The Works

COMPLETE BIOGRAPHY

Compiled by Jeremy Nicholas, with acknowledgements to Joseph Connolly’s Jerome K Jerome – A Critical Biography (Orbis Publishing, London, 1982) and with thanks to Frank Rodgers

1. Chronological first editions by category
2. Complete works by date
3. Complete works in alphabetical order with contents
4. Essays and Short Story collections
5. Contributions to The Idler

SECTION 1: Novels, Collections of Short Stories, Essays and Sketches, Plays, Autobiography, and Miscellaneous works in order of publication

TITLE	PUBLISHER	DATE	DESCRIPTION of 1st Edition

NOVELS
Three Men in a Boat	Arrowsmith	1889	Blue-green cloth, front cover has silhouette and black lettering, spine is lettered in gold
The Diary of a Pilgrimage	Arrowsmith	1891	Buff cloth, black lettering
Novel Notes	Leadenhall Press	1893	Mustard cloth with JKJ monogram
Three Men on the Bummel	Arrowsmith	1900	Red cloth with pink decoration, gold letters on spine
- Three Men on Wheels	Dodd, Mead & Co	1900	American title of "Three Men on the Bummel" published in light green, brown/black silhouette on cover, gold lettering on spine
Paul Kelver	Hutchinson	1902	Navy blue, cover has gold rectangular lozenge
Tommy and Co	Hutchinson	1904	Royal blue cloth bordered in white, lettered in gold
They and I	Hutchinson	1909	Red cloth, front and spine lettered in gold
All Roads Lead to Calvary	Hutchinson	1919	Red cloth, lettered black on spine only
Anthony John	Cassell	1923	Tan cloth, black lettering on front and spine

COLLECTIONS OF SHORT STORIES

Told After Supper	Leadenhall Press	1891	Bright-red cloth, printed on pale blue paper
John Ingerfield and Other Stories	McClure & Co	1894	6½”x4” in mid-green cloth
Sketches in Lavender, Blue and Green	Longman	1897	Mid-blue, with gold lettering within stamped lozenge on cover
The Observations of Henry	Arrowsmith	1901	Pale brown, black line on borders, black lettering, 6½” x 4½”
The Passing of the Third Floor Back	Hurst & Blackett	1907	Green cloth, lettered in lighter green
Malvina of Brittany	Cassell	1916	Blue cloth, blind stamped on front, gold lettering on spine
The Street of the Blank Wall	Dodd, Mead & Co.	1916	Dull green cloth boards. Title & author in dark green capitals (American edition of Malvina of Brittany)

ESSAYS & SKETCHES

On the Stage - and Off	Field & Tuer	1885	173 x 112mm in pink wrappers
	Leadenhall Press	1891	Illustrated edition in brown boards
The Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow	Field & Tuer	1886	Pale yellow boards
Stage-Land	Chatto & Windus	1889	Green cloth, red lettering
My First Book	Chatto & Windus	1894	Blue cloth. Red for 1897 edition
The Second Thoughts of an Idle Fellow	Hurst & Blackett	1898	Olive cloth, black lettering on front, gold on spine
Tea Table Talk	Hutchinson	1903	Mid-blue cloth, cover has cup and saucer, and typography in white
American Wives and Others	Frederick A Stokes Co	1904	Cream boards, cover has silhouette of mother and child in blue and black
Idle Ideas in 1905	Hurst & Blackett	1905	Yellow cloth, red lettering on front, gold on spine
The Angel and the Author – and Others	Hurst & Blackett	1908	Rust cloth, black lettering on front, gold on spine
A Miscellany of Sense and Nonsense	Arrowsmith	1923	Off-white cloth, titles within brown lozenges on cover and spine

