Acquisitions (124): Sylvia Plath

Sylvia Plath: Ariel (1966)

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Everett: Sylvia Plath (1932-1963)


Sylvia Plath: Ariel (1965 / 1966)
[Finally Books - Hospice Bookshop, Birkenhead - 19/11/24]:

Sylvia Plath. Ariel. Foreword by Robert Lowell. 1966. Perennial Classics. New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 1999.

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Sylvia Plath: Ariel (1965)

Lady Lazarus

I don't know if this is still the case, but our first year school-leaver students used to arrive at university familiar with just two poets. One was Shakespeare; the other was Sylvia Plath.

Not that I have a problem with that, mind you. “I see her as a kind of Hammer Films poet”, said Philip Larkin in a letter to his friend Judy Egerton in 1960. He enlarged on the concept in a subsequent letter to Kingsley Amis:

No, of course Ted's no good at all. Not at all. Not a single solitary bit of good. I think his ex-wife, late wife, was extraordinary, though not necessarily likeable. Old Ted isn't even extraordinary.

- Quoted in James Booth, Philip Larkin: Life, Art and Love. 2014
(London: Bloombury, 2015): 305-6.

That sounds about right to me, though possibly I'm a bit biassed against Ted Hughes at present, having recently tried (unsuccessfully) to work my way through his Collected Poems for Children (2005).

Sylvia Plath: Collected Poems (1981)

As for Sylvia: not necessarily likeable, but definitely extraordinary. It's interesting to see Larkin contorting this pithy judgement into something more acceptable to the literary establishment in his review of Ted's edition of his "ex-wife, late wife"'s Collected Poems (1981):

Mad poets do not write about madness: they write about religion, sofas, the French Revolution, nature, their cat Jeoffry. Plath did: it was her subject, her donnée ("I do it exceptionally well'); together they played an increasingly reckless game of tag.

[NB: My picks for the "mad poets" hinted at above would be as follows: "sofas": William Cowper; "the French Revolution": William Blake; "nature": John Clare; "their cat Jeoffry": Christopher Smart. As for "religion", that could be any one of them, with the possible exception of Clare.]

Coming back to Sylvia Plath, however, this is how Larkin characterises her last poems, the ones (mostly) collected in Ariel:

Increasingly divorced from identifiable incident, they seem to enter neurosis, or insanity, and exist there in a prolonged high-pitched ecstasy like nothing else in literature. They are impossible to quote meaningfully: they must be read whole.

And their quality?

Considering what one takes to be their subject matter, her poems, particularly the last ones, are curiously, even jauntily impersonal; it is hard to see how she was labelled confessional. As poems they are to the highest degree original and scarcely less effective.

- Philip Larkin, "Horror Poet." Required Writing: Miscellaneous Pieces 1955-1982 (London: Faber, 1983): 278-81.

Philip Larkin: Required Writing (1983)

You can see the unease her work caused him. And yet the poet in him could not deny its power and intensity. If the term "brilliant" weren't so hackneyed, one might end up having to use it here, for want of a better.

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Sylvia Plath: Ariel (1966)

The other day I bought a copy of the 1966 American edition of Ariel. I knew that it had a couple of extra poems which weren't in the 1965 UK version, which I'd always used hitherto. There's also a preface by one of my literary heroes, Robert Lowell, so it seemed worth it - if only for completeness' sake. Bibliophiles! - Bibliomaniac would be a better description.

The divergences were rather more extensive than I'd realised, though. As you can see from the lists below, they could really be described as different books:

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Sylvia Plath: Ariel (1965)

Sylvia Plath. Ariel. 1965. London: Faber, 1974. [1965]

1. Morning Song
2. The Couriers
3. Sheep in Fog
4. The Applicant
5. Lady Lazarus
6. Tulips
7. Cut
8. Elm
9. The Night Dances
10. Poppies in October
11. Berck-Plage
12. Ariel
13. Death & Co.
14. Nick and the Candlestick
15. Gulliver
16. Getting There
17. Medusa
18. The Moon and the Yew Tree
19. A Birthday Present
20. Letter in November
21. The Rival
22. Daddy
23. You're
24. Fever 103°
25. The Bee Meeting
26. The Arrival of the Bee Box
27. Stings
28. Wintering
29. The Hanging Man
30. Little Fugue
31. Years
32. The Munich Mannequins
33. Totem
34. Paralytic
35. Balloons
36. Poppies in July
37. Kindness
38. Contusion
39. Edge
40. Words

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Sylvia Plath: Ariel (1966)

Sylvia Plath. Ariel. Foreword by Robert Lowell. 1966. Perennial Classics. New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 1999. [1966]

1. Morning Song
2. The Couriers
3. Sheep in Fog
4. The Applicant
5. Lady Lazarus
6. Tulips
7. Cut
8. Elm
9. The Night Dances
10. Poppies in October
11. Berck-Plage
12. Ariel
13. Death & Co.
14. Lesbos
15. Nick and the Candlestick
16. Gulliver
17. Getting There
18. Medusa
19. The Moon and the Yew Tree
20. A Birthday Present
21. Mary's Song
22. Letter in November
23. The Rival
24. Daddy
25. You're
26. Fever 103°
27. The Bee Meeting
28. The Arrival of the Bee Box
29. Stings
30. The Swarm
31. Wintering
32. The Hanging Man
33. Little Fugue
34. Years
35. The Munich Mannequins
36. Totem
37. Paralytic
38. Balloons
39. Poppies in July
40. Kindness
41. Contusion
42. Edge
43. Words

