Which Narnia book by C.S. Lewis introduces the magical wardrobe?

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe introduces the magical wardrobe in C.S. Lewis’s Narnia series. The wardrobe provides the route from the English countryside house into the world of Narnia.

The 1950 novel follows four siblings—Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie—who stay in a country house during the Second World War. Lucy discovers that an ordinary-looking wardrobe opens into a snowy forest, beginning the children’s involvement in Narnian events.

The story features the White Witch, who has imposed a long winter on Narnia, and Aslan, the great lion who represents the kingdom’s hope and rightful order. The book combines portal fantasy with elements drawn from Christian thought, classical mythology, and traditional fairy tales.

The novel was the first Narnia book published, although Lewis later wrote The Magician’s Nephew as a prequel describing earlier events in the world’s history. That later publication order explains many disagreements about which book should be read first.