# Is "The Lion and the Unicorn: Socialism and the English Genius" by George Orwell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Lion and the Unicorn: Socialism and the English Genius by George Orwell (Secker & Warburg, 1941) is identified by: First edition, published 19 February 1941 as the first volume in the Searchlight Books series edited by Orwell and T. UK Secker & Warburg February 1941 is the true first; there was no contemporary US edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, published 19 February 1941 as the first volume in the Searchlight Books series edited by Orwell and T. R. Fyvel
- Issued in publisher's cloth lettered in dark green to the spine, with dust jacket, with its printed price A slim wartime production, scarce in the jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Secker & Warburg
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | George Orwell |
| Publisher | Secker & Warburg |
| Year | 1941 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, published 19 February 1941 as the first volume in the Searchlight Books series edited by Orwell and T. R. Fyvel |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, published 19 February 1941 as the first volume in the Searchlight Books series edited by Orwell and T. R. Fyvel. Issued in publisher's cloth lettered in dark green to the spine, with dust jacket, with its printed price A slim wartime production, scarce in the jacket.

## Is this the true first?
UK Secker & Warburg February 1941 is the true first; there was no contemporary US edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Searchlight Books series title; no book-club issue.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Lion and the Unicorn: Socialism and the English Genius* by George Orwell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-lion-and-the-unicorn-socialism-and-the-english-genius
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.