The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: A Short History

Later this year, on October 16th, the publishing world will celebrate the 75th anniversary of C.S. Lewis’s beloved classic, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. This portal fantasy, and all of its magical characters, still captures the hearts of readers of all ages. But despite its huge popularity, the book’s journey to publication was not as magical as the story itself. The truth is, writing is hard and publishing is even harder. It was this way in 1950, the original year of publication, as it is today.

The seeds for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe were planted in the imagination of C.S. Lewis long before he wrote the book. As a child, Lewis often dreamed of magical worlds, and one image in particular—a faun carrying an umbrella and parcels through a snowy wood—stayed with him. He didn’t know what to do with this image at the time, but years later, it would become the foundation for Narnia.

The true inspiration for the story took shape during World War II. In 1939, as the war escalated, children were evacuated from London to escape the Blitz. Lewis, who lived in Oxford, took in several young evacuees at his home, The Kilns. Their presence (it is speculated by scholars) sparked the idea of children entering another world. Hence was born the idea of the Pevensie siblings stepping through a magical wardrobe.

After mulling and drafting for years, Lewis began seriously writing The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in 1948. Except the process was not straightforward. (because, again, writing is hard!) He had already written numerous theological works and essays, but writing for children was a new venture. Initially, he faced challenges, and his first draft didn’t come together as smoothly as he hoped. In fact, his best friend and fellow author, J.R.R. Tolkien, was quite critical of the story in its early stages. But Lewis kept writing, revising, and weaving together elements of Christian allegory, mythology, and his own love of fairy tales.

Illustrated image from the upcoming book Painting Wonder by Katie Wray Schon, detailing the story of this series’ famous illustrator, Pauline Baynes.

Many elements of the book—such as the character of Aslan, the great lion—came to him unexpectedly. As a lover of afternoon naps, he once admitted that Aslan “came bounding into” his mind while writing after long nap. Aslan, of course, became the heart of the story, representing sacrifice, redemption, and hope.

When The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was finally published on October 16, 1950, it was the first book inThe Chronicles of Narnia, a seven-book series. In fact, before the publication date he’d finished his first draft of Prince Caspian, another book in the series. Although The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe received mixed reviews and didn’t sell as well as the publisher expected, the novel’s charm, rich symbolism, and captivating world eventually won over readers. Now it’s considered a classic of children’s literature. His vivid imagination, his experiences during the war, and his deep sense of faith and wonder all converged to create a story that still resonates with themes of courage, love, and the eternal battle between good and evil. Luckily for us, Narnia continues to invite generations of readers into a magical world where the promise of spring always follows the harshest winter.

While there have been a few TV shows and movies adapted from these books (and another version coming from Greta Gerwig of Barbie fame for Netflix), there is a charming illustrated new hardcover book detailing the history of the illustrator Pauline Baynes who illustrated the famous first editions of the Chronicles of Narnia coming out April 1st… but that’s a story for tomorrow’s post.