I've enjoyed the Narnia books ever since I discovered them - which was during my college years, so I don't know what I'd have thought of them as a kid!

This is a very handsome hardcover edition of the book that introduces the series (it's not the first, chronologically, but I think the series reads better if you save The Magician's Nephew for next to last), with the lovely Pauline Baynes illustrations, in color. It was on the bargain rack at a local bookstore and I couldn't resist! While some people don't care for the religious allegory here - and there is some, though it's sufficiently vague that if you didn't already know the story you might not notice - I still love the sense of wonder of that first step out of the back of the wardrobe and into Narnia. Lots of other books before and since "Narnia" have included portals into magical worlds, but this one has a peculiar charm, and of course a world rife with talking animals and creatures out of myth, all of whom instantly recognize you as their natural ruler - hard to resist!

RELEASE NOTES:

I left this handsome book on a bench in a lovely little garden outside of the Nashua Public Library at about 2:30. Hope the finder enjoys it!

Edited to add: that was fast! Thanks to the finder for journaling so quickly; I think this is a new record for me for the shortest time between release and catch!

Just picked it up on a bench outside the library. Plan on reading this week and passing on somewhere outside the state when I'm through. And on it goes..

CAUGHT IN NASHUA NH USA