Search results for ""author p.g. wodehouse""

When rich and imperious American widow Beatrice Chavender eats a forkful of inferior ham at her sister's country house near London, it affects the lives of everyone around her - her sister, her brother-in-law, her sister's butler, her sister's poor relation Sally, Sally's fiance Lord Holberton, and, most of all, Mrs Chavender's own one-time fiance, 'Ham King' J. B. Duff, whose rotten product spoils her breakfast.

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It all starts with an umbrella, the best to be found in the Drones Club. From such an innocent beginning Wodehouse weaves a comic tale of suspense and romance involving one of his most distinctive early heroes, Ronald Eustace Psmith, monocled wit and devil-may-care boulevardier. Unusually for Wodehouse, this is not only a light comedy but also an adventure story in which crime and even gun-play drive the plot.

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A damsell in distress - an Almost Blandings novel set in Belphi Castle, Hampshire and a two week house party for the son-and-heir's 21st.

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Monty Bodkin's pursuit of Gertude Butterwick is temporarily interrupted by his encounter with silver-screen siren Miss Lotus Blossom, who sees in him a means of restoring relations with her idol, the novelist Ambrose Tennyson. But Monty is not the only one with problems. Ambrose's brother Reggie has money troubles and Ikey Llewellyn is struggling with difficulties which would tax anyone's ingenuity, let alone his limited brain power. When the paths of these men collide, the ensuing plot complications produce a vintage Wodehouse farce involving London, New York, Hollywood and translatlantic liners. A delicious period piece from 1935.

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A collection of stories in which familiar characters and places are reintroduced in unfamiliar circumstances, reminding us – if we need reminding – of their author's limitless powers of comic invention. In the title story – one of Wodehouse's longest and best shorter fictions – Lord Emsworth takes his revenge on his ghastly secretary, the Efficient Baxter, setting off a wave of similar reprisals at Blandings Castle with amazing results. In other tales we meet several members of the Drones Club, while the final three reunite us with the ineffable Ukridge, more of whose ever-optimistic schemes for making easy money come to grief. A delightful meeting with old friends for some readers, a superb introduction to the world of Wodehouse for others.

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When Psmith finds himself working in the City for the pompous Mr Bickersdyke, he makes it his mission to bring a little sweetness and light into the bank manager's life. The monocled wit with the suave manner and the chivalrous but devil-may-care attitude to life is determined not to let honest toil depress him. The consequence is a series of battles in which Bickersdyke comes off worst and Wodehouse's readers best.

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The trouble which begins with Gussie Fink-Nottle wandering the streets of London dressed as Mephistopheles reaches its awful climax in his drunken speech to the boys of Market Snodsbury Grammar School. For Bertie Wooster's old friend has fallen in love with Madeline Bassett and, as usual, makes a hash of the affair until Jeeves comes to the rescue. In the meantime, Jeeves must also solve the mystery of the white mess jacket, while sorting out the lives of Bertie's cousin Angela, her mother, and her mother's French chef. In short, a normal working day for that prince among gentlemen's gentlemen in what must be a candidate for the name of the funniest novel in the English language.

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Trapped in the rural hell-hole of Steeple Bumpleigh with his bossy ex-fiancée, Florence Craye, her fire-breathing father, Lord Worplesdon, her frightful Boy-Scout brother, Edwin, and her beefy new betrothed, 'Stilton' Cheesewright, Bertie Wooster finds himself walking a diplomatic tightrope. With Florence threatening to ditch Stilton for Bertie, and Stilton threatening to trample on Bertie's insides if she does, things look black until Jeeves arrives to save the day. One of Wodehouse's most sparkling comedies, replete with an attendant cast of tyrannical aunts, demon children and literary fatheads.

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When Bertie Wooster goes to stay with his Aunt Dahlia at Brinkley Court and find himself engaged to the imperious Lady Florence Craye, disaster treatens from all sides. While Florence tries to cultivate his mind, her former fiance, hefty policeman Stilton Cheesewright, threatens to beat his body to a pulp, and her new admirer, the bleating poet percy Gorringe, tries to borrow a thousand pounds. To cap it all, Bertie has incurred the disapproval of Jeeves by growing a moustach, thus alienating the only man who can save him from his trip to the altar. Throw in a disappearing pearl necklace, Aunt Dahlia's magazine Milady's Boudir, her cook Anatole, the Drones' dart match, and Mr and Mrs L. G. Trotter from Liverpool, and you have all the ingredients for a classic Wodehouse farce.

