The points of issue
First edition, first printing, published 5 October 1950. Publisher's pale green cloth lettered in red on the spine, top edge red, in the grey and red pictorial dust wrapper designed by Michael Kennard. The first posthumous collection of Orwell's essays, issued in the same year as his death.
Is this the true first?
The Secker & Warburg London edition is the true first. The first US edition (Harcourt, Brace, New York, 1950) appeared the same year in charcoal grey cloth lettered in silver with a typographic jacket; it follows the UK printing.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Shooting an Elephant and Other Essays a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: First edition, first printing, published 5 October 1950. Publisher's pale green cloth lettered in red on the spine, top edge red, in the grey and red pictorial dust wrapper designed by Michael Kennard. The first posthumous collection of Orwell's essays, issued in the same year as his death.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. The Secker & Warburg London edition is the true first. The first US edition (Harcourt, Brace, New York, 1950) appeared the same year in charcoal grey cloth lettered in silver with a typographic jacket; it follows the UK printing.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
No book-club issue.
I have a first edition of Shooting an Elephant and Other Essays — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.