"Hungry man, reach for the book: it is a weapon. "
— Bertolt Brecht
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
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
The Uncollected Wodehouse.
New York, NY: a Continuum Book, the Seabury Press, 1976. [Classic Humour] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.xiv; 212; [2]. Publisher's blue cloth, silver titles to spine, dust-jacket designed by Donya Melanson Associates with printed price of $8.95. Cloth lightly handled, some toning and rubbing to wrapper edges. Near..... 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 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
contributes to...'Twenty Five Cricket Stories'. i) Tom, Dick and Harry, ii) The Wire-Pullers, iii) The Lost Bowlers and iv) How Pillingshoot Scored.
George Newnes Ltd., London, n.d. [1909]. FIRST (AND ONLY) EDITION, possibly withdrawn. Contains four Wodehouse stories, three of which are published for the first time in book form (How Pillingshoot Scored had already appeared in Tales of St.Austins, 1903). These Newnes-period Wodehouse stories were collected in this particularly scarce omnibus..... More
Do Butlers Burgle Banks?
London: Herbert Jenkins, 1968. [Humour] FIRST EDITION INSCRIBED BY ETHEL WODEHOUSE. Octavo (21 x 14cm), pp. 189; [3] blank. Publisher's green cloth titled in silver to spine, pictorial dust-jacket designed by Osbert Lancaster, priced at 21s. Inscribed by Ethel Wodehouse to flyleaf. Spotting to edges, a few corners folded to..... More
Eggs, Beans and Crumpets.
New York, NY: Doubleday, Doran and Company, 1940. [Classic Humour] FIRST US EDITION. Octavo (21 x 15cm), pp.[8] 312. Publisher's green cloth with blue titles and illustration to spine. Top edge yellow, others untrimmed. With the colour-illustrated dust-jacket. Endpapers browned. Some spotting to cloth. Jacket sunned and rubbed to spine..... More
Enter Psmith.
New York, NY: The Macmillan Company, no date [1935]. [Classic Humour] FIRST US EDITION. Using the British sheets. Octavo (19 x 14cm), pp.viii; 247; [1]. Publisher's orange cloth with black titles to spine, pictorial dust-jacket illustrated by Anderson. Reading lean, textblock browned. Jacket with some rubbing to edges, and chips..... More
Fish Preferred.
New York, NY: A.L. Burt Company, no date [circa 1929]. [Classic Humour] EARLY EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.[6]; 326; [2]. Publisher's brown cloth with yellow titles to spine and upper board. With the dust-jacket illustrated in colour by 'Gaul'. Reading lean. Lightly browned throughout. Some rubbing to spine joints..... More