Recently Read: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, First Edition Replica

This edition of C.S. Lewis' classic children's fantasy is a reprint of the first, 1950 edition. Pauline Baynes' charming and evocative original illustrations are all included (they were truncated, or not used at all, in many later US editions).

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe's classic status is due to many reasons, foremost being that Lewis tells a relentlessly compelling story, with characters flawed (thus, true to life) and engaging, told in homey, confidential language. The world of Narnia seems infinitely exploratory. Atheists may dislike the transparent central allegory. That's okay; there are hundreds of thousands of other books for them to read. This book's emotional resonance is such, though, that only the most hard-hearted curmudgeon could put up a shield against it.