Robert Lowell & Lady Caroline Blackwood (c.1970)

Like his friend Larkin's review, Lowell's introduction sounds more puzzled than impressed by the revelation of Plath's late work. The poet she'd become was very difficult to square with the one he'd known - albeit tangentially - in Boston:

She was willowy, long-waisted, sharp-elbowed, nervous, giggly, gracious - a brilliant tense presence embarrassed by restraint. Her humility and willingness to accept what was admired seemed at times to give her an air of maddening docility that hid her unfashionable patience and boldness.

"I sensed her abashment and distinction, and never guessed her later appalling and triumphant fulfillment."

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Sylvia Plath: Ariel: The Restored Edition (2004)

Sylvia Plath. Ariel: The Restored Edition. A Facsimile of Plath's Manuscript, Reinstating Her Original Selection and Arrangement. 1965. Foreword by Frieda Hughes. London: Faber, 2004. [2004]

1. Morning Song
2. The Couriers
3. The Rabbit Catcher
4. Thalidomide
5. The Applicant
6. Barren Woman
7. Lady Lazarus
8. Tulips
9. A Secret
10. The Jailor
11. Cut
12. Elm
13. The Night Dances
14. The Detective
15. Ariel
16. Death & Co.
17. Magi
18. Lesbos
19. The Other
20. Stopped Dead
21. Poppies in October
22. The Courage of Shutting-Up
23. Nick and the Candlestick
24. Berck-Plage
25. Gulliver
26. Getting There
27. Medusa
28. Purdah
29. The Moon and the Yew Tree
30. A Birthday Present
31. Letter in November
32. Amnesiac
33. The Rival
34. Daddy
35. You're
36. Fever 103°
37. The Bee Meeting
38. The Arrival of the Bee Box
39. Stings
40. Wintering

Some forty years after the first appearance of Ariel, the time had finally come to present Plath's own choice of poems for her final collection. As in Ted Hughes' 1965 version, there are forty poems in all, but it turned out that he'd left out at least a dozen (including "The Rabbit Catcher" and "The Jailor"), as well as adding another fifteen from various other sources.

All of the excised poems are included in the Collected Poems, so it's not as if he was trying to suppress them for good. But it's probably true to say that the 1965 edition of Plath's book is more his vision of what this book of poems should be than it was hers.

But perhaps the easiest way to visualise these complex overlaps is through this further, alphabetical list of the contents of all three versions of Ariel, identified respectively as 1965, 1966, and 2004:

Sylvia Plath: Ariel: Uncorrected Proof Copy (1965)

1. A Birthday Present [1965] [1966] [2004]
2. A Secret [2004]
3. Amnesiac [2004]
4. Ariel [1965] [1966] [2004]
5. Balloons [1965] [1966]
6. Barren Woman [2004]
7. Berck-Plage [1965] [1966] [2004]
8. Contusion [1965] [1966]
9. Cut [1965] [1966] [2004]
10. Daddy [1965] [1966] [2004]
11. Death & Co. [1965] [1966] [2004]
12. Edge [1965] [1966]
13. Elm [1965] [1966] [2004]
14. Fever 103° [1965] [1966] [2004]
15. Getting There [1965] [1966] [2004]
16. Gulliver [1965] [1966] [2004]
17. Kindness [1965] [1966]
18. Lady Lazarus [1965] [1966] [2004]
19. Lesbos [1966] [2004]
20. Letter in November [1965] [1966] [2004]
21. Little Fugue [1965] [1966]
22. Magi [2004]
23. Mary's Song [1966]
24. Medusa [1965] [1966] [2004]
25. Morning Song [1965] [1966] [2004]
26. Nick and the Candlestick [1965] [1966] [2004]
27. Paralytic [1965] [1966]
28. Poppies in July [1965] [1966]
29. Poppies in October [1965] [1966] [2004]
30. Purdah [2004]
31. Sheep in Fog [1965] [1966]
32. Stings [1965] [1966] [2004]
33. Stopped Dead [2004]
34. Thalidomide [2004]
35. The Applicant [1965] [1966] [2004]
36. The Arrival of the Bee Box [1965] [1966] [2004]
37. The Bee Meeting [1965] [1966] [2004]
38. The Courage of Shutting-Up [2004]
39. The Couriers [1965] [1966] [2004]
40. The Detective [2004]
41. The Hanging Man [1965] [1966]
42. The Jailor [2004]
43. The Moon and the Yew Tree [1965] [1966] [2004]
44. The Munich Mannequins [1965] [1966]
45. The Night Dances [1965] [1966] [2004]
46. The Other [2004]
47. The Rabbit Catcher [2004]
48. The Rival [1965] [1966] [2004]
49. The Swarm [1966]
50. Totem [1965] [1966]
51. Tulips [1965] [1966] [2004]
52. Wintering [1965] [1966] [2004]
53. Words [1965] [1966]
54. Years [1965] [1966]
55. You're [1965] [1966] [2004]

So what is one to conclude from all this? What is this book Ariel? To whom does it belong?