AUTOBIOGRAPHY

My Life and Times

Hodder & Stoughton

1926

Royal blue cloth, gold lettering on spine

PLAYS

Barbara	Lacy	1886	?
Sunset	Fitzgerald	1888	?
Fennel	French	1888	?
Woodbarrow Farm	French	1888	Stage play, not published until 1904
New Lamps for Old	?	1890	?
Ruth	?	1890	?
The Rise of Dick Halward	?	1895	?
The Prude’s Progress	Chatto & Windus	1895	Grey wrappers
Biarritz	Unpublished	1896
The MacHaggis	?	c. 1898	?
The Russian Vagabond	M/S	189-(?)	M/S
Miss Hobbs	French	1902	Grey wrappers
Fanny and the Servant Problem	Lacy	1909	Green cloth lettered in black
The Passing of the Third Floor Back	Hurst & Blackett	1910	Royal blue cloth lettered in turquoise
The Master of Mrs Chilvers	T Fisher Unwin	1911	Blue cloth, red, green & gold decorated cover
Esther Castways	?	1913	?
The Great Gamble	?	1914	?
Robina in Search of a Husband	Lacy	1914	Green wrappers
Cook	?	1917	?
The Celebrity	Hodder & Stoughton	1926	Red cloth, lettered in black on spine
The Soul of Nicholas Snyders	Hodder & Stoughton	1927	Red cloth, lettered in black on spine

MISCELLANEOUS

Jack's Wife	The Lamp	c. 1884	Jerome's first published article
Playwriting: A Handbook for Would-Be Dramatic Authors	Stage Office	1888	n/a
Prince’s Quest	Turnbull & Spears	1890	10" x 7.5" soft covers and paper wrapper bearing a line drawing and the title 'Pot Pourri' in gold
Weeds. A Story in Seven Chapters	Arrowsmith's Notebook series	1892	159 x 107mm (notebook format, spine at top).
The Idler		1892-98	Copies of the magazine, usually in volumes of 6 months’ issues, can be found in a variety of different bindings.
To-Day		1893-98	n/a
Women on Wheels	Bowden	1897	n/a
The Queen's Gift Book	Hodder & Stoughton	1916	10" x 7.5" light blue boards with title and royal insignia in dark blue. Published 'in aid of Queen Mary's Convalescent Auxiliary Hospitals for soldiers and sailors who have lost their limbs in the war'. J.M Barries, E.F.Benson, Joseph Conrad, Arthur Conan Doyle and John Buchan were among those who contributed short stories. Jerome's was 'Portrait of a Lady' originally published in Sketches in Lavender, Blue and Green.
Songs from the Heart of England: An Anthology of Walsall Poetry	T Fisher Unwin	1920	n/a

SECTION 2: THE WORKS OF JEROME K JEROME IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER

DATE	TITLE

1884	'Jack's Wife' in The Lamp
1885	On the Stage - and Off
1886	- On the Stage – and Off (reissue, illustrated edition)
1886	The Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow
1886	Barbara
1888	Sunset
1888	Fennel
1888	Woodbarrow Farm
1888	Playwriting: A Handbook for Would-Be Dramatic Authors
1889	Stage-Land
1889	Three Men in a Boat
1890	New Lamps for Old
1890	Ruth
1890	Prince’s Quest
1891	Told After Supper
1891	The Diary of a Pilgrimage
1892	Weeds. A Story in Seven Chapters
1892-98	The Idler (editor / contributor)
1893-98	To-Day (editor / contributor)
1894	My First Book (editor / contributor)
1895	The Rise of Dick Halward
1895	The Prude’s Progress
1896	Biarritz
1897	Sketches in Lavender, Blue and Green
1897	Women on Wheels
1898	The Second Thoughts of an Idle Fellow
c. 1898	The MacHaggis
189- (?)	The Russian Vagabond
1900	Three Men on the Bummel
1900	- Three Men on Wheels (American edition of the above)
1901	The Observations of Henry
1902	Paul Kelver
1902	Miss Hobbs
1903	Tea Table Talk
1904	Tommy and Co
1904	American Wives and Others
1905	Idle Ideas in 1905
1907	The Passing of the Third Floor Back
1908	The Angel and the Author – and Others
1909	They and I
1909	Fanny and the Servant Problem
1910	The Passing of the Third Floor Back
1911	The Master of Mrs Chilvers
1913	Esther Castways
1914	The Great Gamble
1914	Robina in Search of a Husband
1916	Malvina of Brittany
1916	- The Street of the Blank Wall (American edition of the above)
1917	Cook
1919	All Roads Lead to Calvary
1920	Foreword to Songs from the Heart of England: An Anthology of Walsall Poetry
1923	Anthony John
1923	A Miscellany of Sense and Nonsense
1926	My Life and Times
1926	The Celebrity
1927	The Soul of Nicholas Snyders

