The NEW, IMPROVED Narnia
V-X
Subject: The NEW, IMPROVED Narnia
Date: Sun, 28 Aug 1994 00:29:53 +1000
(I cross-posted to alt.society.generation-x because the Narnia books have come
up there a few times lately, and also because I think a bunch of people over
there would really like this group.)
So what does everybody think of them--have you seen them? In case you
haven't, here some highlights of the Harper (I think) series:
*Three seperate sets--paperback, trade paperback and hardcover.
*New cover art--the paintings on the big books are especially nice.
*All versions have ALL THE PAULINE BAYNES ILLUSTRATIONS!!! No more of the
Collier curse: little repros of one drawing at the beginning of each chapter
that look like rubber stamps or something.
*The series has been been rearranged in chronological story order rather than
by publication date. The new order is:
1. The Magician's Nephew
2. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
3. The Horse and His Boy
4. Prince Caspian
5. The Voyage of the "Dawn Treader"
6. The Silver Chair
7. The Last Battle
A few stinky things I've noticed:
*The placement of illustrations in the paperbacks leaves a lot to be
desired--they really crammed some of them in there.
*This being true, and with the expense of the hardcovers ($100+), I probably
would have gone for the forty-dollar trade paperback set (same
proportions and layout as the original hardcovers) except for one thing: the
binding is miserable. I don't know what the problem is, but they won't open
flat--they pucker at the middle of the binding when you open them. I'd go
nuts reading these things.
*Won't making _The Magician's Nephew_ the first book kind of ruin the surprise
at the end, regarding Digory's place in the stories?
*I'll miss those funky, faux-Peter Max cover paintings I grew up with.
Over all, they're pretty nice--and the new paperbacks are a steal at
twenty-five bucks with nice clear repros on all the illustrations, even if the
design is a little awkward.
Check 'em out if you haven't already.
_______________________________________________________________________________
V-X lives in Portland, OR which is full of sunny happy places, the sunniest of
which is Teleport, the organization that provides him with Internet access. V-X
has nothing to do with Teleport, outside of a check he sends four times a year.
You'll probably blame them anyway, though. Don't do it, man, just don't do it.
Andrew Johnston
>
> *Won't making _The Magician's Nephew_ the first book kind of ruin the
surprise
> at the end, regarding Digory's place in the stories?
>
> *I'll miss those funky, faux-Peter Max cover paintings I grew up with.
>
Those faux-Max covers sucked. When I went to England as a kid I got to
check out the Puffin paperbacks of the books which had great Pauline
Baines covers which never got printed in America.
The covers by Chris Van Allsburg on the new trade paperbacks are great. I
agree that the chronological order is not so hot, though, as the discovery
of where Digory fits into the grand scheme of things blew me away as a
kid. Oh well...
John McCoy
: *New cover art--the paintings on the big books are especially nice.
I also love the Chris Van Alsburg covers. But then, the man is a god
to me.
: *The series has been been rearranged in chronological story order rather than
: by publication date.
Doesn't matter. When Kate is old enough for me to read them to her, I'm
still starting with _The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe_ and _The
Magician's Nephew_ will still be number six.
: *I'll miss those funky, faux-Peter Max cover paintings I grew up with.
The set I had was a two-volume hardcover set with blue covers published
by the Religious Book Club. They had an essay in the second volume
called "The Lion of Judah in Never-Never Land," which I was disappointed
as a child to discover was not an eighth book. There was also a
reproduction of Ms. Baynes's map of Narnia, which was even more
elegant than her map for _Lord of the Rings_, but was shrunk so small
to fit the book you couldn't read the place names. Sadly, these books
were almost destroyed in a flood at my parents' house and I'm desparately
hoping that drying and high pressure will salvage them...probably not...
--John
Eric Scheidler
Getting off the 82 bus, I heard on patrol boy say to the other, "How far
are you in Prince Caspian?" For a moment I thought he was talking about
a video game, but then I realized he meant the children's book from The
Chronicles of Narnia. The boy continued, "I'm *halfway* through, pride
in his emphasis of "halfway." He might still have been talking about a
video game--nothing is sacred anymore, not even C.S. Lewis. But I hope
it was the book. I want to believe there are kids reading things like
the Chronicles of Narnia somewhere, even if only at Kimball and Catalpa.
