"The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them."
— Mark Twain
P. G. Wodehouse (Pelham Grenville Wodehouse) | First Editions
1881 - 1975
Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, KBE (15 October 1881 – 14 February 1975) was an English author, and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. His early novels were mostly school stories, but he later switched to comic fiction, creating several regular characters who have become embedded in the consciousness of generations growing up in the earlier part of the 20th century. They include: the feather-brained Bertie Wooster and his sagacious valet, Jeeves; the immaculate and loquacious Psmith; Lord Emsworth and the Blandings Castle set; the Oldest Member, with stories about golf; and Mr Mulliner. Wodehouse worked extensively on his books, sometimes having two or more on the go simultaneously. He would take up to two years to build a plot and write a scenario of about thirty thousand words. After the scenario was complete, he would write the story. Early in his career, Wodehouse could produce a novel in about three months, but in old age his production slowed to around six months.
During and after the First World War, together with Guy Bolton and Jerome Kern, Wodehouse wrote a series of Broadway musical comedies. These were an important part of the development of the American musical, and show Wodehouse to be a rather multi-talented fellow.
See below our stock of P. G. Wodehouse First Editions, fine bindings, sets and other collectible material.
The Cecil Aldin Book.
London: Eyre and Spottiswoode, no date [1932]. [Illustrated Miscellany] FIRST EDITION. Small quarto (25 x 19cm), pp.193; [1]. With eight plates in colour, seven half-tone plates, and 95 black and white drawings. Publisher's oatmeal cloth with orange title labels to spine and upper board. Quite heavy spotting to first and..... More
The Play's the Thing.
New York, NY: Brentano's, 1927. [Hungarian Drama] FIRST EDITION IN ENGLISH. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.[8] 139 [1]. Publisher's brown cloth with titles blocked with designs in blue and green to spine and upper board. Fore-edge untrimmed. With the green dust-jacket titled in a darker green. Lightly browned throughout. Dust-jacket..... More
!["Q.Q." Detective Stories [in] The Strand Magazine. Volumes 68 and 69, numbers 405 to 408, and...](/pictures/thumb/51492.jpg?v=1530544479)
"Q.Q." Detective Stories [in] The Strand Magazine. Volumes 68 and 69, numbers 405 to 408, and 412 to 413.
London: George Newnes, September 1924 to May 1925. [Literary Magazine] FIRST APPEARANCES. Six parts in their original colour illustrated paper covers. Octavo (25 x 17cm). Presented in a navy blue quarter morocco clamshell box, with gilt titles to spine, raised bands and a fleece lining. Wear and small losses to..... More
The Strand Magazine: My Sword For Lafayette, The Lost Bowlers, etc.
London: George Newnes, March-November 1905. Nine magazines, in clamshell box (29 x 20 x 13cm). Small tear to the rear cover of the June issue, else a particularly clean set. Very good. This run includes the complete serial of Pemberton's historical novel plus stand-alone stories by Richard Marsh, P.G.Wodehouse and..... More
![Sergeant Sir Peter's Cases [and] Jeeves and the Spot of Art [and] Jeeves and the Kid Clementia...](/pictures/thumb/51463.jpg?v=1535556522)
Sergeant Sir Peter's Cases [and] Jeeves and the Spot of Art [and] Jeeves and the Kid Clementia [and] Jeeves and the Old School Chum [and] Indian Summer of an Uncle [and] Tuppy Changes His Mind [and] Gala Night [in] The Strand Magazine.
London: George Newnes, December 1929 to June 1930. [Literary Magazine] FIRST APPEARANCES. Seven parts in their original colour illustrated paper covers. Octavo (25 x 17cm). Presented in a quarter black morocco clamshell box, with gilt titles to spine, raised bands and a fleece lining. Some rubbing and small losses to..... More
![The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire [and] The Exit of Battling Billson [in] The Strand Magazine....](/pictures/thumb/55880.jpg?v=1583938622)
The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire [and] The Exit of Battling Billson [in] The Strand Magazine. Volume LXVII.