SECTION 3: ALPHABETICAL LISTING OF JEROME’S WORKS

TITLE	DATE	DESCRIPTION

All Roads Lead to Calvary	1919	Novel
American Wives and Others	1904	Short stories (pub. only in America). 25 essays, 20 of which are among the 21 essays in "Idle Ideas in 1905" but with altered titles and sequence.
The Angel and the Author – and Others	1908	Essays
Anthony John	1923	Novel (subtitled A Biography)
Barbara	1886	One-act play
Biarritz	1896	Play with music and lyrics. Jerome contributed spoken dialogue only. Manuscript in British Library
The Celebrity	1926	Stage play
Cook	1917	Stage play based on ‘His Evening Out’ from Malvina of Brittany
The Diary of a Pilgrimage	1891	Novel based on actual journey, plus 6 short stories.
Essay / short story (?) in The Lamp	c. 1884	Jerome’s first published work
Esther Castways	1913	Stage play
Fanny and the Servant Problem	1909	Stage play
Fennel	1888	Stage play, adaptation of François Coppée’s Le Luthier de Cremone
The Great Gamble	1914	Stage play
Idle Ideas in 1905	1905	Humorous essays. See "American Wives and Others" above
The Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow	1886	Humorous essays
The Idler	1892-98	Monthly magazine edited and contributed to by JKJ until 1898. Magazine survived till 1911.
The MacHaggis	c. 1898	Farce
Malvina of Brittany	1916	Novelette and short stories (pub. In America as The Street of the Blank Wall and Other Stories).
The Master of Mrs Chilvers	1911	Stage play
A Miscellany of Sense and Nonsense	1923	Subtitled From the Writings of Jerome K Jerome, Selected by The Author with Many Apologies.
Miss Hobbs	1902	Stage play
My First Book	1894	Edited by, and contributed to, by JKJ. 22 well-known writers chronicle the experiences of their first book.
My Life and Times	1926	JKJ’s autobiography
New Lamps for Old	1890	One-act play
Novel Notes	1893	Novel
The Observations of Henry	1901	Ten short stories
On the Stage - and Off	1885	Subtitled The Brief Career of a would be Actor - JKJ’s first book, based on his own experiences as an actor.
The Passing of the Third Floor Back	1907	Six short stories
The Passing of the Third Floor Back	1910	Stage play based on the short story
Paul Kelver	1902	Autobiographical novel
Playwriting: A Handbook for Would-Be Dramatic Authors	1888	By ‘a Dramatist’ – almost certainly JKJ
The Prince’s Quest	1890	Short story in collection entitled Pot Pourri of Gifts Literary and Artistic, published by The Lodge Dramatic and Arts No. 757 for The Grand Lodge of Scotland to raise funds for charity.
The Prude’s Progress	1895	Stage play
The Rise of Dick Halward	1895	Stage play
Robina in Search of a Husband	1914	Stage play (produced in America as Susan in Search of a Husband), adaptation of ‘The Wooing of Tom Sleight’s Wife’ from Observations of Henry
The Russian Vagabond	189- (?)	Unperformed stage play in manuscript
Ruth	1890	One-act play
The Second Thoughts of an Idle Fellow	1898	Humorous essays
Sketches in Lavender, Blue and Green	1897	21 short stories
Songs from the Heart of England: An Anthology of Walsall Poetry	1920	JKJ contributed the foreword of this volume compiled by Alfred Moss
The Soul of Nicholas Snyders	1927	Stage play based on short story in The Passing of the Third Floor Back collection.
Stage-Land	1889	Humorous essays on stage characters
Sunset	1888	Stage play
Tea Table Talk	1903	Essays and stories
They and I	1909	Novel
Three Men in a Boat	1889	Novel
Three Men on the Bummel	1900	Novel
- Three Men on Wheels	1900	Novel (American title for the above)
Today	1893-98	Weekly paper founded by JKJ who edited it until 1898. Survived till 1905 when merged with London Opinion.
Told After Supper	1891	Ghost stories
Tommy and Co	1904	Novel
Weeds. A Story in Seven Chapters	1892	Story written under pseudonym of ‘McK’.Though Jerome never admitted authorship, a letter auctioned in 1968 revealed that McK was in fact JKJ.
Women on Wheels	1897	JKJ contributed this essay to Humours of Cycling, a volume reissued in 1905 by Chatto & Windus
Woodbarrow Farm	1888	Stage play

