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Psmith #3
Psmith, Journalist
The story begins with Psmith accompanying his fellow Cambridge student Mike to New York on a cricketing tour. Through high spirits and force of personality, Psmith takes charge of a minor periodical, and becomes embroiled in a scandal involving slum landlords, boxing and gangsters – the story displays a strong social conscience, rare in Wodehouse's generally light-hearted works. (Excerpt from Wikipedia)
325 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 29, 1915
185 people are currently reading
1462 people want to read
About the author
P.G. Wodehouse
1,715 books7,007 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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December 8, 2023
Cliff Dwellers by George Bellows
"The unchallenged master of English prose, P.G. Wodehouse often shows a fair working knowledge of Marxist theory." So proclaims Christopher Hitchens in his essay, Marx's Journalism, The Grub Street Years, where specific references are made to Wodehouse's Psmith, Journalist.
This essay by the unchallenged modern master of the English snarl prompted me to seek out Psmith, Journalist, the novel containing the beloved British author's strongest social commentary.
Psmith, Journalist - Eton College gentility meets American mauling - mauling of civility, mauling of one's rivals, mauling of the King's English. The novel's humor sparkles on each and every page. The prime reason for the book's humor is all in the contrast: assuming the role of a New York City magazine editor, Psmith, Eton and Cambridge man, an unflappable gent with more than a touch of Reginald-like wit and eccentricity (reading the novel I was frequently reminded of Saki's delightful aristocratic aesthete), maintains his manner and speech when dealing with such as gangsters and boxers as if conversing with his Cambridge chums over tea and crumpets.
As by way of example, here's Psmith outlining his vision to Billy Windsor, acting editor of Cozy Moments, a small magazine devoted to providing family entertainment:
"Assuredly," said Psmith. "And now to decide upon our main scheme. You, of course, are the editor, and my suggestions are merely suggestions, subject to your approval. But, briefly, my idea is that Cosy Moments should become red-hot stuff. I could wish its tone to be such that the public will wonder why we do not print it on asbestos. We must chronicle all the live events of the day, murders, fires, and the like in a manner which will make our readers' spines thrill. Above all, we must be the guardians of the People's rights. We must be a search-light, showing up the dark spot in the souls of those who would endeavour in any way to do the PEOPLE in the eye. We must detect the wrong-doer, and deliver him such a series of resentful buffs that he will abandon his little games and become a model citizen. The details of the campaign we must think out after, but I fancy that, if we follow those main lines, we shall produce a bright, readable little sheet which will in a measure make this city sit up and take notice. Are you with me, Comrade Windsor?"
Notice Psmith addresses Billy Windsor as Comrade. In high-minded socialist, Marxist spirit during his New York sojourn, Psmith calls all his interlocutors Comrade.
Shortly after Psmith convinces Billy Windsor to join him in striking out on a new vision for Cozy Moments (the current editor-in-chief, Mr. Wilberfloss, is off in the mountains for ten weeks), Psmith encounters abominable Lower East Side tenement buildings on Pleasant Street (ah, the irony of the name, P. G. Wodehouse!):
"It was indeed a repellent neighbourhood in which they had arrived. The New York slum stands in a class of its own. It is unique. The height of the houses and the narrowness of the streets seem to condense its unpleasantness. All the smells and noises, which are many and varied, are penned up in a sort of canyon, and gain in vehemence from the fact. The masses of dirty clothes hanging from the fire-escapes increase the depression. Nowhere in the city does one realise so fully the disadvantages of a lack of space. New York, being an island, has had no room to spread. It is a town of human sardines. In the poorer quarters the congestion is unbelievable."
Now our British gent has his star cause - bring this wretched squalor to the public's attention so as to force the tenement owner to provide sanitary, livable housing for these poor men, women and children.
And that's exactly what Psmith and Billy Windsor do. The next issues of Cozy Moments cause a stir - the circulation skyrockets. Predictably, the unnamed, unknown landlord hires thugs and gangsters to force Cozy Moments to discontinue its relentless slam. How do Psmith and Billy respond? A battle cry for the integrity of journalism: "Cozy Moments cannot not be muzzled!"
Thus we have the tale's lively framework which leads to a number of hilarious scenes - not the least of which is Psmith and Billy at a boxing match where our Eton man offers many piquant observations, such as:
"It seems to me, Comrade Windsor," he said, "that this merry meeting looks like doing Comrade Brady no good. I should not be surprised at any moment to see his head bounce off on to the floor."
In a similar vein, by way of his third-person narrator, P. G. Wodehouse's excitement watching the boxing match reaches a high pitch:
"The Cyclone now became still more cyclonic. He had a left arm which seemed to open out in joints like a telescope. Several times when the Kid appeared well out of distance there was a thud as a brown glove ripped in over his guard and jerked his head back. But always he kept boring in, delivering an occasional right to the body with the pleased smile of an infant destroying a Noah's Ark with a tack-hammer. Despite these efforts, however, he was plainly getting all the worst of it. Energetic Mr. Wolmann, relying on his long left, was putting in three blows to his one. When the gong sounded, ending the first round, the house was practically solid for the Cyclone. Whoops and yells rose from everywhere. The building rang with shouts of, "Oh, you Al.!""
Readers of the novel will enjoy many similar descriptions. What a rousing tale. If anybody has the misguided notion P. G. Wodehouse restricted himself to stories about characters like Jeeves and Wooster, Psmith, Journalist will be an eye-opener.
Closing note: American artist George Bellows' two paintings included here are from the same time period as Psmith, Journalist. As a matter of fact, these two painting could very well have been illustrations for P. G.'s novel.
The Knockout by George Bellows
British author P.G. Wodehouse, 1881-1975
“I am Psmith," said the old Etonian reverently. "There is a preliminary P before the name. This, however, is silent. Like the tomb. Compare such words as ptarmigan, psalm, and phthisis.”
― P.G. Wodehouse, Psmith, Journalist
August 27, 2015
Psmith, Journalist by P.G. Wodehouse, which was published in the book form in 1915, is the third book in a series featuring the adventures of ‘Psmith’, one of the best loved characters in the Wodehousian world. Following the true form of narration, plot and character development that is signature of Wodehouse, ‘Psmith, Journalist’ is a novel that can charm the reader with its merry adventure and hilarious situations.
Rupert Psmith or Ronald Eustace Psmith – the P, which according to him is silent “as in pshrimp” – is a dandy, silver-tongued monocle wearing gentleman, who often gets embroiled in the most silly and hilarious state of affairs. His ability to disentangle himself from such situations by confusing his opponents through conversations makes him a fascinating character.
