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Rumpole of the Bailey #omnibus
The First Rumpole Omnibus
A CLASSIC COLLECTION OF JOHN MORTIMER'S ICONIC CHARACTER, DISCOVER THE FIRST RUMPOLE OMNIBUS!
'One of the great comic creations of modern times' Evening Standard
'Rumpole, like Jeeves and Sherlock Holmes, is immortal' P. D. James, Mail on Sunday
Who rose to enduring fame on Blood and Typewriters?
Who told the pregnant Portia of the Chambers it would come out in the end?
Who advised Guthrie Featherstone, Q. C. to adopt a more judicial attitude?
The answer is barrister Horace Rumpole. His legal triumphs, plundering sorties into the 'Oxford Book of English Verse' and less-than-salubrious hat are celebrated in the first omnibus, including Rumpole of the Bailey, The Trials of Rumpole and Rumpole's Return.
John Mortimer's hilarious Rumpole, which fans of Sherlock Holmes and P. G. Wodehouse will love, sees the magician of the Old Bailey at his unpredictable and brilliant best.
'One of the great comic creations of modern times' Evening Standard
'Rumpole, like Jeeves and Sherlock Holmes, is immortal' P. D. James, Mail on Sunday
Who rose to enduring fame on Blood and Typewriters?
Who told the pregnant Portia of the Chambers it would come out in the end?
Who advised Guthrie Featherstone, Q. C. to adopt a more judicial attitude?
The answer is barrister Horace Rumpole. His legal triumphs, plundering sorties into the 'Oxford Book of English Verse' and less-than-salubrious hat are celebrated in the first omnibus, including Rumpole of the Bailey, The Trials of Rumpole and Rumpole's Return.
John Mortimer's hilarious Rumpole, which fans of Sherlock Holmes and P. G. Wodehouse will love, sees the magician of the Old Bailey at his unpredictable and brilliant best.
562 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1983
162 people are currently reading
681 people want to read
About the author
John Mortimer
250 books230 followersJohn Clifford Mortimer was a novelist, playwright and former practising barrister. Among his many publications are several volumes of Rumpole stories and a trilogy of political novels, Paradise Postponed, Titmuss Regained and The Sound of Trumpets, featuring Leslie Titmuss - a character as brilliant as Rumpole. John Mortimer received a knighthood for his services to the arts in 1998.
Series:
Rumpole of the Bailey
Rapstone Chronicles
Series:
Rumpole of the Bailey
Rapstone Chronicles
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
December 12, 2014
I have been a fan of Horace Rumpole for many years and I re-read the books on a regular basis. Even when you know what happens the stories are still good reading and I often notice little things that I missed on previous readings. This omnibus contains 'Rumpole of the Baily', 'The Trials of Rumpole' and 'Rumpole's Return'. The first two consist of six short stories each and the third is a novel though it does contain more than one case.
'Rumpole of the Bailey' was the first of the Rumpole books and contains a couple of the most iconic stories 'Rumpole and the Younger Generation' in which one of the younger members of the Timson family (that famous family of South London villains)is in the dock for a crime that maybe he didn't commit. In this story we learn that Rumpole is sixty eight and still a practicing barrister though he is writing his memoirs and looking back on his chequered career. From there on the chronology of the later stories can be a little hit and miss but the stories themselves are never less than entertaining.
The other story in this first book which to my mind shows the best of Rumpole himself is 'Rumpole and the Alternative Society'. Here Rumpole relives some of his life as RAF ground staff during the war and falls slightly in love with his client and her lifestyle. This story has a poignant tinge to it which shows Rumpole in a reflective mood about life, love and poetry.
The second volume in this omnibus edition is 'The Trials of Rumpole' and of the six stories it contains I think my favourite is 'Rumpole and the Showfolk' which has a really good twist at the end though it does rather leave Rumpole feeling he stepped into a lift just after the lift has gone. This case takes place in Grimble - that dour northern town which is the setting for some of Rumpole's cases which are not set in and around London.
The third book in this volume 'Rumpole's Return' is a novel which shows Rumpole trying to accustom himself to retirement in Florida with his son Nick and daughter in law Erica after ten disastrous defeats at the hands of Judge Bullingham. He doesn't last very long and a letter from Phyllida Erskine-Brown in his chambers soon draws him back to London and the Old Bailey and a murder trial. But first he conducts an obscenity trial in Grimble - and fails dismally.
The murder case itself requires Rumpole's son to do some sleuthing in Florida - which he carries out admirably well and provides the evidence Rumpole needs to help him win the case and frustrate a plan by Ken Cracknell - the newest recruit to Rumpole's chambers. After this success all plans for retirement are off the agenda.
There is, to me, something intensely loveable in Horace Rumpole and his sometimes acrimonious relationship with 'She Who Must Be Obeyed' AKA Hilda Rumpole. He claims not to understand her when in fact they both understand each other very well apart from a few mutual misunderstandings. They are admirably suited in fact. Rumpole is always searching for justice especially when he believes his client innocent in spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. He is a radical lawyer as Phyllida Erskine-Brown describes him to someone who claims to be but isn't really.
This volume is excellent value and provides many hours of reading for the Rumpole fan and for those coming fresh to the character.
