INSCRIBED TO NICHOLAS HARDIE
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Bles, 1952.
First edition. Original light blue boards in red pictorial dustwrapper illustrated by Pauline Baynes. Author's presentation copy, inscribed on the half title, "Nicholas Hardie with love from Jack Lewis Oct. 2d. 1952" Endpapers, frontispiece and numerous full page black and white plates by Pauline Baynes. A very good copy indeed, slightly cocked with a little toning to the spine ends and some marks to the fore-edge, in a near fine (supplied) dustwrapper which is bright and crisp with a couple of short closed tears internally reinforced and a little spotting to the rear panel.
A fine association copy, inscribed to the son of a close friend and fellow Inkling. Nicholas Hardie's father, Colin Hardie, recognised as one of the finest classical scholars of his generation, had taken a fellowship at Magdalen in 1936 whilst Lewis was also a fellow at the same college. They remained colleagues until Lewis's retirement in 1968. It was through his friendship with Lewis that Hardie became a member of the Inklings, the famous group of Oxford literary academics which met during the 1930s and 40s in the Eagle and Child.
Nicholas, seven at the time of the presentation, recalls Lewis's visits to his house,
"I vaguely remember sitting and making adult conversation, and being aware that this was C.S.Lewis, whose Narnia books I had already read." (Oxford Times)
Lewis dedicated the following Narnia book, The Silver Chair, to Nicholas.
Inscribed Narnia books are exceptionally rare. As a serious minded academic, Lewis did little to promote his children's books and really only gave inscribed copies to children of his close friends and colleagues, of whom there were but a few. Six of the seven books were dedicated to these children, The Last Battle being left without a dedication, possibly because he had exhausted his friends' children of suitable age. Some of the Narnia books were inscribed to all of these children (as here), but very few other presentations are known.
Stock ID: 36333
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