JEROME K. JEROME ESSAYS & SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS

SKETCHES IN LAVENDER BLUE AND GREEN (Short Stories), contents:
Reginald Blake, financier and cad
An item of fashionable intelligence
Blasé Billy
The choice of Cyril Harjohn
The materialisation of Charles and Mivanway
Portrait of a lady
The man who would manage
The man who lived for others
A man of habit
The absent-minded man
A charming woman
Whibley's spirit
The man who went wrong
The hobby rider
The man who did not believe in luck
Dick Dunkerman's cat
The minor poet's story
The degeneration of Thomas Henry
The city of the sea
Driftwood

AMERICAN WIVES AND OTHERS (Essays), Contents:
American wives à la mode
On being introduced
The new fashion in literature
On drilling an army
Russians as i know them
Babies and birds
That terrible fiscal question
The American girl's etiquette
Gold braid and its effects
American professors and progress
Men, women, and carnivals
The chinaman
Red-hot stoves i have met
Beauty by the bottle
Riddle of the servant girl
Wagneristic stage manners
The exasperated hero
Maculated heroine
The land of the happy Dutch
Sport-stricken mortals
The yellow mask
Dawn 0' day in the big cities
Goodness that grates on us
The amenities of cheerful lying
Waiters i have known

THE OBSERVATIONS OF HENRY , Short Stories, Contents:
The ghost of the Marchioness of Appleford
The uses and abuses of Joseph
The surprise of Mr. Milberry
The probation of James Wrench
The wooing of Tom Sleight's wife

DIARY OF A PILGRIMAGE - the main story is followed by six essays entitled :
Evergreens
Clocks
Tea-kettles
A pathetic story
The new utopia
Dreams

MALVINA OF BRITTANY (and American edition: THE STREET OF THE BLANK WALL)
Malvina of Brittany
The Street of the Blank Wall
His Evening Out
The Lesson
Sylvia of the Letters
The Fawn Gloves

A MISCELLANY OF SENSE AND NONSENSE ( JKJ'S own selection of extracts from his novels, short stories & essays), contents:

From THREE MEN IN A BOAT
The Man Who was a Hospital
Under Canvas
Uncle Podger Hangs a Picture
The Rule of the World
Harris and the Maze
Henry VIII Goes A-Wooing
The Thing that Spoilt the Picture
The Good Fisherman
George gets up too Early
Sailing! Sailing!
Talk about the Weather
Learning the Bagpipes
In Rain Time
Saint Montmorency

From THREE MEN ON THE BUMMEL
The Caution of Captain Goyles
The Polite Art of Buying Boots
Verboten.
Morning at �Beggarbush�
The Wisdom of Uncle Podger
Harris to the Rescue
A Lost Leader
Uncle Podger goes to Town

From NOVEL NOTES
A Disturber of the Peace
The Perfect Dancer
Wet to Stormy
James: A Simple Soul

From IDLE THOUGHTS OF AN IDLE FELLOW
On Babies
Vanity
Cats and Dogs
Advice to Edwin and Angelina
Idle Thoughts on Memory

From SKETCHES IN LAVENDER
A Charming Woman

From OBSERVATIONS OF HENRY AND OTHERS
Choosing a Profession

From �DIARY OF A PILGRIMAGE
How to Go to Bed in Germany
At Ober-Ammergau
See England First

