The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader,The Silver Chair, The Horse and His Boy, The Magician's Nephew, The Last Battle. by Lewis, C.S - 1954-1956

London: Geoffrey Bles, 1954-1956. Complete set of Lewis' classic Chronicles of Narnia series, which has sold over 100 million copies in 47 languages. Octavo, seven volumes, original cloth, illustrated by Pauline Baynes. The set is comprised of a first edition, second impression of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; first edition of Prince Caspian; first edition, third impression of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader; first edition, second impression of The Silver Chair; first edition of The Horse and His Boy; first edition of The Magician's Nephew; and a first edition The Last Battle. Each volume is near fine in a very good to near fine dust jacket. Ownership inscriptions and price-clipped dust jackets to some volumes. Loss to the crown of the jacket of Prince Caspian. Uncommon in the original dust jackets. The Chronicles of Narnia is "unforgettable not only for the excitement and suspense of the adventures but also for the strong emotions they describe so well [and they are] further enriched by Lewis' skillful use of language" (Silvey, 406). "Each book has something new and different to offer and there is no weakening of either inspiration or interest" (Eyre, 132). It is interesting that Lewis' inspiration 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). Lewis was "concerned to do for children what he had done for an adult readership in his science fiction to re-imagine thestory in an exciting narrative context [The Narnia books are] intoxicating to all but the most relentlessly unimaginative of readers, and must be judged the most sustained achievement in fantasy for children by a 20th-century author" (Carpenter & Pritchard, 370). "Adored by children and academics alike, these books are extremely collectable, sought-after, and scarce" (Connolly, 186).