# Is "Mr. Mulliner Speaking" by P.G. Wodehouse a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Mr. Mulliner Speaking by P.G. Wodehouse (Herbert Jenkins, 1929) is identified by: First printing of the second Mulliner story collection (McIlvaine A40a). UK Herbert Jenkins is the true first (30 April 1929, McIlvaine A40a); the US Doubleday, Doran edition followed on 21 February 1930.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing of the second Mulliner story collection (McIlvaine A40a)
- The UK Herbert Jenkins edition (London, 30 April 1929), 320 pages, precedes the US Doubleday, Doran edition (21 February 1930)
- Bound in orange cloth stamped in black on the boards and spine, with plain endpapers
- The first-state dust jacket carries its printed price on the backstrip (present on an unclipped first-issue jacket; original jackets are notably scarce for this title)
- Publisher imprint reads Herbert Jenkins
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | P.G. Wodehouse |
| Publisher | Herbert Jenkins |
| Year | 1929 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing of the second Mulliner story collection (McIlvaine A40a) |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First printing of the second Mulliner story collection (McIlvaine A40a). The UK Herbert Jenkins edition (London, 30 April 1929), 320 pages, precedes the US Doubleday, Doran edition (21 February 1930). Bound in orange cloth stamped in black on the boards and spine, with plain endpapers. The first-state dust jacket carries its printed price on the backstrip (present on an unclipped first-issue jacket; original jackets are notably scarce for this title).

## Is this the true first?
UK Herbert Jenkins is the true first (30 April 1929, McIlvaine A40a); the US Doubleday, Doran edition followed on 21 February 1930. Confirm by the orange cloth stamped in black and the 1929 Jenkins imprint.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Mr. Mulliner Speaking* by P.G. Wodehouse a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/mr-mulliner-speaking
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.