P. G. Wodehouse

[Ilash]

After coming across the name PG Wodehouse in a Neil Gaiman book and reading that he was Douglas Adams' favourite author, I decided to find out a bit about this author and from what I can see his stuff does seem to be right up my alley. With that in mind, does anyone have any recommendations regarding which Wodehouse books to pick up first?

[K'Nort]

All of them?


Focus on the Jeeves and Wooster ones to start, I guess. You can probably find a zillion cheap paperbacks at your averaged used book store.

[berk]

My persoanl introduction to Wodehouse, many years ago when I was a teenager, was a great volume called the Wodehouse Omnibus, which contained stories of several of his best-known creations - Jeeves and Wooster, Ukridge, the Drones Club, and so on. But this might not be in print now - I got it at a library sale back in the 70's. If you can't find that or a similar anthology, The Inimitable Jeeves might be a good book to begin with - very typical of his style and one of the first collections of Jeeves stories, his most famous character, though there were a few earlier appearances.

Mike and Psmith contains Psmith's first appearance and is an interesting transtion novel, since Psmith is a supporting character to Mike, and Mike's is a school story of the sort Wodehouse apparently specialised in for several years before finding the style that eventually made him world-famous. Personally, I liked Mike's story a lot - even though I don't know the first thing about cricket. But the first fully fledged Psmith story is Psimth in the City, which is both funnier and more typical of Wodehouse.

I also recommend the first Ukridge book, a novel titled Love Among the Chickens. Again, Ukridge isn't supposed to be the star here, but the narrator's story is a very funny romantic comedy that I enjoyed immensely. Any of the Ukridge short story collections are good bets as well. Ukridge might be my favourite Wodehouse creation.

The first Blandings novel, Something Fresh is another possible choice for your first Wodehouse. I read this recently and loved it.

[Jonathan Bogart]

Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, as I might have mentioned somewhere around here, is just about my favorite writer in the whole wide world.

A word of caution: if what specifically attracts you to Gaiman and Adams are their use of sci-fi and fantasy tropes, and the humor/prose styles are just cake, then Wodehouse might not be for you. While unrealistic (though for the most part humanly possible) things happen all the time in his novels, I can think of only one book (Laughing Gas) where the premise itself is fantastic. And even that's pretty weak stuff as fantasy goes.

Anyway, Berk makes some good suggestions, and I too would recommend finding a nice fat anthology. Week-End Wodehouse slips in and out of print, but it's generally available, and is an excellent introduction (even if it spoils some of the best lines in the books by sprinkling them between chapters). If I recall, you're in South Africa, which, I guess would echo the British market pretty closely. Finding a good anthology really shouldn't be a problem.

If you want to start with the very best and work your way down from there, Leave It to Psmith is, in my opinion, the masterwork. (Unless you count the entire Jeeves & Wooster oeuvre as one work, which is eminently permissable but a trifle unwieldy.)

I have a fondness for the early-mid Wodehouse of the teens and twenties, when his heroes had graduated from school but were still for the most part "typical" heroes and heroines, not yet entirely eclipsed by the less romantic, more eccentric, and purely Wodehousian characters like Jeeves, Ukridge, Galahad Threepwood, Uncle Fred, the Drones, and Bertie Wooster himself. A Damsel in Distress is probably the best of these. (Something Fresh also fits the bill, but since it's the first of the Blandings novels, more properly belongs in that category.)

Anyway, whatever you begin with, I envy you. There's a whole lot more where that came from.

[Ilash]

Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, as I might have mentioned somewhere around here, is just about my favorite writer in the whole wide world.

A word of caution: if what specifically attracts you to Gaiman and Adams are their use of sci-fi and fantasy tropes, and the humor/prose styles are just cake, then Wodehouse might not be for you. While unrealistic (though for the most part humanly possible) things happen all the time in his novels, I can think of only one book (Laughing Gas) where the premise itself is fantastic. And even that's pretty weak stuff as fantasy goes.

Anyway, Berk makes some good suggestions, and I too would recommend finding a nice fat anthology. Week-End Wodehouse slips in and out of print, but it's generally available, and is an excellent introduction (even if it spoils some of the best lines in the books by sprinkling them between chapters). If I recall, you're in South Africa, which, I guess would echo the British market pretty closely. Finding a good anthology really shouldn't be a problem.

If you want to start with the very best and work your way down from there, Leave It to Psmith is, in my opinion, the masterwork. (Unless you count the entire Jeeves & Wooster oeuvre as one work, which is eminently permissable but a trifle unwieldy.)

