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First-Edition Identification · P.G. Wodehouse

Is My The Inimitable Jeeves a First Edition?

Herbert Jenkins, 1923

The points of issue

First published by Herbert Jenkins in London on 17 May 1923; the US edition followed from George H. Doran on 28 September 1923 under the shortened title Jeeves. A major early Jeeves and Wooster collection.

Decode the printer’s key: paste the number line into the decoder.

Is this the true first?

The UK Jenkins printing is the true first edition; the US Doran issue, titled simply Jeeves, is later in the same year.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

US and UK first editions carry different titles; later book-club reprints exist and are not the first.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Inimitable Jeeves a first edition?

Look for these first-edition points: First published by Herbert Jenkins in London on 17 May 1923; the US edition followed from George H. Doran on 28 September 1923 under the shortened title Jeeves. A major early Jeeves and Wooster collection.

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. The UK Jenkins printing is the true first edition; the US Doran issue, titled simply Jeeves, is later in the same year.

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

US and UK first editions carry different titles; later book-club reprints exist and are not the first.

I have a first edition of The Inimitable Jeeves — 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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