LEWIS, C. S.
LEWIS, C. S. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. London: Geoffrey Bles, 1950.
True first edition, first impression of C. S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the first of the seven Chronicles of Narnia to be published and one of the great landmarks of twentieth-century children’s literature. Published in Britain in 1950, it introduced readers to Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter, the White Witch and Aslan, and established the world of Narnia that would become central to modern fantasy literature.
Illustrated by Pauline Baynes, with her celebrated colour frontispiece and numerous black-and-white illustrations throughout.
In the publisher’s original turquoise-green cloth, lettered in silver to the spine, the binding having been expertly restored while retaining its original character. Most importantly, the book is preserved in the rare original Pauline Baynes pictorial dust jacket, which is unclipped, retaining the correct 8s. 6d. net price and the printed APT/S573 code to the rear flap.
An exceptionally desirable example of the book that opened the door to Narnia, particularly scarce in its original priced dust jacket.
