A Wodehouse Bestiary

by P.G. Wodehouse

This edition shares ISBN 0395587743 with another edition.

Editor D. R. Bensen has mined the very best of timeless Wodehouse humor in this densely populated bestiary, varied enough to satisfy the most demanding zoophile. These delightful tales come from the pen of the author reverently called "the master" by Evelyn Waugh. Foreword by Howard Phipps Jr.

Genres: Humor, Fiction, Short Stories, Classics, British Literature, Animals, Comedy

329 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1985

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).

Reviews

[Phrodrick slowed his growing backlog · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Wodehouse Bestiary is a collection of typical Plummy stories, with the common factor being the presence, however peripheral of an animal. Many if not all of them have been published elsewhere and if you are a fan of Plummy, you will pass from ones you have read and ones less common. In my case I was also watching the Wodehouse Playhouse, several seasons of mostly the Mulliner stories. It struck me that none of the live adaptations were as fun as reading.

Stories will feature Blandings castle with the Empress of Blandings, Bertie Wooster being bested, (Beasted?) by cats and dogs. The back cover tells us that P.G. was an owner of many Pekingese dogs and so there are at least 9 listed in the volume. There is a gorilla in a literally starring role and a swan who is not to be treated lightly. There are a few stories where if you do not pay close attention, you may miss the animal.

These being Wodehouse stories it is almost impossible to have a Spoiler. Readers can usually guess outcomes by the second page. The pleasure is always the nearly effortless prose that manages to select just the right word to gives us the facts, but startles us by the humorous aptness of the expression. A lovely book to fill odd moments with making fun of golfers, game hunters and the frivolously mannered.

[Jeff Crompton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read practically everything that Wodehouse wrote, so none of these stories were new to me (although in a couple of cases it had been years since I read them). But I had been vaguely aware of this compilation, and thought it might be interesting to read a collection of Wodehouse stories as selected by someone else. D.R. Bensen has chosen an excellent group of the master's short stories, although some of them only tangentially fit the theme - stories in which animals supposedly play a major role.

But that's okay. One of those that's a bit of a stretch as far as fitting the theme, "Jeeves and the Old School Chum," is a favorite of mine, and demonstrates Jeeves' intelligence and knowledge of psychology at its peak. And I've always had a soft spot for "The Go-Getter," in which Lord Emsworth's hapless younger son Frederick, who married the daughter of an American dog food magnate, finally makes the sale of his life with the help of a rough-and-tumble dog named Bottles. Everyone will have their favorites in a collection like this, but there's really not a loser in the bunch.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading one of these short stories each night before bed. Nothing dark or taxing, a light humorous world to inhabit before falling asleep. The opposite of reality lol. My one slight quibble is that Wodehouse is partial to dogs, not cats so cats don’t get enough love! Oh well.

I had read several of these stories before in other compilations so be warned that if you’ve read a lot of Wodehouse you might already have seen some of the stories.

Some quotes to make you chuckle:

If there is one thing in this world that should be done quickly or not at all, it is the removal of one's personal snake from the bed of a comparative stranger.

I hit Woollam Chersey at about four o'clock, and found Aunt Agatha in her lair, writing letters. And, from what I know of her, probably offensive letters, with nasty postscripts.

If you came up to Bingo in the middle of a tennis set and told him that panthers were devouring his best friend in the kitchen garden, he would look at you and say: "Oh, ah?" or words to that effect.

"Poor old Pongo!"
"Pongo?"
"That was Pongo Twistleton. He's all broken up about his Uncle Fred."
"Dead?"
"No such luck. Coming up to London again tomorrow. Pongo had a wire this morning."

[Tamsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first Wodehouse - and I look forward to reading more, especially the Jeeves books. Thanks to Wodehouse, I have decided I would like to add "rummy", "what-ho", and "right-ho" to my vocabulary.

All of the stories were very good, and in particular, I liked the Jeeves/Wooster stories, although those were a little light on the bestiary part. The very best animal-related story was "The Mixer."

[Jennifer Ritchie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wodehouse is always delightful, and these stories are a nice mix from his various series and characters. I had read some of them before, but several others were new to me. Some of the stories barely mention animals at all beyond a trip to the horse-races, while others are more genuinely animal-centric. All of them, however, bring a smile to the reader’s face.

[CindySR · Rating 4 out of 5]

I defy anyone to read Wodehouse without a smile on one's face the whole while! Also, my next cat will be named Webster. :D

[S. Suresh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Wodehouse Bestiary is, not surprisingly, an anthology of short stories featuring actors from the animal kingdom. The collection has 14 stories, five of them narrated by the inimitable Mr. Mulliner as he sips his hot-scotch and lemon at Angler’s Rest, and four of them involving the idle rich Bertie Wooster and his resourceful valet, Jeeves. Of the remaining five, two of them are set in the idyllic Blandings Castle, a Drones club story in which Uncle Fred Flits By, an Ukridge story in which he runs a dog college, and the final one with a canine narrator.

