# Is "A Damsel in Distress" by P.G. Wodehouse a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Damsel in Distress by P.G. Wodehouse (George H. Doran, 1919) is identified by: Doran edition (New York, 4 October 1919) precedes the UK Herbert Jenkins edition (London, 15 October 1919) by about eleven days, making the Doran printing the true first. US Doran (McIlvaine A24a) is the true first, published 4 October 1919; the UK Herbert Jenkins edition followed on 15 October 1919, eleven days later.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US George H. Doran edition (New York, 4 October 1919) precedes the UK Herbert Jenkins edition (London, 15 October 1919) by about eleven days, making the Doran printing the true first
- It is catalogued in the McIlvaine Wodehouse bibliography as A24a
- The Doran first is issued in publisher's cloth; the earliest state has no publisher's logo device on the copyright page
- A first-issue dust jacket, when present, should retain its printed price on the flap; because the jacket is exceedingly scarce, price-clipped examples are common and price-clipping alone does not disqualify a first
- Publisher imprint reads George H. Doran
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | P.G. Wodehouse |
| Publisher | George H. Doran |
| Year | 1919 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US George H. Doran edition (New York, 4 October 1919) precedes the UK Herbert Jenkins edition (London, 15 October 1919) by about eleven… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
US George H. Doran edition (New York, 4 October 1919) precedes the UK Herbert Jenkins edition (London, 15 October 1919) by about eleven days, making the Doran printing the true first. It is catalogued in the McIlvaine Wodehouse bibliography as A24a. The Doran first is issued in publisher's cloth; the earliest state has no publisher's logo device on the copyright page. A first-issue dust jacket, when present, should retain its printed price on the flap; because the jacket is exceedingly scarce, price-clipped examples are common and price-clipping alone does not disqualify a first.

## Is this the true first?
US Doran (McIlvaine A24a) is the true first, published 4 October 1919; the UK Herbert Jenkins edition followed on 15 October 1919, eleven days later.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue. Distinguish the 1919 Doran first from Doran's later popular-issue reprintings, which reset the copyright page and carry the publisher's logo device.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Damsel in Distress* by P.G. Wodehouse a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-damsel-in-distress
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.