Which Narnia book did C.S. Lewis publish first?

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was the first Narnia book C.S. Lewis published.

The novel appeared in 1950 and introduced readers to the magical land of Narnia through four children: Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie. Lucy discovers Narnia through a wardrobe, where she encounters the faun Mr. Tumnus and learns about the White Witch’s rule.

Although The Magician’s Nephew is a prequel in Narnian chronology, it was published later, in 1955. That difference between publication order and internal chronology causes many readers to mix up the first book. The publication sequence begins with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and ends with The Last Battle in 1956.

The story also introduced Aslan, the great lion who became the central recurring figure of the series. Pauline Baynes illustrated the original books, helping establish the visual identity of Lewis’s imagined world.