# Is "Out of the Silent Planet" by C.S. Lewis a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis (John Lane The Bodley Head, 1938) is identified by: First edition, John Lane The Bodley Head, 1938. The UK Bodley Head edition is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, John Lane The Bodley Head, 1938
- Copyright page reads 'First published in 1938' with no later reprint history
- Octavo bound in brick-red cloth, title in gilt on spine, top edge stained
- First volume of the Ransom (Space) Trilogy
- Genuine firsts are scarce in the original dust jacket
- Publisher imprint reads John Lane The Bodley Head
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | C.S. Lewis |
| Publisher | John Lane The Bodley Head |
| Year | 1938 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, John Lane The Bodley Head, 1938 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, John Lane The Bodley Head, 1938. Copyright page reads 'First published in 1938' with no later reprint history. Octavo bound in brick-red cloth, title in gilt on spine, top edge stained. First volume of the Ransom (Space) Trilogy. Genuine firsts are scarce in the original dust jacket.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Bodley Head edition is the true first. The US Macmillan edition did not appear until 1943, years later. First printings in jacket are scarce.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later impressions and reprints carry a printing history on the verso of the title leaf. US Macmillan and book-club copies postdate the UK first by years and are not the true first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Out of the Silent Planet* by C.S. Lewis a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/out-of-the-silent-planet
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.