I felt a little breeze of hope--even joy--on hearnig the boy's
enthusiasm. To enjoy the Chronicles of Narnia you have to still be a
kid, at least part of you. It's good to think there are still kids in
this world of twelve-year-old nurderers, addicts, mothers (& fathers).
Kids who read books of fantasy, who read with joy and wonder.
Maybe we aren't doomed yet. Maybe not yet.
---end---
--Eric
\=/ Eric J. Scheidler <uesc...@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu>
-///-
/=\ "Oh no! They've all become Swiss lederhosen-clad
dancing yodelers." --The Brain
--
\=/ Eric J. Scheidler <uesc...@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu>
-///-
/=\ "Oh no! They've all become Swiss lederhosen-clad
dancing yodelers." --The Brain
Katherine Rossner
: V-X (v...@teleport.com) wrote:
: : *The series has been been rearranged in chronological story order rather than
: : by publication date.
: Doesn't matter. When Kate is old enough for me to read them to her, I'm
: still starting with _The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe_ and _The
: Magician's Nephew_ will still be number six.
If I ever have kids to read them to, I'll probably do the same. Still, I
remember Lewis's own comments (this is from a letter, dated April 23,
1957, to a child whose mother felt that the Chronicles should be read in
the order in which they were published):
I think I agree with your order for reading the books more than
with your mother's. The series was not planned beforehand as she
thinks. When I wrote _The Lion_, I did not know I was going to
write any more. Then I wrote _P. Caspian_ as a sequel and still
didn't think there would be any more, and when I had done _The
Voyage_ I felt quite sure it would be the last. But I found I
was wrong. So perhaps it does not matter very much in which order
anyone reads them. I'm not even sure that all the others were
written in the same order in which they were published. I never
keep notes of that sort of thing and never remember dates.
(Also, Walter Hooper, who was Lewis's secretary for a short time before
his death, says that Lewis told him to copy down the "proper order", and
it's the chronological one. Maybe that's what the present publishers
have in mind?)
: The set I had was a two-volume hardcover set with blue covers published
: by the Religious Book Club. They had an essay in the second volume
: called "The Lion of Judah in Never-Never Land," which I was disappointed
: as a child to discover was not an eighth book. There was also a
: reproduction of Ms. Baynes's map of Narnia, which was even more
: elegant than her map for _Lord of the Rings_, but was shrunk so small
: to fit the book you couldn't read the place names. Sadly, these books
: were almost destroyed in a flood at my parents' house and I'm desparately
: hoping that drying and high pressure will salvage them...probably not...
This set turns up occasionally in thrift shops and used-book stores--I'd
offer you my copy if I hadn't already given it away! But if the problem
is the "Lion of Judah" book, that's available as a separate volume. It
seems to go in and out of print, but also turns up used; the author is
Kathryn Lindskoog, and the paperback is published by Eerdmans.
Katherine
C.S. Lewis fanatic
--
Ye knowe ek, that in forme of speche is chaunge |
Withinne a thousand yere, and wordes tho | J. Katherine Rossner
That hadden pris, now wonder nyce and straunge | j...@netcom.com
Us thinketh hem, and yit they spake hem so. -- Chaucer |
--
Bill Harvey
> [...] "How far
>are you in Prince Caspian?" [...]
> "I'm *halfway* through, pride
>in his emphasis of "halfway."
Well, don't let me toss a bucket of water on your sand castle of hope,
but the first thing I thought was that he was glad his English assignment
was almost completed. :-)
But... maybe I'm too cynical...
Bill
>--Eric
A Gale
> *The series has been been rearranged in chronological story order
> rather than by publication date. The new order is:
>
> 1. The Magician's Nephew
> 2. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
> 3. The Horse and His Boy
> 4. Prince Caspian
> 5. The Voyage of the "Dawn Treader"
> 6. The Silver Chair
> 7. The Last Battle
This has got to be a country-by-country thing. I remember getting a
full boxed set in (calculates, Rebecca Lowe flushed `Voyage' down the
Standard 2 toilets, must have been '82) 1982 and they were in exactly
that order. I'd already read `Lion' (who hadn't?) but I then went on
to read them in the given order.