'Rumpole of the Bailey' was the first of the Rumpole books and contains a couple of the most iconic stories 'Rumpole and the Younger Generation' in which one of the younger members of the Timson family (that famous family of South London villains)is in the dock for a crime that maybe he didn't commit. In this story we learn that Rumpole is sixty eight and still a practicing barrister though he is writing his memoirs and looking back on his chequered career. From there on the chronology of the later stories can be a little hit and miss but the stories themselves are never less than entertaining.
The other story in this first book which to my mind shows the best of Rumpole himself is 'Rumpole and the Alternative Society'. Here Rumpole relives some of his life as RAF ground staff during the war and falls slightly in love with his client and her lifestyle. This story has a poignant tinge to it which shows Rumpole in a reflective mood about life, love and poetry.
The second volume in this omnibus edition is 'The Trials of Rumpole' and of the six stories it contains I think my favourite is 'Rumpole and the Showfolk' which has a really good twist at the end though it does rather leave Rumpole feeling he stepped into a lift just after the lift has gone. This case takes place in Grimble - that dour northern town which is the setting for some of Rumpole's cases which are not set in and around London.
The third book in this volume 'Rumpole's Return' is a novel which shows Rumpole trying to accustom himself to retirement in Florida with his son Nick and daughter in law Erica after ten disastrous defeats at the hands of Judge Bullingham. He doesn't last very long and a letter from Phyllida Erskine-Brown in his chambers soon draws him back to London and the Old Bailey and a murder trial. But first he conducts an obscenity trial in Grimble - and fails dismally.
The murder case itself requires Rumpole's son to do some sleuthing in Florida - which he carries out admirably well and provides the evidence Rumpole needs to help him win the case and frustrate a plan by Ken Cracknell - the newest recruit to Rumpole's chambers. After this success all plans for retirement are off the agenda.
There is, to me, something intensely loveable in Horace Rumpole and his sometimes acrimonious relationship with 'She Who Must Be Obeyed' AKA Hilda Rumpole. He claims not to understand her when in fact they both understand each other very well apart from a few mutual misunderstandings. They are admirably suited in fact. Rumpole is always searching for justice especially when he believes his client innocent in spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. He is a radical lawyer as Phyllida Erskine-Brown describes him to someone who claims to be but isn't really.
This volume is excellent value and provides many hours of reading for the Rumpole fan and for those coming fresh to the character.
October 6, 2025
These are astoundingly good. A few I’d read before in another omnibus, but they’re more than worth a second go. What really strikes me is how many serious issues they tackle beneath the humour. It’s all there — life, love, and the law. Some stories are refreshingly free of coyness, dealing with taboo subjects like underage sex head-on, without flinching or preaching.
But it’s the characterisation and wit that truly set Mortimer’s writing apart. First-rate stuff. And I’ve still got two and a bit omnibuses to go — all new to me.
I suppose it’s the same old story: you wait for one omnibus to arrive… and then three turn up at once. Time to motor on.
First class. All of them. Especially Rumpole's Return at the end. Mortimer's got an economy of style, which still manages to be flamboyant. On to the second volume.
But it’s the characterisation and wit that truly set Mortimer’s writing apart. First-rate stuff. And I’ve still got two and a bit omnibuses to go — all new to me.
I suppose it’s the same old story: you wait for one omnibus to arrive… and then three turn up at once. Time to motor on.
First class. All of them. Especially Rumpole's Return at the end. Mortimer's got an economy of style, which still manages to be flamboyant. On to the second volume.
January 11, 2021
My dad, who passed away from Parkinson’s in 2004, was a Los Angeles-area trial lawyer of sufficient note to have received a brief write-up in Newsweek during the early 70s for persuading a jury to award some $50 million in damages, $15 million of which were punitive, over a large clothing corporation’s theft of his client’s patented method for holding up ladies’ hosiery. Alas, after an appeals court ruled it excessive, neither my dad nor his client (who had lived out of his car and on borrowed money, much of it from his attorney, in order to survive during the 14 or so years the case was being litigated) ever realized more than a tiny fraction of that $50 million. Nevertheless, the very fact that a jury had called for $15 million in punitive damages, an unheard amount at the time, at the very least demonstrated that my father was pretty damn good in a courtroom.
Dad had an outgoing, charismatic personality that enabled him to win juries to his side in an argument. He also had a knack for remembering names and a habit of commenting favorably on people’s appearance which won him lots of favors from courthouse clerks and other personnel. The youngest of three boys, he had that ability to charm that many a family’s youngest child cultivates and exploits from infancy.
From an early age it was obvious that I, a squarely middle child, had inherited none of these traits. Despite that, he always pushed me towards a legal career, and my insistence on becoming a journalist (a profession he disdained) was just one of a myriad of ways I disappointed him over the years.
It wasn’t really that I didn’t care to spend my life writing legal briefs (though I can’t imagine a more tedious existence), nor was it the fact that I had no desire to put in the years of study required to obtain a law degree and pass the bar. Rather, my late sixties era, slightly radical self had issues with what I believed a lawyer had to be in order to be successful – calculating, manipulative, a bit shifty. Dad’s stories about courtroom tricks – like the defense attorney who inserted a wire into his cigar in order to focus jurors' attention on an ever-lengthening ash rather than a witness’ testimony – didn’t help. Not only did these stories offend my naively altruistic sensibilities, but they helped persuade me that I could never be a successful attorney. I’m much better now (thank you, Dale Carnegie), but at the time, I couldn’t manipulate my way out of a paper bag, let alone win friends and influence people, skillsets essential for a successful trial lawyer.