I'm afraid that it has to be seen as a strange, posthumous collaboration between Sylvia Plath and her estranged (though not yet entirely ex-) husband Ted Hughes.

Most books of poems have their own peculiar back-stories. Certainly some of Lowell's - Life Studies and Notebook, in particular - went through an even more complicated set of manoeuvres before settling into the form in which we know them.

Robert Lowell: Notebook 1967-68 / Notebook (1969 / 1970)

Nor is it particularly unusual to find divergences between the US and UK texts of what is, ostensibly, the same collection. It seems to matter more for Ariel, I suppose, because of the sexual politics involved: a wife's work still being (in a sense) regarded as legally her husband's "property" after her suicide - despite the fact they were separated and heading for a divorce at the time.

It might have behoved Ted to tread lightly under these circumstances. He did not. And yet, the books he made out of her poems and journals have sold widely around the world, and were instrumental in establishing the "Sylvia Plath" legend.

Now that we can compare them to new editions of her unabridged journals and letters - though not yet, admittedly, a truly comprehensive Complete Poems - we're better able to assess what he may have suppressed or left out. Not a great deal, under the circumstances, one is forced to concede.

Sylvia Plath: The Bell Jar (1963)

I think it's safe to say, then, that Ariel and The Bell Jar will retain their place as the twin foundations of her fame. We have them; we've read them. We may be able to fill out the picture more fully over time, but the essential nature of her greatness is now set in stone.

Sylvia Plath: Ariel (1965 / 2015)

The story's not over yet, though. Books such as these set other minds in motion. The next generation of students may well turn up clutching equally dogeared copies of Tusiata Avia or Tracey Slaughter.

Tusiata Avia: Big Fat Brown Bitch (2023)

Tracey Slaughter: The girls in the red house are singing (2024)

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Poetry Foundation: Sylvia Plath

Sylvia Plath
(1932-1963)

Poetry:


1. The Colossus and Other Poems (1960)
   • The Colossus: Poems. 1960. London: Faber, 1977.
2. Ariel (1965)
   • Ariel. 1965. London: Faber, 1974.
   • Ariel. Foreword by Robert Lowell. 1966. Perennial Classics. New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 1999.
   • Ariel: The Restored Edition. A Facsimile of Plath's Manuscript, Reinstating Her Original Selection and Arrangement. 1965. Foreword by Frieda Hughes. London: Faber, 2004.
3. Three Women: A Monologue for Three Voices (1968)
4. Crossing the Water (1971)
5. Winter Trees (1971)
6. Collected Poems (1981)
   • Collected Poems. Ed. Ted Hughes. Faber Paperbacks. London: Faber, 1981.
7. Selected Poems (1985)

Prose:


8. [as 'Victoria Lucas'] The Bell Jar (1963)
   • The Bell Jar. 1963. London: Faber, 1974.
9. Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams: Short Stories, Prose, and Diary Excerpts (1977)
   • Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams and Other Prose. Ed. Ted Hughes. 1977. London: Faber, 1979.
10. The Magic Mirror [Smith College senior thesis] (1989)
11. Mary Ventura and the Ninth Kingdom (2019)
    • Mary Ventura and the Ninth Kingdom. Faber Stories. London, Faber, 2019.
12. The Collected Prose of Sylvia Plath. Ed. Peter K. Steinberg (2024)

Children's Books:


13. The Bed Book. Illustrated by Quentin Blake (1976)
14. The It-Doesn't-Matter Suit (1996)
15. Mrs. Cherry's Kitchen (2001)
16. Collected Children's Stories (2001)
    • Collected Children’s Stories. 1976 & 1996. Illustrated by David Roberts. Faber Children’s Classics. London: Faber, 2001.

Letters & Journals:


17. Letters Home: Correspondence 1950–1963 (1975)
    • Letters Home: Correspondence 1950-63. Ed. Aurelia Schober Plath. 1975. A Bantam Book. New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc., 1977.
18. The Journals of Sylvia Plath (1982)
    • The Journals of Sylvia Plath. Ed. Frances McCullough, with Ted Hughes. 1982. Anchor Books. New York: Doubleday, 1988.
19. The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath. Ed. Karen V. Kukil (2000)
    • Kukil, Karen V., ed. The Journals of Sylvia Plath, 1950-1962: Transcribed from the Original Manuscripts at Smith College. 2000. London: Faber, 2001.
20. The Letters of Sylvia Plath, Volume 1. Ed. Peter K. Steinberg & Karen V. Kukil (2017)
    • Steinberg, Peter K. & Karen V. Kukil, ed. The Letters of Sylvia Plath, Volume 1: 1940-1956. Harper. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2017.
21. The Letters of Sylvia Plath, Volume 2. Ed. Peter K. Steinberg & Karen V. Kukil (2018)
    • Steinberg, Peter K. & Karen V. Kukil, ed. The Letters of Sylvia Plath, Volume 2: 1956-1963. Harper. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2018.

