In The Magician's Nephew, the first of the seven Chronicles of Narnia, nothing is quite as it seems. Digory and Polly find themselves magically transported to a Wood between the Worlds, where several small ponds act as gateways to different worlds. They discover the dead world of Charn and together with Aslan the lion the pair fight against the evil Queen Jadis, restoring the land to its natural state and triumphing over the darkness that reigned before their arrival.

Rich in imagery and emotion, The Magician's Nephew has been relished by hoards of young readers since it was first published in the 1950s. This impressive new edition, published in celebration of the centenary of CS Lewis and featuring delicately crafted, hand-coloured, original illustrations by Pauline Baynes, will capture the hearts of a whole new generation, working its magic on young minds as they wallow in the sheer joy of the Chronicles of Narnia. --Susan Harrison

2008-06-28 A classic of the twentieth century, recommended for adults and children alike

There's a new Narnia film coming out soon, and seeing the ads on the sides of buses reminded me that I'd meant to re-read the series, because of all the fuss about it being supposedly christian propaganda dressed up as childrens' entertainment. This is the first (chronologically speaking) book in the series, and is apparently the one that Lewis wanted people to read first. I didn't spot any glaring propaganda. Sure, there's a creation myth, but christians hardly have a monopoly on that. Indeed, they stole theirs, so if Aslan's creation of Narnia counts as christian propaganda, then the bible must be babylonian propaganda. Anyway, the book itself is a very short, quick read. Recommended for children, and for adults who remember reading it when they were smaller. If the rest of the series is of the same quality (and my memory from umpty years ago is that it is) then Narnia is one of the classics of childrens' literature that everyone should own, and put it on their shelves next to Winnie The Pooh. You do own Winnie The Pooh, right?