# Is "Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer" by C.S. Lewis a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer by C.S. Lewis (Geoffrey Bles, 1964) is identified by: First UK edition, Geoffrey Bles (London), 1964, published posthumously. The Geoffrey Bles UK edition is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First UK edition, Geoffrey Bles (London), 1964, published posthumously
- Bound in green cloth boards with gilt titles to the spine, blue topstain, and green endpapers; the title page is dated 1964 with no later-impression statement on the reverse
- Dust jacket designed by Michael Harvey, carrying the printed price on the front flap; a price-present jacket is the expected first-state
- Publisher imprint reads Geoffrey Bles
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | C.S. Lewis |
| Publisher | Geoffrey Bles |
| Year | 1964 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First UK edition, Geoffrey Bles (London), 1964, published posthumously |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First UK edition, Geoffrey Bles (London), 1964, published posthumously. Bound in green cloth boards with gilt titles to the spine, blue topstain, and green endpapers; the title page is dated 1964 with no later-impression statement on the reverse. Dust jacket designed by Michael Harvey, carrying the printed price on the front flap; a price-present jacket is the expected first-state.

## Is this the true first?
The Geoffrey Bles UK edition is the true first. The first US edition, Harcourt, Brace & World (New York), also appeared in 1964 but follows the Bles issue; it is bound in blue cloth boards with gilt spine lettering and carries its own priced, illustrated jacket.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Bles impressions and the US Harcourt issue are distinct from the true UK first; confirm the Bles imprint and a 1964 title page with no statement of later printing.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer* by C.S. Lewis a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/letters-to-malcolm-chiefly-on-prayer
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.