# Is "The Horse and His Boy" by C. S. Lewis (illustrated by Pauline Baynes) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Horse and His Boy by C. S. Lewis (illustrated by Pauline Baynes) (Geoffrey Bles, 1954) is identified by: UK first: Geoffrey Bles, London, 1954, illustrated by Pauline Baynes. The UK Geoffrey Bles edition is the true first, preceding the US Macmillan edition issued the same year (1954).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK first: Geoffrey Bles, London, 1954, illustrated by Pauline Baynes
- This was the last Narnia title issued by Geoffrey Bles
- The true first has no impression or reprint statement on the verso of the title page (no number line in this era; dated title page with a clean verso indicates the first printing)
- Publisher imprint reads Geoffrey Bles
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | C. S. Lewis (illustrated by Pauline Baynes) |
| Publisher | Geoffrey Bles |
| Year | 1954 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | UK first: Geoffrey Bles, London, 1954, illustrated by Pauline Baynes |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
UK first: Geoffrey Bles, London, 1954, illustrated by Pauline Baynes. This was the last Narnia title issued by Geoffrey Bles. The true first has no impression or reprint statement on the verso of the title page (no number line in this era; dated title page with a clean verso indicates the first printing).

## Is this the true first?
The UK Geoffrey Bles edition is the true first, preceding the US Macmillan edition issued the same year (1954).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later impressions add a verso impression note. The US Macmillan edition is a distinct publication, not the UK first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Horse and His Boy* by C. S. Lewis (illustrated by Pauline Baynes) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-horse-and-his-boy
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.