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| The Chronicles of Narnia | 
 enlarge | List Price: $32.99
Buy New: $18.76
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Avg. Customer Rating:  (based on 132 reviews)
Sales Rank: 4364
Category: Book
Author: C.s. Lewis
Publisher: HarperCollins
Studio: HarperCollins
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
Label: HarperCollins
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Hardcover
Reading Level: Young Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 784
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.7
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.3 x 2.3
ISBN: 0060598247
EAN: 9780060598242
ASIN: 0060598247
Publication Date: November 1, 2004
Release Date: October 26, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Journeys to the end of the world, fantastic creatures, and epic battles between good and evil -- what more could any reader ask for in one book? The book that has it all is the lion, the witch and the wardrobe, written in 1949 by C. S. Lewis. But Lewis did not stop there. Six more books followed, and together they became known as The Chronicles of Narnia. For the past fifty years, The Chronicles of Narnia have transcended the fantasy genre to become part of the canon of classic literature. Each of the seven books is a masterpiece, drawing the reader into a world where magic meets reality, and the result is a fictional world whose scope has fascinated generations. This edition presents all seven books -- unabridged -- in one impressive volume. The books are presented here according to Lewis's preferred order, each chapter graced with an illustration by the original artist, Pauline Baynes. This edition also contains C. S. Lewis's essay "On Three Ways of Writing for Children," in which he explains precisely how the magic of Narnia and the realm of fantasy appeal not only to children but to discerning readers of all ages. Deceptively simple and direct, The Chronicles of Narnia continue to captivate fans with adventures, characters, and truths that speak to all readers, even fifty years after the books were first published.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 127 more reviews...
 Convenient, yet lacking November 19, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Having completely worn out three sets of the Narnia books, I saw this one and thought "Hmmmm...Hardbound, all together...what could be bad?"
It's missing many of the wonderful Pauline Baynes illustrations that are inextricably part of my own Narnia experience, and it's too big to be purse-stickable. Other than those factors, the prose is the same, and it's a good Narnia collection to keep on the shelf.
 Great book for children and adults alike September 16, 2008
It's a classic, and now that they are making movies off the book it is even more popular. I won't go into detail, many readers already have. You won't regret buying this book.
Fantasy Adventure or Christian Allegory? September 8, 2008
The Narnia series as a whole is difficult to review, even as an adult who was raised on the books. One might think that the years would grant clarity, but the ambiguity of Lewis' children's series only expands. There's no question that Lewis intended the books to have a religious purpose, despite Andrew Adamson's attempt to downplay this aspect. In fact, the series as a whole falls apart without the religiosity, without the recognition of Aslan as, not a Christ-figure, but Christ himself. But even apart from this dimension of the series, their entertainment value simply as fairy tales or adventures often fluctuates between sublime and dull.
"The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" is probably as close to a perfect fairy tale as Lewis ever got. The world of Narnia as introduced in the first book is mysterious and dangerous, with an ever-increasing sense of wonder. The book is especially useful for Christian parents trying to instill a proper understanding of Christ without overtly catechizing, and it must be remembered that this was Lewis' intent. Any parent who's worried about his children learning Christianity would probably want to avoid it. That being said, it's a fun story even apart from the religious aspects.
"Prince Caspian" is Lewis' sophomore slump. Narnia lies in ruins, religious skepticism abounds, most of the story is told in flashback, and Aslan makes his turn from sacrificial Christ to proverb-dispensing deus ex machina, a change that would be retained for the rest of the series. In its favor, "Prince Caspian" introduces the chivalrous and courageous mouse Reepicheep, who may be the best character Lewis ever invented; it also includes a pantheon of pagan nature gods that may make some sensitive parents wince, but which I think actually provides a nice commentary on Lewis' belief that there was something good in paganism, though only after it had been subjected to Christ.
"The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" is the best of the whole series, and was originally meant to be the final chapter of the Narnian chronicles. It is a tour de force of Lewis' imaginary world, and climaxes with a brief vision of Heaven (the Utter East). His Christological symbolism is in full swing here, even including an appearance of a lamb that turns into a lion (Aslan) at the end. One cannot avoid noticing a few echoes of Dante's "Paradiso" throughout the book. King Caspian finally has something to do, after playing fifth fiddle to the Pevensies in the previous book.
"The Silver Chair" is not a particularly great followup to the original trilogy. It is thematically darker than previous installments, and the characters spend a great deal of time in swamps, ruined castles, and underground kingdoms. The story works well as a stand-alone fairy tale, but less so as a Narnian tale. "Chair" was not a favorite of mine as a child, and upon rereading it as an adult, my opinion has not much changed.
"The Horse and His Boy" is an oddity in that most of the story takes place outside of Narnia, and also functions as an "untold story" sandwiched into the last chapter of the first book. Aside from the talking horses, the fairy-tale ambiance of the Chronicles is largely gone and replaced with political intrigue. Good luck keeping your kids interested in this one.
"The Magician's Nephew" is a totally unnecessary description of the creation and origin of Narnia. Attempts to interpret Aslan as anyone but God Almighty are blasted to smithereens as he creates Narnia solely by the power of his breath. Of course there is a garden with forbidden fruit, just to make sure everybody gets the point. The origin of the mysterious lamppost in the first book is explained as blandly as possible. In its favor, Lewis toys with some intriguing ideas about multiple worlds, but disappoints by only toying with them.
"The Last Battle" is the Revelation to "Magician's Nephew"'s Genesis. The inclusion of a Narnian apocalypse seems, again, largely unnecessary, and I'm unsure why Lewis felt compelled to tell this story. I can only suppose that he took the "Christian allegory" part of Narnia too seriously and decided that the whole scope of salvation history needed to be represented in his fantasy world. The Anti-Christ and False Prophet from Revelation make an appearance, and all of Narnia goes up in metaphorical flames as the redeemed march on to Aslan's Country, which is sort of a Platonic ideal of Narnia. There's a controversial bit about Susan's possible damnation, but it seems that Lewis only intended to comment on growing up and the subsequent loss of wonder that this often entails.
Overall this is a great series of books which should be read in the order of publication, not in the order presented in this volume. (Children are smart enough to figure out where events fit into the overall chronology.) Parents would be wise to supplement this with collections of more "secular" fairy tales, like Grimm's, Anderson's and Wilde's (Complete Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde).
AWSOME!! July 10, 2008
These books are great and to have them all in one is even better. It starts off great and ends even better each chapter is better than the last!
Awesome!!! June 19, 2008
I love the book! It was recommended through a christian ministry, and I never thought that I would enjoy the fairytale! I highly recommend it for children young and old!
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