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Selected Short Stories
At the time of his death at the age of 93, P.G. Wodehouse was at work on his 97th novel. This unique writer of social comedy, with his outlandish humor and sharp caricatures of English types, was born in 1881 in Guildford, England. In novels and short stories, he created such memorable characters as Psmith and Jeeves, the archetypical Edwardian drone and his butler.
The universality of his appeal is demonstrated in these six stories: "Lord Emsworth and the Girlfriend," "Jeeves and the Yuletide Spirit," "Ukridge's Accident Syndicate," "Mulliner's Buck U Uppo," "Anselm Gets His Chance" and "The Clicking of Cuthbert" (a golfer's delight).
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First published January 1, 1958
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About the author
P.G. Wodehouse
1,680 books6,932 followersSir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, KBE, was a comic writer who enjoyed enormous popular success during a career of more than seventy years and continues to be widely read over 40 years after his death. Despite the political and social upheavals that occurred during his life, much of which was spent in France and the United States, Wodehouse's main canvas remained that of prewar English upper-class society, reflecting his birth, education, and youthful writing career.
An acknowledged master of English prose, Wodehouse has been admired both by contemporaries such as Hilaire Belloc, Evelyn Waugh and Rudyard Kipling and by more recent writers such as Douglas Adams, Salman Rushdie and Terry Pratchett. Sean O'Casey famously called him "English literature's performing flea", a description that Wodehouse used as the title of a collection of his letters to a friend, Bill Townend.
Best known today for the Jeeves and Blandings Castle novels and short stories, Wodehouse was also a talented playwright and lyricist who was part author and writer of fifteen plays and of 250 lyrics for some thirty musical comedies. He worked with Cole Porter on the musical Anything Goes (1934) and frequently collaborated with Jerome Kern and Guy Bolton. He wrote the lyrics for the hit song Bill in Kern's Show Boat (1927), wrote the lyrics for the Gershwin/Romberg musical Rosalie (1928), and collaborated with Rudolf Friml on a musical version of The Three Musketeers (1928).
An acknowledged master of English prose, Wodehouse has been admired both by contemporaries such as Hilaire Belloc, Evelyn Waugh and Rudyard Kipling and by more recent writers such as Douglas Adams, Salman Rushdie and Terry Pratchett. Sean O'Casey famously called him "English literature's performing flea", a description that Wodehouse used as the title of a collection of his letters to a friend, Bill Townend.
Best known today for the Jeeves and Blandings Castle novels and short stories, Wodehouse was also a talented playwright and lyricist who was part author and writer of fifteen plays and of 250 lyrics for some thirty musical comedies. He worked with Cole Porter on the musical Anything Goes (1934) and frequently collaborated with Jerome Kern and Guy Bolton. He wrote the lyrics for the hit song Bill in Kern's Show Boat (1927), wrote the lyrics for the Gershwin/Romberg musical Rosalie (1928), and collaborated with Rudolf Friml on a musical version of The Three Musketeers (1928).
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
September 22, 2013
This collection contains 15 of the best Jeeves stories by the renowned P. G. Wodehouse. If you haven't read any of his works before, you have committed a grave oversight. You will want to correct this. No sense in dallying about; get to it.
It turns out I'd read each and every one of these short stories before as they had cropped up in other books. So technically, this was a re-read but not an unwelcome one. As I seldom read through things again, that says something pungent.
It's very good, sir or madam, if you don't mind my saying so.
It turns out I'd read each and every one of these short stories before as they had cropped up in other books. So technically, this was a re-read but not an unwelcome one. As I seldom read through things again, that says something pungent.
It's very good, sir or madam, if you don't mind my saying so.
August 31, 2013
I had to create this book on the Goodreads database, but I didn't want to review a similarly named collection which had different stories in it.
This collection includes the first meeting of Bertie and Jeeves, which results in Jeeves's hiring. See description for list of story titles.
All are hilarious and so proper pip-pip. None of the long stories are included, so these go down quickly and you want another. This is the best collection of Wodehouse's Bertie and Jeeves that I've so far had in my hands.
