The Chronicles of Narnia First Edition Series

Complete first edition, later printings set of C.S. Lewis's best-selling work, one of the most beloved series of all time.

Octavo, seven volumes, original publisher's cloth, each volume illustrated with plates, in-text illustrations and line drawings, and maps by Pauline Baynes, including colour where called for; in original dust wrappers, all now placed in archival, paper-backed covers (but photographed without to avoid glare). Comprising first editions, later impressions of:

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. London: Geoffrey Bles, 1950. Ninth printing (1966). Light crushing to spine tips and shallow bumping to three corners, spine cocked, heavy foxing to edges and a little throughout (primarily contained to extremities), small tape mark left to FFEP. Unclipped dust wrapper (12s 6d) has a couple of foxing spots to flaps and is ever-so-slightly nibbled to extremities.

Prince Caspian. London: Geoffrey Bles, 1951. Third printing book (1961) in Fourth printing dust wrapper. Light crushing to spine tips, bumping to upper rear corner, heavy discolouration to cover extremities and offsetting to front cover and backstrip, light bowing to covers, spine lightly cocked, heavy foxing to edges, inscription in pen to rear FFEP, and a few small marks to rear turn-in. Price-clipped dust wrapper that is worn with splits to front and rear joints, nibbled to extremities with a few further small tears, as well as a small portion of loss to lower extremity of front panel.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. London: Geoffrey Bles, 1952. Fifth printing (1964). Ex-library example, with crushing to spine tips, shallow bumping to three corners, light discolouration and then darkening to extremities, cocking to spine, heavy foxing to edges and a little to prelims and throughout, ex-library stamp to title page verso, paper residue to rear paste-down. Unclipped dust wrapper (12s 6d) has a small discoloured patch to spine, light nibbling to extremities with a very small portion of loss to head of spine and front panel.

The Silver Chair. London: Geoffrey Bles, 1953. Seventh printing (1969). Light discolouration and crushing to foot of spine, heavy cocking to spine, and edges a little foxed; else very good. Unclipped dust wrapper (15s) is slightly foxed and yellowed to panels, has a few small marks to rear panel and a faded stain to front, and is a little nibbled and worn to extremities.

The Horse and his Boy. London: Geoffrey Bles, 1954. Seventh printing (1968). Crushing to spine tips, shallow bumping to three corners, three innocuous small marks to covers, foxing to edges and a little to prelims (including a couple of spots to map endpapers). Price-clipped dust wrapper is lightly rubbed to spine, has a small tear between front flap and panel, and is a little darkened to joints; else very good.

The Magician's Nephew. London: The Bodley Head, 1955. Second printing (1958). Light crushing to spine tips, bumping to three corners and a ding to foot of front panel, ever-so-slight cocking to spine, foxing to edges, a few grubby finger marks throughout (unaffecting text and barely noticeable), and a small Christmas inscription penned to FFEP. Unclipped dust wrapper (9s 6d) is heavily foxed and a little darkened to spine and extremities, with nibbling to extremities but no real loss.

The Last Battle. London: The Bodley Head, 1956. Second printing (1958). Covers a little dusty and stained, corner and spine tips lightly bumped, a few spots of foxing to edges, and tape mark stains (not sticky) to both front and rear prelims; else a very nice, uninscribed copy, with just a hint of musty smell. Unclipped dust wrapper (9s 6d) is lightly marked to rear, a little chipped to spine tips, and has some tape mark stains (not sticky) to both flaps.

A delightful little set of later impressions of this beloved series. Set in the magical land of Narnia, the series follows children from the real world who are transported to the fantastical realm of Narnia through various means—often by mysterious doorways like a magical wardrobe or an enchanted painting. CS Lewis' inspiration for this series 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).