# Is "A Pelican at Blandings" by P.G. Wodehouse a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Pelican at Blandings by P.G. Wodehouse (Herbert Jenkins / Barrie & Jenkins, 1969) is identified by: First UK edition, London, 25 September 1969. UK edition is the true first and precedes the US edition, which appeared 11 February 1970 from Simon & Schuster under the changed title No Nudes Is Good Nudes.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First UK edition, London, 25 September 1969
- The title-page imprint on the first edition reads Herbert Jenkins, the long-time Wodehouse house, though by this date the firm was corporately part of Barrie & Jenkins (a 1964 merger of Herbert Jenkins and Barrie & Rockliff)
- Either name may appear in catalogue descriptions of the same true first
- The first-edition dust jacket carries an Osbert Lancaster front illustration and a Tom Blau photograph of Wodehouse on the rear panel
- Publisher imprint reads Herbert Jenkins / Barrie & Jenkins
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | P.G. Wodehouse |
| Publisher | Herbert Jenkins / Barrie & Jenkins |
| Year | 1969 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First UK edition, London, 25 September 1969 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First UK edition, London, 25 September 1969. The title-page imprint on the first edition reads Herbert Jenkins, the long-time Wodehouse house, though by this date the firm was corporately part of Barrie & Jenkins (a 1964 merger of Herbert Jenkins and Barrie & Rockliff). Either name may appear in catalogue descriptions of the same true first. The first-edition dust jacket carries an Osbert Lancaster front illustration and a Tom Blau photograph of Wodehouse on the rear panel.

## Is this the true first?
UK edition is the true first and precedes the US edition, which appeared 11 February 1970 from Simon & Schuster under the changed title No Nudes Is Good Nudes. Differing titles are the key point distinguishing the two.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
US and UK appeared under different titles. No separate book-club issue is a point of issue for the true UK first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Pelican at Blandings* by P.G. Wodehouse a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-pelican-at-blandings
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.