There are too many subtle English humor bits to choose from, but a typical detail is that the names of dogs are "Charles" and "McIntosh" whereas Bertie's friends are called Tuppy, Bingo, Biffy, etc.
This collection includes the first meeting of Bertie and Jeeves, which results in Jeeves's hiring. See description for list of story titles.
All are hilarious and so proper pip-pip. None of the long stories are included, so these go down quickly and you want another. This is the best collection of Wodehouse's Bertie and Jeeves that I've so far had in my hands.
There are too many subtle English humor bits to choose from, but a typical detail is that the names of dogs are "Charles" and "McIntosh" whereas Bertie's friends are called Tuppy, Bingo, Biffy, etc.
March 26, 2025
Regarding Jeeves...The man's a genius. From the collar upward he stands alone.
"Oh, Jeeves" I said; "about that check suit."
"Yes, sir?"
"Is it really a frost?"
"A trifle too bizarre, sir, in my opinion."
"But lots of fellows have asked who my tailor is."
"Doubtless in order to avoid him, sir."
It seemed to me that if he wanted to do a real act of kindness he would commit suicide.
Jeeves had projected himself in from the dining room and materialized on the rug. Lady Malvern tried to freeze him with a look, but you can't do that sort of thing to Jeeves, He is lookproof.
While passing a bar...but I had been able to observe that there was a sprightly sports-man behind the counter mixing things out of bottles and stirring them up with a stick in long glasses that seemed to have ice in them, and the urge came upon me to see more of this man.
"Rosie is the dearest girl in the world; but if you were a married man Bertie, you would be aware that the best of wives is apt to cut up rough if she finds that her husband has dropped six weeks' housekeeping money on a single race, Isn't that so Jeeves?"
"Yes sir. Women are odd in that respect."
The Right Hon. was a tubby little chap who looked as if he had been poured into his clothes and forgotten to say "When!"
"Tell me Jeeves, were you always like this, or did it come on suddenly?"
"Sir?"
"The brain. The gray matter. Were you an outstandingly brilliant boy?"
"My mother thought me intelligent, sir."
"You can't go by that. My mother thought me intelligent."
"Oh, Jeeves" I said; "about that check suit."
"Yes, sir?"
"Is it really a frost?"
"A trifle too bizarre, sir, in my opinion."
"But lots of fellows have asked who my tailor is."
"Doubtless in order to avoid him, sir."
It seemed to me that if he wanted to do a real act of kindness he would commit suicide.
Jeeves had projected himself in from the dining room and materialized on the rug. Lady Malvern tried to freeze him with a look, but you can't do that sort of thing to Jeeves, He is lookproof.
While passing a bar...but I had been able to observe that there was a sprightly sports-man behind the counter mixing things out of bottles and stirring them up with a stick in long glasses that seemed to have ice in them, and the urge came upon me to see more of this man.
"Rosie is the dearest girl in the world; but if you were a married man Bertie, you would be aware that the best of wives is apt to cut up rough if she finds that her husband has dropped six weeks' housekeeping money on a single race, Isn't that so Jeeves?"
"Yes sir. Women are odd in that respect."
The Right Hon. was a tubby little chap who looked as if he had been poured into his clothes and forgotten to say "When!"
"Tell me Jeeves, were you always like this, or did it come on suddenly?"
"Sir?"
"The brain. The gray matter. Were you an outstandingly brilliant boy?"
"My mother thought me intelligent, sir."
"You can't go by that. My mother thought me intelligent."
June 23, 2022
Cultural literacy arguably requires a familiarity with Jeeves, and this book is an excellent way to get that. It consists of fifteen Jeeves stories, including the one where he comes into Bertie Wooster's employ. There is some repetition of themes (especially regarding fashion disagreements), but enough variety to make the book entertaining to the end.
July 31, 2020
4.5
Formulaic, but hilarious nonetheless!
Formulaic, but hilarious nonetheless!
August 26, 2021
This is an absolutely great collection.
