Royal Mail’s new Chronicles of Narnia Stamp Collection to celebrate the 75th anniversary of publication of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis are available now.
Two sets are available, one offering four stamps based on the original book illustrations by Pauline Baynes, and a second set containing eight brand new illustrations by the artist Keith Robinson, very much homage to the original books rather than the later film or television interpretations.
Narniaweb notes has previously featured on Royal Mail stamps twice before, including two stamps released in 2011 as part of the “Magical Realms” collection, and one stamp released in 1998 as part of the “Magical Worlds” collection.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was the first Narnia story to be published, by Geoffrey Bles in 1950 (a prequel, The Magician’s Nephew, followed later). Four adventurous siblings, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie, step through a wardrobe door and into the land of Narnia, a land frozen in eternal winter and enslaved by the power of the White Witch. But when almost all hope is lost, the return of the Great Lion, Aslan, signals a great change… and a great sacrifice. The novel has gone on to be adapted for various other media.
Pauline Diana Baynes (9th September 1922 – 1st August 2008) was an English illustrator, author, and commercial artist who became determined to be a children’s illustrator from an early age. While working as a camouflage artist during World War Two, her career in commercial illustration began, working on books and magazines. Her debut as both writer and illustrator, Victoria and the Golden Bird, appeared in 1948 the same year came she began working with J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Hobbit, who subsequently introduced her to CS Lewis (although she only met him in person twice), and her influential work would go on to shape the world of Narnia in the imagination of children for years to come.
West Country-based Keith Robinson, whose striking art for various publishers and other clients is informed by a love of nature, myth and history, says that when he was small, “I was desperate to get to Narnia.”
A freelance illustrator since 2001,” he confesses on his official website that “I had a habit of walking into other people’s wardrobes, which must have been awkward for my parents. Eventually I discovered the next best way of travelling to other worlds was to lose myself in drawing them.
“I love illustrating children’s fiction,” he continues. Getting lost in a good story and expressing the characters, setting and atmosphere through drawing is still the best kind of escapism I know. It also means I no longer feel the need to walk into wardrobes.”
• Chronicles of Narnia – Hardcover Collection (AmazonUK Affiliate Link)
Released in 2015, the seven Chronicles of Narnia are brought together in a beautifully presented slipcase. The books and the slipcase feature the original artwork by Pauline Baynes
• Keith Robinson is online at keithrobinson.co.uk | Follow Keith on Instagram | X
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: Art and Illustration, Books, downthetubes News, Events, Other Worlds
The Week Junior Book Awards 2025 Shortlist spotlights five comic strip creations 
Comic creator Jamie Smart among British Book Award Winners for 2025 
Borders Book Festival includes graphic novel event for children with Edward Ross 
Next London Comic Mart offers comic art portfolio rarities