In ‘Psmith, Journalist’, we find ‘Psmith’ accompanying Mike Jackson – his close friend, sidekick and a cricket player – to New York on a cricketing tour. When Mike is busy with his cricket matches, ‘Psmith’ find New York, a ‘quiet, self-respecting town’ like London, which makes him pretty bored. But in the Wodehousian world things are never boring, so a chance encounter that he has with ‘Billy Windsor’, the acting editor of the magazine ‘Cosy Moments’, changes things upside down for ‘Psmith’. In the familiar Wodehousian fashion things start to go quiet chaotic after this meeting resulting in incredibly humorous circumstances that can make the reader chuckle in delight.
Attempts by ‘Psmith’ and ‘Billy’ to address some social issues through the magazine results in a flurry of intertwined ‘incidents’ involving gangsters, rival gangsters and crooked politicians leading to hilariously complex happenings that only Wodehouse can come up with. The way in which a supremely self-confident ‘Psmith’ handle each of these situations with his comical dialogs and a touch of eccentricity keeps the excitement level pretty high throughout the book.
Along with some of the best instances of the sharp wit, Wodehouse also paints the sights and sounds of New York from the early 1900s with great clarity through his narratives in ‘Psmith, Journalist’. Altogether a funny, lightweight book perfect for relaxed reading.
Rupert Psmith or Ronald Eustace Psmith – the P, which according to him is silent “as in pshrimp” – is a dandy, silver-tongued monocle wearing gentleman, who often gets embroiled in the most silly and hilarious state of affairs. His ability to disentangle himself from such situations by confusing his opponents through conversations makes him a fascinating character.
In ‘Psmith, Journalist’, we find ‘Psmith’ accompanying Mike Jackson – his close friend, sidekick and a cricket player – to New York on a cricketing tour. When Mike is busy with his cricket matches, ‘Psmith’ find New York, a ‘quiet, self-respecting town’ like London, which makes him pretty bored. But in the Wodehousian world things are never boring, so a chance encounter that he has with ‘Billy Windsor’, the acting editor of the magazine ‘Cosy Moments’, changes things upside down for ‘Psmith’. In the familiar Wodehousian fashion things start to go quiet chaotic after this meeting resulting in incredibly humorous circumstances that can make the reader chuckle in delight.
Attempts by ‘Psmith’ and ‘Billy’ to address some social issues through the magazine results in a flurry of intertwined ‘incidents’ involving gangsters, rival gangsters and crooked politicians leading to hilariously complex happenings that only Wodehouse can come up with. The way in which a supremely self-confident ‘Psmith’ handle each of these situations with his comical dialogs and a touch of eccentricity keeps the excitement level pretty high throughout the book.
Along with some of the best instances of the sharp wit, Wodehouse also paints the sights and sounds of New York from the early 1900s with great clarity through his narratives in ‘Psmith, Journalist’. Altogether a funny, lightweight book perfect for relaxed reading.
March 26, 2020
I'm not one of those who automatically turn to Wodehouse for comfort reading. But I needed to finish some book, and Psmith, Journalist was the first one I came to which fitted these criteria:
- I would feel like I'd achieved something by reading it. (It's on the BBC 2019 "Novels that Shaped Our World" list. Having read it, I'd guess it was a teenage favourite of a panellist, because it's harder to imagine loving this story if reading it first time in middle age)
- Yet it also seemed relatively inconsequential, and I wouldn't feel I had to think deeply about it and pore over every word
(People don't talk about it much, apart from that BBC list, and only 3 GR friends have even shelved it.)
- It was written and set at a time when people were used to serious infectious disease (published 1915)
- short
It passed the time amicably enough, but I found a lot of it very silly, and not in the best way.
- The wrong sort of fantasy. An ambitious reporter in maybe his mid-twenties, stuck working for a magazine not unlike the People's Friend, befriends a couple of rich foreign 20-year olds he meets in a bar and lets one of them turn the magazine into an investigative journalism and sports outlet? This would all sound a lot of fun if you were reading it aged 14 or something (I'd guess whichever BBC panellists loved it discovered it as teenagers), but if you're twice Psmith's age and reading this for the first time, it's less believable than a bunch of wizards, elves and talking animals.
- The Noo Yawk gangsters' speech looks (to me, a 21st century Brit) more like a mixture of Chicago and the way African-American speech used to be written by white writers 100+ years ago. Generally, the Americans are all stereotypes and I imagined them as Hanna Barbera cartoons. I'm not sure whether it would help or hinder enjoyment of the novel to have more background knowledge than merely having seen the film Gangs of New York 18 years ago - but I'd love to know what someone who knew a lot about these gangs thought of Psmith, Journalist.
- Psmith - perhaps it stands out because no other character talks like him - has that jovial, ornate unintentional pomposity now found mostly in middle-aged geek-goth men who wear Terry Pratchett hats with long coats, were into real ale long before it was fashionable, and are serious about Linux or swords, or sometimes both. I often quite like these people; however when they appear in fiction it is usually as figures of fun. I suppose I can't quite place Psmith; I don't understand how he's supposed to seem to his contemporaries and he feels incongruous now. (I preferred him in Leave It to Psmith where, being slightly older and an assistant to elder characters, he seemed less ridiculous.)
- Old Etonians winging it with their harebrained schemes (Psmith is one) have become less of a fun subject for quite a lot of people in Britain over the last few years.
- There is something a little too frustratingly easy in the way Psmith solves a big problem by being very rich and buying his way out of it.
- The structure is odd sometimes. There isn't a detailed scene about preparing the crucial new first issue, the nerves as it goes to press, its reception etc, as you would expect from a story about journalism. It often feels unclear how much time has elapsed, and there isn't enough info about what is in subsequent issues of the mag. It feels as if it was a draft where the author had thought he'd go back and write those bits later because he didn't feel inspired on the first couple of goes.
On the plus side:
- It is curious and interesting to see Wodehouse writing about social issues: namely slum landlords, corruption in local politics and the police (albeit in the USA) - and Psmith stands up against other characters who denigrate others based on ethnic stereotypes. (This is back when Italian Americans, Irish Americans etc were still 'ethnic'.) There are a few historically revealing details, such as the urban gangsters mostly being stunted (inevitably one imagines the Ant Hill Mob), whilst guys from the midwest are strapping and healthy.
However the cartoonish nature of many of the characters, who felt more predictable and less rounded than Wodehouse's usual array of English gentry, takes away from all this a little.
- It is kind of "Famous Five do journalism", with grown-up level crime stakes. That may sound good or bad, and I think it sounds more fun in retrospect than it was to read at the time.
- It is all very genial and wraps up nicely; all's well that ends well, as so many readers want from Wodehouse.
