magical rings, an evil sorceress, a cabby and his horse, talking animals, and a collection of fauns, satyrs, dwarves and naiads.

We learn about the first King and Queen of Narnia, a heroic quest, a miraculous cure, and the planting of a tree and a lamp post, both of which we will need to move on with the series.

Even though a slim volume, The Magician's Nephew is deceptively deep and compelling.

WARNING: Reading this book leads to the compulsive reading of at least six other books.

Amanda Richards August 1, 2004

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How It All Began, October 21, 2003

By	Mark Baker (Santa Clarita, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Magician's Nephew (The Chronicles of Narnia) (Mass Market Paperback)

Digory and Polly are exploring a passageway between their houses one summer morning when they stumble into Digory's uncle's study. Uncle Andrew dapples in magic, and tricks Polly into taking one of his magic rings. Digory goes after her, and they find themselves in a magic wood, a passageway to different worlds. Exploring further, they find evil as well as a land about to be created.

This is a different story in the Narnia tales. First, we don't arrive at Narnia until after half way through the book. Second, this is the only book where actions in the fantasy worlds have direct impact on events in our world. For these reasons, it's a fun change in the series. The story in Narnia is simpler then the others, but it makes watching a new world take shape no less thrilling. And there are some important lessons on doing the right thing at the right time and getting out of life exactly what you expect.

There is quite a debate about the order this book should be read in. While it was published sixth, the events place it first. When I read these books back in third grade, I read them in publication order, and I enjoyed that because there are some surprises in here that explain a couple scenes in the first book. Admittedly biased, I think that reading them in publication order would make for the most enjoyment. However, the issues involved are very minor and any of the books can really be read in any order without spoiling anything important.

No matter what order you choose to read the books in, make sure you do. These are classic children's fantasy for a reason; they are fun stories that can be enjoyed by kids of all ages.

29 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Beginning of the Adventure, February 17, 2000

By	S.Watkins (Antarctica) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Magician's Nephew (The Chronicles of Narnia) (Mass Market Paperback)

The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis is a wonderful beginning to The Chronicles of Narnia. Two children, Digory and Polly, are given a great gift by Digory's uncle. He gives them rings which give them the power to travel to different worlds and travel home again. They travel to many different worlds and have many different adventures. I one of the worlds they find an evil queenwho follows them back home. Polly and Digory take the the queen to a different world where they meet a kion called Aslan and many different talking animals. Digory takes a silver apple back home to his dying mother. When Digory gives the apple to his mother and she is miraculously cured. Digory plants the apple core and magic rings in his backyard. You will have to read the rest of this magical adventure to find out where the magic appears next. This book is one of the most wonderful and magical books I have ever read. Lewis's imagination really keeps the books alive. It makes you feel you are sharing the adventures right along with the characters. I would recommend this book to anybody because it is so fascinating. This adventure-fantasy is for people of all ages. It makes you want to keep on reading to find out what happens to the characters. There is a lot of suspense and it is very absorbing. I love the way it leads into the next book of The Chronicles. It makes you want to read all the other books that follow.