Which 1943 C.S. Lewis novel begins the Space Trilogy?

Out of the Silent Planet begins C.S. Lewis’s Space Trilogy.

The novel was published in 1938, not 1943; the 1943 date belongs to the trilogy’s second book, Perelandra. Out of the Silent Planet introduces philologist Elwin Ransom, who is kidnapped and taken to Malacandra, a planet commonly identified with Mars.

The book explores language, morality, science, and humanity’s place in the cosmos. Lewis wrote it partly in response to the scientific romance tradition and to concerns about how modern fiction portrayed space travel and extraterrestrial life.

The trilogy continues with Perelandra, published in 1943, and That Hideous Strength, published in 1945. This question’s date is a common source of confusion because the second novel’s publication year is often remembered alongside the series title.