# Is "The Intrusion of Jimmy" by P.G. Wodehouse a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Intrusion of Jimmy by P.G. Wodehouse (W.J. Watt, 1910) is identified by: Watt & Co., New York, published 11 May 1910, precedes the UK edition. The US edition as The Intrusion of Jimmy is the true first; the UK appeared months later under the different title A Gentleman of Leisure.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US W.J. Watt & Co., New York, published 11 May 1910, precedes the UK edition
- About 314 pages; bound in black cloth with gilt lettering to the front and spine and a pictorial front-panel design of a woman lit by a flashlight flanked by a man's silhouette
- Issued with a colour frontispiece under tissue guard plus interior black-and-white plates (illustrations by Will Grefe)
- The copyright page reads 'Copyright, 1910, by W. J. Watt & Company / Published May.' The UK issue appeared under a different title as A Gentleman of Leisure (Alston Rivers, London, 15 November 1910)
- Publisher imprint reads W.J. Watt
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | P.G. Wodehouse |
| Publisher | W.J. Watt |
| Year | 1910 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US W.J. Watt & Co., New York, published 11 May 1910, precedes the UK edition |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
US W.J. Watt & Co., New York, published 11 May 1910, precedes the UK edition. About 314 pages; bound in black cloth with gilt lettering to the front and spine and a pictorial front-panel design of a woman lit by a flashlight flanked by a man's silhouette. Issued with a colour frontispiece under tissue guard plus interior black-and-white plates (illustrations by Will Grefe). The copyright page reads 'Copyright, 1910, by W. J. Watt & Company / Published May.' The UK issue appeared under a different title as A Gentleman of Leisure (Alston Rivers, London, 15 November 1910).

## Is this the true first?
The US edition as The Intrusion of Jimmy is the true first; the UK appeared months later under the different title A Gentleman of Leisure. A precursor novella, The Gem Collector, ran in Ainslee's Magazine in December 1909, and the novel was serialised in Tit-Bits (UK) in 1910 before UK book publication.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Differing titles US versus UK; no book-club issue of note.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Intrusion of Jimmy* by P.G. Wodehouse a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-intrusion-of-jimmy
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.