Which C.S. Lewis novel tells how Narnia was created and how the wardrobe received its magic?

The Magician’s Nephew tells how Narnia was created and how the wardrobe received its magic.

Published in 1955, The Magician’s Nephew is the sixth Narnia book in publication order but the first in the internal chronology. Its protagonists are Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer, who travel between worlds using magical rings made through the experiments of Digory’s uncle Andrew.

The story includes the creation of Narnia by Aslan, the awakening of the evil Jadis, and the planting of a protective tree. Wood from that tree later becomes the wardrobe through which Lucy enters Narnia in the first published novel. The book therefore supplies origins for several important elements of the series.

The title can mislead readers into assuming that Digory is himself the magician. The “magician” is Uncle Andrew, whose dangerous experiments help set the story in motion. Digory later appears as Professor Kirke in the English-world portions of the series.