French Leave

London: Herbert Jenkins, 1956 [1955]. 8vo, pp. 206. Original red boards, lettered in black to spine. Publisher's device in black to rear panel. Illustrated dustwrapper by Sax. A fine, unread copy in a near fine dustwrapper with a little edgewear, most noticeably along the top edge of the front panel. First edition. '[French Leave is] a poor book. Mr. Wodehouse has slipped up... in making [his hero] an author scrawling away in a garret. That convention has gone out. Starving authors aren't romantic figures anymore; they just stand in line with all the other floperoos.... Sooner or later the record will have to be taken off.' John Wain, The Observer. 'John Wain, reviewing a book of mine the other day in which one of the characters was an impecunious author living in dingy lodgings, said that this was quite out of date. Nowadays, he said, impecunious authors do not live in dingy lodgings. Where they do live, I have not ascertained -- presumably in Park Lane -- though as to how they pay the rent I remain vague. Still, thanks, John. A useful tip, if I ever do another impecunious author.' P.G. Wodehouse, Over Seventy. McIlvaine A78a