WODEHOUSE, P. G. (1881-1975). Louder and Funnier. London: Faber and Faber, 1932.

First edition in Whistler's triumphant dust-jacket. The dust-jacket by Whistler depicts a green and pink printed bust of Wodehouse, his head crowned with a laurel wreath, a laugh plastered across his face: a modern-day grinning Caesar. The majority of the essays that form this collection first appeared in Vanity Fair. McIlvaine notes that there has been some dispute of what constitutes a first issue binding, noting ‘gold-lettering on spine…David Jasen and Charles Gould do not agree and call for blue-green lettering on spine; Barry Phelps states it is a silver metallic lettering which often turns blue-green’. McIlvaine A45a.

Octavo. Original orange-yellow cloth, spine lettered in blue-green (edges very lightly rubbed, head/and tailcap lightly bruised); original dust-jacket with illustrations by Rex Whistler, with corner’s clipped as issued (spine and top edge very lightly sunned, very small tears and knicks to edges).