Although I started reading in my teens, it was only sometime in my twenties that I read my first P.G. Wodehouse, a Penguin edition of Laughing Gas, from my wife’s impressive collection of his books. I found the premise of the novel absurdly funny: an English aristocrat and a child film star swap bodies after inhaling nitrous oxide at a dentist’s office. It was my first taste of how Wodehouse could turn preposterous situations into comedy.
Over the decades since, I’ve read Wodehouse off and on, though I’m nowhere close to having read the more than 90 books he wrote, including 24 short-story collections, as well as plays, scripts and autobiographies. These include novels from three of his more popular series—Jeeves and Wooster, Blandings Castle, and Mike and Smith.
While we are fortunate that Wodehouse—or PG, as we called him—wrote so many books, the sheer number can be daunting for a new reader. Where do you begin? Here are five books that I’ve read and enjoyed, and recommend as a starting point. None of this needs to be read in order.
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Carry On, Jeeves
Carry On, Jeeves (1925) is a collection of short stories, which makes it a good place to start. It shows how the partnership between Jeeves, the valet, and his employer Bertie Wooster works, one story at a time. It also includes the story of how Bertie first came to hire Jeeves, helping understand how their comic relationship began.
Right Ho, Jeeves
Many readers consider Right Ho, Jeeves (1934) his funniest. While I’m inclined to agree, I find Wodehouse at his funniest best in nearly all the books I have read. Here, Bertie decides to manage his friends’ love lives himself, and Jeeves watches the consequences unfold. Look out for Gussie Fink-Nottle, a man whose passion is studying newts, and a school prize-giving speech that goes wrong. Will Jeeves step in to sort out the mess?
The Code of the Woosters
The Code of the Woosters (1938) finds Bertie Wooster at Totleigh Towers, trying to steal a silver cow-creamer for his Aunt Dahlia and help his friend Gussie Fink-Nottle repair a broken engagement. A pompous would-be dictator, stolen police helmets and a series of romantic mix-ups add to the chaos, leaving Jeeves to sort things out. With its absurd situations and cleverly constructed plot, it’s also often considered the best Jeeves novel.
Leave It to Psmith
Leave It to Psmith (1923) is a good place to start with the Blandings series. It brings the elegant, confident and articulate Psmith into the fold as he enters Blandings Castle under an assumed identity to help a friend steal a diamond necklace. With its eccentric characters, romantic complications and gentler humour, it makes for a nice introduction to Lord Emsworth and his beloved prize pig, the Empress of Blandings.
Summer Lightning
Summer Lightning (1929) is another Blandings novel, featuring a pig-napping, a scandalous set of memoirs and romantic entanglements. Blandings Castle comes alive, with Lord Emsworth’s pig, the Empress of Blandings, at the centre of the trouble. If you enjoyed Leave It to Psmith, you’ll find Summer Lightning equally appealing and funny.Irrespective of which book you pick, P.G. Wodehouse is best read leisurely, because half the fun lies in how he says things. Some of his lines and turns of phrase are so hilarious that you can’t help reading them aloud to whoever happens to be nearby, even if they’ve never read Wodehouse. If you finish one book, I’m sure you’ll want to read more—and there are plenty to choose from.
Have you read Wodehouse? If so, which is your favourite book or series?
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