# Is "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" by C. S. Lewis (illustrated by Pauline Baynes) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis (illustrated by Pauline Baynes) (Geoffrey Bles, 1952) is identified by: UK first: Geoffrey Bles, London, 1952, illustrated by Pauline Baynes. The UK Geoffrey Bles edition is the true first, preceding the US Macmillan edition (New York, 1952).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK first: Geoffrey Bles, London, 1952, illustrated by Pauline Baynes
- The true first shows 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 first printing)
- First-issue jacket lists only the Narnia titles published to that point
- Publisher imprint reads Geoffrey Bles
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | C. S. Lewis (illustrated by Pauline Baynes) |
| Publisher | Geoffrey Bles |
| Year | 1952 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | UK first: Geoffrey Bles, London, 1952, illustrated by Pauline Baynes |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
UK first: Geoffrey Bles, London, 1952, illustrated by Pauline Baynes. The true first shows 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 first printing). First-issue jacket lists only the Narnia titles published to that point.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Geoffrey Bles edition is the true first, preceding the US Macmillan edition (New York, 1952).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings carry an impression note on the verso and a longer jacket title-list. The US Macmillan edition is a separate publication and is not the UK first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Voyage of the Dawn Treader* by C. S. Lewis (illustrated by Pauline Baynes) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-voyage-of-the-dawn-treader
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.