WODEHOUSE, P.G. Uncle Fred in the Springtime.

Porcine Plot at Blandings

WODEHOUSE, P.G. Uncle Fred in the Springtime. London: Herbert Jenkins Limited. 1939.

8vo. Publisher’s dark red cloth, lettered in gilt to spine, publisher’s device blind stamped to lower board, illustrated dust-jacket by ‘Fenwick’ priced at 7/6 to spine, top-edge red; pp. 311, [5]; wear to dust-jacket leading to some loss of jacket to foot of spine (c. 25 x 60 mm) extending to rear panel, small portion of top end of spine of dust-jacket detached; closed tear to rear panel (c. 50 mm) a little toned with a small stain to rear panel, red top-edge a little faded, a few spots to fore-edge; light offsetting to endpapers, but otherwise internally clean; very good.

First UK edition, first printing, the fifth full-length novel in Wodehouse’s Blandings Castle series.

Lord Emsworth is desperate to protect his prize-winning pig, the Empress of Blandings, from the slimming plans of the Duke of Dunstable. To keep her safe, Emsworth calls upon Uncle Fred to come to Blandings Castle and secretly ‘steal’ the pig to keep her safe. Meanwhile, Pongo, Fred’s nephew, is sinking deeper into gambling debt, while Horace Davenport finds himself in trouble with his fiancée. Luckily for both, Uncle Fred’s charming chaos arrives just in time to turn their fortunes around.

The story was first serialised in America in The Saturday Evening Post from 22 April to 27 May 1939, and was illustrated by James Williamson. It was not serialised in the UK. It was first published in book form in the US on 18 August 1939, and the UK edition followed seven days later on 25 August.

Mcllvaine A6lb.

SKU: 2126288