Some P. G. Wodehouse fans would argue there couldn’t be enough stories about Bertie Wooster and Jeeves (his genius butler). If you’ve never read any of these Jeeves classics, I envy you the delight and laughter that will enter your life the instant you start reading this book. Just Enough Jeeves includes Joy in the Morning, Very Good, Jeeves, and Right Ho, Jeeves, three very funny works. Robert McCrum’s “Introduction” provides plenty of information about P. G. Wodehouse and his Jeeves series. Just Enough Jeeves is just enough for you to want more!
Other Forgotten Book reviews can be found at the excellent blogs listed below. Patti Abbott returns next week to resume her role as Queen of Forgotten Books!
Bill Crider
B. V. Lawson
Craig Clarke
Ed Gorman
Eric Peterson
Evan Lewis
James Reasoner
Jerry House
John F. Norris
Juri Nummelin
Kerrie Smith
Martin Edwards
Paul Bishop
Rick Robinson
Randy Johnson
Richard L. Pangburn
Scott Cupp
Pete Dragovich
Todd Mason
Kevin R. Tipple
Kate Laity
Rob Kitchin
I seem to be missing at this point from your blogroll…And a citation for my virtual guest, Richard Lupoff, is to come, I hope…at this point, I’ve seen and heard more adaptations of Wodehouse for radio and television than I’ve read, and should rectify that (not that WODEHOUSE PLAYHOUSE, JEEVES AND WOOSTER [with Hugh Laurie] nor the BBC Radio 4 drama caused any pain at all, mind you).
Sorry, Todd. The WordPress gremlins were active again. I fixed your link for the THIRD time. Hope it stays fixed! I love the adaptions of Wodehouse, but the actual works sparkle with wit and humor. You’re in for a marvelous time reading the actual Jeeves and Bertie works!
Good call! Fry and Laurie did a smashing J&W, true.
Santa gave me the complete Fry & Laurie DVD set for Christmas, Paul. I hope to work my way through them during SPRING BREAK.
I love the Jeeves stories and novels. Great stuff!
JUST ENOUGH JEEVES is a very attractive package for Wodehouse beginners and loyal fans, Bill.
Happy to say I’ve read the entire Canon. And this gives me a chance to espouse my pet theory: That Jeeves and Wooster inspired Rex Stout to create Wolfe and Goodwin, and was a major influence on Archie’s narrative style.
What does Art Scott think of this theory, Evan?
Oh, I have read them…just seen and heard more adaptations than I’ve read of the originals…rather as with RUMPOLE, so far. The NO, HONESTLY couple at the center of the 1970s WODEHOUSE PLAYHOUSE were no slouches, either.
There’s a set of DVDs of THE WODEHOUSE PLAYHOUSE, Todd. I own the set, but haven’t watched it yet.
I seem to be missing from the list as well.
My review this week is on BABY SHARK by Robert Fate and can be found at
http://kevintipplescorner.blogspot.com/
Kevin
The WordPress gremlins are bedeviling me today, Kevin. You’re link was working, then it wasn’t (like Todd’s). I’ve fixed it again and will monitor it during the day to make sure it stays alive.
I’d say Evan might be onto something.
And, Kate Laity has an entry for this week, too:
http://katewombat.blogspot.com/2011/02/fridays-forgotten-books-three-men-in.html
Thanks for the link to Kate, Todd!
I wonder if there’s any chance Laurie and Fry would entertain the idea of a new Bertie/Jeeves show portraying the characters as they would be if they were the same current age as the actors? Oh, the possibilities….
I’d tune in for that, BV!
I think I’ve read all the short Jeeves & Wooster stories but still have a number of the novel length works yet to read.
Any specific recommendations on which to read first?
JOY IN THE MORNING (included in this volume) is the earliest Jeeves novel, Jeff. If you want to read chronologically, that’s the way to go. But Art Scott might have other ideas.
SHould have been a question mark at the end of that.