Thus, the closest I’ve ever come to practicing law is providing my attorney with written testimony about whatever legal situation I happened to be in at the time and having him say, “Great. We’ll just go with this.”
Skipping ahead to the spring of 2020, my wife and I are driving down Periwinkle Way, making our way off Sanibel Island, along Florida’s Gulf Coast, when I spot a brightly tropical-colored but otherwise nondescript looking bookstore. As we’re both almost finished with the books we brought with us for this two-week vacation, we decide to pull in.
By all means, if you enjoy a good mystery and ever find yourself on Sanibel, stop into Gene’s Books. You will be overwhelmed by what’s certainly one of the most extensive selections of mystery novels and anthologies on the planet. You’ll find an entire wall devoted to Agatha Christie, shelf after shelf of British mysteries and volume after volume of American mysteries along with regional mysteries from Florida, the Caribbean, Africa and just about anywhere else you can name, books you’ll never find on Amazon or at Barnes & Noble, and all at discount prices.
It’s my habit, once I find an author I like, to buy and read everything he or she has ever written. That’s why I’ve stayed away from Ann Cleves (the author of Shetland and Vera, two of my wife’s and my favorite British crime series) and P.D. James (acknowledged as one of the all-time great writers of mystery fiction). I’m trying to keep my impulse to buy books under control, at least until I’ve caught up a bit, and there’s little doubt that one Cleves or James purchase, in the end, turn into dozens and dozens of books, if not their entire oeuvre.
I was on the verge of getting out of Gene’s Books unscathed when John Mortimer’s The First Rumpole Omnibus caught my eye. It was a thick, new but shelf-worn paperback (the second and third omnibuses [shouldn’t that be omnibi?] were far more pristine) and, despite my fetish for mint condition books, it looked intriguing enough for me to examine it more closely.
On the back cover, the The New York Times blurb read, “… worthy of comparison to P.G. Wodehouse.” The Boston Globe raved, “Mortimer has created one of the legendary fictional detectives … a barrister [who’s] as much Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot.”
Okay, sold. It takes very little for me to rationalize buying a book, so I did. I’ve been wanting to read Wodehouse, I’ve read and loved all the Poirot and Sherlock Holmes stories, and if Rumpole, according to the Globe, manages to combine those guys with lawyering, how could I resist? Besides, I’d need something for the plane, and this sounded promising, both in the short term and later, when I could conceivably convince my sure-to-be reluctant wife (she doesn't appreciate British humor the way I do) to binge watch the BBC series Rumple of the Bailey. Then there was the fact that Gene’s was offering it at $9.98, a full $12.02 off the publisher’s price. Rationalization accomplished. My sincere intention to walk away empty handed thwarted.
Omnibus no. 1 includes two short story collections (Rumpole of the Bailey and The Trials of Rumpole) and the short novel Rumpole’s Return. Each of the short stories is about a half-hour read and, while episodic in nature, flows one into the other like chapters in a novel. As the stories progress, and you become increasingly familiar with the rascally, rumpled Rumpole, you’ll find yourself wishing you could sit down with him and enjoy a cigar and a glass of Pomeroy’s Plonk while listening to him recite Wordsworth or bitch about She Who Must Be Obeyed, aka Hilda, the disapproving wife.
These are not whodunits. Though many of the stories have surprising and clever plot twists, the real mystery to be solved is how Rumpole, a criminal defense lawyer, is going to get his often guilty clients off while still maintaining the legal profession’s ethics (pretty much the only ethics he really cares about). Things don’t always work out: Rumpole sometimes screws up; he’s not always able to sell his clients on his preferred approach to arguing their case; he sometimes loses cases he would have won had he been less stubbornly principled. He can be caustic, condescending, lazy, bumbling, unsanitary, a lousy father and a worse husband, but he’s also wise, unpretentious, moral, witty and clever. It wouldn’t be beyond him to thread a wire through the middle of his cigar.
More “Faulty Towers” than Monty Python, more “House” than “Law and Order,” Rumpole manages to evoke out-loud laughter (even on airplanes). At the same time, though, it raises serious questions of law and morality and, for the curious, helps readers understand what makes trial lawyers tick. I understand my dad a bit better after reading it, and that's all the rationalization I need to purchase Omnibuses (Omnibi?) nos. 2 & 3.
Dad had an outgoing, charismatic personality that enabled him to win juries to his side in an argument. He also had a knack for remembering names and a habit of commenting favorably on people’s appearance which won him lots of favors from courthouse clerks and other personnel. The youngest of three boys, he had that ability to charm that many a family’s youngest child cultivates and exploits from infancy.
From an early age it was obvious that I, a squarely middle child, had inherited none of these traits. Despite that, he always pushed me towards a legal career, and my insistence on becoming a journalist (a profession he disdained) was just one of a myriad of ways I disappointed him over the years.
It wasn’t really that I didn’t care to spend my life writing legal briefs (though I can’t imagine a more tedious existence), nor was it the fact that I had no desire to put in the years of study required to obtain a law degree and pass the bar. Rather, my late sixties era, slightly radical self had issues with what I believed a lawyer had to be in order to be successful – calculating, manipulative, a bit shifty. Dad’s stories about courtroom tricks – like the defense attorney who inserted a wire into his cigar in order to focus jurors' attention on an ever-lengthening ash rather than a witness’ testimony – didn’t help. Not only did these stories offend my naively altruistic sensibilities, but they helped persuade me that I could never be a successful attorney. I’m much better now (thank you, Dale Carnegie), but at the time, I couldn’t manipulate my way out of a paper bag, let alone win friends and influence people, skillsets essential for a successful trial lawyer.
