How to Identify a Herbert Jenkins First Edition

How to identify a first printing

• The identification method depends on the era, because Jenkins changed practice around 1929-1930. This is the single most important point: do not apply one rule to all Jenkins books.
• For roughly 1930 onward (which covers most collected Wodehouse titles): a first edition/first printing IS positively stated on the copyright page (verso of the title leaf) as 'First printing' or 'First edition.' A true first shows that statement with NO later-impression lines added. Any 'Second impression,' 'Reprinted,' 'Third printing,' etc. means it is not a first printing. Examples that carry the stated 'First printing': Right Ho, Jeeves (1934), Blandings Castle and Elsewhere (1935), Quick Service (1940), Eggs, Beans and Crumpets (1940), Barmy in Wonderland (1952).
• For pre-1929 Jenkins titles (no printing statement was used yet): match the title-page date to the last date on the copyright page for a first, and use the count of other titles advertised on the verso of the half-title as the first-issue point (e.g. The Clicking of Cuthbert 1922 = eight titles; The Adventures of Sally 1923 = nine titles; The Inimitable Jeeves 1923 first issue = ten titles). These counts come from the standard bibliography and distinguish first issues from later states.
• Jenkins did NOT use a printer's number line (the descending 10 9 8... string). Number lines are a later, largely American convention; their absence is normal for Jenkins and is not itself evidence of a first.
• Cross-check against McIlvaine (Eileen McIlvaine, Sherby & Heineman, 'P. G. Wodehouse: A Comprehensive Bibliography and Checklist,' 1990) — the internationally accepted standard for Wodehouse/Jenkins firsts. Dealers cite McIlvaine 'A' numbers for the first issue and its collation gives the exact first-issue points (binding, verso title counts, jacket) for each title. Jasen's 1970 'Bibliography and Reader's Guide' is a useful secondary reference but is less detailed and omits dust jackets.
• The publisher device is the winged-horse (Pegasus) 'A Herbert Jenkins' Book' colophon; the title-page imprint reads 'Herbert Jenkins Limited, London.' Confirm dust-jacket first-issue points where the bibliography specifies them (correct original jacket artist/design; jackets on several Jenkins/Wodehouse titles are by artists such as Abbey), but treat the jacket as corroborating only — later impressions were frequently issued in the same jacket art, so verify the copyright-page printing statement or verso title-count in the book block itself.

Notable points & cautions

• Biggest single trap: Jenkins reused the same jacket art across impressions, so a common later printing in a first-style jacket is often mistaken (or sold) as a first. Always verify the printing statement (1930s+) or the verso title-count (1920s) in the book, not just the wrapper.
• Era-dependent rule: applying the 'stated First printing' test to a pre-1929 Jenkins book, or the 'count the verso titles' test to a 1940s book, will give wrong answers. Identify the title's publication year first, then use the matching method.
• For Wodehouse specifically, the US first edition (Doubleday, Little Brown, etc.) sometimes preceded the Jenkins UK edition; establish which national edition is the true first for that title before calling the Jenkins printing 'the first edition.'
• Post-1964 printings under Barrie & Jenkins are later reissues, not the Herbert Jenkins first-edition imprint; read the imprint name and date together.

Imprints

First editions also appear under: Herbert Jenkins Limited, Herbert Jenkins Ltd., Herbert Jenkins Ltd, A Herbert Jenkins' Book, Barrie & Jenkins (post-1964 successor imprint). Each generally follows the house convention above.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if my Herbert Jenkins book is a first edition?

Check the copyright page. The identification method depends on the era, because Jenkins changed practice around 1929-1930. This is the single most important point: do not apply one rule to all Jenkins books. For roughly 1930 onward (which covers most collected Wodehouse titles): a first edition/first printing IS positively stated on the copyright page (verso of the title leaf) as 'First printing' or 'First edition.' A true first shows that statement with NO later-impression lines added. Any 'Second impression,' 'Reprinted,' 'Third printing,' etc. means it is not a first printing. Examples that carry the stated 'First printing': Right Ho, Jeeves (1934), Blandings Castle and Elsewhere (1935), Quick Service (1940), Eggs, Beans and Crumpets (1940), Barmy in Wonderland (1952).

Does Herbert Jenkins use a number line?

For roughly 1930 onward (which covers most collected Wodehouse titles): a first edition/first printing IS positively stated on the copyright page (verso of the title leaf) as 'First printing' or 'First edition.' A true first shows that statement with NO later-impression lines added. Any 'Second impression,' 'Reprinted,' 'Third printing,' etc. means it is not a first printing. Examples that carry the stated 'First printing': Right Ho, Jeeves (1934), Blandings Castle and Elsewhere (1935), Quick Service (1940), Eggs, Beans and Crumpets (1940), Barmy in Wonderland (1952).

Is a book-club edition a Herbert Jenkins first edition?

No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. Biggest single trap: Jenkins reused the same jacket art across impressions, so a common later printing in a first-style jacket is often mistaken (or sold) as a first. Always verify the printing statement (1930s+) or the verso title-count (1920s) in the book, not just the wrapper.

What era does this cover?

This covers Herbert Jenkins (founded 1912; independent through 1963; merged 1964 with Barrie & Rockliff to form Barrie & Jenkins). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.