# Is "Leave It to Psmith" by P.G. Wodehouse a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Leave It to Psmith by P.G. Wodehouse (Herbert Jenkins, 1923) 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. 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.

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

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | P.G. Wodehouse |
| Publisher | Herbert Jenkins |
| Year | 1923 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First published by Herbert Jenkins in London on 30 November 1923, in pictorial decorated green cloth lettered in black; catalogued as… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## 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.

## 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.

## 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.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Leave It to Psmith* by P.G. Wodehouse a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/leave-it-to-psmith
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.