# Is "Broadcast Talks (US: The Case for Christianity)" by C.S. Lewis a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Broadcast Talks (US: The Case for Christianity) by C.S. Lewis (Geoffrey Bles / The Centenary Press, 1942) is identified by: First UK edition published July 1942 by Geoffrey Bles: The Centenary Press, London; grey cloth hardback in dust jacket; reprints, with some alterations, the first two BBC talk series; first impression has no reprint statement, and later Bles printings list impression dates. UK Bles true first (July 1942); the US edition, retitled The Case for Christianity, followed from Macmillan in September 1943.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First UK edition published July 1942 by Geoffrey Bles: The Centenary Press, London; grey cloth hardback in dust jacket; reprints, with some alterations, the first two BBC talk series; first impression has no reprint statement, and later Bles printings list impression dates
- Publisher imprint reads Geoffrey Bles / The Centenary Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | C.S. Lewis |
| Publisher | Geoffrey Bles / The Centenary Press |
| Year | 1942 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First UK edition published July 1942 by Geoffrey Bles: The Centenary Press, London; grey cloth hardback in dust jacket; reprints, with some… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First UK edition published July 1942 by Geoffrey Bles: The Centenary Press, London; grey cloth hardback in dust jacket; reprints, with some alterations, the first two BBC talk series; first impression has no reprint statement, and later Bles printings list impression dates.

## Is this the true first?
UK Bles true first (July 1942); the US edition, retitled The Case for Christianity, followed from Macmillan in September 1943.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Superseded by Mere Christianity (1952); later impressions and the 1946 and later resettings differ in binding and are dated.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Broadcast Talks (US: The Case for Christianity)* by C.S. Lewis a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/broadcast-talks-us-the-case-for-christianity
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.