The series

The Chronicles of Narnia has been in continuous publication since 1950 and had sold over 100 million
copies in 47 languages.[1][2][3] Lewis originally conceived what would become Narnia in 1939.
[4]
However the vast majority of the text was written by between 1949 and 1954. The books were
written in neither the order they were originally published nor in the chronological order in which they
are currently presented.[5] The original illustrator was Pauline Baynes and her pen and ink drawings
are still used in publication today. Lewis was awarded the 1956 Carnegie Medal for The Last Battle,
the final book in the Narnia series. Roger Lancelyn Green first called the series The Chronicles of
Narnia in the beginning of March 1951, after he had read and discussed with C.S. Lewis the recently
completed "The Silver Chair" (then called Night under Narnia).[6] The seven books that make up The
Chronicles of Narnia are presented here in the order in which they were originally published
(see reading order below).

[edit]The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950)

First edition

Main article: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, completed by the end of March 1949[7] and published by
Geoffrey Bles in London on 16 October 1950, tells the story of four ordinary
children: Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie. They discover a wardrobe in Professor Digory
Kirke's house that leads to the magical land of Narnia. The Pevensie children help Aslan, a talking
lion, save Narnia from the evil White Witch, who has reigned over the kingdom of Narnia for a century
of perpetual winter. The children become kings and queens of this new-found land and establish the
Golden Age of Narnia, leaving a legacy to be rediscovered in later books.

[edit]Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia (1951)

First edition
Main article: Prince Caspian

Completed after Christmas in December 1949[8] and published 15 October 1951, Prince Caspian: The
Return to Narnia tells the story of the Pevensie children's second trip to Narnia. They are drawn back
by the power of Susan's horn, blown by Prince Caspian to summon help in his hour of need. Narnia
as they knew it is no more. Their castle is in ruins and all the dryads have retreated so far within
themselves that only Aslan's magic can wake them. Caspian has fled into the woods to escape his
uncle, Miraz, who had usurped the throne. The children set out once again to save Narnia.

[edit]The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952)

First edition

Main article: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Begun in January, completed in February 1950[9] and published on 15 September 1952, The Voyage
of the ‘Dawn Treader’ returns Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, along with their priggish cousin, Eustace
Scrubb, to Narnia. Once there, they join Caspian's voyage on the ship Dawn Treader to find the seven
lords who were banished whenMiraz took over the throne. This perilous journey brings them face to
face with many wonders and dangers as they sail toward Aslan's country at the end of the world.

[edit]The Silver Chair (1953)

First edition

Main article: The Silver Chair

Completed in the beginning of March 1951[9] and published 7 September 1953, The Silver Chair is the
first Narnia book without the Pevensie children. Instead, Aslan calls Eustace back to Narnia together
with his classmate Jill Pole. There they are given four signs to aid in the search for Prince Rilian,
Caspian's son, who disappeared after setting out ten years earlier to avenge his mother's death.
Eustace and Jill, with the help of Puddleglum the Marsh-wiggle, face danger and betrayal before
finding Rilian.

[edit]The Horse and His Boy (1954)

First edition

Main article: The Horse and His Boy

Begun in March, completed end of July 1950[9] and published 6 September 1954, The Horse and His
Boy takes place during the reign of the Pevensies in Narnia, an era which begins and ends in the last
chapter of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The story is about Bree, a talking horse, and a
young boy named Shasta, both of whom have been held in bondage in Calormen. By chance, they
meet each other and plan their return to Narnia and freedom. Along the way they meet Aravis and her
talking horse Hwin who are also escaping to Narnia.

[edit]The Magician's Nephew (1955)

First edition

Main article: The Magician's Nephew

Completed in February 1954[10] and published by Bodley Head in London on 2 May 1955,
the prequel The Magician's Nephew brings the reader back to the very beginning of Narnia where we
learn how Aslan created the world and how evil first entered it. Digory Kirke and his friend Polly
Plummer stumble into different worlds by experimenting with magic rings made by Digory's uncle,
encounter Jadis (The White Witch) in the dying world of Charn, and witness the creation of Narnia.
Many long-standing questions about Narnia are answered in the adventure that follows.

[edit]The Last Battle (1956)

First edition

Main article: The Last Battle

Completed in March 1953[11] and published 4 September 1956, The Last Battle chronicles the end of
the world of Narnia. Jill and Eustace return to save Narnia fromShift, an ape, who tricks Puzzle, a
donkey, into impersonating the lion Aslan, precipitating a showdown between the Calormenes and
King Tirian.

[edit]Reading order
Fans of the series often have strong opinions over the order in which the books should be read. Under
dispute is the placement of two volumes, The Magician's Nephewand The Horse and His Boy, both of
which take place significantly earlier than they were written, and which also fall somewhat outside the
main story arc connecting the others. The "reading order" of the other five books is not disputed.

Publication order Chronological order Written order Final Completion order[5]

The Lion, the Witch and The Lion, the Witch and The Lion, the Witch and the
The Magician's Nephew
the Wardrobe the Wardrobe Wardrobe
The Lion, the Witch and the
Prince Caspian Prince Caspian Prince Caspian
Wardrobe
The Voyage of the Dawn The Voyage of the Dawn The Voyage of the Dawn
The Horse and His Boy
Treader Treader Treader
The Silver Chair Prince Caspian The Horse and His Boy The Horse and His Boy
The Voyage of the Dawn
The Horse and His Boy The Silver Chair The Silver Chair
Treader
The Magician's Nephew The Silver Chair The Magician's Nephew The Last Battle
The Last Battle The Last Battle The Last Battle The Magician's Nephew