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 …
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 …
For a long time (ever since I read the book at 11 or 12 in fact) I’ve wondered if C. S. Lewis, a native of Ireland, ever visited The Giant’s Causeway and received inspiration from it to create the titanic stone bridge over the River Shribble. As you remember, Puddleglum, Jill, and Eustace crossed it …
Previous parts of this series: Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V When it came to the color green, Medieval artists and crafters had a rough time. Unlike the warm colors – reds, oranges, yellows – long-lasting green pigments were not so easily available from nature. Mostly, these artists resorted to …
One of the things I love about these Summers of Narnia is that I’m always discovering something new. Take this illustration on the cover of the 1988 Macmillan hardback edition of The Silver Chair, depicting the climactic moment when the Green Witch snakeifies herself and wraps around Prince Rilian. There’s a distinct aesthetic about it …
Young Prince Rilian, the official portrait, painted shortly before he disappeared. Not exactly Medieval clothes, but they’re fanciful enough to be Narnian.
Or, Narnia above and below. Hold onto your hats, folks, for it’s going to be a rocky ride… Now we come to tricky part of mapping out the world of Narnia – the skies above, and what’s underground. Both areas are magical and not limited by the geography and physics of our world. Both contain …
The Land of Bism appears in The Silver Chair. It is a magical land made of molten rock shaped into terrestrial life, where gems grow on trees and there are streams and waterfalls of liquified ores. I’ve heard it said that the name came from the word abysmal, a descriptor of great depth; but, frankly, …
As long as we’re doing Narnian bento boxes, how about ones for specific Narnian characters? Like The Lady of the Green Kirtle. You can interpret it either as something she might serve to guests, or one that’s merely inspired by her, intended to be served up at a Narnian theme park. Like all the AI …
Every Summer of Narnia I’ve done since 2020 takes on its own shape as the weeks progress. I didn’t expect this summer to focus so heavily on The Silver Chair, yet that’s the way it turned out. In this post though, instead of saying more about the Green Witch, I’ll turn the lens onto her …