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.
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C.S. Lewis · 3 Audible UK recordings compared
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 far shorter than the complete text, and the Maurice Denham version is a radio dramatisation shorter still — both are fine, but neither is the novel.
The recordings, compared
| Narrator | Length | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael York Our pick | 4 hrs 22 mins | Complete novel | The complete text. Part of the same series of single-narrator readings as Derek Jacobi's Dawn Treader and Lynn Redgrave's Prince Caspian. |
| Sir Michael Hordern | 2 hrs 12 mins | Abridged | Abridged, to 50% of the length of the complete reading here. 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. |
The recording we recommend is also on Audiobooks.com — the same Michael York reading, listed at 4 hrs 21 mins when we checked on 11 September 2026. Their one-credit plan is listed at £7.99 a month before applicable taxes, and its credits expire after three months — the two models compared. We earn a commission on that link.