# Is "Homage to Catalonia" by George Orwell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell (Secker & Warburg, 1938) is identified by: London: Secker & Warburg, 25 April 1938. UK Secker & Warburg (1938) is the true first; there was no US edition until 1952 (Harcourt).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- London: Secker & Warburg, 25 April 1938
- Orwell's move to Secker after Gollancz declined the book
- Green cloth with a pictorial first-issue dust jacket
- A small first printing of 1,500 copies that sold poorly (well under half in the first months), making the genuine first scarce
- Title page dated 1938
- Publisher imprint reads Secker & Warburg
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | George Orwell |
| Publisher | Secker & Warburg |
| Year | 1938 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | London: Secker & Warburg, 25 April 1938 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
London: Secker & Warburg, 25 April 1938. Orwell's move to Secker after Gollancz declined the book. Green cloth with a pictorial first-issue dust jacket. A small first printing of 1,500 copies that sold poorly (well under half in the first months), making the genuine first scarce. Title page dated 1938.

## Is this the true first?
UK Secker & Warburg (1938) is the true first; there was no US edition until 1952 (Harcourt). The genuine first is uncommon.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later impressions and the much-later 1952 US edition postdate the first. Confirm by the 1938 Secker & Warburg imprint and 1,500-copy first printing.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Homage to Catalonia* by George Orwell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/homage-to-catalonia
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.