# Is "Keep the Aspidistra Flying" by George Orwell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Keep the Aspidistra Flying by George Orwell (Victor Gollancz, 1936) is identified by: London: Victor Gollancz, 20 April 1936, in a printing of about 3,000 copies (only some 2,000 sold). UK Gollancz (1936) is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- London: Victor Gollancz, 20 April 1936, in a printing of about 3,000 copies (only some 2,000 sold)
- Gollancz required libel-driven textual changes before publication, so the published first already incorporates them
- Cloth binding with first-issue dust jacket; title page dated 1936 with no later impression statement
- Publisher imprint reads Victor Gollancz
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | George Orwell |
| Publisher | Victor Gollancz |
| Year | 1936 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | London: Victor Gollancz, 20 April 1936, in a printing of about 3,000 copies (only some 2,000 sold) |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
London: Victor Gollancz, 20 April 1936, in a printing of about 3,000 copies (only some 2,000 sold). Gollancz required libel-driven textual changes before publication, so the published first already incorporates them. Cloth binding with first-issue dust jacket; title page dated 1936 with no later impression statement.

## Is this the true first?
UK Gollancz (1936) is the true first. Orwell suppressed reprints and a paperback in his lifetime; the first US edition (Harcourt, Brace) did not appear until 1956.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No authorized reprints during Orwell's life; later impressions add printing lines. Confirm by the 1936 title-page date and absence of a later impression statement.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Keep the Aspidistra Flying* by George Orwell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/keep-the-aspidistra-flying
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.