The Seven Chronicles contain four clear and distinct chronologies: two real and two fictional. The first and the most fundamental is the real chronology of their composition dates (1939; 1948-1954). It presents the chronicles as an organic growth and as a living development of the creative imagination of C.S. Lewis himself. The chronology of their publication (and copyright) then follows the first one by another two or three years (1950-1956) and maintains practically the same sequence.
During the writing process there was created a third, a fictional chronology. The stories were gradually placed into a frame of fictional English dates. "Everything began" in the summer of 1940; later the chronicles overflowed into 1941 and 1942. Then they reached out into 1949 and ultimately flowed all the way back into 1900, covering a total of 49 English years. Much later this period was multiplied by 52 and expanded into a 2555-year-long fictional Narnian calender. One date of which was now assigned to every one of the seven books - so creating their last, the fourth, fictional chronological sequence (0, 1000, 1014, 2303, 2306, 2356 and 2555).
Every order has its own advantages and disadvantages while books are read. But on the shelf I prefer to see them in the order they arrived into the real world. By their real birthday - which can be easily found by checking and comparing the first copyright date of any book.
So as not to be kept confused by the new official fictional numbering of the Chronicles I just typed their real chronology on a large self-adhesive label, cut out the dates, and then pasted them on their backs.
And discovered that
the new official numbering now says - 2456317!
.