John J. Miller discusses The Chronicles of Narnia. Which book (there were seven in all) should be considered as the first? The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe is being presented by Disney as the first (though there have been lower-budget movies made of the others).
So why does Disney do The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe first, while the book publisher put The Magician's Nephew first? Simple: C.S. Lewis wrote The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe first, and it contains the most important story.
I've read the entire series twice this past year, and I decided to try reading it both ways. I like the original order better, with The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe coming first. The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe is definitely the foundation of the series. The Magician's Nephew is properly interpreted as a flashback, or as an older man narrating a past event.
I refuse to read it the new way.
Posted by: Jason at October 31, 2005 02:08 PMWhen I bought the Narnia series on audiobook form from iTunes, having never read the series, I decided to start with the "prequel", *The Magician's Nephew*. Doing so perhaps allowed me to "get" Aslan's significance in the LW&W much sooner than I would have if I would have started with that book.
Posted by: Susan B. at November 3, 2005 11:14 PM