21. Three Men on Wheels

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  1. *Three Men on Wheels. New York, Dodd, Mead and Company, 1900.

    ?4 18 2-198. Pp. i-vi vii-viii 1-299 300-304. [Final leaf serves as endpaper].
    Contents: i half-title: Three Men on Wheels; ii blank; iii title; iv Copyright, 1899, by Jerome K. Jerome, in the / Saturday Evening Post as “Three Men on Four / Wheels”; Copyright, 1900, by Jerome K. Jerome / [short rule] / UNIVERSITY PRESS · JOHN WILSON / AND SON · CAMBRIDGE, U. S. A.; v Contents …[VII. HARRIS GOES SHOPPING]; vi blank; vii-viii Illustrations;1-299 text; 300-304 blank.
    The list of illustrations includes 24 text illustrations, frontispiece and 15 plates; illustrations on p. 263 & p. 271 are not listed.
    On p. 133, chapter VII title is HARRIS GOES SHOPPING and the chapter’s running titles are Harris Goes Shopping.
    Printed on stout wove paper, size 188 x 123mm.
    *Light green cloth, lettered in black on front; gilt lettered on spine: THREE / MEN / ON / WHEELS / JEROME / K. / JEROME / DODD, MEAD / & COMPANY
    Previously serialized as “Three Men on Four Wheels” in Saturday Evening Post, January 6-April 7, 1900 (though announced some weeks earlier as “Three Men on a Bicycle”).
    Chapter III ends on line 6 of p. 60. This is the first impression of the American first edition, published in the first week of May, 1900, in which the typesetter must have omitted two or three pages, leaving the text of the chapter incomplete.
    Listed in Publisher’s Weekly 1476, 12 May 1900; American Catalog 1900-1905, $1.50; reviewed in New York Times, 26 May 1900, 342.
    Copies seen: FR; APR (3); Library of Congress – copyright deposit copy inscribed April 6, 1900 on title-page verso; Boston Athenaeum Library.

