The Silver Trumpet

The Silver Trumpet was the first children's fantasy story to be published by one of the Inklings. Its early success with the children of Barfield's friend and fellow Inkling, J.R.R. Tolkien, inspired The Hobbit and C.S. Lewis' The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

The fable is at once whimsical, dark and Grimmsian: a märchen and high romance featuring twin princesses, lofty castles, questing princes, a dwarven jester, and giant mechanical toads - all with a final twist in the tale.

Running throughout are Barfield's lifelong themes of the power of words and meanings, of truth and the imagination, of love, redemption and transformation. The silver trumpet of the story calls us to our higher selves, reminding us of that singular truth in the darkest of times.

A century after its first appearance, Barfield's charming - yet quietly subversive - allegory will continue to win generations of new readers.

OWEN BARFIELD is one of the twentieth century's most significant writers and philosophers. Widely renowned for his insight and literary artistry, Barfield addresses key concerns of the sciences, humanities, social sciences, and arts in our time.

His fellow Inklings, C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, are among the leading figures influenced by Barfield's work.