# Is "Hot Water" by P.G. Wodehouse a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Hot Water by P.G. Wodehouse (Herbert Jenkins, 1932) is identified by: First printing in original cloth and dust jacket. Simultaneous UK and US publication on 17 August 1932 (Jenkins and Doubleday, Doran).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing in original cloth and dust jacket
- The UK Herbert Jenkins and US Doubleday, Doran editions were published simultaneously, both on 17 August 1932, so neither has clear precedence over the other; the two are textually distinct because of differing editorial intervention
- Collectors generally treat each as a first edition of its respective issue rather than asserting one true first
- Publisher imprint reads Herbert Jenkins
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | P.G. Wodehouse |
| Publisher | Herbert Jenkins |
| Year | 1932 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing in original cloth and dust jacket |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First printing in original cloth and dust jacket. The UK Herbert Jenkins and US Doubleday, Doran editions were published simultaneously, both on 17 August 1932, so neither has clear precedence over the other; the two are textually distinct because of differing editorial intervention. Collectors generally treat each as a first edition of its respective issue rather than asserting one true first.

## Is this the true first?
Simultaneous UK and US publication on 17 August 1932 (Jenkins and Doubleday, Doran). No single true first by date; identify each by publisher imprint on the title page and verso.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Hot Water* by P.G. Wodehouse a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/hot-water
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.