# Is "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" by C.S. Lewis a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (Geoffrey Bles, 1950) is identified by: UK Geoffrey Bles (London), published 16 October 1950. The UK Geoffrey Bles edition of 16 October 1950 is the true first edition worldwide.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK Geoffrey Bles (London), published 16 October 1950
- The copyright/verso page reads 'First published 1950' with no later-impression statement
- Bound in original green cloth lettered in silver on the spine
- Illustrated throughout by Pauline Baynes (43 illustrations in the British edition)
- First-state dust jacket is the grey pictorial Baynes jacket, with the printed price retained on the front flap
- A genuinely signed first therefore combines the 1950 Bles first impression with a Lewis signature
- Publisher imprint reads Geoffrey Bles

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | C.S. Lewis |
| Publisher | Geoffrey Bles |
| Year | 1950 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK Geoffrey Bles (London), published 16 October 1950 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
UK Geoffrey Bles (London), published 16 October 1950. The copyright/verso page reads 'First published 1950' with no later-impression statement. Bound in original green cloth lettered in silver on the spine. Illustrated throughout by Pauline Baynes (43 illustrations in the British edition). First-state dust jacket is the grey pictorial Baynes jacket, with the printed price retained on the front flap. A genuinely signed first therefore combines the 1950 Bles first impression with a Lewis signature.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Geoffrey Bles edition of 16 October 1950 is the true first edition worldwide. The Macmillan (New York) first American edition also appeared in 1950 but was reset from new type (with textual changes in chapters 1, 6 and 13 and fewer illustrations), so it does not precede the Bles first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions and later Bles/Macmillan printings reprint the text but are not the 1950 Geoffrey Bles first impression; confirm the 'First published 1950' verso statement, the green cloth with silver spine lettering, and the grey pictorial Baynes jacket with printed price present.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe* by C.S. Lewis a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-lion-the-witch-and-the-wardrobe
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.