Is My Leave It to Psmith a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First published by Herbert Jenkins in London on 30 November 1923, in pictorial decorated green cloth lettered in black; catalogued as McIlvaine A31a
• The first US edition followed from George H. Doran, New York, on 14 March 1924
• A Blandings and Psmith crossover novel, previously serialised (with a rewritten ending) before book form

How Herbert Jenkins marked a first edition

• For pre-1929 Jenkins titles (no printing statement was used yet): match the title-page date to the last date on the copyright page for a first, and use the count of other titles advertised on the verso of the half-title…

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. 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.
3. Verify this is the UK true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
4. 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.
5. 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 Jenkins printing dated 1923 is the true first edition, first issue (McIlvaine A31a); the US Doran 1924 issue is the first American edition. A second issue dated 1924 exists, so the 1923-dated title page is the point to confirm.P-023587

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club issue noted for the true first; the Jenkins first-edition plates were reused for later Jenkins impressions through the 1961 Autograph Edition.P-023588

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Leave It to Psmith a first edition?

A first edition of Leave It to Psmith by P.G. Wodehouse (Herbert Jenkins) is identified by: First published by Herbert Jenkins in London on 30 November 1923, in pictorial decorated green cloth lettered in black; catalogued as McIlvaine A31a.

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 Jenkins printing dated 1923 is the true first edition, first issue (McIlvaine A31a); the US Doran 1924 issue is the first American edition.

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

No book-club issue noted for the true first; the Jenkins first-edition plates were reused for later Jenkins impressions through the 1961 Autograph Edition.

I have a first edition of Leave It to Psmith — 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.