# Is "Lions and Shadows" by Christopher Isherwood a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Lions and Shadows by Christopher Isherwood (The Hogarth Press, 1938) is identified by: First edition, first printing published March 1938, blue cloth lettered in black to the spine, in the dust jacket printed in brown and designed by Robert Medley. UK Hogarth Press is the true first; the US New Directions edition followed in 1947.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing published March 1938, blue cloth lettered in black to the spine, in the dust jacket printed in brown and designed by Robert Medley
- Subtitled An Education in the Twenties; a semi-autobiographical account of the 1920s
- Publisher imprint reads The Hogarth Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Christopher Isherwood |
| Publisher | The Hogarth Press |
| Year | 1938 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first printing published March 1938, blue cloth lettered in black to the spine, in the dust jacket printed in brown and… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing published March 1938, blue cloth lettered in black to the spine, in the dust jacket printed in brown and designed by Robert Medley. Subtitled An Education in the Twenties; a semi-autobiographical account of the 1920s.

## Is this the true first?
UK Hogarth Press is the true first; the US New Directions edition followed in 1947.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Lions and Shadows* by Christopher Isherwood a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/lions-and-shadows
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.