# Is "Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold" by C.S. Lewis a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold by C.S. Lewis (Geoffrey Bles, 1956) is identified by: First edition, first impression, Geoffrey Bles, London, 1956. UK Bles is the true first; the US Harcourt, Brace edition follows in 1957.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first impression, Geoffrey Bles, London, 1956
- Octavo, 320 pages, bound in publisher's original blue papered boards lettered in gilt on the spine; no later-impression statement on the reverse of the title
- Issued in a pictorial dust wrapper designed by John R. Biggs, with the printed price printed to the front flap (the printed price should be present on an unclipped example)
- Lewis's last novel, a retelling of the Cupid and Psyche myth from Apuleius
- Publisher imprint reads Geoffrey Bles
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | C.S. Lewis |
| Publisher | Geoffrey Bles |
| Year | 1956 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first impression, Geoffrey Bles, London, 1956 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition, first impression, Geoffrey Bles, London, 1956. Octavo, 320 pages, bound in publisher's original blue papered boards lettered in gilt on the spine; no later-impression statement on the reverse of the title. Issued in a pictorial dust wrapper designed by John R. Biggs, with the printed price printed to the front flap (the printed price should be present on an unclipped example). Lewis's last novel, a retelling of the Cupid and Psyche myth from Apuleius.

## Is this the true first?
UK Bles is the true first; the US Harcourt, Brace edition follows in 1957.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later impressions carry an impression statement on the copyright page; the first impression carries none.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold* by C.S. Lewis a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/till-we-have-faces-a-myth-retold
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.