Boxen: Childhood Chronicles Before Narnia by C.S. Lewis; W.H. Lewis - 2008

New York: HarperCollinsPublishers, 2008. Near Fine. Later Printing. The book is tight and square with solid hinges and binding and clean boards. Light push to spine ends, light crease to upper spine, and color fade to corner tips. The textblock is clean with no writing, bookplate, or markings and not BCE, ex-library, or remaindered. Fully illustrated. No dust jacket. Introduction by Douglas Gresham. 240 pages. 7 1/4" X 9 3/4" tall.

Before Narnia, a young C. S. Lewis created a collection of maps, histories, sketches, and stories to describe his private fantasy world, known as Animal-Land. As he shared his stories with his brother, Warnie, (who had made up stories about India) they combined their fantasies and created the kingdom of Boxen. In a succession of stories over the next few years, Lewis explored Boxen's history, geography, and the colorful exploits of its inhabitants in vivid detail, writing the final Encyclopedia Boxoniana in 1928.

This unique book brings together all the Boxen stories — some never before published — and integrates them with Lewis's own illustrations. It is a window into what Narnia would become: a young writer's vision of another enchanted land.