# Is "The Last Battle" by C. S. Lewis (illustrated by Pauline Baynes) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Last Battle by C. S. Lewis (illustrated by Pauline Baynes) (The Bodley Head, 1956) is identified by: UK first: The Bodley Head, London, 1956, illustrated by Pauline Baynes; the seventh and final Narnia title, published under the Bodley Head imprint (not Geoffrey Bles). The UK Bodley Head edition is the true first, preceding the US Macmillan edition issued the same year (1956).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK first: The Bodley Head, London, 1956, illustrated by Pauline Baynes; the seventh and final Narnia title, published under the Bodley Head imprint (not Geoffrey Bles)
- The true first shows no impression or reprint statement on the verso of the title page, and the first-issue jacket carries no Carnegie Medal notation, since the award was announced after publication
- Publisher imprint reads The Bodley Head
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | C. S. Lewis (illustrated by Pauline Baynes) |
| Publisher | The Bodley Head |
| Year | 1956 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | UK first: The Bodley Head, London, 1956, illustrated by Pauline Baynes; the seventh and final Narnia title, published under the Bodley Head… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
UK first: The Bodley Head, London, 1956, illustrated by Pauline Baynes; the seventh and final Narnia title, published under the Bodley Head imprint (not Geoffrey Bles). The true first shows no impression or reprint statement on the verso of the title page, and the first-issue jacket carries no Carnegie Medal notation, since the award was announced after publication.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Bodley Head edition is the true first, preceding the US Macmillan edition issued the same year (1956).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A Carnegie Medal seal or notation on the jacket indicates a later printing, since the medal was awarded after first publication. Later impressions also add a verso impression note. The US Macmillan edition is a distinct publication, not the UK first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Last Battle* by C. S. Lewis (illustrated by Pauline Baynes) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-last-battle
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.