Secondary:


22. Steiner, Nancy Hunter. A Closer Look at Ariel: A Memory of Sylvia Plath. Afterword by George Stade. 1973. London: Faber, 1976.
23. Kyle, Barry. Sylvia Plath: A Dramatic Portrait, Conceived and Adapted From Her Writing. 1976. London: Faber, 1982.
24. Stevenson, Anne. Bitter Fame: A Life of Sylvia Plath. With Additional Material by Lucas Myers, Dido Merwin, and Richard Murphy. 1989. New Preface. London: Penguin, 1998.
25. Malcolm, Janet. The Silent Woman: Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes. 1993. Picador. London: Pan Macmillan General Books, 1994.
26. Hughes, Ted. Birthday Letters. 1998. London: Faber, 1999.
27. Wagner, Erica. Ariel’s Gift: A Commentary on Birthday Letters by Ted Hughes. 2000. London: Faber, 2001.
28. Bate, Jonathan. Ted Hughes: The Unauthorised Life. Fourth Estate. Sydney: HarperCollins Publishers, 2015.

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• category - American Poetry & Drama: Poetry

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Acquisitions (120): P. G. Wodehouse

Robert McCrum: Wodehouse: A Life (2004 / 2010)

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Robert McCrum (1953- )

Robert McCrum: Wodehouse: A Life (2004)
[Finally Books - Hospice Bookshop, Birkenhead - 22/8/24]:

Robert McCrum. Wodehouse: A Life. Viking. London: Penguin, 2004.

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Wodehouse Madhouse

Books I own are marked in bold:

The Best of Wodehouse: An Anthology (Everyman's Library, 2007)

David Jasen, Frances Donaldson, Owen Dudley Edwards, Joseph Connolly and Benny Green have written interesting biographies but all are superseded by Robert MCCrum's Wodehouse: A Life ...

- John Mortimer, "Introduction." The Best of Wodehouse: An Anthology (2006): xvii.

That's a most interesting statement. When I first read it, I was a little shocked to realise how many of the books mentioned above I actually own.

David A. Jasen: P. G. Wodehouse: A Portrait of a Master (1974)


1. Jasen, David A. P. G. Wodehouse: A Portrait of a Master. 1974. London: Garnstone Press Limited, 1975.

Joseph Connolly: P. G. Wodehouse: An Illustrated Biography (1979)


2. Connolly, Joseph. P. G. Wodehouse: An Illustrated Biography. With Complete Bibliography and Collector’s Guide. 1979. London: Eel Pie Publishing Limited, 1981.

Frances Donaldson: P. G. Wodehouse: A Biography (1982)


3. Donaldson, Frances. P. G. Wodehouse: A Biography. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson Limited, 1982.

Robert McCrum: Wodehouse: A Life (2004)


4. McCrum, Robert. Wodehouse: A Life. Viking. London: Penguin, 2004.

Mind you, I don't have either of these two further John Mortimer recommendations:

Owen Dudley Edwards: P. G. Wodehouse: A Critical and Historical Essay (1977)


1. Edwards, Owen Dudley. P. G. Wodehouse: A Critical and Historical Essay. London: M. Brian & O'Keeffe, 1977.

Benny Green: P.G. Wodehouse: A Literary Biography (1981)


2. Green, Benny. P.G. Wodehouse: A Literary Biography. 1981. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1983.

But wait, the plot thickens. Robert McCrum's own book begins with the following set of tributes:

In the long and crowded life of P. G. Wodehouse, there are six biographical pioneers whose invaluable work I gratefully acknowledge. First, in Britain, there is the founding father of Wodehouse studies, Richard Usborne, author of Wodehouse at Work. In the United States, David Jasen published the first biography, with his subject's approval, and in doing so accumulated an archive of original manuscript and interview material that makes his work almost a primary source. Frances Donaldson's 'authorized' life was the first to benefit from full access to the Wodehouse archive, and to begin the illumination of Wodehouse's war years. Subsequently, Norman Murphy, who has also made many helpful contributions to my own work, transformed our appreciation of Wodehouse's childhood and youth. Barry Phelps, following in Murphy's footsteps, researched many neglected aspects of Wodehouse's life, shedding light on previously conntentious matters. Finally, in America, Lee Davis, Wodehouse's Long Island neighbour, showed, for the first time, the importance of Wodehouse's Broadway career and of his friendship with Guy Bolton. To all of these, I offer heartfelt thanks.

- Robert McCrum. "Acknowledgments." Wodehouse: A Life (2004): xi. [my emphases]

"Heartfelt thanks" - I should think so, too! No fewer than six predecessors in the biographical stakes ... Of these six, I own only three. David Jasen and Frances Donaldson are already pictured above, but there's also Richard Usborne's classic work. I don't have any of the other three books he mentions:

Richard Usborne: Wodehouse at Work to the End (1961 / rev. 1976)


1. Usborne, Richard. Wodehouse at Work to the End. 1961. Rev. ed. 1976. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1978.

Norman Murphy: In Search of Blandings (1981)


2. Murphy, N. T. P. In Search of Blandings. 1981. London: Secker & Warburg, 1986.

Barry Phelps: P. G. Wodehouse: Man and Myth (1992)


3. Phelps, Barry. P. G. Wodehouse: Man and Myth. London: Constable, 1992.

Lee Davis: Bolton and Wodehouse and Kern (1993)


4. Davis, Lee. Bolton and Wodehouse and Kern: The Men Who Made Musical Comedy. New York: James H. Heineman, 1993.

That's just the beginning, though. McCrum goes on to list yet more books which have been of service to him:

Next to the trailblazers, there are the dedicated Wodehousians: Joseph Connolly, Murray Hedgecock and Iain Sproat, who all spoke up for their special interests and supplied useful information.

