narnia reading order
is the lion, the witch and the wardrobe or the magician’s nephew the first book of the chronicles of narnia from c. yes Lewis? why are there multiple orders? answers below…
publication order
You are reading: Narnia books in order
The books were originally published in this order:
-
- the lion, the witch and the wardrobe (1950)
- prince caspian: the return to narnia (1951)
- the journey from The Dawn Treader (1952)
- The Silver Saddle (1953)
- The Horse and His Child (1954)
- The Magician’s Nephew (1955 )
- the last battle (1956)
chronological order
some time after the death of c. yes lewis, British editions of the books began to appear, numbered according to the order in which the stories unfold:
- the magician’s nephew
- the lion, the witch and the wardrobe
- the horse and his child
- prince caspian: the return to narnia
- the voyage of the dawn treader
- the silver chair
- the last battle
the change to the chronological order
For many years, both orders were in print. American editions used publication order, while British editions were numbered chronologically.
chronological order became the world standard after harpercollins took over publishing in 1994.
So, which book should I read first?
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The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the first book ever written and published, is generally regarded as the best introduction to Narnia by scholars and fans alike.
“Most scholars disagree with [the decision to renumber the books] and find it less true to Lewis’s deeper intentions,” says dr. paul f. ford, author of companion to narnia.
on the official website of c. yes louis, dr. Charlie W. Starr states that “Lewis scholars almost universally agree” that the original published order is superior. he suggests that the lion, the witch and the wardrobe is more captivating initially than the wizard’s nephew, that certain lines in the lion make no sense when the book is not read first, and that the nephew has greater mythic power when read as a prequel.
Why were the books renumbered chronologically?
harpercollins initially included this explanation in the books:
harpercollins editions of the chronicles of narnia have been renumbered in accordance with the original wishes of the author, c. yes louis.
in later editions, the explanation was revised to:
although the magician’s nephew was written several years later c. yes Lewis first started the Chronicles of Narnia, he wanted it to read like the first book in the series. HarperCollins is pleased to present these books in order of Professor Lewis’ preference.
what did c. yes lewis really says?
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In 1957, an 11-year-old boy named Lawrence Krieg was preparing to read the Narnia books for the second time. Lawrence wondered if he should reread them chronologically, but his mother felt he should stick to the original published order. so, lawrence wrote a letter to the author and received this reply:
“I think I agree more with your order to read the books than with your mother’s. the series was not planned in advance as she thinks. when I wrote the lion I did not know that he was going to write more. so I wrote p. caspian as a sequel and i still didn’t think there would be more, and by the time i finished the ride i was pretty sure it would be the last one. but I found out I was wrong. so maybe it doesn’t matter much what order someone reads them in.” c. yes louis, 4/23/57
This letter is quoted by readers on both sides of the controversial decision to renumber the books. Proponents see this as clear evidence that Lewis intended the books to be read in chronological order. Opponents point out that Lewis suggested that the order “doesn’t matter much” in the same letter and that he could have renumbered the books himself if he really wanted to.
douglas gresham, stepson of c.s. lewis (“jack”) said:
“[harpercollins] asked ‘what order do you think we should read them in?’ and i said ‘well… actually i asked jack what order he preferred and i thought they should be read. and he said he thought they should be read in Narnian chronology order,’ so I said, ‘why don’t you go with what jack himself wanted?’ So basically it’s my fault: the order of the Narnian chronology. And I’m not the least bit ashamed. douglas gresham
the movies
walden media’s narnia movies followed original published order:
1. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005) 2. Prince Caspian (2008) 3. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010)
where should netflix’s narnia reboot start? this is what we think…
Do you prefer by post or by chronological order? Listen to our podcast discussion on the topic.
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