You’ve seen them on a thousand bookshelves. Those mismatched paperbacks with the lion on the spine. Maybe you grew up with the HarperCollins editions, or perhaps you inherited a tattered set of Magician’s Nephews from a dusty attic. Most people think they know the Chronicles of Narnia set of books inside and out because they saw the Disney movie back in 2005. They're wrong.
C.S. Lewis didn't just sit down and write a seven-part epic from start to finish. He stumbled into it. He started with a single image—a faun carrying an umbrella in a snowy wood—and ended up creating a literary juggernaut that has sold over 100 million copies. But if you try to buy a set today, you’re going to run into a massive, decades-long argument about math. Specifically, whether 1 comes before 6.
The Reading Order War That Never Ends
Here’s the thing. When Lewis wrote these, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe came first. It was 1950. People loved it. So, he wrote more. He didn't write them in chronological order. He wrote them as the ideas came. The Magician’s Nephew, which explains how Narnia actually started, was actually the sixth book published.
For years, fans read them in publication order. It felt right. You discover the world through the Pevensie children, and later you get the "prequel" backstory. But then, in the 1990s, the publishers changed everything. They re-numbered the Chronicles of Narnia set of books to follow the internal timeline of the world.
If you buy a brand-new box set today, The Magician’s Nephew is labeled as Book 1.
A lot of purists hate this. They really do. They’ll tell you that starting with the prequel ruins the mystery of Aslan. When you start with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Aslan is a terrifying, beautiful mystery. When you start with the prequel, you already know exactly who he is. It changes the flavor of the whole experience. Honestly, it’s like watching the Star Wars prequels before the original trilogy. It’s technically "correct," but it feels kinda wrong.
What’s Actually Inside the Box?
Let's look at the lineup. You’ve got seven books. No more, no less.
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First, there’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. This is the heavy hitter. Four kids, a wardrobe, and a lot of Turkish Delight. It’s the foundational text. Then you have Prince Caspian, which is basically a war novel about a displaced prince trying to take back his throne. It’s grittier than the first one.
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is where things get weird and episodic. It’s a sea voyage. They meet a dragon. They find a pool that turns everything to gold. It’s C.S. Lewis at his most imaginative. After that, The Silver Chair takes us underground. No Pevensies this time—just Eustace (the annoying cousin from the ship) and a girl named Jill Pole.
The Horse and His Boy is the odd one out. It takes place entirely during the reign of the Pevensies in Narnia, but it’s set in the southern land of Calormen. It’s a desert adventure. Then comes The Magician’s Nephew (the origin story) and finally, The Last Battle.
The Last Battle is divisive. It’s dark. It deals with the end of the world. Some people find it incredibly moving; others find it deeply traumatizing because of how it handles the "Problem of Susan."
The C.S. Lewis vs. J.R.R. Tolkien Dynamic
You can’t talk about the Chronicles of Narnia set of books without mentioning the Inklings. This was the writing group at Oxford that included Lewis and Tolkien.
Tolkien actually disliked Narnia.
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It’s true. The man who wrote The Lord of the Rings thought Lewis was being sloppy. Tolkien spent decades inventing languages, tectonic plates, and thousands of years of history for Middle-earth. Lewis, on the other hand, just threw everything into a blender. He had Greek fauns, Father Christmas, talking beavers, and Victorian children all in the same room. Tolkien found this "hodge-podge" of mythologies to be jarring and inconsistent.
But that’s exactly why Narnia works for children. It doesn't care about the rules of "high fantasy." It cares about the feeling of the magic. It’s accessible. You don't need a map and a glossary to understand why the White Witch is scary.
Beyond the Wardrobe: Real-World Impact
Is Narnia just a Sunday school lesson in disguise? Lewis was a famous Christian apologist, so he definitely baked his theology into the crust. Aslan is a Christ-figure. That’s not a secret. But he always insisted he didn't start with a message. He started with a story.
Interestingly, the books have faced criticism from both sides. Some religious groups found the inclusion of "magic" and "witches" to be dangerous. Meanwhile, modern critics like Philip Pullman (author of His Dark Materials) have attacked the series for its views on gender and race, particularly in how it portrays the Calormenes in The Last Battle.
It’s a complex legacy.
When you pick up a Chronicles of Narnia set of books, you aren't just getting fairy tales. You're getting a snapshot of mid-century British thought. You're getting Lewis's grief, his humor, and his obsession with medieval literature. The books are surprisingly short—you can blow through the whole set in a weekend—but they stay with you.
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Buying Guide: What to Look For
If you’re looking to add this to your collection, don’t just grab the first cheap set you see on Amazon. Pay attention to the illustrations.
The original art by Pauline Baynes is essential. Some newer editions try to use stills from the movies or "modernized" covers. Don't fall for it. Baynes worked closely with Lewis, and her spindly, detailed line drawings are part of the Narnian DNA. Without her art, the books feel naked.
Also, decide on your stance regarding the order. If you want the "classic" experience, look for a set that lists The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as Volume 1. If you want the "chronological" experience that the Lewis estate currently pushes, get the standard numbered set.
Actionable Steps for the Aspiring Narnian
If you're ready to dive back in or introduce these to someone else, here's how to do it right:
- Ignore the numbers on the spine. Start with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Let the world be a mystery first. Save the "origin story" (The Magician's Nephew) for later—it’s much more satisfying when you already know what the lamp-post is.
- Read them aloud. These books were meant to be spoken. The prose has a specific rhythm that Lewis perfected for his goddaughter, Lucy Barfield.
- Look for the 1994 "Coloured" Editions. If you can find the hardcovers where Pauline Baynes's illustrations were hand-colored, grab them. They are visually stunning and capture the vibrancy Lewis intended.
- Pair with "The Chronicles of Narnia" BBC Radio Dramas. If you have a long car ride, the Focus on the Family Radio Theatre versions are surprisingly high quality, featuring full casts and orchestral scores.
- Check out the "Planet Narnia" theory. Once you’ve read the set, look up Michael Ward’s research. He argues that each book corresponds to one of the seven medieval planets (Jupiter, Mars, etc.). It’ll change how you see the themes of each book.
The Chronicles of Narnia set of books is more than just a nostalgic relic. It’s a messy, beautiful, slightly chaotic masterpiece that refuses to go out of style. Whether you're 8 or 80, there's always something new to find behind the fur coats.