# Is "Miracles: A Preliminary Study" by C.S. Lewis a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Miracles: A Preliminary Study by C.S. Lewis (Geoffrey Bles, 1947) is identified by: First UK edition, Geoffrey Bles (The Centenary Press), London, 1947, bound in publisher's green cloth with gilt lettering to the spine and issued in a printed dust jacket; no later-impression statement on the reverse of the title leaf. UK Geoffrey Bles is the true first; the US Macmillan edition also appeared in 1947 in blue cloth.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First UK edition, Geoffrey Bles (The Centenary Press), London, 1947, bound in publisher's green cloth with gilt lettering to the spine and issued in a printed dust jacket; no later-impression statement on the reverse of the title leaf
- The first-issue text carries the original chapter 3, titled The Self-Contradiction of the Naturalist
- The simultaneous US first (The Macmillan Company, New York, 1947) is bound in blue cloth, distinguishing the two issues at a glance
- Publisher imprint reads Geoffrey Bles
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | C.S. Lewis |
| Publisher | Geoffrey Bles |
| Year | 1947 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First UK edition, Geoffrey Bles (The Centenary Press), London, 1947, bound in publisher's green cloth with gilt lettering to the spine and… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First UK edition, Geoffrey Bles (The Centenary Press), London, 1947, bound in publisher's green cloth with gilt lettering to the spine and issued in a printed dust jacket; no later-impression statement on the reverse of the title leaf. The first-issue text carries the original chapter 3, titled The Self-Contradiction of the Naturalist. The simultaneous US first (The Macmillan Company, New York, 1947) is bound in blue cloth, distinguishing the two issues at a glance.

## Is this the true first?
UK Geoffrey Bles is the true first; the US Macmillan edition also appeared in 1947 in blue cloth. Lewis rewrote chapter 3 for the 1960 revised edition following the Anscombe debate, so the original chapter-3 title is the surest text point for the unrevised first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The revised 1960 text is a distinct state; the original chapter 3 title (The Self-Contradiction of the Naturalist) identifies the unrevised first-edition text.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Miracles: A Preliminary Study* by C.S. Lewis a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/miracles-a-preliminary-study
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.