# Is "The Allegory of Love: A Study in Medieval Tradition" by C.S. Lewis a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Allegory of Love: A Study in Medieval Tradition by C.S. Lewis (Oxford University Press / Clarendon Press, 1936) is identified by: First edition, first impression, Oxford at the Clarendon Press, 1936 (published 21 May 1936). UK Clarendon Press is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first impression, Oxford at the Clarendon Press, 1936 (published 21 May 1936)
- Octavo, pp. viii, [2], 278, [2]; publisher's dark blue cloth with gilt titling to the spine, bottom edge uncut
- The first impression carries no reprint notice (the text was reprinted with corrections in 1938)
- The dust jacket is scarce; when present it should retain its printed price, though many surviving copies are jacketless or price-clipped
- Publisher imprint reads Oxford University Press / Clarendon Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | C.S. Lewis |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press / Clarendon Press |
| Year | 1936 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first impression, Oxford at the Clarendon Press, 1936 (published 21 May 1936) |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition, first impression, Oxford at the Clarendon Press, 1936 (published 21 May 1936). Octavo, pp. viii, [2], 278, [2]; publisher's dark blue cloth with gilt titling to the spine, bottom edge uncut. The first impression carries no reprint notice (the text was reprinted with corrections in 1938). The dust jacket is scarce; when present it should retain its printed price, though many surviving copies are jacketless or price-clipped.

## Is this the true first?
UK Clarendon Press is the true first. It won the Hawthornden Prize and remains Lewis's foundational scholarly work, combining a study of medieval allegory with a new account of courtly love.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later corrected reprints differ; the 1938 reprint states it was reprinted with corrections.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Allegory of Love: A Study in Medieval Tradition* by C.S. Lewis a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-allegory-of-love-a-study-in-medieval-tradition
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.