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First-Edition Identification · P.G. Wodehouse

Is My Summer Lightning a First Edition?

Doubleday, Doran, 1929

The points of issue

The true first is the US edition, published as Fish Preferred by Doubleday, Doran (New York, 1 July 1929), preceding the UK Herbert Jenkins edition titled Summer Lightning (19 July 1929) by 18 days. The US Fish Preferred has no dedication; the UK Summer Lightning adds a Wodehouse preface and a dedication to Denis Mackail. Both are this Blandings novel under differing titles.

Decode the printer’s key: paste the number line into the decoder · Doubleday, Doran first-edition guide.

Is this the true first?

Original record had the precedence backwards. The US Fish Preferred (Doubleday, Doran, 1 July 1929) is the true first; the UK Summer Lightning (Herbert Jenkins, 19 July 1929) followed.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Differing US/UK titles: US as Fish Preferred, UK as Summer Lightning. No book-club issue noted for the first appearance.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Summer Lightning a first edition?

Look for these first-edition points: The true first is the US edition, published as Fish Preferred by Doubleday, Doran (New York, 1 July 1929), preceding the UK Herbert Jenkins edition titled Summer Lightning (19 July 1929) by 18 days. The US Fish Preferred has no dedication; the UK Summer Lightning adds a Wodehouse preface and a dedication to Denis Mackail. Both are this Blandings novel under differing titles.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. Original record had the precedence backwards. The US Fish Preferred (Doubleday, Doran, 1 July 1929) is the true first; the UK Summer Lightning (Herbert Jenkins, 19 July 1929) followed.

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

Differing US/UK titles: US as Fish Preferred, UK as Summer Lightning. No book-club issue noted for the first appearance.

I have a first edition of Summer Lightning — what should I do?

If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.

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