This could have been a lot worse and I am still happy to have read it. But I am concluding more and more that the only Wodehouse I really enjoy is the Blandings series.
(read & reviewed late March 2020)
- I would feel like I'd achieved something by reading it. (It's on the BBC 2019 "Novels that Shaped Our World" list. Having read it, I'd guess it was a teenage favourite of a panellist, because it's harder to imagine loving this story if reading it first time in middle age)
- Yet it also seemed relatively inconsequential, and I wouldn't feel I had to think deeply about it and pore over every word
(People don't talk about it much, apart from that BBC list, and only 3 GR friends have even shelved it.)
- It was written and set at a time when people were used to serious infectious disease (published 1915)
- short
It passed the time amicably enough, but I found a lot of it very silly, and not in the best way.
- The wrong sort of fantasy. An ambitious reporter in maybe his mid-twenties, stuck working for a magazine not unlike the People's Friend, befriends a couple of rich foreign 20-year olds he meets in a bar and lets one of them turn the magazine into an investigative journalism and sports outlet? This would all sound a lot of fun if you were reading it aged 14 or something (I'd guess whichever BBC panellists loved it discovered it as teenagers), but if you're twice Psmith's age and reading this for the first time, it's less believable than a bunch of wizards, elves and talking animals.
- The Noo Yawk gangsters' speech looks (to me, a 21st century Brit) more like a mixture of Chicago and the way African-American speech used to be written by white writers 100+ years ago. Generally, the Americans are all stereotypes and I imagined them as Hanna Barbera cartoons. I'm not sure whether it would help or hinder enjoyment of the novel to have more background knowledge than merely having seen the film Gangs of New York 18 years ago - but I'd love to know what someone who knew a lot about these gangs thought of Psmith, Journalist.
- Psmith - perhaps it stands out because no other character talks like him - has that jovial, ornate unintentional pomposity now found mostly in middle-aged geek-goth men who wear Terry Pratchett hats with long coats, were into real ale long before it was fashionable, and are serious about Linux or swords, or sometimes both. I often quite like these people; however when they appear in fiction it is usually as figures of fun. I suppose I can't quite place Psmith; I don't understand how he's supposed to seem to his contemporaries and he feels incongruous now. (I preferred him in Leave It to Psmith where, being slightly older and an assistant to elder characters, he seemed less ridiculous.)
- Old Etonians winging it with their harebrained schemes (Psmith is one) have become less of a fun subject for quite a lot of people in Britain over the last few years.
- There is something a little too frustratingly easy in the way Psmith solves a big problem by being very rich and buying his way out of it.
- The structure is odd sometimes. There isn't a detailed scene about preparing the crucial new first issue, the nerves as it goes to press, its reception etc, as you would expect from a story about journalism. It often feels unclear how much time has elapsed, and there isn't enough info about what is in subsequent issues of the mag. It feels as if it was a draft where the author had thought he'd go back and write those bits later because he didn't feel inspired on the first couple of goes.
On the plus side:
- It is curious and interesting to see Wodehouse writing about social issues: namely slum landlords, corruption in local politics and the police (albeit in the USA) - and Psmith stands up against other characters who denigrate others based on ethnic stereotypes. (This is back when Italian Americans, Irish Americans etc were still 'ethnic'.) There are a few historically revealing details, such as the urban gangsters mostly being stunted (inevitably one imagines the Ant Hill Mob), whilst guys from the midwest are strapping and healthy.
However the cartoonish nature of many of the characters, who felt more predictable and less rounded than Wodehouse's usual array of English gentry, takes away from all this a little.
- It is kind of "Famous Five do journalism", with grown-up level crime stakes. That may sound good or bad, and I think it sounds more fun in retrospect than it was to read at the time.
- It is all very genial and wraps up nicely; all's well that ends well, as so many readers want from Wodehouse.
This could have been a lot worse and I am still happy to have read it. But I am concluding more and more that the only Wodehouse I really enjoy is the Blandings series.
(read & reviewed late March 2020)
June 22, 2025
This earlyish Wodehouse is a kind of light comic version of Gangs of New York, with our eponymous hero taking control of a Woman's Weekly-style magazine and using it to run an investigative campaign against NYC social conditions.
Because Wodehouse is dealing with America, the satire is broader than it otherwise would be (Noo Yawk accents are laboriously transcribed); and because one of the aims is social comment, you do lose that sense of timelessness which is normally such a balm in Wodehouse's fiction.
So this is not yet the mature Wodehouse, but there are still many flashes of his particular genius in here. And it's impossible not to love a writer who, when he wishes to intimate that a character tends to get up late, will write such a magisterial sentence as, ‘Larks who rose in his neighbourhood, rose alone.’
Because Wodehouse is dealing with America, the satire is broader than it otherwise would be (Noo Yawk accents are laboriously transcribed); and because one of the aims is social comment, you do lose that sense of timelessness which is normally such a balm in Wodehouse's fiction.
So this is not yet the mature Wodehouse, but there are still many flashes of his particular genius in here. And it's impossible not to love a writer who, when he wishes to intimate that a character tends to get up late, will write such a magisterial sentence as, ‘Larks who rose in his neighbourhood, rose alone.’
February 6, 2008
I'd start a paper just to get Psmith working on it.
January 5, 2022
This is the third book in the Psmith series. However, not unlike its predecessors, the story is intendent to be entertaining, it falls quite short of the particular lightheartedness and unbridled merriment filling the first two books to the brim. Some would blame the gloomy urban setting, or the sketchy characters of NY gangsters, but one can't help but rue the absence of a comic figure like that of Mr Downing's in Mike and Psmith or Mr Bickersdyke's in Psmith in the City.
November 6, 2017
Actually he doesn’t become a journalist in this book, but he does get involved with the running of a paper with the delightful name, Cozy Moments. Psmith (with a silent P) is not my favorite Wodehouse character, but he certainly isn’t the worst of them either. He has a certain elegance.
The story is in the usual Wodehouse style. The whole thing is slightly redicilous, but funny. I keep coming back to Wodehouse for a reason. It is not that reinvented anything in literature, it’s that he could turn out a funny situations, a funny story, memorable characters, and this book has that.
For some reason, his humor doesn’t age badly, like some humorous stories from that time. I can’t see that at least, and I can’t really explain why either. Who cares anyway? It’s enough for me that he makes me smile.
He isn’t political in his stories, but this one borders on it. While Psmith is at Cozy Moments the paper goes after a slum lord and shows the corruption that lurks around him. It’s one of the rare occasions where Wodehouse shows that aspect in his stories.
Anyway, not the best Wodehouse, but still funny.
