A while back I posted about books on my Wish List that I was unlikely ever to get. The Old English Exodus by Tolkien, Shakespeare’s Boy Actors by Robertson Davies, and Jurgen by James Branch Cabell (illustrated by Frank C. Pape. I could have added The Anatomy of Puck by Katherine Briggs, Walt Disney’s Uncle Remus Stories, The Last Unicorn: The Lost Journey by Peter S. Beagle, and the reprint of The History of Four-Footed Beasts, Serpents, and Insects by Edward Topsell (3 Vols.). Most of these were only out of reach because of cost. But there was one volume most unlikely to ever even be seen by me, a book that had only been published once in 1958. It was unavailable anywhere on the usual sites. Here is the most I could find out about it, a couple of reviews on Goodreads.
The Land of The Lord High
Tiger
Roger
Lancelyn Green, John S.
Goodall (Illustrator)
160 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1,
1958
About the author
Roger (Gilbert) Lancelyn
Green was a British biographer and children's writer. He was an Oxford academic
who formed part of the Inklings literary discussion group along with C.S. Lewis
and J.R.R. Tolkien. Born in 1918 in Norwich, England, Green studied under C. S.
Lewis at Merton College, Oxford, where he obtained a B.Litt. degree. He
delivered the 1968 Andrew Lang lecture. Green lived in Cheshire, in a manor
which his ancestors owned for over 900 years. He died in October 1987. His son
was the writer Richard
Lancelyn Green
Reviews
A children's book with the pun-wit of The
Phantom Tollbooth rather than the in-depth stories of Narnia. Speaking of
which, "Narnia North" is a stop on the rail line in The Land of the
Lord High Tiger...Off of the "Inner Ring," in fact. Also
"Screwtape" is mentioned very early on in the book. All titles of
works by Lewis. Not sure who inspired/borrowed from whom on those points. [The Narnia books began to be published in 1950; it was Green who suggested that the book series be called 'The Narnia Chronicles.']
This is not an easy book to find, as there was only one edition printed (and
the publisher is long out of business). Though the story is more fanciful
wordplay than a real, solid story, it is worth bringing back into print. –
Jody, on Goodreads
“You are Prince Roger of the
Land of the Lord High Tiger and the clocks have given you three wishes to use
while you are in my land. Go out on your quest, oh Prince, and take with you
your three friends. And when there is need of magic, I will be ready in my Den
of Enchantment to help you” (20).
With these words, Sir Timothy, the Lord High Tiger, sends Roger on his fairy
tale adventure.
The Land of the Lord High Tiger by Roger Lancelyn Green is a work of original
fantasy fiction from an author better known for his retellings of classic myths
and stories, as well as his biographies of other writers. Green was also a
member of the Inklings, the writers’ group of which Lewis and Tolkien were
famously members.
Published in 1958, Land of the Lord High Tiger might prompt a few casual
comparisons to Lewis’ Narnia books, but the similarities are mostly
superficial. While Narnia is grand, sweeping, and full of deeper meaning, Lord
High Tiger is a funny romp through fairy tale tropes.
King Katzekoph, rule of the land that is truly that of the Lord High Tiger, is
under threat from the Black Wizard and his minions – the sworn enemies of both
himself and Sir Timothy the Lord High Tiger. The Lord High Tiger says that to
stop the Wizard, they must summon a prince from another land “where I live
also” (11).
In the midst of telling bedtime stories to his stuffed toys, Roger sees the
light of the oh-so-rare blue moon and knows that this night will be the night
he can travel to the land he so often dreamed of. After instructions from the
Lord High Tiger, he decides to use one wish immediately to bring his friend (or
possibly sister?) Priscilla along for the adventure. The door to his room now
opens up to a much longer hall than it ever has before, and walking down the
hall, he finds himself in the royal castle of King Katzekoph.
Roger and Priscilla soon enter a royal ball, where Priscilla plays a Cinderella
role (with some creative twists). Soon Roger is off on an adventure to rescue
Priscilla, accompanied by his no-longer-stuffed-toy friends, a fox, a lion, and
a squirrel. Through this adventure, we meet a Phoenix with a magic carpet (a
clear nod to the work of E. Nesbit), a giant who would like to put them in a
stew, a mad gardener, a strange tower, a horde of robbers, an old woman with a
slightly suspicious cottage, and of course the evil wizard.
The Land of the Lord High Tiger is full of funny puns (“Make your footmark here
– it’s the sole signature needed”), nods to well-known works such as Narnia
(the king must dance with the Queen of Narnia at the ball), and just general
funny moments (Leo the lion is always pulling just the right item out of his
seemingly endless pockets). At 160 pages, it is a relatively fast read and if
it were more available, I am sure it would still be loved by young readers.
The Land of the Lord High Tiger is absolutely a five-star book for me. I can
see why perhaps it is not a great classic like Narnia or Lord of the Rings, but
it is absolutely a shame that this book is so long out of print and
rare/hard-to-find. We’ve seen other very rare children’s books come back into
print, so perhaps this could be another book to add to our reprinting wish
lists!
Thank you to the Kerlan Collection of Children’s Literature in the Andersen
Library at the University of Minnesota for holding a copy of this book so I
could visit the library and read it today! – Kirsten Hill, on Goodreads
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