I have a fondness for the early-mid Wodehouse of the teens and twenties, when his heroes had graduated from school but were still for the most part "typical" heroes and heroines, not yet entirely eclipsed by the less romantic, more eccentric, and purely Wodehousian characters like Jeeves, Ukridge, Galahad Threepwood, Uncle Fred, the Drones, and Bertie Wooster himself. A Damsel in Distress is probably the best of these. (Something Fresh also fits the bill, but since it's the first of the Blandings novels, more properly belongs in that category.)


Anyway, whatever you begin with, I envy you. There's a whole lot more where that came from.

The fantasy/ sci-fi tappings of Gaiman and Adams were probably what got me reading their stuff in the first place, the humour is much more than just "cake" to me. A mix of fantasy and comedy is great of course but no, I am very much looking for staright out humour too.

And yeah, unless I order something online, we are identical to England as far as books go.

Anyway, thanks for all the recommendations guys!

[Lubichev]

The Jeeves stuff is indeed wonderful. Mulliner Nights with Mr. Mulliner telling his enlightening stories at the Anglers Rest pub was always a favorite of mine. His Golf Omnibus was quite entertraining too. I remember reading a book called Wodehouse on Murder which had some really good mysteries in it.

[Solaris]

Thank you! You've reminded me of another author I've been meaning to read, and haven't yet. :)

[cactusmaac]

My favourite is probably Psmith at Blandings.

[Jonathan Bogart]

My favourite is probably Psmith at Blandings.
Which, for the record, is Leave It to Psmith.

[Ilash]

Well, I just finished reading Thank You, Jeeves, the first novel-length Jeeves book and it was utterly brilliant. His command of English is virtually untouchable and it was simply an absolute hoot from beginning to end. I'll definitely be checking a lot more of his stuff.

[berk]

Ilash: glad to hear how much you enjoyed your first Wodehouse book; i haven't read Than You Jeeves yet myself, but it's on my list.I have a fondness for the early-mid Wodehouse of the teens and twenties, when his heroes had graduated from school but were still for the most part "typical" heroes and heroines, not yet entirely eclipsed by the less romantic, more eccentric, and purely Wodehousian characters like Jeeves, Ukridge, Galahad Threepwood, Uncle Fred, the Drones, and Bertie Wooster himself. A Damsel in Distress is probably the best of these. Lucky for me Ilash revived this thread because it reminded me that I wanted to ask Jonathan if he had any more Wodehouse titles from this (or any other for that matter) era that he'd care to reccommend.

[Jonathan Bogart]

Lucky for me Ilash revived this thread because it reminded me that I wanted to ask Jonathan if he had any more Wodehouse titles from this (or any other for that matter) era that he'd care to recommend.
Oh, gosh. Everything?

Not helpful, I know.

I've been re-reading the Jeeves and Wooster books recently (Wodehouse has become a great palate-cleanser for me between serious books -- short snifts between the steady orgies, as he says somewhere), and they really do constitute a signal achievement in English literature, easily the equal of Joyce, Faulkner, Beckett or Nabokov, though with completely different ends in mind. Has anyone else even tried to do what Wodehouse does in them?

A Gentleman of Leisure, Picadilly Jim, and any of the Psmith books are also wonderful, from the era I mentioned.

[berk]

Oh, gosh. Everything?

Not helpful, I know.

I've been re-reading the Jeeves and Wooster books recently (Wodehouse has become a great palate-cleanser for me between serious books -- short snifts between the steady orgies, as he says somewhere), and they really do constitute a signal achievement in English literature, easily the equal of Joyce, Faulkner, Beckett or Nabokov, though with completely different ends in mind. Has anyone else even tried to do what Wodehouse does in them?

A Gentleman of Leisure, Picadilly Jim, and any of the Psmith books are also wonderful, from the era I mentioned. I agree completely regarding the stature of Wodehouse's creative achievement. And thnks for the recommendations. I was thinking more of the stand-alone novels, since I've already read at least parts of the most of the recurring characters' series and thus have a good idea of which of those books I want to read.

[cactusmaac]

Oh, gosh. Everything?

Not helpful, I know.

I've been re-reading the Jeeves and Wooster books recently (Wodehouse has become a great palate-cleanser for me between serious books -- short snifts between the steady orgies, as he says somewhere), and they really do constitute a signal achievement in English literature, easily the equal of Joyce, Faulkner, Beckett or Nabokov, though with completely different ends in mind. Has anyone else even tried to do what Wodehouse does in them?
.

Terry Pratchett.

[Typo Lad]

Growing up, my Local Library had only one Wodehouse volume. A massive Jeeves and Wooster Omnibus. It was always, always out on loan. I had to satisfy myself with the occasional borrow from friends.

Then, at last, at the ripe old age of 19, the book was available.

I may have forgotten to eat while reading it. Just amazing.

Thank you! You've reminded me of another author I've been meaning to read, and haven't yet. :)

You haven't read WODEHOUSE?

My dear lady, that simply won't do.