# Is "Critical Essays" by George Orwell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Critical Essays by George Orwell (Secker & Warburg, 1946) is identified by: First edition, published 14 February 1946 in cloth with dust jacket, with a print run of about 3,028 copies. UK Secker & Warburg February 1946 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, published 14 February 1946 in cloth with dust jacket, with a print run of about 3,028 copies
- The US edition followed in April 1946 from Reynal & Hitchcock under the different title Dickens, Dali and Others: Studies in Popular Culture
- Publisher imprint reads Secker & Warburg
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | George Orwell |
| Publisher | Secker & Warburg |
| Year | 1946 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, published 14 February 1946 in cloth with dust jacket, with a print run of about 3,028 copies |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition, published 14 February 1946 in cloth with dust jacket, with a print run of about 3,028 copies. The US edition followed in April 1946 from Reynal & Hitchcock under the different title Dickens, Dali and Others: Studies in Popular Culture.

## Is this the true first?
UK Secker & Warburg February 1946 is the true first. The US edition (Reynal & Hitchcock, April 1946) was retitled Dickens, Dali and Others, a title point distinguishing the two.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
US and UK editions carry different titles.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Critical Essays* by George Orwell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/critical-essays
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.