Summer Lightning

by P.G. Wodehouse

"Summer Lightning" by P.G. Wodehouse – A Delightful Comedy of Errors and Eccentricity

Escape to the idyllic (and hilariously chaotic) world of Blandings Castle in P.G. Wodehouse’s Summer Lightning. Lord Emsworth is preoccupied with his prize-winning pig, the Empress of Blandings, but chaos ensues when a manuscript, a love-struck secretary, and an aspiring novelist collide in an uproarious tangle of misunderstandings and mischief. Add to the mix imposters, schemers, and an eccentric cast of characters, and you have a comic masterpiece that’s guaranteed to leave you in stitches.

First published in 1929, Summer Lightning is Wodehouse at his finest, showcasing his unmatched wit, intricate plotting, and knack for turning the absurd into pure joy. This timeless classic brims with charm and remains a favorite for lovers of clever humor and lighthearted escapades.

This Maxima edition features an exclusive introduction by author RJ Smith offers fresh insights into Wodehouse’s unparalleled genius and the lasting appeal of Blandings Castle. Whether you’re new to Wodehouse or a devoted fan, this edition brings new life to a comedy classic.

298 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 3, 2025

About the author

Sir 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).