# P.G. Wodehouse . . . where to start? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 6, 2013, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p-g-wodehouse-where-to-start/668138 "2013-09-06T02:22:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p-g-wodehouse-where-to-start/668138/1 "2013-09-06T02:22:46Z")
Back in high school, a friend lent me a collection or two of Wodehouse’s short stories (of Jeeves and Wooster). I loved them to death; dry and sparkling writing that was both funny and evocative. It was Monet or Debussy would have written if they had been writers of comedic prose. Anyway, I am feeling a need of that droll effervescence, and thought I’d add a book or two to my library, as I don’t own any and in fact haven’t read any in the intervening 15 or so years. But, doing a search, it seems that Wodehouse has published quite a lot. I can’t make heads or tails of what might be a good re-starting place, what is a complete collection (of Jeeves and Wooster, for example) as opposed to partial. Any fans here have suggestions of specific books/collections? ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p-g-wodehouse-where-to-start/668138/2 "2013-09-06T02:35:51Z")
I’m interested too! I’ve read some of the collections, but in a catch-as-catch can sort of way, without any method. I’ve enjoyed them that way. I’m not sure there’s a wrong way to read them! (Have you seen any of the Laurie and Fry tv treatments? So delicious!) ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p-g-wodehouse-where-to-start/668138/3 "2013-09-06T03:08:22Z")
there are several Jeeves novels available for free on [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com) for the Kindle, though most cost money. Also a lot of Jeeves short stories for free. A Damsel In Distress is not a Jeeves story, but it IS a freebie, and it’s pretty good. Not all the non-Jeeves stories are so good. But there is a shitload of Wodehouse freebies you can download and sample on Amazon. Prolly elsewhere, too. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p-g-wodehouse-where-to-start/668138/4 "2013-09-06T06:34:47Z")
Wow, talk about coincidence - I just decided to download some P.G. Wodehouse last week, and just finished reading Damsel In Distress two days ago! I found it at Project Gutenberg. It wasn’t the Wodehouse I remembered with Jeeves, but it was quite good. I will be reading some Jeeves soon. Way back when I read some of his work for the first time, there was a line in one of the books where Bertie had said something stupid to his aunt and Wodehouse wrote that the aunt laughed so hard “if there had been an aisle, she would have been rolling in it.” There are so many times, reading his work, that I just burst out laughing at the subtle humor…er, humour…in his stories. ---
**Author:** ![movingfinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@movingfinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/movingfinger)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p-g-wodehouse-where-to-start/668138/5 "2013-09-06T07:09:11Z")
There are several collections of Jeeves and Bertie Wooster stories, but there is no great need to read them in any particular order. However, Jeeves makes his first appearance in _Jeeves Takes Charge_ which is in the collection titled _Right Ho, Jeeves and Other Stories_ ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p-g-wodehouse-where-to-start/668138/6 "2013-09-06T09:38:40Z")
Hmm, I ran throught all the Jeeves and Wooster books, then the Psmith books, maybe 25 years ago; damn I’m old. From memory, I’d start with **Uncle Fred in the Springtime** - IIRC, it has all of the elements that make a Jeeves and Bertie story read like its a perfect screwball comedy of manners. I don’t recall that reading them in any order matters in a significant way and that one is just wonderful. Man, I am jealous - those books go down like the best champagne mimosa you possibly imagine - fizzy goodness. Have a great time! ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p-g-wodehouse-where-to-start/668138/7 "2013-09-06T13:22:49Z")
He had a lot of one-shot novels that are worth checking out. _Uneasy Money_ and _If I Were You_ come to mind immediately. There’s also the Mr. Mulliner stories-- Mr. Mulliner is a guy who manages to turn any conversation at the pub he frequents into an lead in to a story about people in his family. Also his golf stories. All start at the clubhouse where the Oldest Member, who no longer plays but still hangs out at the club, traps some poor soul into listening to one of his anecdotes. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p-g-wodehouse-where-to-start/668138/8 "2013-09-06T14:55:13Z")
I agree with the Mulliner stories. From _The Truth About George_ to _the Firy Wooing of Mordred_ to the Hollywood stories, each one is a masterpiece of madcap humor wrapped in a seemingly reasonable premise. Some were produced as a TV series called, _Wodehouse Playhouse_, introduced by the old boy himself. For the novels, the first I read was, _Leave it to Psmith_, and it’s still one of my favorites. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p-g-wodehouse-where-to-start/668138/9 "2013-09-06T16:10:38Z")
[Gutenberg.org](http://Gutenberg.org) has a couple of dozen of [novels and short stories](http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/) for download. (Nuts. You can’t link to a search.) I’d recommend moving around from series to series. You can’t read all the Jeeves stories one after the other. They’re far too similar. And the later ones set in America don’t really work. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p-g-wodehouse-where-to-start/668138/10 "2013-09-06T16:20:09Z")