I love love love Wodehouse! And I’d add my accolades to the Fry & Laurie versions: really terrific work and I’ve got the whole set. As a teen I also loved Wodehouse Playhouse with Pauline Collins and John Atherton. Wonderful wonderful stuff!
Thanks, Todd, for mentioning my FFB!
Sorry your link wasn’t on the list, Kate. I’ve fixed that. But WordPress, for some bizarre reason, is classifying your comments as SPAM. I’ll have to contact Patrick to fix that problem. Sheeesh!
Jeeves, Blandings Castle, the Drones Club, the golf stories…
Wodehouse was a master.
A master, yes, Jerry. But Wodehouse is slowly becoming forgotten. I’m doing what I can to alert people who’ve never read him that they’re Missing Something Special!
Jeff, recommendations for the novels, I can only list my favorites: 1) The Code of the Woosters, 2) The Mating Season, 3) Right Ho, Jeeves. That’s starting in the middle of the saga, I know, but Bertie is always careful to bring newcomers up to speed early in the stories. Ones to avoid (or at least read last) are The Return of Jeeves (no Bertie, a failed experiment, I think), and The Cat-Nappers (the last, and regrettably weak).
George, bad info. Joy in the Morning is the 4th novel, Thank You Jeeves is the first. That’s the one with the hilarious preface by Wodehouse in which he describes his attempt to write the book using a dictaphone. The story, as all Wodehouse fans know, is the one where Bertie moves to a seaside cottage in order to refine his musical skills on the “banjolele”. I always thought that was an instrument invented by Wodehouse, until a few weeks ago when one showed up on Pawn Stars (though they called it a ukulele-banjo)!
Evan, your suggestion makes a lot of sense. But as you probably know, Rex and Plum were good friends and neighbors in the latter part of their lives. You would have thought that Rex would have publicly credited his friend as inspiration for Nero-Archie, but I’m not aware of an instance where he did.
I was unclear, Art. Of the three books in the JUST ENOUGH JEEVES omnibus, JOY IN THE MORNING is the earliest book. I knew, of course, that THANK YOU JEEVES came first.
I haven’t seen an acknowledgment by Stout, either, and that is surprising, but the influence – and the timing – seem so obvious I can’t ignore it. It even carries down to the double O-s in Wooster and Goodwin.
I’m convinced, Evan.
Sorry this has been so difficult. I have many Fridays like this. And I was just going to ask you for a repeat performance on March 18. Maybe I will wait a few weeks.
I’m used to the WordPress gremlins’ antics, Patti. It’s maddening, but eventually the chaos subsides. I’d be happy to sub for you on March 18!
Thanks, Art. Will note those, though I may just start with the earlier ones. After all I read the pre-Wooster shorts.
K.A. – Excuse Mr. Pedantic for correcting you, but it’s John Alderton, not Atherton. We saw him recently in an early episode of DOC MARTIN.
Over twenty years ago, my daughter had a high school English teacher who took pride in being well-read. One day, she came home with the shocking news that the teacher had no idea who P. G. Wodehouse was! From that time on, she considered the teacher a poseur and a cultural ignoramus. We had to agree.
I took classes from one of the best English Departments in the U.S., Jerry. Almost none of the students and only a few of the faculty knew about P. G. Wodehouse. Shocking, but true.
Wodehouse fans who already have the books but are curious to read McCrum’s introduction need only go to Amazon and make use of their handy Look Inside feature. I didn’t find it particularly informative or insightful, certainly no match for Alexander Cockburn’s introduction to the Vintage edition of The Code of the Woosters, which is worth seeking out.
I have that Vintage edition of THE CODE OF THE WOOSTERS, Art. I’ll have to read Alexander Cockburn’s introduction. I think Robert McCrum was chosen to write this introduction because of his biography of Wodehouse.
I’m going to have to get this one. I will admit I’ve never read any of them(hangs his head in shame).
Randy, you have a lot of fun awaiting you as you read Wodehouse!