From PAUL KELVER
How Paul Kelver came to Write a Story
Paul Talks with a Writer of Books
Paul's First ChumNoel Hasluck
An Evening at the Play
His First Engagement
Paul is Invited to a Marriage Feast
Humour and �The Penny-a-Liner�
The Princess sends Paul a Ring
How to Write a Play

From MALVINA OF BRITTANY
Malvina of Brittany
The Return
The Fawn Gloves

From SECOND THOUGHTS OF AN IDLE FELLOW
The Dwellers in the Elms
On the Art of Making up One's Mind
On the Inadvisability of Following Advice

From THE ANGEL AND THE AUTHOR
The Angel and the Author
How to be Healthy and Unhappy

From IDLE IDEAS
Swallow Street
Should we Say What we Think?
Why Didn't He Marry the Girl?

From TEA TABLE TALK
Too much Lover
Man and his Relations
Does Art Elevate
To What End?

From THEY AND I
The Billiard Lesson
Robina on Marriage
Dream Children

From ALL ROADS LEAD TO CALVARY
The Window Ajar
The Makers of War
The Unknown
All Roads Lead to Calvary

From JOHN INGERFIELD
The Music Hall of the Old Regime
Silhouettes

JEROME’S CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE IDLER , 1892-1898

COLLATED BY FRANK RODGERS

Silhouettes.
Idler 1, no.1 (February 1892): 47-56.
(Collected in John Ingerfield, London, McClure, 1894).

The Idler’s Club
Idler 1, no. 1 (February 1892): 106-18.
[informal round table discussion among several authors: in this first issue, Robert Barr, Barry Payn, Zangwill, Kennedy and Jerome; Jerome comments on Valentines and buying them, 113-8].

Variety Patter.
Idler 1, no. 2 (March 1892): 121-35.
(Collected in John Ingerfield).

The Idler’s Club.
Idler 1, no. 2 (March 1892): 222-36.
[Jerome on music halls and the ballet, 222-5; and prosecuting cabmen, 236].

Novel Notes.
Idler 1, no. 4 (May 1892): 362-86.
1, no. 5 (June 1892): 488-508.
1, no. 6 (July 1892): 607-23.
2, no. 1 (August 1892): 44-59.
2, no. 2 (September 1892): 128-47.
2, no. 3 (October 1892): 287-306.
2, no. 4 (November 1892): 369-83.
2, no. 5 (December 1892): 492-509.
2, no. 6 (January 1893): 651-67.
3, no. 1 (February 1893): 31-46.
3, no. 2 (March 1893): 174-92.
3, no. 3 (April 1893): 318-29.
(Published by The Leadenhall Press, August 1893).

The Idler’s Club.
Idler 1, no. 4 (May 1892): 474-84.
[Jerome on good men and oysters, virtues and vices, 480-81].

The Idler’s Club.
Idler 1, no. 5 (June 1892): 592-604.
[Jerome on the evil influence of automatic machines, 600-3].

The Idler’s Club.
Idler 2, no. 1 (August 1892): 99-112.
[Jerome on holidays, 99].

The Idler’s Club.
Idler 2, no. 3 (October 1892): 340-51.
[Jerome on a good bishop and a sinful reporter, pp. 340-43].
(Published, with alterations, as “The Lease of the ‘Cross Keys’,” in John Ingerfield).

The Idler’s Club.
“Shall we Have a Dramatic Academy?” Idler 3, no. 5 (June 1893):
568-76.
[Jerome wishes to educate the playgoer, 575-76].

The Woman of the Sæter.
Idler 3, no. 6 (July 1893): 578-93.
(Collected in John Ingerfield).

The Idler’s Club.
“Nothing in Particular.” Idler 4, no. 1 (August 1893): 101-10.
[Jerome asks why “Cockney” is a term of reproach; discusses book reviewing practices, 107-9].

The Idler’s Club.
“Are Honeymoons a Success?” Idler 4, no. 2 (September 1893):
210-18. [Jerome’s contribution, 216-18].

The Idler’s Club.
“Is it Pleasant to Give Presents?” Idler 4, no. 3 (October 1893):
318-28. [Jerome’s contribution, 327-28].