I think the publisher was Lion, a UK firm, but I honestly can't remember.
Amy
--
am...@kauri.vuw.ac.nz
"If the world were an orange it would be like much too small, y'know?"
Emily Lawson
1. I read the books starting with the Magicians Nephew. This was the
order in which they were marketed in the uk. I don't think I was done any
harm in this way! In fact, you just get to appreciate Digory more later,
rather than it being a surprise that that's who he is - you don't know
about the wardrobe because you haven't read that book yet, so when you do
it's a connection in the same way that you guys experienced it, just the
other way round.
2. There is no way, as others have pointed out, that the paste was Peanut
Butter. I always assumed it was Fish Paste. We used to get little glass
jars of this stuff when I was little for picnic sandwiches etc, and in
retrospect it was pretty horrible stuff. Vegemite is the Australian
version of Marmite, and is weaker tasting, so it certainly wouldn't be
that. (both are yeast extract - marketed during the war as a source of B
vitamins). So I suppose it could be Marmite - but I don't think anyone
British would call Marmite a paste. SO since the quote is "some strange
paste", my vote goes to fish paste - and I'm sure Lions aren't renowned
for eating fish so that would make sense too. What great books they are -
how many times did you all read them?
Emily
S. Gilbert
> What great books they are- how many times did you all read them?
I read the whole set for the first time when I was 8. I checked them out
of the library so often, I received a set for Christmas when I was 10. I
have worn out 3 paperback sets and finally got them in hardbound. This
set is on the headboard of the bed and gets reread about once a year now.
In my lifetime I guess I have read them 55-60 times, often outloud to
the nieces. They are my all-time favorite reading , along with
"THE HUNTING OF THE SNARK".
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Susan Short Gilbert DO OR DO NOT,THERE IS NO TRY
sgil...@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu -YODA-
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Jennifer Wise
"Lion" first, "Prince Caspian" second and so on and that's the
way I prefer the order. "Lion" lays out the whole philosophy
of the books so well...it was like a foundation for the rest,
to me. I bought the set last year for my sister's best
friend's kids (with the OLD covers) and they sat down
immediately with their mother to read them. They were a big
hit, but I think it may have meant far more to me to pass them
on than it did to the kids (at least for now). They were such
an important part of my reading experience growing up! I'm
just glad children continue to enjoy them...they're WONDERFUL
books.
Jenny
obe...@cgsvax.claremont.edu
> ela...@mail.sas.upenn.edu (Emily Lawson) writes:
>
>
>> What great books they are- how many times did you all read them?
>
>
> I read the whole set for the first time when I was 8. I checked them out
> of the library so often, I received a set for Christmas when I was 10. I
> have worn out 3 paperback sets and finally got them in hardbound. This
> set is on the headboard of the bed and gets reread about once a year now.
> In my lifetime I guess I have read them 55-60 times,
I haven't read them that many times but I have read them quite often. Funny
how you can base most of your religious beliefs on a set of childrens books.
Between the chronicles of Narnia and Jonathon Livingston Seagull you have
my religious beliefs pretty well described. Right now my children are too
small for the books but I can hardly wait for them to be old enough for me
to read them these stories.
Highly impatient,
Dave
Emily Way
> V-X (v...@teleport.com) wrote:
> : *The series has been been rearranged in chronological story order
> rather than : by publication date. The new order is:
>
> : 1. The Magician's Nephew
> : 2. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
> : 3. The Horse and His Boy
> : 4. Prince Caspian
> : 5. The Voyage of the "Dawn Treader"
> : 6. The Silver Chair
> : 7. The Last Battle
>
> NO NO NO!!!! The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe must be read first.
Agreed. Paul F. Ford, in his book _Companion to Narnia_ (which is very
cool, btw) treats the order that Maia put the books in as the canonical
one.
_Companion to Narnia_ bills itself as "A complete, illustrated guide to
the themes, characters, and events of C.S. Lewis's imaginary world." It
takes reference form, with entries for just about every Narnian topic you
can think of (including "Reepicheep") and *tons* of crossreferences. And
Madeleine L'Engle wrote the foreword. Yay!