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If Stanley Featherstonehaugh Ukridge had a fiver for every dodgy scheme he has ever floated, he would be a rich man indeed. In these ten stories he tries every way of making money, from writing political slogans to opening a college for dogs. In his own eyes, Ukridge is a Great Man and a Visionary. In ours, he is English literature's most delightful chancer and one of Wodehouse's greatest comic creations: charming, ambitious, persuasive, optimistic and almost always disastrous. Sometimes supported by his rich Aunt Julia - but more often expelled from her house for his sins - he moves through the landscape in his eternal yellow mackintosh, dreaming of riches and borrowing shillings, an innocent abroad in a hostile world.

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‘P.G. Wodehouse remains the greatest chronicler of a certain kind of Englishness, that no one else has ever captured quite so sharply, or with quite as much wit and affection’ Julian Fellowes‘Jeeves, of course, is a gentleman’s gentleman, not a butler, but if the call comes, he can buttle with the best of them.’Bertie’s friend ‘Stinker Pinker’ needs his help. But helping his friend means venturing back into the dreaded Totleigh Towers and facing Sir Watkyn Bassett, his ghastly daughter Madeline and would-be dictator Roderick Spode once more. Despite having sworn never to set foot in there again, Bertie, true to form, answers the call of friendship.But even the best laid plans can go awry and, as usual, the only one who can set this frightful adventure straight is Jeeves.‘A comic master’ David Walliams

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We all know Jeeves and Wooster, but which is the best Jeeves story? We all know Blandings, but which is the funniest tale about Lord Emsworth and his adored prize-winning pig? And would the best of Ukridge, or the yarns of the Oldest Member, or Wodehouse's Hollywood stories outdo them? This bumper anthology allows you to choose, bringing you the cream of the crop of stories by the twentieth century's greatest humorous writer.There are favourites aplenty in this selection, which has been compiled with enthusiastic support from P.G. Wodehouse societies around the world. With additional material including novel extracts, working drafts, articles, letters and poems, this anthology provides the best overall celebration of side-splitting humour and sheer good nature available in the pages of any book.

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An Uncle Fred novelFrederick, Earl of Ickenham, remains young at heart. So it is for him the act of a moment to lean out of the Drones Club window with a catapult and ping the silk top-hat off his grumpy in-law, the distinguished barrister Sir Raymond Bastable - but unfortunately things don't end there.The sprightly earl finds that his action has inspired a scandalous bestseller and a film script - but this is as nothing compared with the entangled fates of the couples that surround him. In this delightful novel by the master of comic fiction, Uncle Fred will discover that only he, with his fabled sweetness and light can save the day.

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A P.G. Wodehouse novelChâteau Blissac, on its hill above St Roque, is in a setting where every prospect pleases. But it doesn't please its current occupier, J. Wellington Gedge. Mr Gedge wants none of it - and particularly none of the domineering Mrs Gedge's imperious wish that he should become American Ambassador to Paris. Instead he pines for the simpler life of California, where men are men and filling stations stand tall.Mrs Gedge has powerful allies - including the prohibitionist Senator Opal. But will she get her way? And will the Senator's delightful daughter Jane get her man?In a plot which involves safe-blowers, con men, jewel-thieves and even a Bloomsbury novelist, few are quite as they seem. But the heady atmosphere of France in the 1930s makes for one of Wodehouse's most delightful comedies.

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A Jeeves novelCaptain Biggar, big-game hunter and all round tough guy, should make short work of the two bookies who have absconded with his winnings after a freak double made him a fortune. But on this occasion Honest Patch Perkins and his clerk are not as they seem. In fact they're not bookies at all, but the impoverished Bill Belfry, Ninth Earl of Rowcester and his temporary butler, Jeeves.Bertie Wooster has gone away to a special school teaching the aristocracy to fend for itself 'in case the social revolution sets in with even greater severity'. But Jeeves will prove just as resourceful without his young master, and brilliant brainwork may yet square the impossible circle for all concerned.