Some of Wodehouse’s books (especially the Jeeves & Woosters) work very well as audiobooks (assuming they have a good narrator—and there are several very good narrators who have recorded some of them). Thanks to Audible’s “Whispersync” deal, you can sometimes get a cheap copy of the audiobook once you’ve bought the Kindle book from Amazon. So, for example, you could go to Amazon, “buy” the free public-domain ebook of [Right Ho, Jeeves](http://www.amazon.com/Right-Ho-Jeeves-ebook/dp/B0084BMM62/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1378484053&sr=1-3&keywords=jeeves) (which I can vouch for as one of the good ones), and get the Audible edition for $2.99. ---
**Author:** ![Archergal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Archergal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Archergal)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p-g-wodehouse-where-to-start/668138/11 "2013-09-06T16:53:05Z")
> [@Eonwe](#): > > Back in high school, a friend lent me a collection or two of Wodehouse’s short stories (of Jeeves and Wooster). I loved them to death; dry and sparkling writing that was both funny and evocative. It was Monet or Debussy would have written if they had been writers of comedic prose. > > Anyway, I am feeling a need of that droll effervescence, and thought I’d add a book or two to my library, as I don’t own any and in fact haven’t read any in the intervening 15 or so years. But, doing a search, it seems that Wodehouse has published quite a lot. I can’t make heads or tails of what might be a good re-starting place, what is a complete collection (of Jeeves and Wooster, for example) as opposed to partial. > > Any fans here have suggestions of specific books/collections? [The Code of the Woosters](http://www.amazon.com/The-Code-Woosters-P-Wodehouse/dp/0393339815) is probably my favorite novel. Bertie’s adventures with Roderick Spode et al. are priceless. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p-g-wodehouse-where-to-start/668138/12 "2013-09-06T18:22:34Z")
My first Wodehouse was _Code of the Woosters_ and I thought it was great. I’m also a Blandings Castle fan, and I recommend _Heavy Weather_. ---
**Author:** ![Reno\_Nevada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Reno\_Nevada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reno_Nevada)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p-g-wodehouse-where-to-start/668138/13 "2013-09-06T18:32:10Z")
Just chiming in to say…some of Wodehouse’s novels are slightly better than average (_Thank You, Jeeves_, is my favorite) and some are slightly worse than average but you really can’t go too far wrong with any of them (the very early ones, pre-1915, are journeyman efforts and should be left until later). There is an internal chronological order to some of the series but it is not worth the effort to read them in order. Pick up the most convenient one and read it, and then repeat. I also recommend not reading too many at a sitting, because they do blur together. Also, the same novel was often published under several different titles, so you do have to be careful in that regard. Enjoy! ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p-g-wodehouse-where-to-start/668138/14 "2013-09-06T18:44:40Z")
> [@Eonwe](#): > > Any fans here have suggestions of specific books/collections? Just dive in anywhere. There is no bad Wodehouse; even his pedestrian offerings have their moments. ---
**Author:** ![FeAudrey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7feea3/32.png) [@FeAudrey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FeAudrey)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p-g-wodehouse-where-to-start/668138/15 "2013-09-06T18:47:40Z")
Another stop on the Wodehouse Grand Tour: Blandings Castle, seat of Lord Emsworth. ---
**Author:** ![Parenchyma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Parenchyma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Parenchyma)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p-g-wodehouse-where-to-start/668138/16 "2013-09-06T21:27:20Z")
If you just need a little pick-me-up to make your day ooja-cum-spiff, try the Random Wodehouse Quote generator at [http://www.drones.com/pgw.cgi](http://www.drones.com/pgw.cgi) ‘It is no use telling me that there are bad aunts and good aunts. At the core, they are all alike. Sooner or later, out pops the cloven hoof.’ ---
**Author:** ![Damfino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Damfino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damfino)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p-g-wodehouse-where-to-start/668138/17 "2013-09-07T00:36:35Z")
The Jeeves Collectiion at flipkart .com will get you all the Wooster Jeeves books. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p-g-wodehouse-where-to-start/668138/18 "2013-09-07T01:13:57Z")
> [@Damfino](#): > > The Jeeves Collectiion at flipkart .com will get you all the Wooster Jeeves books. Why did you break the link if it’s a legitimate site? Why go to an Indian site in the first place? The OP is American. The Jeeves books are easily available cheaply here. And [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._G._Wodehouse_bibliography#Jeeves) has better information on the complete Jeeves. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p-g-wodehouse-where-to-start/668138/19 "2013-09-07T02:08:21Z")
I like [_The Most Of P.G. Wodehouse_](http://www.amazon.com/Most-P-G-Wodehouse/dp/0743203585/) as a good introduction, but as others have said you can’t really go wrong anywhere. However, I think the short stories are easier to start with and give you a flavor of some of the returning characters that appear elsewhere. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Cheez\_Whia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@Cheez\_Whia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheez_Whia)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p-g-wodehouse-where-to-start/668138/20 "2013-09-07T03:04:13Z")
I have read that collection to pieces twice. I’m now on my third copy! Also “Code of the Woosters” and the rest of the series with Spode, Madeleine Bassett, Gussie Fink-Nottle, Aunt Dahlia, and that damned cow creamer are Wodehouse at the top of his game! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p-g-wodehouse-where-to-start/668138.md?page=2)