For this week, I chose to write about my copy of C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia.
Additional proof of its age can be found on the back cover, which sports a price tag of $19.99. Mom had the good sense to buy this back when books were fairly cheap.
My copy is a paperback anthology of all seven books. I don’t remember when I received it–I seem to have always had it with me–but I know for certain that my mother (a devout Christian and a fan of Lewis’s works) was the one who purchased it, probably for her own reading pleasure before it was given to me. I also know that I must have taken it to school at some point, because on the title page is written my name, scrawled in her practiced busy-mom handwriting.
This copy of the text, if you couldn’t already tell, is quite old. Despite having been treated carefully, it shows signs of age and wear that signify its having been owned by loving readers. The pages are slightly worn at the edges. The plastic film on the cover is beginning to peel away, and (as you can see from the photograph) there are little stains on the pages from the dust, fingerprints, errant (unwelcome) insects, and yellowing from age that mar the clean, white surfaces. Although I never dog-eared a page in that book (a lesson driven into me by my elementary-school librarian), the bottom corners of some of the pages have folded and crumpled slightly from being inserted and taken out of bookshelves and other convenient spaces–carefully by my mother, less so by the then-seven-year-old me.
This collection of The Chronicles of Narnia is a special edition, published in 2001. The opening page of each book, as well as the title page for each chapter, has been paired with an original illustration by Pauline Baynes.
Lovingly detailed and quite intricate, not uncommon for a collector’s edition
Interestingly, the books are not arranged in publication order in this volume. Rather, Lewis himself arranged them in his “preferred order”–presumably chronological order. Although this book was published years before the fandom culture really took off, I would still assume that this arrangement, illustrations included, would have meant little to the novice or casual reader (who would likely not notice the difference between the original and anthology editions), but would have elicited strong feelings–both good and bad–among the community of avid Narnia readers, and perhaps also been an incentive for them to purchase this copy even if they had read or owned previous editions. This, in fact is the first and only time I’ve ever heard of this kind of rearrangement being done to a book series. Clearly, this is an edition meant to be collected and read by serious lovers of the series or, at the very least, by collectors of famous literary works.
As a child, I only ever read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I remember that the coexistence of fantasy and religious symbolism fascinated me, but also that I unfortunately lost interest in it after discovering that the order of the books in the anthology wasn’t the “correct” (that is, publication) order. I didn’t have access to a computer at that time, and wasn’t going to be bothered looking up and arranging copyright dates; alas, the book remained untouched in my room until recently, when I decided to read the series as a whole. As a fan of fantasy literature, and as someone who appreciates Lewis’ works, I’m certain that I’ll get the most out of this special edition copy (or, at the very least, be able to enjoy it in the way that it was meant to be).
The Materials of History, Thought, and Art 
Hi Janet! I found it interesting that this version of the text has the books in that “preferred order” you spoke of. How interesting that they were published in a different order than what the author favored! I appreciate your admittance that sometimes even the most carefully handled books are subject to wear when they are owned by loving readers. I think thats what makes books such as this collection even more special because it hints at the readers enjoyment such as your own!
I love how you insert yourself into the history of the book, rather than the present. You speak of your reluctance to fold the pages (so I am guessing you don’t write in them either!) as if you were looking back at the book as the person who will receive it next. Fascinating! You also note that the previous owner had caused the folds at the bottom of the page – an unusual place as most people will fold the top corner. Maybe the top corner was already folded and he/she wanted to make their own mark? Maybe they, like you, were taught not to do so, and wanted to hide it from whomever? That is an interesting detail you brought to our attentions.
Hey, Janet! Thanks for your great comment! I only noticed after I had submitted my blog that we were on the same wavelength this week, but it got me thinking about the different forms of our respective series in some interesting ways. So, thank you twice.
As you probably noted, my box set is arranged in order of publication, so children who received this set would have to construct the chronology themselves as they went along. I remember when I read the series I started with The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, and moved on to Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Then, I fell in love with Tamora Pierce’s Tortall series and did not pick up the Chronicles again until my mom gave me The Horse and His Boy. Partially because it had been so long and partially because of the break in the chronological order, I remember not liking it that much, especially since I had been reading Pierce’s series in more or less chronological order. I feel like I probably would have been more receptive to the Chronicles if early publishers had not numbered them based on the order in which they were published. This led me to wonder, how do you feel your understanding of the series was influenced by it being arranged in chronological order? Do you think that it helped you create a more cohesive sense of Narnia?
I also found it interesting that your anthology binds all seven volumes together in a single book. Do you feel like that influenced your perception of the series at all? I feel like it really invites a holistic experiences of the series because your reading experience would continue uninterrupted from start to finish.