>Chronologist or Publicationist?

>We got an email this morning objecting to the way we sequence the Narnia books on our website. Is there any consensus in re whether the books should be read in the order they were published, or in the order that the events chronicled take place? Was Lewis just being nice when he told a young fan that, yes, it made more sense to read The Magician's Nephew before The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe? Was HarperCollins messing with a good thing when they re-ordered the books per Douglas Gresham's instructions? I'm no Lewis scholar but sense there is a seething hotbed of fan rage beneath these questions. Small stakes always make for the most drama!
Roger Sutton
Roger Sutton

Editor Emeritus Roger Sutton was editor in chief of The Horn Book, Inc., from 1996-2021. He was previously editor of The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books and a children's and young adult librarian. He received his MA in library science from the University of Chicago in 1982 and a BA from Pitzer College in 1978.

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ifahren

>Most of the good arguments have been made, but I just want to add to the chorus: publication order, please! When replacement paperback copies arrived at my library with chronological numbers on the spines, we renumbered the renumbered volumes.

Posted : May 28, 2008 05:53


Anonymous

>Has anyone ever heard any reader respond enthusiastically to the magic and mystery and discovery of the chronological numbering? The countless fans who advocate for publication numbering are correct.

Frankly, I've never seen the Harper's renumbering as anything but a sales and marketing stunt. (Which worked--as this discussion proves.)

Please, please, Roger--put them back in the right order.

Posted : May 28, 2008 01:56


Anonymous

>I agree that reading them in the order published is more rewarding. Though my biggest problem with Harper's renumbering them is that they erased the original sequence altogether. Including a list of the books in both arrangements would allow the reader to choose and thus alleviate some of the angst.

Posted : May 28, 2008 01:27


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