# Is "Down and Out in Paris and London" by George Orwell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell (Victor Gollancz, 1933) is identified by: London: Victor Gollancz, 1933. The UK Gollancz edition (January 1933) is the true first, preceding the US Harper & Brothers edition (1933), which differs textually in places.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- London: Victor Gollancz, 1933
- Orwell's first book and the first use of the 'George Orwell' pseudonym
- Published 9 January 1933 in a first impression of 1,500 copies (followed within the month by a second impression of 500 and a third of 1,000)
- Cloth binding lettered on the spine; the dust jacket is notably scarce
- Publisher imprint reads Victor Gollancz
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | George Orwell |
| Publisher | Victor Gollancz |
| Year | 1933 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | London: Victor Gollancz, 1933 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
London: Victor Gollancz, 1933. Orwell's first book and the first use of the 'George Orwell' pseudonym. Published 9 January 1933 in a first impression of 1,500 copies (followed within the month by a second impression of 500 and a third of 1,000). Cloth binding lettered on the spine; the dust jacket is notably scarce.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Gollancz edition (January 1933) is the true first, preceding the US Harper & Brothers edition (1933), which differs textually in places.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Second and third impressions, both also dated 1933, carry impression statements; jacketed first impressions are rare.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Down and Out in Paris and London* by George Orwell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/down-and-out-in-paris-and-london
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.