May 26, 2023
entry level Jeeves tales
May 16, 2011
Love it... absolute classic. The language is so English and so old school - wonderful. The book itself is one I bought from Robert College discarded books sale. It may even be one of the original editions :)
We used to have Jeeves and Wooster TV series dubbed in Turkish when I was in my teens and TRT Radio 2 used to broadcast the original English. So i'd be sat with my family with my headphones on listening to it in English. It must have been then that I bought the book! Long-winded story, but there we are.
The only problem I have now, is that I have Stephen Fry's voice in my ear every time Jeeves says "Indeed, sir?". Rummy what not, and don't you know.
Finished awhile ago, and absolutely loved it, laughing out loud at most places. However, it makes you think long and hard about the gap between the classes. Especially if you're not from England, and you don't grow up with it, you think it is hilarious. But one wonders about the reality.
We used to have Jeeves and Wooster TV series dubbed in Turkish when I was in my teens and TRT Radio 2 used to broadcast the original English. So i'd be sat with my family with my headphones on listening to it in English. It must have been then that I bought the book! Long-winded story, but there we are.
The only problem I have now, is that I have Stephen Fry's voice in my ear every time Jeeves says "Indeed, sir?". Rummy what not, and don't you know.
Finished awhile ago, and absolutely loved it, laughing out loud at most places. However, it makes you think long and hard about the gap between the classes. Especially if you're not from England, and you don't grow up with it, you think it is hilarious. But one wonders about the reality.
September 2, 2009
Sometimes I recommend other people to a certain author, with a pious understanding that I am bettering their life in some way. I recommended Wodehouse to my grandmom yesterday fully consious that I was putting her life in danger: she's an older lady, and Wodehouse had me laughing so hard I was gasping for breath. She might literally split her sides. In any case, this man is hysterical, wrote about a hundred books, and his first name is Plum. What's not to like?
Special review love for Peter, who lent me my first Wodehouse novel.
Special review love for Peter, who lent me my first Wodehouse novel.
August 4, 2007
Terrific collection of Plummy stories, with a charming forward from the author himself. A good collection to have, especially for "Clustering Round Young Bingo" and "Bertie Changes His Mind", the latter being the only time Jeeves narrates the story instead of Bertie. However, I'd advise skipping the introduction by John W. Aldridge (who gets some facts wrong, despite being a fan), most certainly if you are a fan of Bertie and don't wish to see him insulted too much.
March 10, 2012
These are some of Wodehouse's earlier stories. They are unrelated and the characters are different. They all are amusing courting stories. In one a man sees a woman; follows her to her home; rents the studio upstairs; and then bangs on the floor when she is practicing her piano in order to meet her. In another, his friends arrange for a lousy golfer to win the club championship.
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August 23, 2018As others have said, you've probably read every story in here, but this collection is worth finding for the foreward and introduction. The latter, by John Aldridge, is one of the earlier attempts at 'serious' Wodehouse discussion and the former is typically hilarious self-deprecation from PGW with a hint of pride - or 'chestiness', as he calls it.
May 23, 2011
These are terrific stories to read individually, or at most two at a time. Other than that, it gets to be like a TV show marathon: the enjoyment of the cleverness wears off and is replaced by irritation at the repetitiveness.
February 26, 2017
It's hard to go wrong with this slim, handsomely bound, modern library collection of some of the best Wodehouse stories.
Every library should have at least one collection of Jeeves exploits, and this one is first class.
Every library should have at least one collection of Jeeves exploits, and this one is first class.
January 15, 2012
I love these stories of jeeves
August 9, 2014
Jolly good fun Jeeves/Bertie Wooster stories, what?
September 21, 2014
These are very good and funny short stories that I highly recommend reading or listening to! I will surely read more by P.G. Wodehouse! I have also enjoyed My Man Jeeve's.
May 25, 2019
Love Jeeves and Bertie. The story line is comforting and you always know what to expect and the humor is just unbeatable
November 3, 2014
P.G. Wodehouse is brilliant. I loved every word of this book.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews