Which Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe recording should you buy?
The way most people enter Narnia, and there are three versions of it — only one of which is the whole book.
C.S. Lewis · 3 recordings on Audible UK
Short answer
Michael York. It is the complete text and part of the matched Narnia set where each book has its own narrator. The Michael Hordern is an abridgement at half the length, and the Maurice Denham version is a radio dramatisation shorter still — both are fine, but neither is the novel.
Every recording, compared
| Narrator | Length | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael York Our pick | 4 hrs 22 mins | Complete novel | The complete text. Part of the same series as Derek Jacobi's Dawn Treader and Sylvester McCoy's Prince Caspian. |
| Sir Michael Hordern | 2 hrs 12 mins | Abridged | Half the length. Hordern abridged several of the Narnia books and they sit right beside the full readings in search. |
| Maurice Denham, Stephen Thorne and a full cast | 1 hr 54 mins | Full-cast dramatisation | A radio adaptation with actors and sound design. |