Which C.S. Lewis book begins the Chronicles of Narnia publication sequence?

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe begins the Chronicles of Narnia publication sequence.

Published in 1950, the novel introduces Narnia through the experiences of four siblings: Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie. Lucy discovers the magical country by entering a wardrobe, and the story follows Narnia’s struggle against the White Witch, whose rule has produced a perpetual winter.

The book is the first Narnia novel published, although The Magician’s Nephew is often read first in the series’ internal chronological order. That distinction causes a common mix-up: publication order starts with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, while the fictional history begins earlier with The Magician’s Nephew.

The novel was illustrated by Pauline Baynes. Lewis dedicated it to his goddaughter Lucy Barfield, whose name helped inspire the character Lucy Pevensie.