# Is "The English People" by George Orwell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The English People by George Orwell (William Collins, 1947) is identified by: First edition, published August 1947 by Collins in the Britain in Pictures series. UK Collins August 1947 is the true first; there was no contemporary US edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, published August 1947 by Collins in the Britain in Pictures series
- A slim illustrated volume of about 48 pages with eight full-page colour plates and additional black-and-white illustrations by artists including Ardizzone, Laura Knight, L. S. Lowry, Henry Moore, John Minton and Topolski
- Publisher imprint reads William Collins
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | George Orwell |
| Publisher | William Collins |
| Year | 1947 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, published August 1947 by Collins in the Britain in Pictures series |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, published August 1947 by Collins in the Britain in Pictures series. A slim illustrated volume of about 48 pages with eight full-page colour plates and additional black-and-white illustrations by artists including Ardizzone, Laura Knight, L. S. Lowry, Henry Moore, John Minton and Topolski.

## Is this the true first?
UK Collins August 1947 is the true first; there was no contemporary US edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Britain in Pictures series title; no book-club issue.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The English People* by George Orwell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-english-people
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.