  2. Three Men on Wheels. Toronto, The Copp, Clark Company, Limited, 1900
    ?4 18 2-198. Pp. i-vi vii-viii 1-299 300-304.
    Contents: i half-title: Three Men on Wheels; ii blank; iii title; iv Entered according to Act of the Parliament of Canada, / in the year one thousand nine hundred, by JEROME / K. JEROME, in the Office of the Minister of Agriculture.; v Contents…[VII. HARRIS GOES SHOPPING]; vi dedication; vii-viii Illustrations; 1-299 text; 300-304 blank.
    The list of illustrations includes 24 text illustrations, frontispiece and 15 plates; illustrations on p. 263 & p. 271 are not listed.
    On p. 133, chapter VII title is HARRIS GOES SHOPPING and the chapter’s running titles are Harris Goes Shoppin’.
    Printed on coated wove paper, size 189 x 130mm.
    Uses the plates of the Dodd, Mead first impression, with substitution of Copp, Clark as publisher on the title-page, and Canadian copyright statement on title-page verso.
    Dark green cloth. Front lettered as Dodd, Mead first impression; spine: THREE / MEN / ON / WHEELS / JEROME / K. / JEROME / THE / COPP ?CLARK?CO / LIMITED
    Copies seen: FR.
  3. Three Men on Wheels. New York, Dodd, Mead and Company, 1900.
    ?6 18 2-198. Pp. [2], i-vi, vii-viii, 1-301 302-4.
    Contents: [1] half-title: Three Men on Wheels; [2] blank; i title; ii Copyright, 1899, by Jerome K. Jerome, in the / Saturday Evening Post as “Three Men on Four / Wheels”; Copyright, 1900, by Jerome K. Jerome / [short rule] / UNIVERSITY PRESS · JOHN WILSON / AND SON · CAMBRIDGE, U. S. A.; iii dedication; iv blank; v Contents … [VII. GEORGE GOES SHOPPING]; vi blank; vii-viii Illustration’; 1-301 text; 302-4 blank.
    The illustrations after p. 60 are now shown two pages later than in first issue, and the illustrations now on p. 265 and p. 273 are listed, for a total of 26.
    On p. 135, chapter VII title is GEORGE GOES SHOPPING and the chapter’s running titles are George Goes Shopping.
    Printed on stout wove paper, size 188 x 123mm.
    Light green cloth, lettered in black on front; gilt lettered on spine: THREE / MEN / ON / WHEELS / JEROME / K. / JEROME / DODD, MEAD / & COMPANY
    The text of Chapter III is now complete to the end of p. 62, but here differs from that of Three Men on the Bummel, which is otherwise identical. Nor does it resemble the slightly abbreviated version serialized in the Saturday Evening Post. The text omitted by the typesetter of the first Dodd, Mead impression has been replaced by a version presumably written by someone other than Jerome. The new text is not consistent with the chronology of the story. In the original, George proposes getting to London early on Wednesday morning and spending an hour or two shopping with a German-English phrase book, because their boat does not leave Tilbury until noon; in this version, he states that their boat does not leave Harwich until Thursday evening, and proposes spending the time from Wednesday morning until then ‘doing’ London. But in Chapter IV they follow the original Wednesday schedule, leaving Tilbury at noon on Wednesday.
    Copies seen: FR; APR.
    A number of dated reprints exist.
  4. Three Men on Wheels. New York, Grosset & Dunlap.
    Unsigned, 1-208. Pp. [2] i-vi vii-viii 1-301 302 [8]. Obsolete signatures are on 6th leaf of the 2nd to 20th gatherings.
    Contents: [2] blank; i title; ii Copyright, 1899, by Jerome K. Jerome, in the / Saturday Evening Post as “Three Men on Four / Wheels”; Copyright, 1900, by Jerome K. Jerome; iii dedication; iv blank; v Contents… [VII. GEORGE GOES SHOPPING]; vi blank; vii-viii Illustrations; 1-301 text; 302 blank; [1-8] advertisements for Grosset & Dunlap publications (original publication dates ranging from 1896-1901).
    The 26 text illustrations are as in the Dodd, Mead 2nd impression; though listed on vii-viii, the frontispiece and plates are lacking. Chapter VII title and chapter’s running titles as the Dodd, Mead 2nd impression.
    Printed on stout wove paper, text, size 188 x 125mm.
    Uses the plates of the Dodd, Mead 2nd impression, with substitution of a new title-page, and addition of advertisements.
    Light grey cloth, lettered in dark blue on front and spine.
    Copies seen: FR; APR (1902).
  5. Three Men on Wheels. New York, New Amsterdam Book Company, 1902.
    Unsigned, 1-208. Pp. [8] 1-301 302 [10]. (Red Letter Series).
    Contents: [1] half-title: Three Men on Wheels; [2] blank; [3] title; [4] Copyright, 1899, by Jerome K. Jerome, in the / Saturday Evening Post as “Three Men on Four / Wheels”; Copyright, 1900, by Jerome K. Jerome; [5] dedication; [6] blank; [7] Contents… [VII. GEORGE GOES SHOPPING]; [8] blank; 1-301 text; 302 blank; [1-10] advertisements for New Amsterdam Book Company Publications.
    The 26 text illustrations are as in the Dodd, Mead 2nd impression; there is a frontispiece and 7 plates, for a total of 34 illustrations.
    Chapter VII title and chapter’s running titles as in the Dodd, Mead 2nd impression.
    Printed on stout wove paper, size 184 x 126mm
    Uses the plates of the Dodd, Mead 2nd impression, with substitution of a new title-page similar to that of Grosset & Dunlap edition, omission of list of illustrations, and addition of advertisements.
    Red paper cover, lettered in black on spine. The back cover lists, in reverse order, nos. 1-36 of the Red Letter Series
    Listed in United States Catalog, 1902-5, 50¢.
    Copies seen: FR; University of Miami Library (copy in Grosset & Dunlap binding, as above).
    . Also issued as no. 32 of the Favorite Fiction Library, price 75¢.
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