# Is "Reflections on the Psalms" by C.S. Lewis a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Reflections on the Psalms by C.S. Lewis (Geoffrey Bles, 1958) is identified by: First UK edition, Geoffrey Bles, London, first printed September 1958 (a further impression followed in December 1958); octavo, pp. The UK Geoffrey Bles printing of 1958 is the true first edition, preceding the US Harcourt, Brace edition of the same year.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First UK edition, Geoffrey Bles, London, first printed September 1958 (a further impression followed in December 1958); octavo, pp. viii, 151
- Bound in red cloth lettered in yellow on the spine, with no later-impression statement present on the first
- The first-state dust jacket, designed by Elizabeth Andrewes, shows a harp against a blue field with title lettering in white and orange; the front flap should carry its printed retail price (an unclipped flap is the first-state indicator, price present rather than any stated amount)
- Publisher imprint reads Geoffrey Bles
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | C.S. Lewis |
| Publisher | Geoffrey Bles |
| Year | 1958 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First UK edition, Geoffrey Bles, London, first printed September 1958 (a further impression followed in December 1958); octavo, pp. viii… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First UK edition, Geoffrey Bles, London, first printed September 1958 (a further impression followed in December 1958); octavo, pp. viii, 151. Bound in red cloth lettered in yellow on the spine, with no later-impression statement present on the first. The first-state dust jacket, designed by Elizabeth Andrewes, shows a harp against a blue field with title lettering in white and orange; the front flap should carry its printed retail price (an unclipped flap is the first-state indicator, price present rather than any stated amount).

## Is this the true first?
The UK Geoffrey Bles printing of 1958 is the true first edition, preceding the US Harcourt, Brace edition of the same year.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Bles impressions carry an impression statement, and subsequent reprints and paperbacks differ from the first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Reflections on the Psalms* by C.S. Lewis a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/reflections-on-the-psalms
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.