Which C.S. Lewis novel was published first in The Chronicles of Narnia?

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was the first published novel in C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia.

Geoffrey Bles published the book in London in 1950. It introduces the Pevensie children, the land of Narnia, the White Witch, and the lion Aslan. The story begins when Lucy Pevensie enters Narnia through a wardrobe.

The publication order differs from the internal chronological order later used in some editions. The Magician’s Nephew describes events earlier in Narnian history, including the creation of Narnia, but it was published sixth in the series, in 1955.

Readers sometimes assume The Magician’s Nephew must be read first because it is a creation story. For publication history, however, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is the clear starting point and established the series’ central world and characters.