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A Blandings novelUncle Fred is one of the hottest earls who ever donned a coronet. Or as he crisply puts it, 'There are no limits, literally none, to what I can achieve in the springtime.'Even so, his gifts are stretched to the limit when he is urged by Lord Emsworth to save his prize pig, the Empress of Blandings, from the enforced slimming cure of the haughty Duke of Dunstable. Pongo Twistleton knows his debonair but wild uncle shouldn't really be allowed at large - especially when disguised as a brain surgeon. He fears the worst. And in yet another brilliant novel by the master of English comedy, Pongo will soon find his fears are amply justified.

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Poor Bertie is in the soup again, and throughout this latest omnibus it is only Jeeves who keeps him from being the fish and the main course as well. In these delightful pages you will encounter all the stalwarts who have made the Jeeves novels and short stories the pinnacle of English humour, from Aunts Agatha and Dahlia to Roderick Spode, Tuppy Glossop, Madeline Bassett, Oofy Prosser and Anatole the Chef. At the end even Augustus the cat has come to be much obliged to Jeeves. This volume contains Much Obliged, Jeeves, Aunts Aren't Gentlemen and the short stories 'Extricating Young Gussie', 'Jeeves Makes An Omelette' and 'Jeeves and the Greasy Bird'.

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P. G. Wodehouse (1881-1975) is widely regarded as the greatest comic writer of the twentieth century. Wodehouse wrote more than seventy novels and 200 short stories, creating numerous much-loved characters - the inimitable Jeeves and Wooster, Lord Emsworth and his beloved Empress of Blandings, Mr Mulliner, Ukridge, and Psmith. His humorous articles were published in more than eighty magazines, including Punch, over six decades. He was also a highly successful music lyricist, once with over five musicals running on Broadway simultaneously. P.G. Wodehouse was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for 'an outstanding and lasting contribution to the happiness of the world'.

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Right Ho, Jeeves sees Bertie Wooster blithely attempting to assume the role of Jeeves himself as a matters-of-the-heart adviser. Very unwise: from Gussie Fink-Nottle's romance with Madeline Bassett, to Tuppy Glossop and his stop/go engagement to Angela Travers, the young master succeeds only in making a bally mess of everyone's love-lives.Toss into the mixing-bowl hot-headed chef Anatole, perpetually resigning from, returning to and re-resigning from the employ of Bertie's long-suffering Aunt Dahlia; and, shimmering over all, the lateral-thinking genius that is Jeeves. Here is more from the wonderously engaging world of Wodehouse, where laughter and inspired idiocy whirl together in warm-hearted celebration of great comic writing. Enjoy? Right ho!Narrator Martin Jarvis is an award-winning actor and Wodehouse reader.

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Read by Martin Jarvis, this joyous celebration of spring fever is an undisputed comic masterpiece. Once again we find ourselves at that idyllic country seat, Blandings. This time it's debonair charmer, Frederick Altamont Cornwallis Twistleton, fifth Earl of Ickenham (known to most as 'Uncle Fred') who has been lured to the castle by affable Lord Emsworth. His lordship requires an expert in human behaviour to prevent the egg-throwing Duke of Dunstable from stealing Emsworth's treasured pig, Empress of Blandings. The plot's eccentricities naturally include love and romance and, crucially, three imposters. Add to the cocktail some 'Mickey Finns', a brace of financially embarrassed nephews and a private investigator, 'Mustard Pott'. As the mixture boils there are shot guns in the night time - plus redoubtable Lady Constance, Emsworth's sister, who could halt a cavalry charge merely with her voice. A happy and appropriate ending is of course on the cards. But the joy is to marvel at how Wodehouse weaves the intricate threads in this tapestry of dottiness, and to hear him tie it up (and us) in knots of laugh-aloud hilarity.Martin Jarvis is the quintessential reader for the 'Blandings' series, with an outstanding range of voices and a true passion for the works of P.G. Wodehouse, Britain's greatest comic writer.

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WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY HILAIRE BELLOCIn the course of a career that encompassed nearly one hundred novels and short story collections (written over more than seventy years), P.G. Wodehouse established himself as not only a fond satirist of the foppish upper class, but one of the greatest comic voices in all literature. Including stories featuring all his finest creations, including Jeeves, Lord Emsworth of Blandings, Ukridge and the disreputable members of the Drones club, this collection is an ideal introduction to the writer described by Douglas Adams as ‘the greatest comic writer ever’.

