What was the first novel in C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia when arranged by Narnian chronology?

The Magician’s Nephew is the first novel in C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia when arranged by Narnian chronology.

Published in 1955, The Magician’s Nephew describes the creation of Narnia by Aslan. It follows Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer, who travel between worlds using magical rings made through the experiments of Digory’s uncle, Andrew Ketterley. Their journey brings the witch Jadis into the new world and explains the origin of the wardrobe’s magic.

The book was written and published sixth in the series, after The Silver Chair, but later editions commonly number it first because its events occur at the beginning of Narnian history. This creates the familiar distinction between publication order and chronological order. The story also connects directly with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe through Digory, who becomes Professor Kirke, and through the lamp-post and wardrobe central to the earlier-published book.