Thus, the closest I’ve ever come to practicing law is providing my attorney with written testimony about whatever legal situation I happened to be in at the time and having him say, “Great. We’ll just go with this.”
Skipping ahead to the spring of 2020, my wife and I are driving down Periwinkle Way, making our way off Sanibel Island, along Florida’s Gulf Coast, when I spot a brightly tropical-colored but otherwise nondescript looking bookstore. As we’re both almost finished with the books we brought with us for this two-week vacation, we decide to pull in.
By all means, if you enjoy a good mystery and ever find yourself on Sanibel, stop into Gene’s Books. You will be overwhelmed by what’s certainly one of the most extensive selections of mystery novels and anthologies on the planet. You’ll find an entire wall devoted to Agatha Christie, shelf after shelf of British mysteries and volume after volume of American mysteries along with regional mysteries from Florida, the Caribbean, Africa and just about anywhere else you can name, books you’ll never find on Amazon or at Barnes & Noble, and all at discount prices.
It’s my habit, once I find an author I like, to buy and read everything he or she has ever written. That’s why I’ve stayed away from Ann Cleves (the author of Shetland and Vera, two of my wife’s and my favorite British crime series) and P.D. James (acknowledged as one of the all-time great writers of mystery fiction). I’m trying to keep my impulse to buy books under control, at least until I’ve caught up a bit, and there’s little doubt that one Cleves or James purchase, in the end, turn into dozens and dozens of books, if not their entire oeuvre.
I was on the verge of getting out of Gene’s Books unscathed when John Mortimer’s The First Rumpole Omnibus caught my eye. It was a thick, new but shelf-worn paperback (the second and third omnibuses [shouldn’t that be omnibi?] were far more pristine) and, despite my fetish for mint condition books, it looked intriguing enough for me to examine it more closely.
On the back cover, the The New York Times blurb read, “… worthy of comparison to P.G. Wodehouse.” The Boston Globe raved, “Mortimer has created one of the legendary fictional detectives … a barrister [who’s] as much Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot.”
Okay, sold. It takes very little for me to rationalize buying a book, so I did. I’ve been wanting to read Wodehouse, I’ve read and loved all the Poirot and Sherlock Holmes stories, and if Rumpole, according to the Globe, manages to combine those guys with lawyering, how could I resist? Besides, I’d need something for the plane, and this sounded promising, both in the short term and later, when I could conceivably convince my sure-to-be reluctant wife (she doesn't appreciate British humor the way I do) to binge watch the BBC series Rumple of the Bailey. Then there was the fact that Gene’s was offering it at $9.98, a full $12.02 off the publisher’s price. Rationalization accomplished. My sincere intention to walk away empty handed thwarted.
Omnibus no. 1 includes two short story collections (Rumpole of the Bailey and The Trials of Rumpole) and the short novel Rumpole’s Return. Each of the short stories is about a half-hour read and, while episodic in nature, flows one into the other like chapters in a novel. As the stories progress, and you become increasingly familiar with the rascally, rumpled Rumpole, you’ll find yourself wishing you could sit down with him and enjoy a cigar and a glass of Pomeroy’s Plonk while listening to him recite Wordsworth or bitch about She Who Must Be Obeyed, aka Hilda, the disapproving wife.
These are not whodunits. Though many of the stories have surprising and clever plot twists, the real mystery to be solved is how Rumpole, a criminal defense lawyer, is going to get his often guilty clients off while still maintaining the legal profession’s ethics (pretty much the only ethics he really cares about). Things don’t always work out: Rumpole sometimes screws up; he’s not always able to sell his clients on his preferred approach to arguing their case; he sometimes loses cases he would have won had he been less stubbornly principled. He can be caustic, condescending, lazy, bumbling, unsanitary, a lousy father and a worse husband, but he’s also wise, unpretentious, moral, witty and clever. It wouldn’t be beyond him to thread a wire through the middle of his cigar.
More “Faulty Towers” than Monty Python, more “House” than “Law and Order,” Rumpole manages to evoke out-loud laughter (even on airplanes). At the same time, though, it raises serious questions of law and morality and, for the curious, helps readers understand what makes trial lawyers tick. I understand my dad a bit better after reading it, and that's all the rationalization I need to purchase Omnibuses (Omnibi?) nos. 2 & 3.
July 1, 2020
A marvelously written collection of largely inconsequential stories. Truly worthy of comparison to P.G. Wodehouse, which is no small feat.
That said, as a Rumpole first-timer, I probably shouldn't have gone with an omnibus. I read its one longer story, but only 7 of the 12 shorter ones. It's not that they weren't good; they were just all basically the same. If you don't mind the fact that nothing really happens--over and over again--this is your ticket. Though, one more nitpick: I take a bit of exception to Rumpole's curmudgeonly nature. It seems to be meant, by the author Mortimer, as a charming characteristic; after a while it begins to feel, instead, like selfishness and arrogance.
But again, this effect is slight--as evidenced by the four-star rating.
