The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis - 1950

Published by Geoffrey Bles, London; 1950. 8vo. This is the First edition, first printing of the children's classic by C. S. Lewis, with 'First published 1950' to the copyright page. The book is in Near Fine condition, tightly bound in original green cloth boards with silver gilt lettering to the spine. There is some loss of colour to the boards along the edges and to the spine ends and the corners. There is also some minor bumping to the corners and spine. There is one small mark to the rear board, otherwise the boards are in very nice condition. Internally, there is a gift inscription and ownership inscription to the front free endpaper. The pages are amazingly clean, bright and free from signs of ageing. There is some slight toning and spotting to the endpapers and extreme edges (only visible when book is closed), otherwise this lovely book is in excellent condition inside. The dustjacket is in Very Good condition, with some chipping and wear to the top and bottom edges, wth slight loss to the T at the start of the title, and a small tear through the L and I of Lion. There is a mark below the title, at the top of the illustration, which perhaps originated from the residue of a label or sticker. There is some minor rubbing to the rear panel of the jacket and some spotting to the wraparounds. The jacket is, however unclipped, with the original price of 8s. 6d. net to the inside of the front flap. The jacket is overall in nicer condition than it sounds, retaining it's original colour and the lovely illustration to the front. In all, this is a lovely collectible copy of this ever popular children's classic and would be an excellent addition to any collection.