Big Money
London, Herbert Jenkins Limited [for Angus and Robertson, Sydney], 1931 (first Australian edition).
Octavo, [iv], 322, [2] (blank, colophon) pages.
Tan cloth lettered and ruled in black; cloth very slightly flecked and rubbed; front board a little bowed; free endpapers tanned; unobtrusive corner crease to one leaf; an excellent copy.
The very scarce first Australian edition. The verso of the title page reads 'Wholly set up and printed in Australia by Halstead Printing Company Ltd., Allen Street, Waterloo | 1931 | Published by arrangement with Herbert Jenkins Limited, London'. A short piece in the Sydney 'Sun' for 27 February 1931 describes the publishing history. 'Experiments in publication of British novels in Australia have been made for some little time by Messrs. Angus and Robertson, and with the present high exchange, which is hitting the booksellers very hard indeed, there will be a new departure in Australian publishing next month. A new story by P.G. Wodehouse, "Big Money," will be published simultaneously with British and American editions'. Other contemporary articles confirm that the book was produced by Angus and Robertson, and that it was in circulation before the end of March 1931. The print run is not known but was likely modest, and Angus and Robertson appear not to have published any other of Wodehouse's books in a similar manner. Not in McIlvaine (but see A43b); not in Jasen.
Item #146703
Price (AUD):
$1,000.00