Pauline Baynes was een Engelse illustratrice, bekend om haar kenmerkende stijl die baanbrekende fantasywerken tot leven bracht. Haar nauwgezette en precieze kunstenaarschap kwam vooral tot uiting in haar illustraties voor de geliefde serie "De Kronieken van Narnia". Ze bezat een opmerkelijk talent om de essentie van imaginaire rijken vast te leggen, wat ertoe leidde dat ze door J.R.R. Tolkien zelf werd geselecteerd om zijn verhalen te illustreren. Ondanks dat ze met weinig formele artistieke opleiding begon, ontwikkelde Baynes uitzonderlijke vaardigheden in kaarttekenen en het creëren van gedetailleerde scènes, waardoor lezers diep konden opgaan in fantastische landschappen.
Zo erg is de toestand in Narnia nog niet geweest. Als Jill en Eustaas, even onverwacht als altijd, Narnia weer binnenkomen, blijkt er iets vreselijks aan de hand te zijn. De sluwe aap Draaier heeft zijn vriend, de domme ezel Puzzel, een leeuwenhuid aangetrokken, en zegt tegen iedereen dat hij Aslan is. En veel dieren die Aslan nog nooit gezien hebben, geloven hem, zelfs als de bevelen van de namaak-Aslan steeds slechter en wreder worden. Tirian, de koning van Narnia, moet snel handelen, voordat de vrede in het koninkrijk helemaal weg is.
This is the 50th anniversary edition of Tolkien's best-loved short fairy story, originally told to his children in the 1920s and expanded for publication in 1949. Bluff Farmer Giles lives in a land-of-fable England, full of giants and dragons. A reluctant hero like the Brave Little Tailor or Bilbo in The Hobbit , Giles wins a great reputation by firing his blunderbuss at a wandering giant--who retreats not in fear but to avoid this tiresome stinging "insect". One thing leads to another, and despite all his excuses the now famous Giles is called to save his country from the marauding dragon Chrysophylax. He has a legendary anti-dragon sword and a lot of luck, but dragons can be as devious as politicians... Tolkien crammed much sly wit into his little story, plus jokey philological explanations that Giles's amazing adventures are commemorated in Thames Valley placenames like Worminghall and Thame. It's illustrated with nearly 50 line drawings by Paula Baynes: Tolkien loved these, but some look sadly faded here, like fourth-generation photocopies. As a bonus, the anniversary edition includes an introduction telling the story's history, a transcription of the original, unfinished draft, and 23 pages of notes on allusions and names (Chrysophylax means "keeper of gold", which is indeed what dragons do). A pleasant gift book. -- David Langford
NARNIA...the land beyond the wardrobe, the secret country known only to Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy...the place where the adventure begins. Lucy is the first to find the secret of the wardrobe in the professor's mysterious old house. At first, no one believes her when she tells of her adventures in the land of Narnia. But soon Edmund and then Peter and Susan discover the Magic and meet Aslan, the Great Lion, for themselves. In the blink of an eye, their lives are changed forever. --back cover
The adventure begins Narnia ... where Talking Beasts walk ... where a witch waits ... where a new world is about to be born. On a daring quest to save a life, two friends are hurled into another world, where an evil sorceress seeks to enslave them. But then the lion Aslan's song weaves itself into the fabric of a new land, a land that will be known as Narnia. And in Narnia, all things are possible ...
All seven books in the Chronicles of Narnia are now available together in a hardcover volume which includes an essay by C.S. Lewis, On Three Ways of Writing for Children, where he explains precisely how the magic of Narnia first came to life.
Bilbo’s Last Song is considered by many to be Tolkien’s epilogue to his classic work The Lord of the Rings. As Bilbo Baggins takes his final voyage to the Undying Lands, he must say goodbye to Middle-earth. Poignant and lyrical, the song is both a longing to set forth on his ultimate journey and a tender farewell to friends left behind.Pauline Baynes’s jewel-like illustrations lushly depict both this final voyage and scenes from The Hobbit, as Bilbo remembers his first journey while he prepares for his last.
'How ever did you learn to talk?' asked Shasta in amazement. 'Where I come from, nearly all the animals talk.' replied the Horse. 'The happy land of Narnia.' His whinny sounded very like a sigh. Bree, the horse, has been kidnapped from Narnia and longs to return there. Shasta, on the verge of being sold into slavery, decides to run away with him in search of the home he's always dreamed of. But the journey is full of surprises, and fraught with dangers, and when the companions uncover a treasonous plot, it also becomes a race against time.
The battle of good against evil is fought in the magical world of Narnia, in the most enchanting fantasy novels ever written. This volume brings together the first three books of the timeless fantasy series.New cover and new type treatment!
book 5,sail on the most fabulous ship in Narnia. Lucy and Edmund, with their dreadful cousin Eustace, get magically pulled into a painting of a ship at sea. That ship is the Dawn Treader, and on board is Caspian, King of Narnia. He and his companions, including Reepicheep, the valiant warrior mouse, are searching for seven lost lords of Narnia, and their voyage will take them to the edge of the world. Their adventures include being captured by slave traders, a much-too-close encounter with a dragon, and visits to many enchanted islands, including the place where dreams come true.
