# Is "The Abolition of Man" by C.S. Lewis a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis (Oxford University Press, 1943) is identified by: First UK edition, Oxford University Press 1943, originating as the fifteenth series of Riddell Memorial Lectures delivered at King's College, Newcastle (Durham University) on 24-26 February 1943. UK Oxford University Press wrappered issue of 1943 is the true first; the US Macmillan hardcover edition follows in 1947.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First UK edition, Oxford University Press 1943, originating as the fifteenth series of Riddell Memorial Lectures delivered at King's College, Newcastle (Durham University) on 24-26 February 1943
- Issued not in cloth but in original publisher's printed wrappers: the grey-green wrappers printed in black and bearing the Durham University crest and date on the front are the recognised first-issue form (a plainer orange-brown wrapper variant is also recorded)
- A slim octavo of roughly 52 pages; no later-impression statement present
- Publisher imprint reads Oxford University Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | C.S. Lewis |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press |
| Year | 1943 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First UK edition, Oxford University Press 1943, originating as the fifteenth series of Riddell Memorial Lectures delivered at King's… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First UK edition, Oxford University Press 1943, originating as the fifteenth series of Riddell Memorial Lectures delivered at King's College, Newcastle (Durham University) on 24-26 February 1943. Issued not in cloth but in original publisher's printed wrappers: the grey-green wrappers printed in black and bearing the Durham University crest and date on the front are the recognised first-issue form (a plainer orange-brown wrapper variant is also recorded). A slim octavo of roughly 52 pages; no later-impression statement present.

## Is this the true first?
UK Oxford University Press wrappered issue of 1943 is the true first; the US Macmillan hardcover edition follows in 1947.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings and the 1947 US Macmillan edition differ in binding and imprint; the American issue is a cloth hardcover, not the original wrappers.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Abolition of Man* by C.S. Lewis a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-abolition-of-man
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.