# Is "Laughing Gas" by P.G. Wodehouse a First Edition?

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

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- 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)
- Publisher imprint reads Herbert Jenkins
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | P.G. Wodehouse |
| Publisher | Herbert Jenkins |
| Year | 1936 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing published by Herbert Jenkins, London, on 25 September 1936, catalogued as McIlvaine A56a |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## 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).

## 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.

## 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.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Laughing Gas* by P.G. Wodehouse a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/laughing-gas
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.