The Most of P.G. Wodehouse

You can't really go wrong with Wodehouse and when you see how much of him there is here you can really get a good sense of how broad his style could be! I was familiar mostly with jeeves and aware of psmith but bought this to dive into all of it. It's great! Not a laugh a minute but a quiet smirk an hour and just a great use of timing and language.

I first received a copy of "The Most of P.G. Wodehouse" as a teenager. Possibly a birthday, but then again, Christmas? In any case I devoured it. It was the mana that purged that dark romantic period that afflicts so many teens. Bertie Wooster. Aunt Agatha. Jeeves, of course. But those are just the most known of the dozens of quirky characters. The "Golf Stories" are worth the price of the book, just by themselves. Even if golf is not your thing. That gift copy was a fortunate First Edition, since this was way back in my "back in the day" period, that is, the 60s. The stories brought so much joy that I lent that much-loved First Edition to a friend in dire need, who of course needs it more than I. Still. To this day. Thus I sprang for a fresh copy. Wodehouse is not sufficiently appreciated in America, it seems, as my fresh copy arrived from England. As perhaps has been said, "From any shore, English smells the same." The humor (or humour) lives on. I few years back I was fortunate to publish one of my little dramas. Sadly it is not currently available on Amazon. Happily, I can say without reservation that the characters and dialog owed much to a recent dose of P. G. Wodehouse. If you are not laughing by page 3, press on. If you reach page 33 without a few snorts or guffaws then at least you'll have clarity on that great question of philosophy, "How do I know if I'm alive?" If Wodehouse does not make you laugh, the answer is obvious. Rest in peace, eh?

The delivery took a looong time, which was indicated to me only after I sent a query. That's why one star less. Otherwise everything else was as expected. It is a paperback, unabridged version. A Pleasure to read..

For those who were, like me, wondering what the exact stories are: The Drones Club - Fate, Tried in the Furnace, The Amazing Hat Mystery, Noblesse Oblige, Goodbye to All Cats, All's Well with Bingo, Uncle Fred Flits By; Mr. Mulliner - The Truth About George, A Slice of Life, Mulliner's Buck-U-Uppo, The Reverent Wooing of Archibald, The Ordeal of Osbert Mulliner, Monkey Business, The Smile That Wins, Strychnine in the Soup; Stanley Featherstonehaugh Ukridge - Ukridge's Dog College, Ukridge's Accident Syndicate, A Bit of Luck for Mabel, Buttercup Day, Ukridge and the Old Sleeper; Lord Emsworth - "Pig-hoo-o-o-o-ey!" The Golf Stories - The coming of Gowf, The Awakening of Rollo Podmarsh, The Clicking of Cuthbert, High Stakes, The Heel of Achilles Jeeves - The Purity of the Turf, The Great Sermon Handicap, The Metropolitan Touch, Jeeves and the Song of Songs, Jeeves and the Impending Doom; Quick Service: The Complete Novel

Love PGW