P.G. Wodehouse Books In Order

Publication Order of Jeeves Books

Publication Order of Blandings Castle Books

Publication Order of Mr. Mulliner Collections

Publication Order of Monty Bodkin Books

Publication Order of Oldest Member Books

Publication Order of Psmith Books

Chronological Order of Psmith Books

Publication Order of School Stories Books

Publication Order of Ukridge Books

Publication Order of Uncle Fred Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

Publication Order of Short Story Collections

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

P.G. Wodehouse was one of the most widely renowned humorists of the 20th century.

+BIOGRAPHY

Wodehouse was born October 15, 1881; and he died on February 14th, 1975 in a Southampton Hospital, New York, from a long illness that eventually culminated in a heart attack at the age of 93. At the time of his death, he had nearly 200 different works under his name, ranging from novels to short stories, songs, and plays.

P.G. Wodehouse’s mother was visiting her sister in England when he was born, the pair returning to Hong Kong where his father, a Magistrate, was living a few weeks later.

Wodehouse returned to Britain at a fairly early age, attending Dulwich College in London. Upon completing school, Wodehouse spent some time as a banker at the Hong Kong and Shanghai bank but soon chose to switch jobs, finding a place as a sports reporter at the old Globe Newspaper.

It was during this period that he began writing short stories. His initial literary attempts where school novels tackling life in some of England’s most famous universities; with most of his novels primarily purposed for a boys magazine known as ‘The Captain’, P.G. Wodehouse’s talent for writing comic dialogue quickly manifested.

Success came soon after. By 1910, Wodehouse had established himself in a manner that made it possible for him to reside in both the US and France. It was during this period that Wodehouse’s obsession for golf developed, the sport featuring prominently in many of his short stories.

Wodehouse and Ethel, an American Widow, met in 1913 and they were married a year later. P.G. Wodehouse was in his new home in Le Touquet, France, having tea with his wife and their friends when World War II begun, Wodehouse eventually captured by German forces and spending some time in a prison camp.

Despite his dire situation, Wodehouse was well-treated and, indeed, found the time to keep writing.

His captor, Joseph Goebbels, quickly understood what a big fish they had captured, forcing the author to make many humorous appearances on German Radio.

The political fool that he was, P.G. Wodehouse was lured more than actually forced into the position, his broadcasts, which were initially only meant to be heard in the United States, eventually finding their way to Britain and causing a lot of annoyance.

Word of the broadcasts eventually reached Wodehouse’s publishers who, far from happy, determined to have him charged with treason. However, it quickly became obvious that the author had been tricked by his German captors, P.G. Wodehouse eventually returning to America with little opposition and becoming a citizen in 1955.

Hollywood clamored to lay a claim over Wodehouse though it became quickly apparent that they only wanted his name to sell their ads and posters. None the less, his popularity waxed rather than waning, so much so that some weeks before his death, in 1975, his wartime mistakes were forgiven by the British authorities, the queen eventually knighting him.

By the time of his knighthood, Wodehouse’s health was poor and he couldn’t even attend the ceremony. Being a devout fan of P.G. Wodehouse, Queen Elizabeth offered to travel to the US to present the knighthood personally.

Wodehouse spent many of his final years in and out of the hospital, stricken by pneumonia, lung failure, and heart problems. Wodehouse did not stop writing until the very end, finding some comfort in his typewriter.

Sunset at Blandings was the last work he ever wrote, finishing nine chapters before dying in 1975.

His wife, Lady Ethel, died in 1984. The couple bore no children, though Ethel had a daughter, Leonora, from a previous marriage who Wodehouse adopted. Leonora’s death in 1942 devastated Wodehouse.

+Carry on, Jeeves

From the moment the inimitable Jeeves, the gentleman’s gentleman, glides into Bertie Wooster’s life, providing him a magical cure for hangovers, Bertie cannot help but wonder how he ever managed without him.

Jeeves goes out of his way to make his presence totally indispensable, disentangling Bertie from many a scrape with aunts, girls and unbidden guests, his ability to pull hapless fellows like Bertie out of sundry holes making him a paragon.

Carry on, Jeeves has all those wonderful elements that make a P.G. Wodehouse book so entertaining to read. The premise is fairly simple, if not a little formulaic. Bertie Wooster is an itinerant man who, along with his indolent friends, cannot stay out of trouble.

And it always falls to the Jeeves to bail them out of their many shenanigans; the joy of Wodehouse’s books comes, not from their unpredictability or intrigue, but rather P.G. Wodehouse’s funny prose and dry humor.

Wooster alone allows ‘Carry on, Jeeves’ to entertain where more inventive books have failed because of all the confusing yet humorous slang that keeps flying out of his mouth.

‘Carry on, Jeeves’ is arranged as a collection of short stories, each entangling Wooster and Jeeves in a fairly expected complication within which Wodehouse’s writing manages to elevate his predictable plots.

Admittedly, only those individuals with an appreciation for P.G. Wodehouse’s particular style of humor will find these short stories entertaining.

+The Inimitable Jeeves

Love struck Bingo Little has come to rely upon the assistance of Bertie and Jeeves each time he falls head over heels in love and back again. From Honoria Glossop to Mabel the waitress and Charlotte Cordary Rowbotham, many a woman has had an the opportunity to cast their spells over Bingo

Meanwhile, Bertie finds the task of keeping the quick-tempered aspiring actor Bassington-Bassington from the stage, this at Aunt Agatha’s behest, far harder than he might have expected. Dealing with the energetic Claude and Eustace proves no less difficult; luckily for him, the intelligent and loyal Jeeves stands ready to extricate Bertie and his friends from the tightest of spots.

The Inimitable Jeeves is a surprisingly well-structured series of short stories. The fact that the stories are sequential, revolving around a common plotline (Bingo Little’s romantic entanglements) helps the book as a whole to truly achieve its potential.

As with every P.G. Wodehouse book, The Inimitable Jeeves is highly entertaining, doing little in the way of delivering inventive plots but instead relying upon Wodehouse’s inventive writing style to avail material that is as fresh as it is funny.

2 Responses to “P.G. Wodehouse”

1. C.J. Long: 3 years ago

   I read some of the Jeeves books many years ago & started re-reading during the 2020 pandemic. Now I’m trying to read every P.G. Wodehouse I can find. Thanks for the useful info and background!

   Reply
2. Sean Coleman: 4 years ago

   Is there a “approved” order to read his books in? A friend has these red bound books from Wodehouse and I just happened to picked up the Ukridge book and started to read but, after a few chapters had to laid the book down, cuz I was laughing so hard. The pain was intense but a delightful way to spend a few hours a day reading such a talented writer. Though I am curious if there is a list or order these books should be read in?

   Reply