That said, as a Rumpole first-timer, I probably shouldn't have gone with an omnibus. I read its one longer story, but only 7 of the 12 shorter ones. It's not that they weren't good; they were just all basically the same. If you don't mind the fact that nothing really happens--over and over again--this is your ticket. Though, one more nitpick: I take a bit of exception to Rumpole's curmudgeonly nature. It seems to be meant, by the author Mortimer, as a charming characteristic; after a while it begins to feel, instead, like selfishness and arrogance.
But again, this effect is slight--as evidenced by the four-star rating.
January 21, 2025
I remember years ago picking this book up at my local library. There was a British Television series called Rumpole of the Bailey from 1978 – 1992 that was the impetus for me to read the stories. So, when this book was donated to my Little Free Library Shed, I couldn’t help but enjoy the opportunity to re-visit Horace Rumpole.
Even though most the stories are set in the 1970’s, they were still fun to re-visit. This is a wonderful collection highlighting Rumpole’s experiences as a barrister and his relationship with his wife Hilda (She Who Must be Obeyed). Anyone who loves some courtroom drama, especially based in England, might enjoy these cases.
As an Omnibus it includes the first three books: Rumpole of the Bailey, The Trials of Rumpole and Rumpole’s Return. The stories are engaging, sometimes humorous, and devoid of graphic violence or foul language.
Those who appreciate an individual who looks out for the underdog, will like Rumpole. Mortimer provides a witty, enjoyable, light mystery reading experience.
Even though most the stories are set in the 1970’s, they were still fun to re-visit. This is a wonderful collection highlighting Rumpole’s experiences as a barrister and his relationship with his wife Hilda (She Who Must be Obeyed). Anyone who loves some courtroom drama, especially based in England, might enjoy these cases.
As an Omnibus it includes the first three books: Rumpole of the Bailey, The Trials of Rumpole and Rumpole’s Return. The stories are engaging, sometimes humorous, and devoid of graphic violence or foul language.
Those who appreciate an individual who looks out for the underdog, will like Rumpole. Mortimer provides a witty, enjoyable, light mystery reading experience.
December 8, 2024
Collection of some Rumpole stories. They're very highly regarded. I remember they used to be on PBS all the time.
They're very British.
I can see the appeal, but these are all written after WWII, so they feel more than a bit out of date.
They're very British.
I can see the appeal, but these are all written after WWII, so they feel more than a bit out of date.
February 12, 2011
This was absolutely glorious. Just delightful.
"As I always say, murder is nothing more than common assault, with unfortunate consequences."
"He stands up with all the eager self-confidence of a rabbit with a retiring disposition caught in the headlights of an oncoming car."
"so that the unfortunate Guthrie often arrived at Chambers looking less like a suave and successful Q.C... than a man who spends his nights watching over a dynamite factory in which all the employees are allowed to smoke."
"It was rather as if a heretic, dragged before the Inquisition, had been told he'd just won a holiday in the Bahamas."
Mortimer is obviously deeply influenced by Wodehouse, and his Rumpole--short, fat, careless with money, conjoined half in war, half wedlock with She Who Must Be Obeyed (in which relationship there actually is a profound affection built out of security that we catch glimpses of), always spouting poetry, always defending and saying, "there, but for the grace of God, goes Rumpole"--his Rumpole, seems actually to be a character with deep, Christian virtues (hear me out). He is not a superficial Christian--he is not even a Christian, I don't think--as Soapy Sam Ballard is a superficial Christian, and he revolts against the hypocrisy of such a life. His life, however, is one of fierce grace: he always defends, he never pleads guilty, and he fights tooth and nail to give his (often villainous) clients a second chance at life. He has a deep terror and loathing of ever condemning, which is deep-rooted enough to prevent his career from ever advancing, and his love of life (Pomeroy's "Chateau Fleet Street" Claret, small cigars, roaring fire and great poetry) are as deeply Puritanical (in the early, teach your dog to knock the hats off of bishops, delight in beer and making love to your wife manner of Puritans) as we could ever hope to emulate. This, combined with his wry cynicism, distaste of judges, Holmes-like intelligence and Wilde-like wit, and his deep knowledge of human nature that doesn't displace his compassion for people make him one of my all-time favorite literary characters. The fact that he quotes poetry that I don't know doesn't hurt.
"As I always say, murder is nothing more than common assault, with unfortunate consequences."
"He stands up with all the eager self-confidence of a rabbit with a retiring disposition caught in the headlights of an oncoming car."
"so that the unfortunate Guthrie often arrived at Chambers looking less like a suave and successful Q.C... than a man who spends his nights watching over a dynamite factory in which all the employees are allowed to smoke."
"It was rather as if a heretic, dragged before the Inquisition, had been told he'd just won a holiday in the Bahamas."
