WODEHOUSE, P. G., & Herbert Westbrook.

£2,500 · Offered by Peter Harrington · No longer available

Not George Washington. First edition, second issue, of this rare early Wodehouse novel. It is from the library of James H. Heineman (1917-1994), "the world's foremost collector of Wodehouse memorabilia" (Plum Lines), and contributor to McIlvaine's bibliography. Heineman's bookplate is a delightful homage to Wodehouse, featuring a garland of references to the novels.Though unmarked as such, this copy later belonged to a relative of Wodehouse's biographer R. B. D. French. Largely autobiographical, and written in collaboration with Herbert Westbrook, the novel follows a budding writer who loans names to publish under. The theme is "carried to an interesting and amusing extreme, but it obviously had its origins in the actual experiences of the two authors" (Jasen, p. 41).There were three issues, all of which are uncommon. The second issue still has eight rings on the front cover, but the spine imprint now reads "Cassell" rather than "Cassell & Company Limited", and the date code is omitted on pages 96-7.

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