I'm not an expert, but I don't think there have actually been editions that replaced British word with American ones. There were editions published in America that featured revisions by Lewis, but none of those had to do with idioms. (It should be easy to avoid those. They're old.)

Good luck. Hope you and your daughter enjoy all the books

@kimchi-john 

An edition of the Narnia books that I especially liked was the 50th anniversary version with the color pictures by Pauline Baynes. Since it’s not very old it probably doesn’t have American idioms in it.  It is quite easy to read and I think it may be still available in hardcover and paperback, although the hardcover may be out of print. The print is quite easy to read.  The edition I own is the Harper-Collins hardcover from about twenty years ago. It is also quite good for print size and not too hard to find. The pictures are black and white, which made the books not that expensive.

I would not recommend the new HarperCollins paperback boxed set + trivia book. I got that version, and, while the print size is fine, I still find it uncomfortable to read because the margins on the outer side edges of the pages seem to me unusually large. They have Pauline Baynes' illustrations, though not in color. I don't know what high quality paper is like, but I don't think these are. The paper is greyish and thin, so maybe average or low quality- I wouldn't call it high quality. I don't know whether you mind what the covers looks like, but I don't care for the cover art by Chris Van Allsburg- which is the art for my copies. The art isn't bad, but I feel the style and the depictions on some of the covers don't suit Narnia very well or accurately represent it. Some of the covers are alright, though. I like the cover for The Silver Chair. The trivia book was kind of fun, but not worth it in my opinion. It's really just a bunch of fact questions that aren't very difficult besides. It's not long at all, either.

This is the set I own:

They're not terrible, but I wish I would've gotten the paperback full-color set with the full cover designs by Pauline Baynes instead. In fact, I'll probably end up purchasing the full-color ones anyways .

Posted by: @rainyweather

I don't care for the cover art by Chris Van Allsburg- which is the art for my copies.

Those are actually my favorite covers. I don't really get the idea of having covers done by an artist other than the one that does the illustrations though. Why not have the outside match the inside?

Posted by: @rainyweather

The trivia book was kind of fun, but not worth it in my opinion. It's really just a bunch of fact questions that aren't very difficult besides. It's not long at all, either.

I have a little Narnia trivia book. I don't know if it's the same one you're talking about, but it sounds like it. It's lame!  

I replaced my old paperback editions from MacMillan about twenty years ago.  The paper used to print the books was not the best quality. What I especially did not like is that Pauline Baynes illustrations were cropped to a smaller size to fit the size of the books. I replaced them with the Harper Collins hardcover editions, which I thought were much better since the illustrations were the full size even though they were black and white.  I also have the paperback of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, 50th Anniversary edition, which has Baynes’ illustrations in color.  If you can find the hardcover anniversary editions they might even be worth the high price. I read somewhere that Baynes colorized her own artwork, and it certainly does look beautiful. 🙂

Thanks to everyone for their considered answers.   As we will be reading side-by-side and taking turns with the chapters, I think I will buy two sets. Then, when we're done, we can keep the better set and gift the other to a school library.

Looking on amazon and ebay, it's shocking to me that the options are so few and not so enticing. I mean, if it's LOTR you want, there is any number of "luxury" editions to choose from. Definitely left me thinking the publisher needs to pull its finger out and produce a really nice edition.

First of all, welcome to NarniaWeb @kimchi-john. 🙂 

The copy that I have that's my favorite is this one....

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Chronicles-Narnia-C-Lewis/dp/0060281375/

Of your criteria....
- I'm not aware of any version that's Americanized. If you are comparing Maugrim vs Fenris Ulf, this one is Maugrim.
- Sadly, it does NOT have large print, so that may immediately take this one out of the running.
- I would say my copy is fairly high quality. Hard back. It's held up well to my thumbing through it for several years. The true test will be if my kids ever get ahold of it.  
- It is one hefty tome, so I'm not doing well with your checklist here....
- Now we're at the reason I'm recommending this book. It has all of Baynes' illustrations IN COLOR!!! They're gorgeous. And this is the only book I've ever run across that has them.
- Back to a negative again, this one is Chronological, not Publication. 

Now, I'm also going to mention this edition to you--Special Read-aloud Edition The Chronicles of Narnia The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe....

https://www.amazon.com/Lion-Witch-Wardrobe-Read-Aloud-Narnia/dp/0060845244/

- Maugrim edition
- It DOES have large print, hence the recommendation
- High quality (hard back with a good spine)
- ONLY The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
- As far as I can tell, it has all of Baynes' illustrations, but they are NOT in color
- I'm not aware of the other six books being published in this format.

Anyways, I just thought I'd mention those two possibilities even though they're not quite what you're looking for, but then again, neither are the standard, run-of-the-mill boxed sets. 

ETA: The image that's being posted here for the second book is NOT correct. If you click on the amazon link, it will show the correct cover.

I love your copy with the map cover, fantasia!

I have a copy that I think is the same book inside - they were both published in 1998, seemed to be be the same book, only with different covers. I ordered mine from amazon, debated with myself which cover to choose from the page where both were presented, but chose the 'Narnian nature' cover instead. (I have sometimes regretted the choice - but the picture which I chose, is nice, too ...)

Here is yours and here is mine.   If you click on them, a larger version will open in a new tab.

There is a set that I really regret that I didn't buy, though. This might be the set I would have recommended to you, @kimchi-john, if it's still available - which I'm afraid I doubt

Unfortunately I found it too expensive and too heavy for my luggage at the time. But I once made an intro page of all the chronicles, and used the covers of this set as illustrations. You'll find my intro page here - and the covers on that page will also open in new tabs.

The set is the anniversary edition from Harper Collins in 1998 at the 100th anniversary of C.S. Lewis' birth. It's a set of 7 paperbacks, with Pauline Baynes' illustrations in color. I seem to remember that this is the edition where they commissioned her to make color versions of her old line-art illustrations, so this would be the first colored editions.

I saw them in a bookshop in London about twenty years ago, but I remember them as high quality paper and larger than the Puffins editions. And larger print than in the single volume editions. Chronological order, unfortunately, but other than that, I think they would have come close to your criteria.

Perhaps they can be found second-hand somewhere?

@fantasia 

The readaloud edition of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe has the same cover as the hardcover book that used to be in our church library. Unfortunately someone borrowed it and never returned it. I replaced it with a paperback book with color illustrations (also by Pauline Baynes). I remember seeing the complete Chronicles with the map cover in a book store many years ago. It was quite expensive at that time (fifty dollars), and I already owned the separate books, which is why I didn’t purchase it. But I remember that it was very nice, although the print was much smaller than in the separate books.

Posted by: @rainyweather

This is the set I own:

They're not terrible, but I wish I would've gotten the paperback full-color set with the full cover designs by Pauline Baynes instead. In fact, I'll probably end up purchasing the full-color ones anyways .

This is the one I own!   I actually like this one and enjoy the little trivia book!

My books are a hardcover edition that I purchased about 25 years ago. My set has no trivia book, and the books were purchased separately without the box.  The pictures in the seven books by Pauline Baynes are in black and white, but the books are in hardcover with a good quality binding. The book jackets are illustrated by a different artist. 

I mostly read the paperback set I got in 1974, plus odd single ones I've picked up second hand or in sales. 

One lot to avoid is an illegal copy from Asia, with a little company logo of a bear, and no pictures.