The story is in the usual Wodehouse style. The whole thing is slightly redicilous, but funny. I keep coming back to Wodehouse for a reason. It is not that reinvented anything in literature, it’s that he could turn out a funny situations, a funny story, memorable characters, and this book has that.
For some reason, his humor doesn’t age badly, like some humorous stories from that time. I can’t see that at least, and I can’t really explain why either. Who cares anyway? It’s enough for me that he makes me smile.
He isn’t political in his stories, but this one borders on it. While Psmith is at Cozy Moments the paper goes after a slum lord and shows the corruption that lurks around him. It’s one of the rare occasions where Wodehouse shows that aspect in his stories.
Anyway, not the best Wodehouse, but still funny.
January 13, 2009
This is Wodehouse's third Psmith book, published in the US in 1912 and the UK in 1915, and thus Wodehouse's 18th published novel. However, it was written in 1909, after his very first visit to America, which lasted from April 25th to May 20th 1904, and allowed him a glimpse of New York street gangs and the boxing scene. Into this turn of the century New York he inserts, somewhat improbably, his then best comic creation, the loquacious, audacious, monocle-wearing Psmith, a kind of foppish adventurer - a strange character which really doesn't fit any preexisting literary or social stereotype. Psmith really is a strange literary figure, given to prolonged displays of elocution and keen observation in potentially dangerous situations, as though merely continuing to talk and perplex aggressors will get him out of the situation.
This is early Wodehouse which lacks the brilliant playfulness with language which he was to develop within a few years and hone for the rest of his career, but there are entertaining glimpses of an incipient master becoming aware of his powers to tweak the language to such piquant and endearing effect which Wodehouse was known and loved for.
Well worth it for Psmith fans and Wodehouse completists.
In case you're wondering, the Psmith series is:
* Mike (serialized and published 1909)
* Psmith in the City (serialized 1909, published 1910)
* Psmith, Journalist (serialized 1909, published 1912 US, 1915 UK)
* Leave it to Psmith (serialized 1923, published 1923 UK, 1924 US)
This is early Wodehouse which lacks the brilliant playfulness with language which he was to develop within a few years and hone for the rest of his career, but there are entertaining glimpses of an incipient master becoming aware of his powers to tweak the language to such piquant and endearing effect which Wodehouse was known and loved for.
Well worth it for Psmith fans and Wodehouse completists.
In case you're wondering, the Psmith series is:
* Mike (serialized and published 1909)
* Psmith in the City (serialized 1909, published 1910)
* Psmith, Journalist (serialized 1909, published 1912 US, 1915 UK)
* Leave it to Psmith (serialized 1923, published 1923 UK, 1924 US)
September 21, 2024
I read this once before, back in 1997. Picking it up this time, I didn't remember anything about it. It would have been one of, if not my first, step beyond Jeeves and Wooster, once I'd exhausted all of those. (Or at least the selection available to me through the library.)
I must not have been much taken with it, given I didn't touch another Psmith book until 2024, and my explorations of Wodehouse beyond Jeeves over the last 27 years have mostly focused on his standalone novels.
This is quite unique among the 26 or so Wodehouse novels I've read. With the exception of Psmith in the City, I'm pretty sure every other Wodehouse I've read has involved some kind of romance/marriage element in the plot. Not one single woman appears in Psmith, Journalist, and I can only recall two being referred to at all. But while the absence of romance and women is also true of the previous Psmith book, Psmith, Journalist is also surprisingly violent. We've get old-timey New York gangs at war, and a slum lord trying to get rid of our heroes. While it's still quite the comedy, it's got far more action and adventure elements than any other Wodehouse I've read to date. I enjoyed it immensely this time around.
It's not perfect. The ending felt a bit too calm given the level of action preceeding it. And while I wasn't slowed down too much by the dialect of the gangsters and other "lower class" characters, I was slightly uncomfortable with the old-timey slurs. (It mostly feels like the typical casual racial/ethnic discrimination of the period, not actively malicious, but it was noticeable.)
Psmith in the City would perhaps serve as a better introduction to the character of Psmith. I felt like it gave a better introductory feel for what's going on with his patter. (Psmith's style of speaking never fails to seem out of step with whomever he's interacting with. It's funny, but could also be jarring.) On the upside though, there's zero cricket in this one, and Mike's barely in it at all. He mostly seems to serve as an excuse for Psmith to be in New York. Given how Mike and all the cricket talk very nearly derailed me in beginning of Psmith in the City, maybe this one isn't the worst place to start? It's hard to say.
As happened with A Gentlemen of Leisure, looking this one up reveals there's another version. The Prince and Betty published three years earlier in 1912, contains a very similar situation with the newspaper / tenement storyline, right down to Bat Jarvis and a very similar "Smith" character, though that one does feature a romance storyline, and now I want to read it too. (Once source says Psmith, Journalist was first serialized in 1909 so which recycled from which is a bit fuzzy.)
In any case, this was really fun. I'm looking forward to Leave it to Psmith now.
I must not have been much taken with it, given I didn't touch another Psmith book until 2024, and my explorations of Wodehouse beyond Jeeves over the last 27 years have mostly focused on his standalone novels.
This is quite unique among the 26 or so Wodehouse novels I've read. With the exception of Psmith in the City, I'm pretty sure every other Wodehouse I've read has involved some kind of romance/marriage element in the plot. Not one single woman appears in Psmith, Journalist, and I can only recall two being referred to at all. But while the absence of romance and women is also true of the previous Psmith book, Psmith, Journalist is also surprisingly violent. We've get old-timey New York gangs at war, and a slum lord trying to get rid of our heroes. While it's still quite the comedy, it's got far more action and adventure elements than any other Wodehouse I've read to date. I enjoyed it immensely this time around.
It's not perfect. The ending felt a bit too calm given the level of action preceeding it. And while I wasn't slowed down too much by the dialect of the gangsters and other "lower class" characters, I was slightly uncomfortable with the old-timey slurs. (It mostly feels like the typical casual racial/ethnic discrimination of the period, not actively malicious, but it was noticeable.)
Psmith in the City would perhaps serve as a better introduction to the character of Psmith. I felt like it gave a better introductory feel for what's going on with his patter. (Psmith's style of speaking never fails to seem out of step with whomever he's interacting with. It's funny, but could also be jarring.) On the upside though, there's zero cricket in this one, and Mike's barely in it at all. He mostly seems to serve as an excuse for Psmith to be in New York. Given how Mike and all the cricket talk very nearly derailed me in beginning of Psmith in the City, maybe this one isn't the worst place to start? It's hard to say.
