NARNIA First Edition CS LEWIS Signed 1950-1956 Full Set REBIND

For sale is a full first edition set of'The Chronicles Of Narnia' by C. The Silver Chair' is signed by the illustrator Pauline Baynes on the title page.

This is an extremely valuable and unique set which will only gain in value over the years. All seven books have been re-bound in full black leather (Harmatan Finest), each with it's own bespoke buckram covered slipcase.

Both the books and the slipcases have been stamped with a design selected from the illustrations contained within that particular book. The books are stamped in gold and the slipcases are stamped in black. Each book comes with a black silk marker ribbon, black and gold head and tail bands, hand sprinkled black page edges, blind tooled frames to the front and back boards, gold stamped title and author to the spine and gold tooled lines either side of the raised bands. The hand marbled endpapers were commissioned especially for these books and come from Freya Scott at Paperwilds (UK).

The endpapers are divided with leather'joints', these mean the front and back boards of the books can be opened fully without stressing the first and last pages. They also provide extra strength to the books. On four of the titles, the original map endpapers have been carefully removed and backed onto the new endpapers at the fronts of the books. Out of the seven first editions, only four ever had these maps. All seven slipcases have been made from strong 3mm book board and covered with black, library archival buckram. Buckram is less prone to damage than cloth and is wipe clean. For books of this importance and value it is a better choice than any other material as it is more hard wearing.

The boxes have been lined with a dark grey suede material to compliment the greys in the endpaper design. The front side of each box has been stamped with the same design from the corresponding book, but this time in black. The reason for stamping the boxes is that each box is ever so slightly different in width. The stamping of the designs gives the owner less opportunity to potentially damage the books by forcing them into the wrong box. Two sturdy trays have been constructed to hold all seven books and boxes together.

One for the bottom and one for the top. They are also covered in black buckram and lined with grey suede. It is important to note that, although these trays are strong, they are not meant to be used as a carry case. They are purely for display purposes and to keep the books together. If they are used to carry the set as a whole then care must be taken that the boxes do not slide out.

The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe. One or two very minor blemishes throughout the book. Very clean as a whole. Contains original map to the front which is in good condition.

There is some marking to the half title page and the following couple of pages. There is some minor blemishes throughout the book.

The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader. There is some foxing to the prelim and last couple of pages.

Signed by the illustrator Pauline Baynes. Contains original endpaper to the front which is sunned on one side making it darker than the other side. Previous owners name in ink to the half title page and the following page. Minor foxing to the very edges of the first 30 or so pages. Some larger staining to pages 136-139.

The Horse And His Boy. Contains original endpaper which is sunned on one side. It has had the surface slightly torn in one or two places. The book is very clean and unmarked throughout.

Published by The Bodley Head. The contents page has an impression of some handwriting on it. There are a few very minor marks throughout the book. Aside from the contents page this book is near fine condition.

This book looks to be unread. It is in mint condition inside.

If you would like further information or would like to see more photos of this set then please feel free to send me a message and I'd be happy to help. A 24 hour courier is used in the UK. A Background To The Books. Although Lewis originally conceived what would become'The Chronicles of Narnia' in 1939 (the picture of a Faun with parcels in a snowy wood has a history dating to 1914), he did not finish writing the first book'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' until 1949. The Magician's Nephew', the penultimate book to be published, but the last to be written, was completed in 1954. Lewis did not write the books in the order in which they were originally published, nor were they published in their current chronological order of presentation. The original illustrator, Pauline Baynes, created pen and ink drawings for the Narnia books that are still used in the editions published today.

Lewis was awarded the 1956 Carnegie Medal for'The Last Battle', the final book in the saga. The series was first referred to as'The Chronicles of Narnia' by fellow children's author Roger Lancelyn Green in March 1951, after he had read and discussed with Lewis his recently completed fourth book'The Silver Chair', originally entitled'Night under Narnia'. Lewis described the origin of'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' in an essay entitled'It All Began with a Picture'.

The Lion all began with a picture of a Faun carrying an umbrella and parcels in a snowy wood. This picture had been in my mind since I was about sixteen.

Then one day, when I was about forty, I said to myself:'Let's try to make a story about it. The item "NARNIA First Edition CS LEWIS Signed 1950-1956 Full Set REBIND" is in sale since Friday, October 4, 2019. This item is in the category "Books, Comics & Magazines\Antiquarian & Collectable".

The seller is "lyrasbooks" and is located in Ludlow. This item can be shipped worldwide.

Non-Fiction Subject: Children's & Young Adults
Personalised: No
Year Printed: 1950
Modified Item: Yes
Country/Region of Manufacture: United Kingdom
Fiction Subject: Classic Literature
Binding: Leather
Original/Reproduction: Original
Region: Europe
Weight: 6kg
Illustrator: Pauline Baynes
Author: C.S Lewis
Original/Facsimile: Original
Language: English
Modification Description: Re-bind
Signed: Yes
Publisher: Geoffrey Bles
Place of Publication: London
Special Attributes: 1st Edition