Connolly we've already seen in Mortimer's list above; Murray Hedgecock is the editor of Wodehouse at the Wicket, an anthology of Wodehouse's writings about cricket; and Iain Sproat is the author of the indispensable Wodehouse at War, which includes the complete text of those wartime broadcasts from Germany which caused Wodehouse so much trouble in the postwar years:

Murray Hedgecock, ed.: Wodehouse at the Wicket (1997)


1. Hedgecock, Murray, ed. Wodehouse At The Wicket: A Cricketing Anthology. London: Hutchinson, 1997.

Iain Sproat: Wodehouse at War (1981)


2. Sproat, Iain. Wodehouse at War. New Haven & New York: Ticknor & Fields, 1981.

But who was this Wodehouse that he should have given birth to so fertile a cottage industry? Was he some twentieth century Shakespeare, bestriding his age like a colossus? Hardly. He was (it appears) a balding, bespectacled, appallingly industrious man of letters, whose idea of bliss was a typewriter and an unlimited supply of paper ...

So what exactly is there to write about - at such inordinate length? I guess it's a bit difficult to explain to the non-initiate. Robert McCrum paints him as a kind of tragic hero, whose fatal flaw of ignoring the demands of real life in order to maintain his own rich fantasy life finally did him down when he was forced to contend with the cunning propaganda apparatus of the Nazi state.

As a wartime internee in Germany, he agreed to broadcast to "his American readers" on state-controlled radio. The complete innocence of what he broadcast - humorous details of camp life - did not affect the fact that he was immediately decried as a traitor in both the UK and America. Ever since there's been a powerful lobby who continue to lump him in with antisemites and collaborators such as Louis-Ferdinand Céline, Lord Haw-Haw, or Ezra Pound.

'Cassandra': Daily Mirror (16 July, 1941)

The truly tragic aspect of it comes from the fact that it is precisely this detachment from the grimness of the quotidian which constitutes the root of his appeal to readers then and now. Or, as Evelyn Waugh so memorably expressed it:

Mr. Wodehouse's idyllic world can never stale. He will continue to release future generations from captivity that may be more irksome than our own. He has made a world for us to live in and delight in.

One of the last things he did before his death at the age of 93 was to provide brief introductions to the first seven episodes of the UK TV series "Wodehouse Playhouse" (1974-78). These were filmed at his home in America, as he had not been able to visit England since 1940 - even to receive his knighthood - since the British authorities refused to confirm that he would not face prosecution for treason if he set foot on UK soil.

Only after his death, as McCrum reveals, was the original 1944 MI5 report on his culpability released. Its author, Major Edward Cussen, concluded that, while extremely "unwise", his actions in Germany did not constitute collaboration. The Director of Public Prosecutions therefore "decided there was no evidence to justify prosecuting Wodehouse".

They might have mentioned that tiny detail some thirty years before. They could have - but they didn't. Taking this petty revenge on such a prominent scapegoat clearly constituted too wonderful an opportunity for Britain's own all-powerful propaganda industry - as well as former writer friends such as A. A. Milne and Ian Hay who were quick to join the crowds baying for his blood.

It's hard to avoid the conclusion that this is the key to the immense - and growing - archive of Wodehousian secondary literature. If he'd just been a very successful man of letters, we'd certainly continue to read him, but we probably wouldn't be so curious about his life. As it is, he's become a Hamlet or a Coriolanus - one whose very nature is his downfall. Speculation about the the childhood traumas or internalised Public School ethos which created such an emotionally repressed individual therefore becomes virtually de rigueur.

In any case, here are a couple more items from my own collection of Wodehousiana, with another which I'm meditating acquiring at some stage:

Geoffrey Jaggard: Blandings the Blest (1968)


1. Jaggard, Geoffrey. Blandings the Blest and the Blue Blood: A Companion to the Blandings Castle Saga of P. G. Wodehouse, LL.D., with a Complete Wodehouse Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage. 1968. Coronet Books. London: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd., 1984.

David A. Jasen: The Theatre of P. G. Wodehouse (1979)


2. Jasen, David A. The Theatre of P. G. Wodehouse. London: B. T. Batsford Ltd., 1979.

Richard Murphy: A Wodehouse Handbook (2 vols, 2013)


3. Murphy, R. T. P. A Wodehouse Handbook. 2 vols. Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada: Sybertooth, 2013.

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Frances Donaldson, ed.: Yours, Plum (1990)

Does any of that help you to understand the reasons for this plethora of secondary literature about him? No? Then how about this?

Some years ago now I bought a copy of the book above: Yours, Plum: The Letters of P.G.Wodehouse, edited by his (then) principal biographer, Frances Donaldson.

It's a good book, very entertaining, and with some excellent letters in it. What was my surprise, then, a few years later, to run across the book below: P. G. Wodehouse: A Life in Letters, edited by a certain Sophie Ratcliffe, who is, apparently, a Professor of Literature at Oxford University.

You must be f---ing kidding me, was my first thought. Has he written a pile of new letters in the twenty years which elapsed between the two books?