As happened with A Gentlemen of Leisure, looking this one up reveals there's another version. The Prince and Betty published three years earlier in 1912, contains a very similar situation with the newspaper / tenement storyline, right down to Bat Jarvis and a very similar "Smith" character, though that one does feature a romance storyline, and now I want to read it too. (Once source says Psmith, Journalist was first serialized in 1909 so which recycled from which is a bit fuzzy.)
In any case, this was really fun. I'm looking forward to Leave it to Psmith now.
February 15, 2021
I LOVED Leave it to Psmith, and I really enjoyed Psmith in the City, when I didn’t let myself get bogged down in the cricket. But this one was a little more difficult for me, partially due to the wise guy accents (started out listening in audio, and it does not translate well), but largely because of all the racial epitaphs/slurs used. Yes, I know times were different, and no I’m saying to ban the book. I’m just saying - it was hard for me, and if you think it might be for you too, maybe skip this one. There’s plenty more Wodehouse to keep one occupied. Now excuse me while I go re-read Leave it to Psmith...
November 18, 2009
The cry goes round Cambridge: "It's the Gangs of New York by Wodehouse!"
""I fear that you have allowed constant communication with the conscienceless commercialism of this worldly city to undermine your moral sense. It is useless to dangle rich bribes before our eyes. Cosy Moments cannot be muzzled. . . From the hills of Maine to the Everglades of Florida, from Sandy Hook to San Francisco, from Portland Oregon, to Melonsquashville, Tennessee, one sentence is in every man's mouth. And what is that sentence? I give you three guesses. You give it up? It is this: Cosy Moments cannot be muzzled!"
""I fear that you have allowed constant communication with the conscienceless commercialism of this worldly city to undermine your moral sense. It is useless to dangle rich bribes before our eyes. Cosy Moments cannot be muzzled. . . From the hills of Maine to the Everglades of Florida, from Sandy Hook to San Francisco, from Portland Oregon, to Melonsquashville, Tennessee, one sentence is in every man's mouth. And what is that sentence? I give you three guesses. You give it up? It is this: Cosy Moments cannot be muzzled!"
March 30, 2026
4.5
In not quite a single page - and mostly for the benefit of his fellow Englishmen - he explains that something like The Gangs of New York is so American that "a story of this kind calls for a little explanation."
~ because, in this novel, Wodehouse is going to be dealing with such gangs at length. It's a rare venture into this particular kind of social (and, as it turns out, also political) commentary. Wodehouse has a lot to say about this form of menace - and he splices it all into his usual tomfoolery.
~ not, it should be noted, seamlessly. Because he's tackling a subject that's inherently dangerous, there's a challenge in reconciling the subject matter to Wodehouse's usual fizziness. All things considered, the result is less uneven than might be expected. It's just a little more noticeable of an effort in getting the laughs... but he gets them.
It's not as hilarious as the two Psmith books that bookend it: 'Psmith in the City' and 'Leave It to Psmith'. (I'm leaving Book #1 - 'Mike and Psmith' - rather to the side, since it reads as a lesser work.)
'Psmith, Journalist' is also (to a large degree) Wodehouse's jab at shabby journalism; newspaper offices that cater to the lowest common denominator of readers. Far from recognizing that there are all kinds of readers with all kinds of tastes, the author more than suggests an abhorrence for adults who are basically still reading at an elementary school level - and are perfectly fine with that..
However, his distaste for the less-literate notwithstanding, Wodehouse is that much more incensed by the corruption encrypting itself out-of-reach to the common folk: i.e., slimy landlords who grift by, first, building shoddy apartment buildings, then forcing the less-fortunate to suffer as they strive to make the devil's payments.
Some of the ground covered here gets a little hair-raising (esp. if you're accustomed to Wodehouse being light-and-airy). Not to the extent of overkill but there are beatings and shootings here. Unlike most of Wodehouse's novels, there's no time for love. (There are one or two women total; none of the romantic kind.)
By the time I got to the conclusion, I realized I enjoyed this more than I expected to. Wodehouse does an admirable job in fashioning his final contretemps (in particular). Perhaps a bit pat in terms of realism - but we don't turn to Wodehouse for realism... still, the fact that here he's sort of wading around in it (above the knee) is refreshing.
He possessed the art of saying the same obvious thing in a number of different ways to a degree which is found usually only in politicians.Wodehouse may have done this before somewhere but, at the moment, I'm not recalling him ever doing so: he wrote a preface for this novel.
In not quite a single page - and mostly for the benefit of his fellow Englishmen - he explains that something like The Gangs of New York is so American that "a story of this kind calls for a little explanation."
~ because, in this novel, Wodehouse is going to be dealing with such gangs at length. It's a rare venture into this particular kind of social (and, as it turns out, also political) commentary. Wodehouse has a lot to say about this form of menace - and he splices it all into his usual tomfoolery.
~ not, it should be noted, seamlessly. Because he's tackling a subject that's inherently dangerous, there's a challenge in reconciling the subject matter to Wodehouse's usual fizziness. All things considered, the result is less uneven than might be expected. It's just a little more noticeable of an effort in getting the laughs... but he gets them.
It's not as hilarious as the two Psmith books that bookend it: 'Psmith in the City' and 'Leave It to Psmith'. (I'm leaving Book #1 - 'Mike and Psmith' - rather to the side, since it reads as a lesser work.)
'Psmith, Journalist' is also (to a large degree) Wodehouse's jab at shabby journalism; newspaper offices that cater to the lowest common denominator of readers. Far from recognizing that there are all kinds of readers with all kinds of tastes, the author more than suggests an abhorrence for adults who are basically still reading at an elementary school level - and are perfectly fine with that..
However, his distaste for the less-literate notwithstanding, Wodehouse is that much more incensed by the corruption encrypting itself out-of-reach to the common folk: i.e., slimy landlords who grift by, first, building shoddy apartment buildings, then forcing the less-fortunate to suffer as they strive to make the devil's payments.
Some of the ground covered here gets a little hair-raising (esp. if you're accustomed to Wodehouse being light-and-airy). Not to the extent of overkill but there are beatings and shootings here. Unlike most of Wodehouse's novels, there's no time for love. (There are one or two women total; none of the romantic kind.)
By the time I got to the conclusion, I realized I enjoyed this more than I expected to. Wodehouse does an admirable job in fashioning his final contretemps (in particular). Perhaps a bit pat in terms of realism - but we don't turn to Wodehouse for realism... still, the fact that here he's sort of wading around in it (above the knee) is refreshing.
June 19, 2012
Not a great book!! This book has lesser humor quotient when compared with the other two in the series!! At times, i felt very miserable and blindly skipped few pages till i find a new chapter!! But Psmith, as always, a graceful character has enlighted the plot with his wit and charm!!
