[First Edition] - Wodehouse - Code of the Woosters - 1938

FIRST EDITION: WODEHOUSE AND JEEVES’ IMPOSSIBLE ETHIC
This first edition of - The Code of the Woosters is one of the absolute peaks of twentieth-century English comic fiction and one of the most representative texts of the universe created by P. G. Wodehouse. Published in 1938, the novel definitively codifies the mythology of Bertie Wooster and his imperturbable valet Jeeves, transforming salon comedy into a self-sufficient narrative system. Under the apparent lightness, Wodehouse builds a true “ethic of controlled chaos,” where the English aristocracy survives thanks to the silent intelligence of the servants and to a language that is now pure style. This first edition represents a landmark in modern humorous literature.
MARKET VALUE
Early English editions of Wodehouse, especially pre-war ones, are consistently sought after on the international market. For a hardcover cloth copy like this, in good condition and correctly identified as first printing, the valuation generally sits between 200 and 500 euros, with higher prices for copies in particularly fresh condition or with the original dust jacket.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
First Edition - Publisher’s cloth binding in aquatic green, title and author impressed on the spine, with Herbert Jenkins emblem. Pages with some browning. As with all books with nearly a century of editorial history, minor imperfections not always described may be present. Pp. (2); 312; 8 nn; (2).

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
The Code of the Woosters.
London, Herbert Jenkins Limited, 1938.
P. G. Wodehouse.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
Published on the eve of the Second World War, The Code of the Woosters crystallizes a motionless, absurd, self-referential England, which will immediately become mythologized. Wodehouse refines here the narrative structure based on misunderstandings, minimal blackmail, and social rituals reduced to pure farce. The novel is not only an episode in the Wooster-Jeeves saga, but one of the texts that definitively fix the tone, pace, and lexicon of modern English humor, influencing generations of writers and screenwriters.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
P. G. Wodehouse (1881–1975) is regarded as one of the greatest comic writers in English literature. Creator of iconic characters such as Jeeves and Bertie Wooster, he published over ninety books across novels, short stories, and stage plays. His writing, based on a virtuoso use of language and on a timeless, abstract wit, has withstood historical contingencies, establishing itself as the ultimate stylistic model.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
The Code of the Woosters was first published in 1938 by Herbert Jenkins in London. The work immediately enjoyed wide distribution, with numerous reprints and subsequent American editions. The first English edition remains the most sought after, especially if identifiable as first printing, as in the case of this copy.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
McIlvaine, E. & Sherby, L., P. G. Wodehouse: A Comprehensive Bibliography, A66.
WorldCat, catalogues of the Jenkins 1938 editions.
Connolly, Joseph, Wodehouse and His World.
Catalogue of the British Library, entry Wodehouse, P. G.