Laughing Gas - P. G. Wodehouse 1936 - Herbert Jenkins, London - First Edition, in second issue dust jacket A near fine copy of this first edition pre-war Wodehouse, in the scarce dust jacket designed by Abbey.

When Reggie becomes the third Earl of Havershot, his first enterprise is nearly his last.

His cousin Egremont, a dedicated souse and black sheep, has escaped to Hollywood and is enthusiastically getting ready to damage the family name still further. Hot on his tail, Reggie is about to talk sense into him, but an agonizing toothache drives Reggie to the dentist instead. Something very strange happens when he finds himself face to swollen face with child star Joey Cooley. Under the influence of laughing gas, a cosmic transfer takes place, leaving Reggie's mind in Joey's body and vice versa. And the world looks very different through Joey's eyes.
  First published in UK: September 25 1936 by Herbert Jenkins, London
First published in US: December 4 1936 by Doubleday Doran, Garden City, New York

Laughing Gas was serialised as a novelette in This Week (formerly the New York Herald Tribune) from 24 March to 28 April 1935 and in Pearson's magazine (UK) between August and October 1935. The book version is considerably longer than the original.

References: The Russian Wodehouse Society. Madame Eulalie. McIlvaine A56a.

Octavo (book size 18.9x13cm), pp. 311 [1] [8 (publisher’s ads)]. In publisher’s plum coloured cloth, spine and front panel lettered in black, publisher’s name and logo in black to rear panel. in second issue dust jacket priced at 2/6 (first issue was priced at 7/6), and listing
Lord Emsworth and Others on front flap (published March 1937).
  Condition: Near fine, a mere hint of fading to spine, light foxing to fore-edge of first and last few pages, in very good dust jacket without restoration, spine faded, 3mm loss to head of spine, wear to corners, small amount of archival tape re-inforcement to verso.   Ref: 106802   Price: HK$ 4,500