The narraation was very dull. Til the entry of psmith, i checked many times, if i am reading Psmith series or something else. Very pathetic opening!! This is a bad work from Mr. Wodehouse!! A fan like me, never expect such messy work from him!!
I hope the next and last part of the series would be better!!
The narraation was very dull. Til the entry of psmith, i checked many times, if i am reading Psmith series or something else. Very pathetic opening!! This is a bad work from Mr. Wodehouse!! A fan like me, never expect such messy work from him!!
I hope the next and last part of the series would be better!!
February 15, 2018
4.5/5
I really love this book just so much. Some people find Psmith annoying, but I think he's hilarious, and totally lap up his ridiculous pontificating and constant use of the word Comrade. This book is full of Wodehouse mishaps and absurd gangsters and it was fantastic. My favorite part is that despite the fact that the little newspaper, Cosy Moments, is no longer about cosy things (thanks to Psmith), they keep the title. When the gangsters come to threaten them and Psmith declares that Cosy Moments will not be muzzled! - so classic.
I really love this book just so much. Some people find Psmith annoying, but I think he's hilarious, and totally lap up his ridiculous pontificating and constant use of the word Comrade. This book is full of Wodehouse mishaps and absurd gangsters and it was fantastic. My favorite part is that despite the fact that the little newspaper, Cosy Moments, is no longer about cosy things (thanks to Psmith), they keep the title. When the gangsters come to threaten them and Psmith declares that Cosy Moments will not be muzzled! - so classic.
June 1, 2021
Three stars partly because this is still early Wodehouse, and doesn't quite demonstrate the facility for carrying off a perfectly executed Rube Goldberg machine of a plot he would develop later; partly because it is packed with dialect dialogue ("So wit dat he makes a break at swattin' me one, but I swats him one, an' I swats de odder feller one, an' den I swats dem bote some more"), which always drives me crackers; and partly because there is an uncomfortable amount of casual racism and a disturbing number of slurs that get tossed around, which the contemporary milieu does not quite excuse.
That said, this is one of the very few Wodehouses in which the hero demonstrates something resembling a social conscience, and an awareness of the fact that, outside of their habitual smoking rooms and stately houses and Mayfair flats, there are human beings who are actually suffering. The effect is a little jarring - Wodehouse's world makes more sense if you imagine that it takes place in a parallel universe where there is no war or hunger or poverty. But it's fascinating to watch a Wodehouse character embarked on a legitimately important social justice crusade. Instead of putting his considerable talents towards pinching McGuffins and annoying bank-directors, Psmith spends this book focussed on taking down a slumlord and providing safe supported housing for the impoverished residents of a tenement block, contending along the way with police brutality, corruption, and organized crime. Psmith is, of course, the champagniest of champagne socialists, but he is still a socialist - I guess - and it's nice to see that his concern for equity and human rights extends beyond stealing and redistributing rich men's umbrellas.
That said, this is one of the very few Wodehouses in which the hero demonstrates something resembling a social conscience, and an awareness of the fact that, outside of their habitual smoking rooms and stately houses and Mayfair flats, there are human beings who are actually suffering. The effect is a little jarring - Wodehouse's world makes more sense if you imagine that it takes place in a parallel universe where there is no war or hunger or poverty. But it's fascinating to watch a Wodehouse character embarked on a legitimately important social justice crusade. Instead of putting his considerable talents towards pinching McGuffins and annoying bank-directors, Psmith spends this book focussed on taking down a slumlord and providing safe supported housing for the impoverished residents of a tenement block, contending along the way with police brutality, corruption, and organized crime. Psmith is, of course, the champagniest of champagne socialists, but he is still a socialist - I guess - and it's nice to see that his concern for equity and human rights extends beyond stealing and redistributing rich men's umbrellas.
June 14, 2022
4.5*
Psuke Bariah did a very good narration of this 3rd book in the Psmith series. In this one, Psmith's friend Mike is on the fringes of the story; Mike's cricket team has come to the U.S. and Psmith has accompanied him but is at rather loose ends in New York City while Mike is away playing. He befriends a young newspaper man and gets interested in journalism. While Psmith is his typical self, this entry in the series has more obvious social commentary than most Wodehouse books and less silliness.
I find it a bit sad that many of the problems described in this book still exist over 100 years later -- gangs, slums, corruption...
Psuke Bariah did a very good narration of this 3rd book in the Psmith series. In this one, Psmith's friend Mike is on the fringes of the story; Mike's cricket team has come to the U.S. and Psmith has accompanied him but is at rather loose ends in New York City while Mike is away playing. He befriends a young newspaper man and gets interested in journalism. While Psmith is his typical self, this entry in the series has more obvious social commentary than most Wodehouse books and less silliness.
I find it a bit sad that many of the problems described in this book still exist over 100 years later -- gangs, slums, corruption...
April 27, 2019
An ambitious crossover between Wodehouse's aristocratic humor and gangster literature that seems incongruous with Psmith's prior presentations. This could have been a standalone piece with a different character and it would have made more sense. Also many problematic characters.
August 22, 2010
"Cosy Moments cannot be muzzled!" Could you dream up a more ridiculously, wonderfully assonant name for a muckraking paper than Cosy Moments? I'd give it five stars for being about journalism and doing away with the cricket, except dear Wodehouse replaces the pages and pages of wickets with pages and pages of "authentic New York street-tough" dialect, which is really awful, and tosses in a spoonful of racism for relish. Boo. It's no Thank You, Jeeves, but that one really stands alone.
November 4, 2019
A fairly weak Wodehouse. Psmith should be great, but the novel has too many problems for him to be enjoyable; there is painfully stereotypical "American Gangster" dialog, serious topics that don't fit with Psmith's comic personality, and casual racism that I can't read without cringing. Skip this book, there's plenty of better Wodehouse out there.
January 14, 2015
I think the character of Psmith really hits his stride in Leave it to Psmith. He wasn't quite fully developed in this tale, I think, although it definitely had some great scenes in it.
March 3, 2019
I believe it was a textual critic, Dr Yawn, who showed that the early manuscripts (d. 645-1274) consistently refer to Psmith as an “editor” not a “journalist”.
September 7, 2021
Meet Rupert Psmith (“the ‘p’ is silent, as in pshrimp”). Elegant and unflappable, he brings dry humor and unexpected assistance into every precarious situation. This guy is a scream. At first, he came across as a bit stuffy and imperious, and I thought this book would just be some frothy amusement about a mildly funny character. But Psmith turned out to be one of those great creations with an unswerving personal code, yet lots of heart. He retains his dignity regardless of the company he keeps or the presence of potential danger; where justice is lacking, he is quick to hatch a plan to remedy same. Psmith may seem finicky, but wisdom and compassion ultimately guide his behavior.
