# Is "Psmith, Journalist" by P.G. Wodehouse a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Psmith, Journalist by P.G. Wodehouse (Adam & Charles Black, 1915) is identified by: First book-form printing, London, Adam & Charles Black, 29 September 1915 (McIlvaine A15); reworked from the 1909-1910 serial in The Captain. UK A & C Black is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First book-form printing, London, Adam & Charles Black, 29 September 1915 (McIlvaine A15); reworked from the 1909-1910 serial in The Captain
- Small octavo bound in publisher's blue pictorial cloth, the spine and upper board lettered and decorated, with the Black imprint at the foot of the spine
- Collates viii + 247 pages, with twelve plates including the frontispiece
- Publisher imprint reads Adam & Charles Black
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | P.G. Wodehouse |
| Publisher | Adam & Charles Black |
| Year | 1915 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First book-form printing, London, Adam & Charles Black, 29 September 1915 (McIlvaine A15); reworked from the 1909-1910 serial in The Captain |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First book-form printing, London, Adam & Charles Black, 29 September 1915 (McIlvaine A15); reworked from the 1909-1910 serial in The Captain. Small octavo bound in publisher's blue pictorial cloth, the spine and upper board lettered and decorated, with the Black imprint at the foot of the spine. Collates viii + 247 pages, with twelve plates including the frontispiece.

## Is this the true first?
UK A & C Black is the true first. A US issue (Macmillan, New York) was made later the same year from imported sheets and does not have precedence.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Psmith, Journalist* by P.G. Wodehouse a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/psmith-journalist
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.