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'The funniest writer ever to put words to paper' HUGH LAURIE_____________________________________________From his early days Wodehouse adored cricket and references to the game run like a golden thread though his writings. He not only wrote about this glorious British pastime, but also played it well, appearing six times at Lords, where his first captain was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.Illustrated with wonderful drawings and contemporary score-sheets, Wodehouse at the Wicket is the first ever compendium of Wodehouse's writings on cricket. Edited by cricket historian Murray Hedgcock, this delightful book also contains fascinating facts about Wodehouse's cricketing career and how it is reflected in his work. The perfect gift for Wodehouse readers and fans of all things cricket._____________________________________'You don't analyse such sunlit perfection, you just bask in its warmth and splendour' STEPHEN FRY'Immersed in a P.G. Wodehouse book, it's possible to keep the real world at bay and live in a far, far nicer, funnier one where happy endings are the order of the day' MARIAN KEYES'The greatest comic writer ever' DOUGLAS ADAMS'P.G. Wodehouse should be prescribed to treat depression. Cheaper, more effective than valium and far, far more addictive' OLIVIA WILLIAMS

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'Wodehouse said letters make "a wonderful oblique form for an autobiography," and Sophie Ratcliffe's expertly edited collection amply proves the point.'SpectatorOne of the funniest and most admired writers of the twentieth century, P. G. Wodehouse always shied away from the idea of a biography. A quiet, retiring man, he expressed himself through the written word. His letters - collected here - provide an illuminating biographical accompaniment to legendary comic creations such as Jeeves, Wooster, Psmith and the Empress of Blandings. This is a book every lover of Wodehouse will want to possess.'The letters, gossipy in the kindliest, amused/bemused manner, bear true witness to the wide-ranging influences on Wodehouse's' best-known novels and best-loved characters.'The Times

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When a valuable scarab belonging to an American millionaire is absent-mindedly stolen by Lord Emsworth, young writers Ashe Marson and Joan Valentine are tasked with infiltrating Blandings Castle to retrieve it. Meanwhile, vacuous Freddie Threepwood worries that some compromising letters may scupper his engagement to the millionaire's daughter. Wodehouse's comic masterpiece combines above and below stairs pretensions with all the fun of a romantic thriller.Martin Jarvis is an award-winning British actor and the 'Olivier of audiobooks'.

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The setting is Blandings Castle in rural Shropshire England, idyllic country seat of eccentric Clarence, 9th Earl of Emsworth. It is summer time and Blandings is bursting with bizarre visitors including his Lordship's sister Lady Constance and Alaric, Duke of Dunstable. The Duke brings with him a recently purchased painting of a rather fetching nude which, it seems, everyone wants to get their hands on. American visitor, Wilbur Trout believes the nude resembles his latest ex-wife, whilst Lord Emsworth is convinced the portrait bears more than a passing resemblance to his peerless prize pig, the Empress! Soon Blandings becomes a hornet's nest of theft, forgery, imposters - and romance. Luckily Emsworth's brother, Sir Galahad, illustrious member of the old Pelican Club, is on hand to sort things out...

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Another excellent installment in the Jeeves and Wooster canon and a bestselling audio. The seven unabridged short stories included here begin with Jeeves' arrival to look after Bertie Wooster, and many take place in the big world of New York City. Enjoy the usual blend of chaos and hilarity read by the superb Martin Jarvis. Martin Jarvis, winner of the first ever Talkies 'Best reader' award, is thoroughly at home with Carry On, Jeeves adding that extra sparkle to Wodehouse's witty words and extracting every nuance of humour from the characters' dialogue and the hilarious narrative.

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Abridged novel depicting the sinister affair of the eighteenth century cow-creamer and the small, brown, leather-covered notebook tests the Wooster soul as it has never been tested before. Friends and relations, in urgent need, queue up to beg for assistance in a variety of troublesome situations, and ruthless enemies stop at nothing in their determination to bring Bertie down. Does our hero blink at the burdens placed on his shoulders by his nearest and dearest? He does not. Does his courage fail him when he faces overwhelming odds? It does not. Aided by the magnificent Jeeves, Bertie Wooster looks after his pals and smites the ungodly in his own inimitable style.Martin Jarvis is a much respected actor. Feted for his narration skills he also directs radio drama and divides his time between L.A. and London.