I selected this book at random from the stack of Woodhouses sitting dormant on my kindle for so long. My goal was a light and humorous diversion, and I was rewarded handsomely. There’s nothing profound about this book; (I don’t think that was ever Wodehouse’s aim in his writing). But for pure entertainment you can hardly do better. The writing is hilarious, both the narrative and the dialogue between Psmith and basically anybody. This is only my second Wodehouse and I can say so far I prefer Psmith to Jeeves and Wooster. I was unaware, however, that this was #3 in a series. Oh well. At least I know there are more Psmith books to be had. Looking forward to it!
I selected this book at random from the stack of Woodhouses sitting dormant on my kindle for so long. My goal was a light and humorous diversion, and I was rewarded handsomely. There’s nothing profound about this book; (I don’t think that was ever Wodehouse’s aim in his writing). But for pure entertainment you can hardly do better. The writing is hilarious, both the narrative and the dialogue between Psmith and basically anybody. This is only my second Wodehouse and I can say so far I prefer Psmith to Jeeves and Wooster. I was unaware, however, that this was #3 in a series. Oh well. At least I know there are more Psmith books to be had. Looking forward to it!
February 8, 2021
This is the second Psmith(P is silent as in Pshrimp) novel that I've read and it is quite simply an example of Wodehouse at the peak of his powers; not that he was ever off-peak. While Leave it to Psmith was a Blandings crossover and hence was filled with a variety of birds from the Wodehousian world, Psmith Journalist is a one man show in which not surprisingly Psmith becomes a journalist; or to be more accurate the acting editor of a magazine called 'cozy moments'.
Unlike the fish-fed super intelligent Jeeves and the dreamy world of Blandings, Psmith may not be everyone's cup of tea. But if you like coffee, you'll love the Iced Americano Psmith. His knack of getting into trouble, maintaining his composure even in life threatening situations and inevitably using his ingenuity in getting out of tightest of spots will leave you asking for more. Oh and his habit of addressing everyone as a comrade adds a certain charm to it as well. Wodehouse also describes life in New York in early 1900s quite vividly using crooks, gangsters, boxers, politicians and what have you. The psmith brand of humor is totally different from the in your face laughter riots of Bertie & Jeeves/Blandings. It is extreme subtle and dare I say, maybe a level superior(that's extremely subjective though).
Go ahead and let your senses indulge in the Masterchef of Comedy's 'cours spècial'.
Unlike the fish-fed super intelligent Jeeves and the dreamy world of Blandings, Psmith may not be everyone's cup of tea. But if you like coffee, you'll love the Iced Americano Psmith. His knack of getting into trouble, maintaining his composure even in life threatening situations and inevitably using his ingenuity in getting out of tightest of spots will leave you asking for more. Oh and his habit of addressing everyone as a comrade adds a certain charm to it as well. Wodehouse also describes life in New York in early 1900s quite vividly using crooks, gangsters, boxers, politicians and what have you. The psmith brand of humor is totally different from the in your face laughter riots of Bertie & Jeeves/Blandings. It is extreme subtle and dare I say, maybe a level superior(that's extremely subjective though).
Go ahead and let your senses indulge in the Masterchef of Comedy's 'cours spècial'.
Want to read
June 22, 2024I somehow missed this Wodehouse classic, listed by the BBC in 2019 as one of the 100 most influential novels. Wikipedia has the details, and links to several free ebook editions: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psmith,...
Woo hoo!
Woo hoo!
August 1, 2025
Published in 1912 this satirical comedic story set in New York is very amusing. Psmith, remember the P is silent finds himself bored. He becomes sub editor for Cosy Moments a saccharine newspaper which he changes to reflect the real New York. Tenement slums, gangs whose one leader has a love of cats and corrupt politicians.
The story and its wordplay are very funny. With the help of Billy Windsor Psmith manages to get into several ridiculous scrapes. Trapped on a roof by a gang, kidnapped snd saved by a puncture to being kind to animals particularly cats.
Wodehouse use of language is sublime from brain- barbecue to Biffville-on-the-Slosh.
The story and its wordplay are very funny. With the help of Billy Windsor Psmith manages to get into several ridiculous scrapes. Trapped on a roof by a gang, kidnapped snd saved by a puncture to being kind to animals particularly cats.
Wodehouse use of language is sublime from brain- barbecue to Biffville-on-the-Slosh.
March 14, 2026
A great yarn as always, love the kitten obsessed gangster. Some of the racial descriptions are fairly excruciating to read in 2026 but it is a book of its time…
December 18, 2025
One of my favourite, perhaps. Psmith, like Uncle Fred, is a genial conman, though unique in personality. I admit I read this pretty quickly. Fortunately, it's popular, so it's a volume you can find used locally.
January 31, 2024
This is the fourth novel in in five novel Mike & Psmith series. The first, Mike at Wryken, features only young cricket star Mike Jackson, the second novel, Mike and Psmith, introduces us to Mike’s oddly confident, high-minded and persuasively pompous-talking friend Psmith. This book still showcases Mike and his cricket-playing activities. The third book, Psmith in the City, features both Mike and Psmith in predominant roles as co-workers in a London bank and still contains cricket scenes. This fourth book has Mike’s cricket playing getting the pair over to the United States, as Psmith through a chance encounter, finds himself involved with the mutation and survival of a literary magazine called “Cosy Moments.” Mike, on tour with a cricket team, appears only at the very beginning and very end and is absent from any of the plot. Wodehouse uses Billy Windsor, the “Cosy Moments” sub-editor, as Mike’s replacement in the role as ‘straight man’ to Psmith.
The plot involves Psmith’s totally revamping the magazine’s content, replacing the current ineptly and cloyingly written homey articles and literary entries with more gritty hard-boiled features including columns promoting an unknown boxer and attacks on a wealthy slum landlord. The humor comes from Psmith’s antics both in adapting the paper but mainly in dealing with the various New York mobsters be becomes intwined with and threatened by due to his paper’s articles. A large part of the book contains Wodehouse’ spin on what would be called Runyonesque characters.
While there is some humor, and I did smile through it, I often found it tiresome. The reasons for this are two-fold:
-Too much Runyonesque – the ‘quaint’ mob humor, while initially appealing, gets tiresome over time. The ‘dese’ and ‘dose’ dialogues and mob bosses with surprisingly ‘cosy’ interests and hobbies don’t pack the humorous punch they may have once had; and
-Too much Psmith - Mike’s absence is felt, twofold. First, it left a void that got filled by more and more of Psmith’s persuasive, befuddling monologues. Unlike in the previous books, the Psmith schtick got old, even eye-rolling stage. Second, Mike’s presence and storylines gave the previous books a better grounding in reality, a tone that serves to showcase the humorous moments and aspects. This one felt too cartoonish.