London: George Newnes, January 1924. [Literary Magazine] FIRST APPEARANCES. Octavo magazine (25 x 17cm), pp.48; 106; 49-62. With black and white illustrations throughout. Publisher's colour printed wrappers. Presented in a light blue 'Strand Magazine' slipcase. Some tears to front cover and first leaf. Heavy rubbing to edges, with loss to..... More
Bachelors Anonymous.
London: Barrie and Jenkins, 1973. [Classic Humour] FIRST EDITION. Crown octavo (19 x 13cm). Pp.191; [1], blank. Publisher's green cloth titled in gilt to spine in an amusing pictorial dust-jacket designed by Osbert Lancaster. Edges dusty/toned. A very good copy in a fine wrapper with usual laminate shrinkage. More
Lord Emsworth And Others.
London: Herbert Jenkins Limited, 1937. [Humour] FIRST EDITION. Octavo, (19 x 13cm), pp.312; [8], advertisements and reviews. Red half morocco over original red cloth sides titled in black, gilt-lettered to spine, raised bands. Contents clean, covers a little marked. A near fine copy in an attractive recent binding. Wodehouse comedy..... More
The Swoop! Or, How Clarence Saved England.
London: Alston Rivers, 1909. [Satire/humour] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (17 x 12cm). Pp. 122; [6], advertisements. With illustrations. In an elegant vintage binding of quarter native red morocco over patterned paper covered sides, leather-tipped corners, gilt titles and decoration to spine, original colour-printed wraps bound in, marbled endpapers. A lovely fine..... More
Methuen's Library of Humour: P.G. Wodehouse.
London: Methuen and Co., 1934. [Humour Anthology] FIRST EDITION THUS. Octavo (17 x 12cm), pp.vi; 153 [1]. Publisher's brown cloth with gilt titles to spine and blind stamp to upper board. With the illustrated dust-jacket, priced at 2/6. Some dustiness top top edge. Marginally short jacket toned to spine with..... More
Bring on the Girls! The Improbable Story of Our Life in Musical Comedy, with Pictures to Prove It.
New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, 1953. [Biography] INSCRIBED FIRST EDITION. Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.[24] 278 [2]. With a section of black and white photographs preceding the main text. Inscribed "To Lawrence and Armina, | with fond greetings | from | Guy, | To which is added | a...... More
Something New.
New York, NY: D. Appleton and Company, 1915. [Classic Humour] FIRST US EDITION. Octavo (20 x 13cm), pp.[6]; 347; [3]. With four photogravure plates after F.R. Gruger, including a frontispiece. Publisher's red cloth with gilt titles to spine and upper board, green and gilt scarab devices to upper board. Textblock..... More
America, I like you.
New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, 1956. [Autobiography] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (21 x 15cm), pp.[8] 212 [4]. With occasional vignette illustrations by Marc Simont. Publisher's cream cloth with red titles to spine. Blue paper over board, with titles in red and blue. Top edge red, others untrimmed. With the cream..... More
![Jeeves and the impending Doom [within] The London Omnibus. Introduction by Carl Van Doren. P. G....](/pictures/thumb/54730.jpg?v=1568109519)
Jeeves and the impending Doom [within] The London Omnibus. Introduction by Carl Van Doren.
New York, NY: Doubleday Doran and Company, Inc., 1932. [Classic Humour] FIRST ANTHOLOGY EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm). Publisher's pale green cloth blocked in dark green, pictorial dust-wrapper priced at $2.50. Jacket just a touch dusty and marginally sunned to spine else a particularly fine copy which appears to be..... More
Mike.
London: Adam and Charles Black, 1909. FIRST EDITION. Octavo, pp.ix; [3]; 339; [1]. Publisher's pictorial green cloth. With 12 full page plates by Whitwell. With a clipped early Wodehouse signature loosely inserted. Endpapers slightly browned. Five of the plates have minimal paper restoration to margins. Text-block is good and bright..... More
The Adventures of Sally.
