* smirk * The 1960s was a time period in which Playboy magazine type humor, the counterculture, and the SFF genre intertwined. Looking to cash in on these various trends, publishers released an astonishing variety of “adult” naughty novels embodying this robust, exploitive stew. The humor ranged from martini-dry to crass (as in the above …
I recently came across two foreign editions of The Hobbit I haven’t seen before. First, The Little Gnome. I guess the translator didn’t think the made-up word “hobbit” was understandable to Portuguese audiences? That said, I like the cover design. It’s whimsical if misleading — hobbits had nothing to do with mushrooms, except for eating …
Many first edition Narnia books published in other countries had unique, enchanting artwork that was never repeated for further printings. These covers for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (shortened to The Lion and the White Witch) and Prince Caspian have a light, airy, featherweight feel that seems more appropriate for a book of …
This wasn’t labeled as Narnian art, but it so clearly is! Somehow Tash has made it into our world but taken a tumble, now he’s clogging up the commuter rail system. I hope he’s dead and not just stunned.
Below, several illustrations showing Jadis caught in the act of stealing a Silver Apple from the book The Magician’s Nephew. This isn’t a scene that’s popular with artists so it was my fortune to find several. Casually she plucks and bites. He costume is similar to the Pauline Baynes drawing. Note that this scene wasn’t …
Posters for theatrical productions of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe usually adhere to traditional imagery for the book: trees, snow, lamppost, wardrobe, faun, in wintry colors like pale blue, black, and gray. But this one, for a London production, goes bold with rainbow hues for Aslan and his mane.
In looking up foreign editions of the Chronicles I came across some unique editions that were published in Russia and Ukraine. You can consider this post a companion to The Return of the White Witch: Russian Edition. The three books above, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Horse and His Boy, and The …
I found these Chinese translations on Amazon.com during my search for Narnia images. All have artwork I’ve not seen duplicated anywhere else, and I’m guessing it was localized. I think it’s worth examining. First, the cover design of this edition of The Chronicles (I’m assuming it was for the whole series not just the four …
Pauline Baynes did artwork apart from the Chronicles of Narnia, of course, like this tapestry I posted back in 2021. Recently I found this charming poster by her titled Dogs Through the Ages. If it’s not available commercially, it should be!