Many first edition Narnia books published in other countries had unique, enchanting artwork that was never repeated for further printings. These covers for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (shortened to The Lion and the White Witch) and Prince Caspian have a light, airy, featherweight feel that seems more appropriate for a book of …
Tag: Prince Caspian
Worldbuilding Wednesday 8/28/24: Narnian Apples (Narnia LVI)
Since there was an apple orchard at Cair Paravel (as detailed in Prince Caspian) there must have been Narnian varieties of apples, right? Narnian Apple Varieties Ruby of Tash Named for the Calorman deity (not that the Narnians really believe in him) this apple is large, bright red, sweet, and juicy, and the flesh …
Narnia Evergreen Library Editions, 1965
These Evergreen Library hardcover versions of The Chronicles came out in 1965. All seven books had been released by this point, but for this series, only these five were published. The cover artist was Giorgio de Gaspari. I’d never seen this artwork before and was struck by how different it was from post-1970s depictions. For …
Worldbuilding Wednesday 8/7/24: Werewolves and Hags (Narnia LIX)
One of the things I dislike about Prince Caspian is that, after many, many, centuries, hags and werewolves are still around, even though Lewis told us they had been eliminated at the end of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Seems like someone didn’t do the job they were supposed to. Nevertheless, they’re there, …
Narnia Chinese Editions, Peoples Literature Publishing House, 2018
I found these Chinese translations on Amazon.com during my search for Narnia images. All have artwork I’ve not seen duplicated anywhere else, and I’m guessing it was localized. I think it’s worth examining. First, the cover design of this edition of The Chronicles (I’m assuming it was for the whole series not just the four …
Worldbuilding Wednesday 6/26/24: Narnian Stars and Constellations (Narnia LIII)
In Prince Caspian, C. S. Lewis decided to explore the astronomical lore of the Narnian world. He created two planets, Tarva and Alambil, whose conjunction Caspian and Dr. Cornelius witness from a castle tower, and three constellations which Lucy mentions later — the Ship, Hammer, and Leopard. Alchemy and magic are also mentioned. The impression …
Worldbuilding Wednesday 6/19/24: What Do Dryads Eat? (Narnia LII)
When Lucy saw … the trees were going to eat earth it gave her rather a shudder. But when she saw the earths that were actually brought to them she felt quite different. They began with a rich brown loam that looked almost exactly like chocolate; so like chocolate, in fact, that Edmund tried a …
Worldbuilding Wednesday 8/30/23: Glenstorm and His Sons (Narnia XLIX)
… and daughters too, let’s make that clear. Trufflehunter called again, “Glenstorm! Glenstorm!” and after a pause Caspian heard the sound of hoofs. It grew louder till the valley trembled and at last, breaking and trampling the thickets, there came in sight the noblest creatures that Caspian had yet seen, the great Centaur Glenstorm and …
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