London: Herbert Jenkins, 1923. FIRST EDITION. Crown octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.312, [8], advertisements, this issue/printing with 12 books list on back of half-title. Elegantly hand-bound in half deep red oasis morocco over original pictorial cloth sides, spine gilt-lettered in six compartments with raised bands. Some occasional foxing, exterior is..... More
Big Money.
New York, NY: George H. Doran Company, 1931. [Humour] FIRST US EDITION, early issue with 'Ganville' for 'Grenville' on copyright page, title appears to be a cancel, in 1932 [A.L. Burt] dust-wrapper. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.[vi] 316. Publisher's orange cloth blocked in black, 'Doubleday Doran' imprint on spine, top..... More
Bill the Conqueror. His Invasion of England in the Springtime.
New York: George H. Doran Company, 1925. [Humour] FIRST US EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.323; [1], blank. Publisher's yellow cloth, titled in green to spine and upper board, decorative border to upper board. Pictorial dust-jacket with a image McIlvaine believed to be drawn by May Wilson Preston, printed price..... More
Bill the Conqueror. His Invasion of England in the Springtime.
London: Methuen and Co. Ltd., 1950. [Modern fiction] ATTRACTIVE REPRINT. sEVENTEENTH EDITION. Octavo (20 x 13cm), pp.[viii]; 312; [I], blank. Publisher's orange cloth in pictorial dust-jacket, title in black on spine, dust-jacket designed by Frank Marston, priced at 6/- Net. Internally clean, minor staining to edges of textblock, a little..... More
Bill the Conqueror. His Invasion of England in the Springtime.
New York, NY: George H. Doran Company, 1924. [Classic Humour] FIRST US EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.323; [1]. Publisher's orange cloth with green titles to spine and upper board. With the illustrated dust-jacket, priced at $2. Old repair to rear hinge, textblock toned. Jacket toned with chips and closed..... More
The Clicking of Cuthbert.
London: Herbert Jenkins Limited, 1922. [Humour] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.[x]; 11-256. Attractively bound in half green oasis morocco over publisher's illustrated green clothcovers. Contents clean, exterior unmarked. A fine copy. One of Plum's popular golfing capers. More
Cocktail Time.
London: Herbert Jenkins, 1958. FIRST EDITION. Crown octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.222, [2], advertisements. Elegantly hand-bound in half red oasis morocco over cloth sides, spine gilt-lettered in six compartments with raised bands. Generally clean within. Light bumping and a scratch. Near-fine. A classic Wodehouse comedy featuring the energetic and mischievous..... More
Cocktail Time.
London: Herbert Jenkins, 1958. [Modern literature] FIRST EDITION. Crown octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.222, [2], advertisements. Publisher's blue cloth lettered in gilt. Contents clean, spine sunned. A near fine copy without jacket. A classic Wodehouse comedy featuring the energetic and mischievous old series character 'Uncle Fred'. McIlvaine A81a... More
The Code of the Woosters.
London: Herbert Jenkins, 1938. [Jeeves and Wooster] FIRST EDITION. Octavo, pp.312; [8 of advertisments]. Publisher's green cloth blocked in black to spine and boards, top edge tinted green, in pictorial dust-jacket designed by Fenwick, priced 7'6 on spine. Some spotting to edges, top edge tint not faded, faint thumb marks..... More
The Code of the Woosters.
London: Herbert Jenkins, 1938. [Jeeves and Wooster] FIRST EDITION. Octavo(19 x 13cm), pp.312; [8], advertisments. Publisher's green cloth blocked in black to spine and boards, top edge tinted green, in pictorial dust-jacket designed by Fenwick, priced 7/6 on spine. Bookblock and covers clean, jacket with several chips and tears, some..... More