Perelandra – C.S. Lewis – 1943 | First UK Printing

This first edition, first printing of Perelandra by C.S. Lewis was published in 1943 in during the height of World War II. It is the second volume in Lewis’s influential Space Trilogy, a series which merged Christian theology with speculative fiction before the genre attained mainstream literary respectability. Set on the planet Venus, the novel positions its protagonist, Ransom, as a witness and participant in a drama of free will, temptation, and resistance reminiscent of the Garden of Eden. Rather than relying on overt villains or monstrosities, Lewis crafts a chilling antagonist in the form of the Un-man, whose quiet intellectual manipulations and slow descent into madness pose a far more insidious form of evil than outright violence. Surviving first printings are increasingly scarce in well-preserved condition, as the novel was issued under the paper rationing of wartime Britain.

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Perelandra
• Author: C.S. Lewis
• Publisher: London, John Lane The Bodley Head
• Edition: First Edition, First Printing 1943
  • “First Published 1943” stated on copyright page
• Binding: Blue cloth hardcover
  • Professional facsimile dust jacket included
• Format: Duodecimo (12mo); single volume
• Size: ~ 7.5in x 5.25in (19 cm x 13.5 cm)
• Collation: 256 pp
• Contents Include:
  • Full text of Perelandra
• Provenance: Handwritten inscription to Mrs. Jones, with best wishes from Gwen and Gerald, June 1943

Condition:

Very Good. Original blue cloth binding shows minor edge wear, with sunning and discoloration to spine and front board. Text block is cocked but tight and secure, with intact hinges. Pages are mostly clean throughout, with some slight staining to preliminaries. Mild age toning visible to edges consistent with wartime production quality. Excellent professionally produced facsimile dust jacket included.

Why Collect This?

• First printing of C.S. Lewis’s second novel in the Space Trilogy
• Scarce, printed during WWII under British paper rationing
• A renowned example of speculative science fiction and religious allegory

Item Number: # 31167