Mortimer is obviously deeply influenced by Wodehouse, and his Rumpole--short, fat, careless with money, conjoined half in war, half wedlock with She Who Must Be Obeyed (in which relationship there actually is a profound affection built out of security that we catch glimpses of), always spouting poetry, always defending and saying, "there, but for the grace of God, goes Rumpole"--his Rumpole, seems actually to be a character with deep, Christian virtues (hear me out). He is not a superficial Christian--he is not even a Christian, I don't think--as Soapy Sam Ballard is a superficial Christian, and he revolts against the hypocrisy of such a life. His life, however, is one of fierce grace: he always defends, he never pleads guilty, and he fights tooth and nail to give his (often villainous) clients a second chance at life. He has a deep terror and loathing of ever condemning, which is deep-rooted enough to prevent his career from ever advancing, and his love of life (Pomeroy's "Chateau Fleet Street" Claret, small cigars, roaring fire and great poetry) are as deeply Puritanical (in the early, teach your dog to knock the hats off of bishops, delight in beer and making love to your wife manner of Puritans) as we could ever hope to emulate. This, combined with his wry cynicism, distaste of judges, Holmes-like intelligence and Wilde-like wit, and his deep knowledge of human nature that doesn't displace his compassion for people make him one of my all-time favorite literary characters. The fact that he quotes poetry that I don't know doesn't hurt.
Read
June 17, 2016I will finish this book, I promise.
But it's on hold again.
The good news is I've gone past halfway.
The bad news is that's all for now, folks.
I started reading this book again a few weeks ago after putting it on hold a year or so ago after reading a bit.
I love Rumpole but I was spoiled by watching the TV series with Leo McKern.
From what I've read, the TV series was very faithful to the books - hence my feeling of having been her before.
Nevetheless, Rumpole's such a marvellous character - and I fully expected to revisit the book when i'm in that mood.
Well, that time came. And went, when I found something more enticing.
The good thing is the book is split into a number of short stories so you can easily read one or two, and put it on hold.
But it's on hold again.
The good news is I've gone past halfway.
The bad news is that's all for now, folks.
I started reading this book again a few weeks ago after putting it on hold a year or so ago after reading a bit.
I love Rumpole but I was spoiled by watching the TV series with Leo McKern.
From what I've read, the TV series was very faithful to the books - hence my feeling of having been her before.
Nevetheless, Rumpole's such a marvellous character - and I fully expected to revisit the book when i'm in that mood.
Well, that time came. And went, when I found something more enticing.
The good thing is the book is split into a number of short stories so you can easily read one or two, and put it on hold.
February 14, 2025
A lot of fun to read. This collects three books, Rumpole of the Bailey, The Trials of Rumpole, and Rumpole's Return. The first two are collections of short stories; the third is one tale and is honestly the best of this collection.
Mortimer was both a barrister and the son of a barrister, and based Rumpole on his own father. He wrote the screen play for the series and slightly later the books, and the first two collections of stories read as novelizations. This is not a bad thing as I am fondly reminded of Leo McKern, Patricia Hodge and company on the small screen.
The third story of the collection goes beyond a simple novelization, with character thoughts and some descriptive passages. It was released the same year as the double length "special" episode of the series, which I've seen but it's been some time. I plan to go back and rewatch the entire series, probably while traveling on various business trips. It's been... decades.
I really enjoyed this collection, and look forward to reading the rest.
Mortimer was both a barrister and the son of a barrister, and based Rumpole on his own father. He wrote the screen play for the series and slightly later the books, and the first two collections of stories read as novelizations. This is not a bad thing as I am fondly reminded of Leo McKern, Patricia Hodge and company on the small screen.
The third story of the collection goes beyond a simple novelization, with character thoughts and some descriptive passages. It was released the same year as the double length "special" episode of the series, which I've seen but it's been some time. I plan to go back and rewatch the entire series, probably while traveling on various business trips. It's been... decades.
I really enjoyed this collection, and look forward to reading the rest.
June 28, 2011
This is my first encounter with Rumpole in print (ok, e-ink), so I thought I'd start at the beginning. The first couple of stories in this volume wet my appetite but later tales really turn on the charm. Reading Rumpole is a bit like slipping into a comfy pair of jeans and slippers. It's also a great "in between" read to "cleanse" my little gray cells as I switch from one thriller or police procedural to another.
John Mortimer's The First Rumpole Omnibus is actually a collection of three books published in the late 1970s: Rumpole of the Bailey, The Trials of Rumpole and Rumpole's Return -- and these, in turn, are based on a BBC Television series. There are at least two other Omnbius editions as well as other one-off novels.
In the main, I enjoyed the 12 short stories more than the lengthier novel which brings Rumpole out of retirement, linking a chance encounter with a flower child in Florida with a murder trial that draws he back to England. Rumpole is an acquired taste with all things in the world seen through the his somewhat self-serving eye. Bu it is delightful to give in to Rumpole behaving like a little boy ... sixty or so years younger than his age.
Small caveat: Penguin have allowed an appalling number of simply typos to creep into this edition. Truly: the text is a mess by any reasonable professional standard.
John Mortimer's The First Rumpole Omnibus is actually a collection of three books published in the late 1970s: Rumpole of the Bailey, The Trials of Rumpole and Rumpole's Return -- and these, in turn, are based on a BBC Television series. There are at least two other Omnbius editions as well as other one-off novels.
In the main, I enjoyed the 12 short stories more than the lengthier novel which brings Rumpole out of retirement, linking a chance encounter with a flower child in Florida with a murder trial that draws he back to England. Rumpole is an acquired taste with all things in the world seen through the his somewhat self-serving eye. Bu it is delightful to give in to Rumpole behaving like a little boy ... sixty or so years younger than his age.
Small caveat: Penguin have allowed an appalling number of simply typos to creep into this edition. Truly: the text is a mess by any reasonable professional standard.