Nevertheless, nothing venture nothing gain. As a dedicated Wodehousian, I duly bought it. And, do you know, it was great! It really does constitute a kind of biography of Wodehouse in his own words.

In other words, you never really know what might yet come to light about the Master. And, in the meantime, in the intervals between revisiting his voluminous writings, you could do worse than try to catch up with the latest biographical revelations.

Sophie Ratcliffe, ed.: P. G. Wodehouse: A Life in Letters (2012)

In any case, to sum up my own views on the Wodehouse conundrum, here's a poem I wrote on the subject a couple of years ago:

India twenty years ago


Our common bond
was P. G. Wodehouse

I know how that must sound
to the class-conscious

but Wodehouse’s
idle hands and aristos

seem more like fictional
conceits than actual people

when you grow up
in the Antipodes

Meera
my superlatively kind

hostess in Bangalore
had an abiding love

for Wodehouse
and wasn’t at all surprised to hear

I’d found cheap reprints
of some of his almost unobtainable

pre-Jeevespre-Emsworth
school novels

in Cape Comorin
at the tip of India

I remember once
when she went out

she left me sitting
in front of the video

with instructions to rewatch
An Ideal Husband

it is not the perfect
but rather the imperfect

who have need of love
as Rupert Everett

expressed it
an uncanonical addition

to Oscar’s text

Wooster Sauce: India and the Wodehouse Phenomenon (2024)

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1843 Magazine (2013)

Pelham Grenville Wodehouse
(1881–1975)

[Subtitles: Archie / Autobiographical novel / Blandings / Children's book / Drones / Golf / Invasion novel / Jeeves / Light novel / Mr. Mulliner / Monty Bodkin / Psmith / Reggie Pepper / School / Uncle Fred / School / Ukridge]

Novels:


1. The Pothunters (1902) [School]
   • The Pothunters. 1902. Mumbai: Jaico Publishing House / London: Souvenir Press Ltd., 1998.
2. A Prefect's Uncle (1903) [School]
   • A Prefect's Uncle. 1903. Mumbai: Jaico Publishing House / London: Souvenir Press Ltd., 1995.
3. The Gold Bat (1904) [School]
   • The Gold Bat. 1904. Mumbai: Jaico Publishing House / London: Souvenir Press Ltd., 1998.
4. William Tell Told Again (1904) [Children's book]
5. The Head of Kay's (1905) [School]
   • The Head of Kay's. 1905. Mumbai: Jaico Publishing House / London: Souvenir Press Ltd., 1998.
6. Love Among the Chickens (1906 / rev. 1921) [Ukridge]
7. The White Feather (1907) [School]
   • The White Feather. 1907. Mumbai: Jaico Publishing House / London: Souvenir Press Ltd., 1998.
8. [with Herbert Westbrook] Not George Washington (1907) [Autobiographical novel]
9. The Swoop! [US: 'The Swoop! and Other Stories', 1979] (1909) [Invasion novel]
10. Mike (1909) [Psmith / School]
    1. Enter Psmith [part II] (1935)
    2. Mike at Wrykyn & Mike and Psmith [both parts] (1953)
    • Mike at Wrykyn. 1909 & 1953. An Armada Paperback. London: May Fair Books Ltd., 1968.
    • Included in: The World of Psmith: Mike and Psmith; Psmith in the City; Psmith, Journalist; Leave It to Psmith. 1909, 1910, 1915, 1923. London: Barrie & Jenkins Limited, 1974.
11. A Gentleman of Leisure (1910) [US: 'The Intrusion of Jimmy'] [Light novel]
    • A Gentleman of Leisure. 1910. A Star Book. London: W. H. Allen & Co. Ltd., 1978.
12. Psmith in the City (1910) [Psmith]
    • Psmith in the City. 1910. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1981.
    • Included in: The World of Psmith: Mike and Psmith; Psmith in the City; Psmith, Journalist; Leave It to Psmith. 1909, 1910, 1915, 1923. London: Barrie & Jenkins Limited, 1974.
13. The Prince and Betty (1912) [Light novel]
14. The Little Nugget (1913) [School]
    • The Little Nugget. 1913. Four Square Books. London: New English Library Ltd., 1962.
15. Psmith, Journalist (1915) [Psmith]
    • Psmith, Journalist. 1915. Black’s Novel Library. London: A. & C. Black, Ltd, 1925.
    • Included in: The World of Psmith: Mike and Psmith; Psmith in the City; Psmith, Journalist; Leave It to Psmith. 1909, 1910, 1915, 1923. London: Barrie & Jenkins Limited, 1974.
16. Something Fresh (1915) [US: 'Something New'] [Blandings]
    • Something Fresh. 1915. A Mayflower Paperback. London: Mayflower Books Ltd., 1961.
17. Uneasy Money (1917) [Light novel]
    • Uneasy Money. 1917. Penguin Book 1273. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1958.
18. Piccadilly Jim (1918) [Light novel]
    • Piccadilly Jim. 1918. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1976.
19. A Damsel in Distress (1919) [Light novel]
    • A Damsel in Distress. 1919. A Star Book. London: W. H. Allen & Co. Ltd., 1978.
20. The Coming of Bill (1920) [US: 'Their Mutual Child', 1919] [Light novel]
    • The Coming of Bill. London: Herbert Jenkins Limited, 1920.
21. Jill the Reckless (1921) [US: 'The Little Warrior', 1920] [Light novel]
22. The Girl on the Boat (1922) [US: 'Three Men and a Maid'] [Light novel]
    • The Girl on the Boat. 1922. London: Pan Books Ltd., 1968.
23. The Adventures of Sally (1922) [US: 'Mostly Sally', 1923] [Light novel]
    • The Adventures of Sally. London: Herbert Jenkins Limited, 1922.
24. Leave It to Psmith (1923) [Psmith / Blandings]
    • Leave it to Psmith. 1923. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1975.
    • Included in: The World of Psmith: Mike and Psmith; Psmith in the City; Psmith, Journalist; Leave It to Psmith. 1909, 1910, 1915, 1923. London: Barrie & Jenkins Limited, 1974.
25. Bill the Conqueror (1924) [Light novel]
    • Bill the Conqueror: His Invasion of England in the Springtime. 1924. Vintage Books. London: Methuen & Co. Ltd., 1941.
26. Sam the Sudden (1925) [US: 'Sam in the Suburbs'] [Light novel]
    • Sam the Sudden. 1925. London: Methuen & Co. Ltd., 1928.
27. The Small Bachelor (1927) [Light novel]
    • The Small Bachelor. London: Methuen & Co. Ltd., 1927.
28. Money for Nothing (1928) [Light novel]
    • Money for Nothing. London: Herbert Jenkins Limited, 1928.
29. Summer Lightning (1929) [US: 'Fish Preferred'] [Blandings]
    • Summer Lightning. 1929. Penguin Books 995. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1954.
30. Big Money (1931) [Light novel]
    • Big Money. London: Herbert Jenkins Limited, 1931.
31. If I Were You (1931) [Light novel]
32. Doctor Sally (1932) [Light novel]
    • Doctor Sally. 1932. Penguin Book 1370. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1962.
33. Hot Water (1932) [Light novel]
    • Hot Water. London: Herbert Jenkins Limited, 1932.
34. Heavy Weather (1933) [Blandings]
    • Heavy Weather. 1933. Penguin Book 2569. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1966.
35. Thank You, Jeeves (1934) [Jeeves]
    • Thank You, Jeeves. 1934. Coronet Books. London: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd., 1975.
36. Right Ho, Jeeves (1934) [US: 'Brinkley Manor'] [Jeeves]
    • Right Ho, Jeeves. 1934. Penguin Book 934. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1961.
37. The Luck of the Bodkins (1935) [Monty Bodkin]
    • The Luck of the Bodkins. 1935. Penguin Book 986. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1954.
38. Laughing Gas (1936) [Light novel]
    • Laughing Gas. 1936. Penguin Book 1172. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1961.
39. Summer Moonshine (1938) [Light novel]
    • Summer Moonshine. 1938. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1988.
40. The Code of the Woosters (1938) [Jeeves]
    • The Code of the Woosters. London: Herbert Jenkins Limited, 1938.
41. Uncle Fred in the Springtime (1939) [Blandings / Uncle Fred]
    • Uncle Fred in the Springtime. London: Herbert Jenkins Limited, 1939.
    • Included in: Uncle Fred: An Omnibus ['Uncle Fred in the Springtime' (1939); 'Uncle Dynamite' (1948); 'Cocktail Time' (1958)]. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1992.
42. Quick Service (1940) [Light novel]
    • Quick Service. 1940. Penguin Book 994. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1954.
43. Money in the Bank (1946) [Light novel]
    • Money in the Bank. 1946. Penguin Book 2204. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1964.
44. Joy in the Morning (1947) [aka 'Jeeves in the Morning'] [Jeeves]
    • Joy in the Morning. London: Herbert Jenkins Limited, 1946.
45. Full Moon (1947) [Blandings]
    • Full Moon. 1947. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1979.
46. Spring Fever (1948) [Light novel]
    • Spring Fever. 1948. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1972.
47. Uncle Dynamite (1948) [Uncle Fred]
    • Uncle Dynamite. 1948. Penguin Book 2546. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1966.
    • Included in: Uncle Fred: An Omnibus ['Uncle Fred in the Springtime' (1939); 'Uncle Dynamite' (1948); 'Cocktail Time' (1958)]. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1992.
48. The Mating Season (1949) [Jeeves]
    • The Mating Season. 1949. Penguin Book 1171. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1957.
    • Included in: The Jeeves Omnibus 3: Ring for Jeeves; The Mating Season; Very Good, Jeeves. 1949, 1953, 1930, 1991. Hutchinson. London: Random House Group Ltd., 1995.
49. The Old Reliable (1950) [Light novel]
    • The Old Reliable. 1951. London: Pan Books Ltd., 1968.
50. Barmy in Wonderland (1952) [US: 'Angel Cake'] [Light novel]
    • Barmy in Wonderland. 1952. London: Pan Books Ltd., 1968.
51. Pigs Have Wings (1952) [Blandings]
    • Pigs Have Wings. 1952. Harmondsworth: Penguin, n.d.
52. Ring for Jeeves (1953) [US: 'The Return of Jeeves', 1954] [Jeeves]
    • Ring for Jeeves. 1953. Four Square Books. London: New English Library Ltd., 1967.
    • Included in: The Jeeves Omnibus 3: Ring for Jeeves; The Mating Season; Very Good, Jeeves. 1949, 1953, 1930, 1991. Hutchinson. London: Random House Group Ltd., 1995.
53. Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit (1954) [US: 'Bertie Wooster Sees It Through', 1955] [Jeeves]
    • Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit. 1954. An Arena Book. London: Arrow Books Limited, 1989.
54. French Leave (1956) [Light novel]
    • French Leave. London: Herbert Jenkins Ltd., 1955.
55. Something Fishy (1957) [US: 'The Butler Did It'] [Light novel]
    • Something Fishy. 1957. A Star Book. London: W. H. Allen & Co. Ltd., 1978.
56. Cocktail Time (1958) [Uncle Fred]
    • Cocktail Time. 1958. A Star Book. London: W. H. Allen & Co. Ltd., 1978.
    • Included in: Uncle Fred: An Omnibus ['Uncle Fred in the Springtime' (1939); 'Uncle Dynamite' (1948); 'Cocktail Time' (1958)]. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1992.
57. Jeeves in the Offing (1960) [US: 'How Right You Are, Jeeves'] [Jeeves]
    • Jeeves in the Offing. 1960. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1974.
58. Ice in the Bedroom (1961) [US: 'The Ice in the Bedroom'] [Drones]
    • Ice in the Bedroom. London: Herbert Jenkins Ltd., 1961.
59. Service with a Smile (1962) [Blandings / Uncle Fred]
    • Service With a Smile. 1961. Penguin Book 2532. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1966.
60. Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves (1963) [Jeeves]
    • Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves. London: Herbert Jenkins Limited, 1963.
61. Frozen Assets (1964) [US: 'Biffen's Millions'] [Light novel]
    • Frozen Assets. 1964. London: Pan Books Ltd., 1969.
62. Galahad at Blandings (1965) [US: 'The Brinkmanship of Galahad Threepwood'] [Blandings]
    • Galahad at Blandings. 1965. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1979.
63. Company for Henry (1967) [US: 'The Purloined Paperweight'] [Light novel]
    • Company for Henry. 1967. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1980.
64. Do Butlers Burgle Banks? (1968) [Light novel]
    • Do Butlers Burgle Banks? 1968. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1979.
65. A Pelican at Blandings (1969) [US: 'No Nudes Is Good Nudes', 1970] [Blandings]
    • A Pelican at Blandings. 1969. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1980.
66. The Girl in Blue (1970) [Light novel]
67. Much Obliged, Jeeves (1971) [US: 'Jeeves and the Tie That Binds'] [Jeeves]
    • Much Obliged, Jeeves. 1971. London: Sphere Books Ltd., 1972.
68. Pearls, Girls and Monty Bodkin (1972) [US: 'The Plot That Thickened', 1973] [Monty Bodkin]
    • Pearls, Girls and Monty Bodkin. 1972. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1979.
69. Bachelors Anonymous (1973) [Light novel]
    • Bachelors Anonymous. 1973. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1975.
70. Aunts Aren't Gentlemen (1974) [US: 'The Cat-nappers', 1975] [Jeeves]
    • Aunts Aren't Gentlemen. 1974. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1980.
71. Sunset at Blandings (1977) [Blandings]
    • Sunset at Blandings. With Notes and Appendices by Richard Usborne. Illustrated by Ionicus. 1977. Coronet Books. London: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd., 1979.
72. [with Herbert Westbrook] The Luck Stone (1997) [School]

