About the Seven "Chronicles of Narnia".

I recommend the detailed plot synopses of all seven "Chronicles" that may be found at the web site
Further Up and Further In
 

A Map of Narnia
© Pauline Baynes and C.S. Lewis (Pte) Ltd 1972
Reprinted courtesy of K.A. Webb, ©  http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Acres/8836/index.html
 
 
 

Here I have republished other useful background information that I have found from another source about "The Chronicles".

Reprinted with the kind permission of the author

In what order were the seven 'Chronicles of Narnia' written?

As far as it can be ascertained here is the order in which C.S.Lewis wrote The Chronicles of Narnia: For more information on the development of the Chronicles below is a chronology charting when C.S.Lewis wrote each book:
 
DATE EVENT
Summer 1948 C.S.Lewis begins writing The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
10 March 1949 C.S.Lewis read Roger Lancelyn Green the first two chapters of The Lion
14 June 1949 Lewis reads the first two chapters of The Lefay Fragment to Green
Dec 1949 Green reads the completed manuscript of Prince Caspian
Feb 1950 Green reads the completed manuscript of The Voyage of the 'Dawn Treader'
22 June 1950 The Inklings given proofs of the Lion
26 July 1950 Green reads the completed manuscript of The Horse and His Boy
13 Nov 1950 Lewis completes the first few chapters of The Silver Chair
March 1951 Roger Lancelyn Green reads the completed version of The Silver Chair
May-June 1951 At least half of The Magicians Nephew completed
Oct-Nov 1951 Three-quarters of The Magicians Nephew completed
Feb 1953 Green reads the first half of The Last Battle
11 March 1953 C.S.Lewis wrote to his publisher Geoffrey Bles to say 'You will hear with mixed feelings that I have just finished the seventh and really the last of the Narnian stories.'
Feb 1954 Green reads the revised version of The Magicians Nephew

 

In what order were the seven 'Chronicles of Narnia' published?

Below I have listed the order in which the Chronicles were published in Great Britain (it may have differed in the United States) along with their publication date (within brackets):
 
  1. The Lion, The Witch And The Wardorbe (1950)
  2. Prince Caspian: the return to Narnia (1951)
  3. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952)
  4. The Silver Chair (1953)
  5. The Horse And His Boy (1954)
  6. The Magicians Nephew (1955)
  7. The Last Battle (1956)
Note - The order in which the 'Chronicles' were published does not reflect the order in which C.S.Lewis wrote them.

In what order should the seven 'Chronicles of Narnia' be read?

There is no right or wrong answer to this question. During 1957 a boy called Laurence wrote to C.S.Lewis asking the exact same question. He thought the books should be read within the following sequence:
 
  1. The Magicians Nephew
  2. The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe
  3. The Horse And His Boy
  4. Prince Caspian: the return to Narnia
  5. The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader
  6. The Silver Chair
  7. The Last Battle
His mother on the other hand thought they should be read in publication order. C.S.Lewis replied:

"I think I agree with your order for reading the books more than with your mother's..."
 

© Jonathan Gregory of http://members.tripod.co.uk/Jonathan_Gregory76
 

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