Is My Laughing Gas a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First printing published by Herbert Jenkins, London, on 25 September 1936, catalogued as McIlvaine A56a
• Issued in publisher's cloth lettered in black on the front board and spine; cloth color is reported variously as red, orange, or plum across surviving copies, all with the black lettering
• Collates 311 pages followed by publisher's advertisements at the rear
• The first-state pictorial dust jacket carries artwork by Abbey; a correct jacket retains the printed price to the spine (price should be present, though price-clipping does not by itself demote the edition)

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?

The UK Herbert Jenkins edition of 25 September 1936 (McIlvaine A56a) is the true first and precedes the US Doubleday, Doran edition, which followed on 19 November 1936.P-023582

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club edition is a point for this title; identify by the Herbert Jenkins imprint, the black-lettered cloth, and the Abbey-illustrated priced jacket.P-023583

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Laughing Gas a first edition?

A first edition of Laughing Gas by P.G. Wodehouse (Herbert Jenkins) is identified by: First printing published by Herbert Jenkins, London, on 25 September 1936, catalogued as McIlvaine A56a.

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. The UK Herbert Jenkins edition of 25 September 1936 (McIlvaine A56a) is the true first and precedes the US Doubleday, Doran edition, which followed on 19 November 1936.

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

No book-club edition is a point for this title; identify by the Herbert Jenkins imprint, the black-lettered cloth, and the Abbey-illustrated priced jacket.

I have a first edition of Laughing Gas — 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.