February 4, 2008
Whether you're a lawyer or not Rumpole is great. Tremendously funny and irreverent too. The barrister who never lost a case - well, he might have done, but to know that for sure you'd have to read his stories - something I would recommend.
April 5, 2021
If you haven't met Rumpole, you've missed a treat. Rumpole is a barrister for the defense in criminal cases. Unlike Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot, he doesn't win all his cases. But he does make them entertaining. The stories were turned into a well done series by the BBC.
September 9, 2025
Just brilliant fun - irreverent, laugh out loud funny. A perfect tonic to life’s stresses
June 13, 2022
Classic Rumpole , grumpy & irritable
September 7, 2021
Acerbic, witty and very clever. I expected this to be dry and a bit staid but it couldn't be anything further from that. Recommended for those who like a splash of dark wit.
June 1, 2018
I'm a fan of the Rumpole of the Bailey TV series that was shown on public television as part of the murder mystery series. Although not all of Rumpole's cases are murders, he is especially interested in blood stains, and he won "the Penge Bungalow murder case alone and without a leader," as he says at the drop of the hat.
This Omnibus consists of cases out of Horace Rumpole's life as he fights for his clients who are too poor to pay, and/or too disreputable for a "good" barrister to take on. "Never plead guilty!" Rumpole will shout as he defies his fellow barristers in chambers, or helps a woman become part of the British legal profession (at that point an all boys club). Miss Trent will become an ongoing character in the Rumpole series, and soon earn the nickname "Portia". (The nickname comes from the Shakespeare play, "The Merchant of Venice" when Portia gives a famous speech defending a man in court. It begins, "The quality of mercy is not strained...."
Any problems with the stories?
1. Adultery seems to be common, and if not accepted, at least purposefully unseen.
2. Petty crimes such as those perpetrated by a crime family named the Timsons are consider wrong, but welcome. They help keep Rumpole's bar bill under control. After all, without crime, Rumpole would be out of a job!
3. Religion is not treated seriously, or at least the characters who follow religion are not treating it seriously.
4. Judges are portrayed as obstructions to the law, bumbling along, and violating the rights of the accused.
5. There is a lot of drinking in a wine bar near the Old Bailey.
6. Initially, a woman's role in a man's world is not treated with particular respect, but that is one of the points of controversy being addressed in the series. Don't freak out when you realize that Miss Trent is fighting to get a key to the restroom. She gets the key and a lot more.
Rumpole comments on the issues at hand, often with cynical biting humor.
I loved it. I will read this over and over.
This Omnibus consists of cases out of Horace Rumpole's life as he fights for his clients who are too poor to pay, and/or too disreputable for a "good" barrister to take on. "Never plead guilty!" Rumpole will shout as he defies his fellow barristers in chambers, or helps a woman become part of the British legal profession (at that point an all boys club). Miss Trent will become an ongoing character in the Rumpole series, and soon earn the nickname "Portia". (The nickname comes from the Shakespeare play, "The Merchant of Venice" when Portia gives a famous speech defending a man in court. It begins, "The quality of mercy is not strained...."
Any problems with the stories?
1. Adultery seems to be common, and if not accepted, at least purposefully unseen.
2. Petty crimes such as those perpetrated by a crime family named the Timsons are consider wrong, but welcome. They help keep Rumpole's bar bill under control. After all, without crime, Rumpole would be out of a job!
3. Religion is not treated seriously, or at least the characters who follow religion are not treating it seriously.
4. Judges are portrayed as obstructions to the law, bumbling along, and violating the rights of the accused.
5. There is a lot of drinking in a wine bar near the Old Bailey.
6. Initially, a woman's role in a man's world is not treated with particular respect, but that is one of the points of controversy being addressed in the series. Don't freak out when you realize that Miss Trent is fighting to get a key to the restroom. She gets the key and a lot more.
Rumpole comments on the issues at hand, often with cynical biting humor.
I loved it. I will read this over and over.
September 11, 2021
watched the tv series first, enjoyed the dark, self-deprecating humour, the porterait of a man who marched to his own tune and was willing to pay the price in lost opportunities, disdain of his peers and family. Read "IF" R. Kipling and I see Rumpole.
March 9, 2019
I read Rumpole for the first time as a 14-year-old off my parents' bookshelf. (I know I was 14 because at some point there's a line in one of the stories [not in this omnibus, as it happens - must have been a later story] about 15-year-old boys being "children by anyone's standards", and I was surprised by this, as a grown up person myself.)
As a 29-year-old solicitor now (and in tax litigation, no less) it was an absolute delight to reread.
‘I was going to ask you a little about yourself. You work, don’t you, in the office of the Inspector of Taxes, Bayswater Division?’
‘Yes.’ Simpson seemed this time, perhaps understandably, reluctant to admit it.
���That’s not a criminal offence,’ I reassured him. ‘Although it’ll hardly endear you to the jury.’
P.S. Some of the stories haven't aged particularly well, but... I think that's part of the Rumpole charm, and I can't really hold it against John Mortimer, who was born in the 1920's and writing in the 1970's and 80's.
As a 29-year-old solicitor now (and in tax litigation, no less) it was an absolute delight to reread.
‘I was going to ask you a little about yourself. You work, don’t you, in the office of the Inspector of Taxes, Bayswater Division?’
‘Yes.’ Simpson seemed this time, perhaps understandably, reluctant to admit it.
