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December 06, 2005

How to Read the Chronicles of Narnia Properly

You may have noticed there is a difference between old and new copies of The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. In older versions, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is first; the new paperbacks begin with The Magician's Nephew. So what's going on?

There are two different ways to read the Narnia books (my way, and the wrong way!) The present, revised order refers to the chronological order within the books themselves. The original CORRECT! order is the order in which the books were written.

In my humble (ahem!) opinion (and the opinion of the people making The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe MOVIE, evidently), one should read the books in the following order:

1. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950)
2. Prince Caspian(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)

There is better dramatic pacing this way, and the series will make more sense to young readers. But, however you choose, read them. They are wonderful examples of fantasy that have delighted children and adults for over 50 years.

Posted by Caitlin at December 6, 2005 03:12 PM