# Is "The Gold Bat" by P.G. Wodehouse a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Gold Bat by P.G. Wodehouse (Adam & Charles Black, 1904) is identified by: First UK edition, first printing, published 13 September 1904. UK A & C Black is the true first; no separate earlier US edition precedes it.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First UK edition, first printing, published 13 September 1904
- Wodehouse school story (Wrykyn), the author's third book, with illustrations by T. M. R. Whitwell
- First issue carries the two-page terminal advertisements at the rear; original red pictorial cloth lettered in black, blue and yellow
- Catalogued McIlvaine A4a
- Publisher imprint reads Adam & Charles Black
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | P.G. Wodehouse |
| Publisher | Adam & Charles Black |
| Year | 1904 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First UK edition, first printing, published 13 September 1904 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First UK edition, first printing, published 13 September 1904. Wodehouse school story (Wrykyn), the author's third book, with illustrations by T. M. R. Whitwell. First issue carries the two-page terminal advertisements at the rear; original red pictorial cloth lettered in black, blue and yellow. Catalogued McIlvaine A4a.

## Is this the true first?
UK A & C Black is the true first; no separate earlier US edition precedes it.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Gold Bat* by P.G. Wodehouse a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-gold-bat
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.