Is My French Leave a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First edition, first impression
• The true first is the UK Herbert Jenkins issue, published 20 January 1956 (McIlvaine A78a): an octavo (roughly 19 by 13 cm) of 206 pages in publisher's red cloth lettered in black on the spine, issued in a pictorial dust jacket designed by 'Sax' and bearing the printed UK price to the flap (present on an unclipped copy)
• It precedes the US Simon & Schuster edition (28 September 1959) by more than three years

How Herbert Jenkins marked a first edition

• The identification method depends on the era, because Jenkins changed practice around 1929-1930. This is the single most important point: do not apply one rule to all Jenkins books.
• For roughly 1930 onward (which covers most collected Wodehouse titles): a first edition/first printing IS positively stated on the copyright page (verso of the title leaf) as 'First printing' or 'First edition.' A true f…

Full Herbert Jenkins first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Check for a number line or dated printing — the lowest number present is the printing; a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the tell.
4. Verify this is the UK true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
6. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

UK Herbert Jenkins is the true first (20 January 1956), reference McIlvaine A78a. The US Simon & Schuster edition followed on 28 September 1959, with light textual changes; the novel was adapted from Guy Bolton's 1938 stage play Three Blind Mice.P-023527

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club issue noted for the UK true first; the later US Simon & Schuster text was lightly revised. Confirm the first by the red cloth binding, the 'Sax' jacket, and the McIlvaine A78a points.P-023528

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of French Leave a first edition?

A first edition of French Leave by P.G. Wodehouse (Herbert Jenkins) is identified by: First edition, first impression.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A stated first edition, a number line ending in 1, or a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the key. UK Herbert Jenkins is the true first (20 January 1956), reference McIlvaine A78a.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

No book-club issue noted for the UK true first; the later US Simon & Schuster text was lightly revised. Confirm the first by the red cloth binding, the 'Sax' jacket, and the McIlvaine A78a points.

I have a first edition of French Leave — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.