���That’s not a criminal offence,’ I reassured him. ‘Although it’ll hardly endear you to the jury.’
P.S. Some of the stories haven't aged particularly well, but... I think that's part of the Rumpole charm, and I can't really hold it against John Mortimer, who was born in the 1920's and writing in the 1970's and 80's.
April 19, 2019
I first started watching, "Rumpole," while in graduate school in the American Midwest in the early 1990s. There was not money for cable (the idea of paying for television was still new in those parts, in any rate), and of the five broadcast stations only one, the local PBS station, had good reception. Needless to say, I watched lots of British television.
Years later, I ran across Rumpole in print and had a field day. Mortimer is just as dry and humorous in print as he is on the small screen, and there was the added joy of realizing that the British slang that I thought I'd mastered was not as clear as I thought. There were all manner of clever and witty things in print that completely went overhead on television.
If you liked the television series, you'll love this and it's subsequent volumes. If you don't love Rumpole, or never heard of him, then you are in for a treat.
Years later, I ran across Rumpole in print and had a field day. Mortimer is just as dry and humorous in print as he is on the small screen, and there was the added joy of realizing that the British slang that I thought I'd mastered was not as clear as I thought. There were all manner of clever and witty things in print that completely went overhead on television.
If you liked the television series, you'll love this and it's subsequent volumes. If you don't love Rumpole, or never heard of him, then you are in for a treat.
Read
August 21, 2020This was another throwback read that had come up as a deal on Kindle. I remember loving these books and the associated TV series with the great Leo McKern.
I am therefore sorry to say that I found them disappointing reading them again after more years than I care to mention. For the most part they read like adaptations of the TV series and maybe they are but my memory suggests the books came first.
I actually came close to giving up and starting one of the other books I have waiting to be read but I persisted. Glad I did as the last story in the Omnibus (Rumpoles Return) was longer and better developed, more of a series than individual episodes.
Time for something new to read.
I am therefore sorry to say that I found them disappointing reading them again after more years than I care to mention. For the most part they read like adaptations of the TV series and maybe they are but my memory suggests the books came first.
I actually came close to giving up and starting one of the other books I have waiting to be read but I persisted. Glad I did as the last story in the Omnibus (Rumpoles Return) was longer and better developed, more of a series than individual episodes.
Time for something new to read.
June 20, 2018
I'm not a big fan of short stories. This is mostly a collection of short stories of Rumple. It is cleverly written by Mortimer and I appreciate his ability to be funny without resorting to slapstick. At the end of the day however, the only memorable character is that of Horace Rumpole. The other characters that populate the pages are forgettable. I'll read more Mortimer in the future because his portrayal of Rumpole is masterful, but I think I'll limit my exposure to just the novels.
June 4, 2020
I should start off by saying that I've never seen the old TV series. I have a vague image of Leo McKern in the title role and that's about it. In spite of that, when this book fell into my lap, I felt compelled to read it. The light nature of the prose is probably the main reason. This is a nice breath of fresh air right when I needed it the most. There's a Wodehousian feel to the characters and the plots. Only slightly more serious and slightly more reality based.
A fun summer read.
A fun summer read.
March 11, 2021
Curmudgeonly, a bit of a lush and more than a little cantankerous, Rumpole is a lawyer who thinks that a) everyone’s innocent until proven guilty and b) all cops are out to throw folks in jail. He’s maybe a smidge too incorrect for our times, but he’s always a joy (kinda like having a smoke outside a health food store). I enjoyed all the stories collected in this omnibus.
June 19, 2020
Dated but fun
I found this a bit too much to read all at once as there is quite a bit of repetition and the poetry quotes get a bit boring. It is however ok to read a short story and then give it a break. It has humour and great characters and certainly worth a look.
I found this a bit too much to read all at once as there is quite a bit of repetition and the poetry quotes get a bit boring. It is however ok to read a short story and then give it a break. It has humour and great characters and certainly worth a look.
November 24, 2020
I spent a large portion of this book wondering whether otiose was a good description. Cleverly written but too long to be enjoyable in one go. Mortimer was obviously clever and I loved the TV series. The books are ok but too long, way too long, nothing better.
April 12, 2021
The underdog who wins!
Rumpole attracts our affection and support through his legal adventures. Appeals so much to the British regard for the underdog. I will probably end up reading the entire library of Rumpole! There is much to learn from him.
Rumpole attracts our affection and support through his legal adventures. Appeals so much to the British regard for the underdog. I will probably end up reading the entire library of Rumpole! There is much to learn from him.
April 12, 2021
Reflections
In the current world this book is like a trip back to past times, gentler times and more agreeable times. I read it accompanied with a large glass of Scotch, l suppose it shou!d have been plonk but l am not a wine drinker.
In the current world this book is like a trip back to past times, gentler times and more agreeable times. I read it accompanied with a large glass of Scotch, l suppose it shou!d have been plonk but l am not a wine drinker.
May 3, 2021
It has taken me a year to read this excellent collection, but that does not mean it has been a dull slog. Quite the opposite! I always dipped into this in between reading my other books and it was a breath of fresh air every time. Funny, brilliantly written and an absolute joy.
November 30, 2017
Fantastic .....read these while a teenager and wanted to become a barrister!
August 18, 2018
What a lovely trip down memory lane! I enjoyed the drama series, Rumpole of the Bailey. These are the stories that the TV series was based on.
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