Fortunately, the fifth and final book in the series, Leave it to Psmith, has the presence of Blandings Castle, with its usual collection of great characters, romantic entanglements and, of course, imposters. Blandings themes dominate the action so that Psmith���s ‘schtick’ can return to a more measured level, where it just adds to the overall fun of that book. I rate this one as 3 stars.
The plot involves Psmith’s totally revamping the magazine’s content, replacing the current ineptly and cloyingly written homey articles and literary entries with more gritty hard-boiled features including columns promoting an unknown boxer and attacks on a wealthy slum landlord. The humor comes from Psmith’s antics both in adapting the paper but mainly in dealing with the various New York mobsters be becomes intwined with and threatened by due to his paper’s articles. A large part of the book contains Wodehouse’ spin on what would be called Runyonesque characters.
While there is some humor, and I did smile through it, I often found it tiresome. The reasons for this are two-fold:
-Too much Runyonesque – the ‘quaint’ mob humor, while initially appealing, gets tiresome over time. The ‘dese’ and ‘dose’ dialogues and mob bosses with surprisingly ‘cosy’ interests and hobbies don’t pack the humorous punch they may have once had; and
-Too much Psmith - Mike’s absence is felt, twofold. First, it left a void that got filled by more and more of Psmith’s persuasive, befuddling monologues. Unlike in the previous books, the Psmith schtick got old, even eye-rolling stage. Second, Mike’s presence and storylines gave the previous books a better grounding in reality, a tone that serves to showcase the humorous moments and aspects. This one felt too cartoonish.
Fortunately, the fifth and final book in the series, Leave it to Psmith, has the presence of Blandings Castle, with its usual collection of great characters, romantic entanglements and, of course, imposters. Blandings themes dominate the action so that Psmith���s ‘schtick’ can return to a more measured level, where it just adds to the overall fun of that book. I rate this one as 3 stars.
October 15, 2021
As with most of Wodehouse's long-running characters, Psmith simply gets more and more delightful over the course of Wodehouse's career. This novel offered a fascinating and hilarious English take on New York City gang violence in the early 20th century. As usual, everything comes round in the end in quite satisfying ways.
Incidentally, as a lover of Sherlock Holmes (I've read Doyle's complete Holmes corpus), I am now proud to say I have now read the first-ever literary occurrence of the famous phrase, "Elementary, my Dear Watson," — which precise phrase was penned not by Doyle but Wodehouse (p.104)!
Here are my other favorite quotes from this bookish bundle of joy.
"'It is like setting a gifted French chef to wash up dishes,' he said. 'A man of your undoubted powers, Comrade Windsor, should have more scope. That is the cry, "more scope!" I must look into this matter. When I gaze at your broad, bulging forehead, when I see the clear light of intelligence in your eyes, and hear the grey matter splashing restlessly about in your cerebellum, I say to myself without hesitation, "Comrade Windsor must have more scope."'" (p.27)
"You need a holiday. Unflagging toil is sapping your physique. Go up and watch the animals, and remember me very kindly to the Peruvian Llama, whom friends have sometimes told me I resemble in appearance. And if two dollars would in any way add to the gaiety of the jaunt..." (p.141)
"Among his audience ... there was a tendency toward awkward silence. To start bally-ragging a seeming nonentity and then to discover he is the proprietor of the paper to which you wish to contribute is like kicking an apparently empty hat and finding your rich uncle inside it." (p.165)
"It may possibly have escaped your memory, but a certain minion of yours ... utterly ruined a practically new hat of mine. If you think that I can afford to come to New York and scatter hats about as if they were mere dross, you are making the culminating error of a misspent life." (p.169)
Incidentally, as a lover of Sherlock Holmes (I've read Doyle's complete Holmes corpus), I am now proud to say I have now read the first-ever literary occurrence of the famous phrase, "Elementary, my Dear Watson," — which precise phrase was penned not by Doyle but Wodehouse (p.104)!
Here are my other favorite quotes from this bookish bundle of joy.
"'It is like setting a gifted French chef to wash up dishes,' he said. 'A man of your undoubted powers, Comrade Windsor, should have more scope. That is the cry, "more scope!" I must look into this matter. When I gaze at your broad, bulging forehead, when I see the clear light of intelligence in your eyes, and hear the grey matter splashing restlessly about in your cerebellum, I say to myself without hesitation, "Comrade Windsor must have more scope."'" (p.27)
"You need a holiday. Unflagging toil is sapping your physique. Go up and watch the animals, and remember me very kindly to the Peruvian Llama, whom friends have sometimes told me I resemble in appearance. And if two dollars would in any way add to the gaiety of the jaunt..." (p.141)
"Among his audience ... there was a tendency toward awkward silence. To start bally-ragging a seeming nonentity and then to discover he is the proprietor of the paper to which you wish to contribute is like kicking an apparently empty hat and finding your rich uncle inside it." (p.165)
"It may possibly have escaped your memory, but a certain minion of yours ... utterly ruined a practically new hat of mine. If you think that I can afford to come to New York and scatter hats about as if they were mere dross, you are making the culminating error of a misspent life." (p.169)
December 26, 2013
Another entry in Plum's chronicles of the irrepressible Psmith. This volume stands out from the bulk of Wodehouse's work in showing a very real concern with the social troubles that he saw in contemporary New York City: poverty, violent gangs, new unassimilated immigrants, and rife political corruption and graft. Into this bustling mob breezes Psmith on his summer vacation from Cambridge and looking for something interesting to tackle. On a chance meeting in a cafe he sees his chance and places himself in charge of a silly little domestic newspaper, Cozy Moments, and sets about turning it into an organ of reform, a platform for an up and coming young boxer, and a stepping stone for his new friend out of the dead-end sub editorship of Cozy Moments and into a real reporter's job. He he has only a few weeks to do it and he has to keep himself and his friends alive in the process, which turns out to be easier said than done once he begins kicking over the beehives of the well-connected and corrupt establishment. Psmith is a fish-out-of-water even in London. In New York he is impossibly exotic and hilarity ensues. Partly by design and also I think partly by just capturing the general atmosphere of the times, this book also vividly highlights the ethnic and racial ambiguities of underground New York in the early 20th century before the Great War. It is the only Wodehouse I can think of that does not have any hint of a romance in the story. But it IS Wodehouse so of course things turn out happily for the protagonists in the end.
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