137. Lewis, C.S. Autograph letter signed (“C.S. Lewis”), 1 page (5 x 6.6 in.; 127 x 168 mm.), on Magdalene College, Cambridge letterhead tipped to the front free endpaper of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe: A Story for Children. London: Geoffrey Bles, (1950). Octavo (5.75 x 8 in.; 146 x 203 mm.). 1956 impression. Original pale blue cloth, spine lettered in gilt. Cloth exhibits rubbing with bumping to corners; sunned spine. Book very good; letter exhibits toning.

Extraordinary C.S. Lewis letter discussing the origins of Aslan, “the great Lion” – the main character in Lewis’
The Chronicles of Narnia series.

Lewis writes in full: 12/2/58, Dear Janet, I am very glad you liked The Lion etc and it was nice of you to write and tell me. The idea in my mind was, “supposing there were other worlds, and if one of them was like Narnia – and if it needed saving – and if Christ were to save it as He came to save us – let’s imagine what shape and name He might have taken there”. And the answer was Aslan. Yours sincerely, C. S. Lewis

Aslan is the main character of C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia series. As he appears in Narnia, Aslan is a large talking lion, who is terrifying, magnificent and beautiful all at once. He appears in different sizes to different people, although he himself never changes. As people grow in wisdom and character, they can perceive more of his greatness. Aslan is the one true king of Narnia, son of the Emperor-Over-the-Sea; a wise, compassionate, magical authority, and benevolent guide to the human children who visit. Lewis described Aslan as an alternative version of Christ – the form in which Christ might have appeared in a fantasy world, which explains the capitalization of the word “lion” in reference to Aslan. A warmly written letter to a young reader, Lewis takes the time to explain the crux of the wildly popular fantasy story. Letters by Lewis regarding Narnia are almost nonexistent. A rare letter and possibly the finest Lewis letter in private hands. $6,000 - $8,000