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The second instalment of Jeeves and Wooster's bally spiffing adventures is chock-full of unabridged stories of sparkling brilliance. Martin Jarvis is on top form, voicing a whole range of colourful characters, including the hapless incurable romantic Bingo Little, superbly.From money-making schemes involving placing wagers on the lengths of vicars' sermons to poor Bingo producing the village school Christmas entertainments, every one of Wodehouse's celebrated short stories is guaranteed to raise chortles from even the most stony-faced listener!Martin Jarvis is a leading British actor, whose acclaimed audiobook reading is always a delight to hear.

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The debonair Uncle Fred makes a welcome return to Blandings, where plotting and confusion is rife. Blackmail, sabotage, jilted lovers and pigs under threat of kidnap all feature largely, making this hilarious instalment in the Blandings series irresistible to fans and newcomers alike.The story sees lovely debutante Myra Schoonmaker unhappily ensconced in Blandings at the insistence of Lady Constance Keeble, who objects to Myra's entanglement with down-at-heel curate Bill Bailey. But Blandings never has been a place to stifle the wants of the heart for long. Soon, all kinds of subterfuge and shifty goings-on are afoot to reunite the lovebirds, with the help of an unbeatable cast of misfits and society schmoozers including Pongo Twistleton, Lord Tilbury, Lavender Briggs and of course, amiably vague Lord Emsworth and his trusty 'man-mountain' butler Beach.Read by the fantastic, critically-acclaimed Martin Jarvis.

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The second installment of this wonderful collection of unabridged short stories sees Bertie Wooster in the proverbial soup as usual and Jeeves invariably shimmering to the rescue. Love, comic reunions and errant Uncles are all on the agenda, plus bucketloads of laughter. Where would Wooster be without his infinitely brainy valet? Where would audio listeners be without Wodehouse's sparkling comic invention? Bereft!Reader Martin Jarvis is an award-winning actor who has received international acclaim for his masterful performances of Wodehouse characters.

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In this story, an engagingly vague Lord Emsworth battles to prevent a pig-napping, Lord Tillbury lurks, desperate to filch Gally Threepwood's sensational memoirs, and those formidable sisters, Julia and Constance, will do anything to sabotage the nuptials of Ronnie Fish and chorus girl Sue. Also thrown into the proverbial mix are: Parsloe-Parsloe, Monty Bodkin and Percy Pilbeam. Confused? So is Beach the butler, drawn into events by a heady cocktail of loyalty and self-interest. But surely, the storm will conk out and the thunder will grumble away...This is Wodehouse's comic genius at its most magical, so expect sunshine - and even a bally rainbow - when the weather lightens and all the confusions of the castle are finally resolved. Pip, pip!Martin Jarvis inhabits this masterpiece of cross-purposes with dazzling vocal dexterity, adding another laugh-out-loud performance to his many Wodehouse readings.

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WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY CATHY RENTZENBRINK 'For as long as I'm immersed in a P.G. Wodehouse book, it's possible to keep the real world at bay and live in a far, far nicer, funnier one' MARIAN KEYES'Sunlit perfection' STEPHEN FRY'Wodehouse is as loved as ever, and his vivid prose style and unique comic invention are major contributions to English fiction' GUARDIANA joyous romp through a year of Wodehouse's most treasured stories, month by month. The ultimate gift for anyone who needs cheering throughout the year. All of his treasured characters are here, Jeeves, Smith and, of course, the Empress of Blandings herself.'Paper has rarely been put to better use' CAITLIN MORAN'Ingenious. Worth reading again and again' SPECTATOR'Incomparable and timeless genius' KATE MOSSE'The funniest writer ever to put words to paper' HUGH LAURIE

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An inventive, fast-paced comedy featuring P.G. Wodehouse’s iconic double act. Winner of the 2014 Olivier Award for Best New Comedy. When a country house weekend takes a turn for the worse, Bertie Wooster is unwittingly called on to play matchmaker – reconciling the affections of his host’s drippy daughter Madeline Bassett with his newt-fancying acquaintance Gussie Fink-Nottle. If Bertie, ably assisted by the ever-dependable Jeeves, can’t pull off the wedding of the season he’ll be forced to abandon his cherished bachelor status and marry the ghastly girl himself! Based on P.G. Wodehouse’s delightfully bonkers stories, especially The Code of the Woosters, the Goodale Brothers’ dramatisation premiered at the Duke of York's Theatre, West End, in November 2013, prior to a UK tour. Written for a cast of three, who play multiple roles, this adaptation will suit any theatre company or drama group looking for a comic play to perform.

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