What was C.S. Lewis’s first published novel in the Narnia series?

C.S. Lewis’s first published Narnia novel was The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

The book was published in 1950 by Geoffrey Bles. It introduces the Pevensie children—Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy—and their discovery of the magical land of Narnia through a wardrobe. The story features Aslan, the White Witch, and the recurring conflict between good and evil.

Although it is commonly read first, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is second in the series’ internal chronology when the books are arranged by Narnian history. The Magician’s Nephew, published later in 1955, describes Narnia’s creation.

The original publication order remains the usual reading order for many readers because it presents the setting and characters in the sequence Lewis first revealed them. Film adaptations also helped make the title widely recognizable.