Which C.S. Lewis novel begins the original publication sequence of The Chronicles of Narnia?

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe begins the original publication sequence of C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia.

Published in 1950, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe introduces the fictional land of Narnia through the Pevensie siblings: Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy. Lucy discovers Narnia through a wardrobe in Professor Kirke’s country house, and the children become involved in a conflict between Aslan and the White Witch.

The series is sometimes discussed in two different orders. The publication order starts with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, followed by Prince Caspian in 1951. A later numbering system places The Magician’s Nephew first because its story occurs earlier in Narnian history. That distinction explains why readers may encounter different numbering for the same seven books.

The novel was illustrated by Pauline Baynes, whose artwork became closely associated with the series. Its title refers to the wardrobe that serves as Lucy’s first gateway into Narnia.