1. Unpleasantness at Bludleigh Court [Mr. Mulliner] [*****]
2. Sir Roderick Comes to Lunch [Jeeves/Wooster] [****]
3. Something Squishy [Mr. Mulliner] [****]
4. Pig-Hoo-o-o-o-ey! [Blandings Castle] [*****]
5. Comrade Bingo [Jeeves/Wooster] [***]
6. Monkey Business [Mr. Mulliner] [****]
7. Jeeves and the Impending Doom [*****]
8. Open House [Mr. Mulliner] [****]
9. Ukridge’s Dog College [***]
10. The Story of Webster [Mr. Mulliner] [****]
11. The Go-Getter [Blandings Castle] [****]
12. Jeeves and the Old School Chum [****]
13. Uncle Fred Flits By [*****]
14. The Mixer [Canine Narrator] [****]

In all fairness, just because they feature horse racing, Comrade Bingo & Jeeves and the Old School Chum do not belong in this anthology. Otherwise, there is little to fault in this delightfully humorous collection of stories featuring some of Plum's best work.

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great collection of P.G. Wodehouse stories! The idea is that each story involves an animal in the plot in some way. Wodehouse loved animals and had a lot of pets, and that comes across here, although they're not always pets (the Blandings Castle pigs make a showing). In fact one of them isn't even a real animal, but an actor in a costume. Still it's a good idea for picking out stories for a collection, mixing well known characters like Jeeves & Wooster with others that most casual Wodehouse readers won't have come across before. It would make a good introduction to P.G. Wodehouse too.

[Chriss · Rating 2 out of 5]

The stories collected in this volume are all selected from other books and collections, so there's nothing new in here. Also, in some of them there aren't really animals in the story at all so much as the humans are in an area with animals such as a racetrack.

In short, the stories are good but there's no reason to pick up this collection instead of one of Wodehouse's others.

[Lizzy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing collection - often the animals are minor plot points or hardly relevant at all (maybe briefly mentioned). Nothing terribly new either, and some of the stories work better in context rather than excerpted in this sort of collection. Not a good flow of stories, and the theme seems forced.

So the rating is mostly for the editing/collecting, but the stories are as lovely as always.

[Elena Henreckson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely charming. Laugh out loud British humor and some very funny narrative voices and literary allusions.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have read this compilation more than once -- includes some classic Wodehouse short stories in which one or more animals has an important role. A snake, a parrot, a cat, multiple dogs, a gorilla, and (of course) a prize-winning sow (and more) are featured in various stories. Includes the only story Wodehouse wrote in which a dog is the narrator ("The Mixer"). The humor stands up to multiple readings.

[Randal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a mix of Jeeves / Wooster stories and ones featuring other characters by Wodehouse, roughly themed around animals. It confirms that Jeeves & Wooster was his high point.
Some of the stories are gems ... Jeeves and the Old School Chum was my favorite, and there are no real stinkers in the collection. Frothy escapism at its best.

[MaryAnn Lockey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven’t read a book of his I don’t like. Such clever dry humor. Not so much about animals as it claims but in most of the short stories there is an animal. More likely a cat that gets a shoe thrown at it or a background.

[Mrs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic Wodehouse Humor

I always enjoy P.G. Wodehouse. There were some familiar stories, and some I haven't read before. All were excellent. I even enjoyed the Foreword and the Preface.

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

My boyfriend recommended me reading this because he and his mom both like to read Wodehouse, and I was glad that he did. It was a really funny collection of short stories and I will try to read more of his works

[Margie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best comfort reading in the universe!!!!!

[Juliana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Growing up and watching Jeeves and Wooster on PBS, it was so great to read the source material and appreciate how close that adaptation was to the original.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of short stories that always makes me laugh.

[Brendan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good collection of Wodehouse stories. One Jeeves and Wooster story, two Blandings tales, and several other amusing ones. Worth a look.

[Poornima · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must-read. An enjoyable collection of Wodehouse's stories.

[stephanie huntington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun and entertaining

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Typical charming Wodehouse - a pleasant break from reality LOL.

[Phillip Mclaughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wodehouse animal stories

Just great fun, some Wooster animal stories, some others all just entertaining.
For a smattering of good short summer reading this is the best.

[Mariah · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Wodehouse is the best for lifting your mood. His silly shenanigans are always good for a laugh. I particularly loved Uncle Fred Flits By in this collection.

[Rachael Robbins · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful collection of stories by Wodehouse which include animals. Bertie, Lord Emsworth, and other favorite characters all make appearances…

[indy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of delightful Wodehouse stories with sparkle and funny turns of phrase. I skipped the last story because a human kept kicking the dog, but otherwise I had a great time.

[Bethany Morgun · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got a kick out of this book. The wit and dry humor was a hoot.

[Kate K. F. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wodehouse is always a fun read and this anthology combines a number of stories from the Jeeves and Wooster books along with ones from other collections. The last story truly stood out to me as its from the point of a view of a puppy that's trying to help a complicated master. All of the others were funny and enjoyable reads. I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys Wodehouse with the warning that its a truly mixed bag.

[Mesembryanthemum · Rating 3 out of 5]

"If there is one thing in this world that should be done quickly or not at all, it is the removal of one's personal snake from the bed of a complete stranger."
– Roland Morseby Attwater, Something Squishy

Charming animal-related short stories, plus extracts from several Jeeves & Wooster books. For the list of stories, see this review.