Which C.S. Lewis book was published first: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe or Prince Caspian?

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was published before Prince Caspian.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe appeared in 1950 and introduced readers to the world of Narnia through the Pevensie children’s discovery of a magical wardrobe. Prince Caspian followed in 1951 as the second published Narnia book. The two titles are sometimes confused because later reading guides discuss the series in chronological story order rather than publication order.

Lewis’s Narnia books were published between 1950 and 1956. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe remains the best-known entry point, although Lewis’s internal chronology begins with The Magician’s Nephew. That distinction explains why lists may place the books differently while still referring to the same seven-volume series.

The first novel introduces recurring ideas in Lewis’s fantasy, including sacrifice, restoration, temptation, and the relationship between the human world and Narnia. Its publication marked the beginning of Lewis’s most famous children’s fiction series.