The Idler’s Club.
“Fireworks of All Sorts.” Idler 4, no. 4 (November 1893): 430-38.
[Jerome’s contribution, 436-38].

My First Book. “On the Stage and Off.”
Idler 4, no. 5 (December 1893): 439-56.
(Collected in My First Book, London, Chatto & Windus, 1894).

The Idler’s Club.
“Cabs and ‘Cabbies’.” Idler 5, no. 1 (February 1894): 110-12.
“Jerome Recalls a Ride in a Hansom Cab.” (short ghost story),
100-12].

The Idler’s Club.
“Policemen – of All Sorts.” Idler 5, no. 4 (May 1894): 435-48.
[Jerome describes his experience as a special constable, 447-48].

The Idler’s Club.
“The Same Story.” Idler 5, no. 5 (June 1894): 549-60.
[Jerome’s contribution: “Two Extracts from a Diary,” 558-60].

The Mystery of Black Rock Creek
Idler 6, no. 3 (October 1894): 302-26.
Chapter I (303-7) by Jerome; remaining chapters by Eden Phillpotts, E.F. Benson, F. Frankfort Moore, Barry Pain.

The Idler’s Club.
“Should Christmas Be Abolished?” Idler 6, no. 5 (December 1894):
629-46. [Jerome’s contribution, 641-46]

The Idler’s Club.
“Are Clever Women or Stupid the More Attractive to Men?” Idler 8, no. 1 (August 1895): 87-96. [Jerome’s contribution, 87-88].

To the Readers of “The Idler.”
Idler 8, no. 1 (August 1895): 97-100.
[Jerome’s plans, having gained sole control of “The Idler.”]

Letters to Clorinda.
Idler 9, no. 1 (February 1896): 56-62.
9, no. 2 (March 1896): 284-88.
9, no. 3 (April 1896): 470-75.
9, no. 4 (May 1896): 610-14.
9, no. 5 (June 1896):760-63.
9, no. 6 (July 1896): 874-78.
10, no. 1 (August 1896):128-31.
10, no. 2 (September 1896): 270-73.
10, no. 3 (October 1896): 414-17.
10, no. 4 (November 1896): 554-57.
11, no. 1 (February 1897): 131-34.
11, no. 5 (June 1897): 684-87.
12, no. 2 (September 1897): 175-78.
(In 12, no. 2 (September 1897): 136, “Clorinda” is identified as Emmie Avery Keddell, who participates in the Idler’s Club discussions).

The Idler’s Club.
“Who is the Biggest Fool in the World?” Idler 9, no. 3 (April 1896): 478-82. [Jerome’s contribution, 478-79]

Reginald Blake, Financier and Cad.
Idler 9, no. 5 (June 1896): 636-43.
(Collected in Sketches in Lavender, Blue and Green, London, Longmans, Green & Co., 1897).

The Choice of Cyril Harjohn
Idler 10, no. 1 (August 1896): 4-11.
(Collected in Sketches in Lavender, Blue and Green).

The Materialisation of Charles and Mivanway
Idler 10, no. 5 (December 1896): 573-80.
(Collected in Sketches in Lavender, Blue and Green).

An Item of Fashionable Intelligence.
Idler 10, no. 6 (January 1897): 722-33.
(Collected in Sketches in Lavender, Blue and Green).

A Fragment.
Idler 11, no. 2 (March 1897): 263-65.

Portrait of a Lady.
Idler 11, no. 3 (April 1897): 282-90.
(Collected in Sketches in Lavender, Blue and Green).

A Woman’s Logic, from The Way to Win a Woman. A Comedy in Three Acts.
Idler 12, no. 3 (October 1897): 415-18.

The Idler’s Club.
“What Would you Like Santa Claus to Bring you?” Idler 12, no. 5 (December 1897): 697-704. [Jerome’s contribution, 697-98].

The Idler’s Club.
“What Good Resolutions do you Want your Friends to Make for the New Year?” Idler 12, no. 6 (January 1898): 836-42.
[Jerome’s contribution, 836-37].

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