The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950)

A Geoffrey Bles first edition of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was published in 1950 with illustrations by Pauline Baynes, in her pictorial jacket priced 8s 6d net on the front flap.

What to check:

• Jacket price: 8s 6d net. Bles reissued the book many times, and later jackets carry higher prices, so the price is one of the quickest checks on whether the jacket belongs to the first impression.
• Jacket design: Pauline Baynes's picture of the two girls riding Aslan on the front, with Tumnus on the spine.
• Binding: green cloth, which dealers describe in shades from teal to pale green.

The jacket carries most of the value. A first impression in a later jacket, with a higher price on the flap, is worth much less than one in the 8s 6d jacket, so always compare the flap price.

The American Macmillan edition of 1950 was reset with small changes to the text and is a different book. HarperCollins also published a replica of the first edition in 2009, which should not be mistaken for an original.

We have not yet confirmed the copyright page wording of the first impression, so check it against a known first before paying a premium.

Sources: Bauman Rare Books, First and Fine and cslewiseditions.com.