--
Emily Way | spa...@io.org
American | Would-be full-time knitter (or Mac geek) (or both)
in | Now coming to you from a Power Macintosh
Toronto | "Everything has an end, except a sausage, which has two"
V-X
>Agreed. Paul F. Ford, in his book _Companion to Narnia_ (which is very
>cool, btw) treats the order that Maia put the books in as the canonical
>one.
Hey, *I* put them in that order. (sob.) Lewis himself also recommended this
order, BTW. I still think the Magician's Nephew shocker ending gets ruined,
but it makes more sense.
>_Companion to Narnia_ bills itself as "A complete, illustrated guide to
>the themes, characters, and events of C.S. Lewis's imaginary world." It
>takes reference form, with entries for just about every Narnian topic you
>can think of (including "Reepicheep") and *tons* of crossreferences. And
>Madeleine L'Engle wrote the foreword. Yay!
"Yay!" is a good word. I tried to put it on my wife's birthday cake
yesterday, but I ran out of room and had to just leave it at "Ya!" "Ya!" is
also a good word, though...
WHERRRE'S MY GOLDEN AAARRMMMM????
Maia Gemmill
: In article <343lb7$1...@giga.bga.com> er...@bga.com (Clayton Colwell) writes:
: >: : *I'll miss those funky, faux-Peter Max cover paintings I grew up with.
: >Are these the ones that look like they came out of Yellow Submarine?
: Yep.
: BTW, whoever said that _The Magician's Nephew_ was second-class Narnia--poop
: on you.
It was me and I'll stand by that statement. It's certainly worth reading
(how else would you know how the world began?), but it's confusing and
discouraging for really young readers and is difficult to swallow as a
first book of a series. You have to be INTO the series before you can
appreciate it. I hated it the first time I read it, and didn't reread it
for years (while I turned The Dawn Treader, Prince Caspian, and The Horse
and His Boy into tatters). Eventually I decided to reread the entire
series in order (the proper order, starting with the Wardrobe), and
realized that it wasn't awful. It's an important part of the series, but
you shouldn't read it first.
Maia
--
Opinions are to the vast apparatus of social existence what oil
is to machines: one does not go up to a turbine and pour machine
oil over it; one applies a little to the hidden spindles and joints
that one has to know. --Walter Benjamin
Maia Gemmill
: Maia Gemmill wrote:
: Agreed. Paul F. Ford, in his book _Companion to Narnia_ (which is very
: cool, btw) treats the order that Maia put the books in as the canonical
: one.
: _Companion to Narnia_ bills itself as "A complete, illustrated guide to
: the themes, characters, and events of C.S. Lewis's imaginary world." It
: takes reference form, with entries for just about every Narnian topic you
: can think of (including "Reepicheep") and *tons* of crossreferences. And
: Madeleine L'Engle wrote the foreword. Yay!
Wow...swoon...is this in bookstores? I WANT it! (If I buy it at the
beginning of the semester, perhaps I can pass it off as a text book...)
V-X
>>: Agreed. Paul F. Ford, in his book _Companion to Narnia_ (which is very
>I think it's probably out of print by now. :-( You might check the New
>England Mobile Book Fair in Newton for it, though. (That place is worth
>a visit, regardless. It's full of books, floor to ceiling, and covers
>about an acre.) I'm not home right now, or I'd post the ISBN for you.
>If you want it, send me e-mail, and I'll reply when I can.
It's not out of print--I've seen a newer edition in local stores...
Emily Way
>Emily Way (spa...@io.org) wrote:
>: Agreed. Paul F. Ford, in his book _Companion to Narnia_ (which is very
>: cool, btw) treats the order that Maia put the books in as the canonical
>: one.
>beginning of the semester, perhaps I can pass it off as a text book...)
I think it's probably out of print by now. :-( You might check the New
England Mobile Book Fair in Newton for it, though. (That place is worth
a visit, regardless. It's full of books, floor to ceiling, and covers
about an acre.) I'm not home right now, or I'd post the ISBN for you.
If you want it, send me e-mail, and I'll reply when I can.
--
Emily Way, spa...@io.org
"There's a din in my head, it's too much and it's no good"