# Is "Something New" by P.G. Wodehouse a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Something New by P.G. Wodehouse (D. Appleton, 1915) is identified by: First Blandings novel; serialized in the Saturday Evening Post (26 June to 14 August 1915) before book publication. US Appleton is the true first under the title Something New; the UK Methuen appeared days later as Something Fresh.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First Blandings novel; serialized in the Saturday Evening Post (26 June to 14 August 1915) before book publication
- The US edition, titled Something New (D. Appleton, 3 September 1915), precedes the UK edition, titled Something Fresh (Methuen, 16 September 1915), by about two weeks
- The Appleton first is bound in red cloth stamped in gilt, with a scarab/beetle decoration on the upper cover and spine
- Publisher imprint reads D. Appleton
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | P.G. Wodehouse |
| Publisher | D. Appleton |
| Year | 1915 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First Blandings novel; serialized in the Saturday Evening Post (26 June to 14 August 1915) before book publication |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First Blandings novel; serialized in the Saturday Evening Post (26 June to 14 August 1915) before book publication. The US edition, titled Something New (D. Appleton, 3 September 1915), precedes the UK edition, titled Something Fresh (Methuen, 16 September 1915), by about two weeks. The Appleton first is bound in red cloth stamped in gilt, with a scarab/beetle decoration on the upper cover and spine.

## Is this the true first?
US Appleton is the true first under the title Something New; the UK Methuen appeared days later as Something Fresh. Precedence and the title difference are both genuine points, and the Appleton printing is the earliest book form after the Saturday Evening Post serialization.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Differing US and UK titles for the same novel.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Something New* by P.G. Wodehouse a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/something-new
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.