# Is "Ice in the Bedroom" by P.G. Wodehouse a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Ice in the Bedroom by P.G. Wodehouse (Simon & Schuster, 1961) is identified by: Published 2 February 1961 by Simon & Schuster, New York, under the title The Ice in the Bedroom (note the leading definite article on the US edition), preceding the UK Herbert Jenkins edition of 15 October 1961, titled Ice in the Bedroom. US Simon & Schuster (2 February 1961) is the true first, about seven months ahead of the UK Herbert Jenkins edition (15 October 1961).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing
- Published 2 February 1961 by Simon & Schuster, New York, under the title The Ice in the Bedroom (note the leading definite article on the US edition), preceding the UK Herbert Jenkins edition of 15 October 1961, titled Ice in the Bedroom
- Publisher imprint reads Simon & Schuster
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | P.G. Wodehouse |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
| Year | 1961 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First printing. Published 2 February 1961 by Simon & Schuster, New York, under the title The Ice in the Bedroom (note the leading definite article on the US edition), preceding the UK Herbert Jenkins edition of 15 October 1961, titled Ice in the Bedroom.

## Is this the true first?
US Simon & Schuster (2 February 1961) is the true first, about seven months ahead of the UK Herbert Jenkins edition (15 October 1961). The US title carries the article The; the UK title drops it.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue noted. A condensed version appeared earlier in Canada in the Toronto Star Weekly (11 November 1960) but is not a book edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Ice in the Bedroom* by P.G. Wodehouse a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/ice-in-the-bedroom
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.