# Is "An Experiment in Criticism" by C.S. Lewis a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of An Experiment in Criticism by C.S. Lewis (Cambridge University Press, 1961) is identified by: First edition, first impression, 1961, Cambridge University Press. UK Cambridge University Press is the true first (1961); text derives from Lewis's Cambridge lectures.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first impression, 1961, Cambridge University Press
- Small octavo of [v], 143 pages, bound in dark blue cloth with the author, title and publisher block-stamped in black on the spine
- Issued in the publisher's pictorial dust jacket printed in white lettering against a red and black checkered/panelled ground
- The jacket was printed with both an American price at the top of the front flap and a British price at the bottom
- British trade copies commonly have the American price clipped away by the publisher, so a clipped top corner is a period trait rather than a later interference
- The correct printed British price should be present, though price-clipping is common on surviving jackets and does not by itself demote a copy
- Publisher imprint reads Cambridge University Press

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | C.S. Lewis |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| Year | 1961 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first impression, 1961, Cambridge University Press |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition, first impression, 1961, Cambridge University Press. Small octavo of [v], 143 pages, bound in dark blue cloth with the author, title and publisher block-stamped in black on the spine. Issued in the publisher's pictorial dust jacket printed in white lettering against a red and black checkered/panelled ground. The jacket was printed with both an American price at the top of the front flap and a British price at the bottom; British trade copies commonly have the American price clipped away by the publisher, so a clipped top corner is a period trait rather than a later interference. The correct printed British price should be present, though price-clipping is common on surviving jackets and does not by itself demote a copy.

## Is this the true first?
UK Cambridge University Press is the true first (1961); text derives from Lewis's Cambridge lectures. First impression carries no statement of a later printing on the verso of the title page.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Cambridge printings and paperback issues are distinct from the 1961 first impression; watch for added printing statements on the copyright page and reset or price-less jackets.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *An Experiment in Criticism* by C.S. Lewis a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/an-experiment-in-criticism
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.