Short Story Collections:


73. Tales of St. Austin's (1903) [School]
    • Tales of St Austin's. 1903. Puffin Books. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1978.
74. The Man Upstairs (1914)
    • The Man Upstairs and Other Stories. 1914. London: Methuen & Co. Ltd., 1927.
75. The Man with Two Left Feet (1917) [Jeeves]
    • The Man with Two Left Feet and Other Stories. 1917. London: Methuen & Co. Ltd., 1924.
76. My Man Jeeves (1919) [Jeeves / Reggie Pepper]
    • My Man Jeeves. London: George Newnes, Limited, 1919.
77. Indiscretions of Archie (1921) [Archie]
    • Indiscretions of Archie. 1921. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1975.
78. The Clicking of Cuthbert [US: 'Golf Without Tears', 1924] (1922) [Golf]
    • The Clicking of Cuthbert and Other Stories. 1922. Penguin Book 1772. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1962.
    • Included in: The Golf Omnibus: The Clicking of Cuthbert; The Heart of a Goof. 1922, 1926, 1973. Hutchinson. London: Century Hutchinson Ltd., 1990.
79. The Inimitable Jeeves (1923) [Jeeves]
    • The Inimitable Jeeves. 1923. Penguin Book 933. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1953.
    • Included in: The World of Jeeves: The Inimitable Jeeves; Carry On, Jeeves; Very Good, Jeeves. 1923, 1925, 1930, 1967. London: Book Club Associates / Herbert Jenkins Ltd., 1976.
80. Ukridge [US: 'He Rather Enjoyed It', 1925] (1924) [Ukridge]
    • Ukridge. 1924. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1979.
81. Carry On, Jeeves (1925) [Jeeves]
    • Carry on, Jeeves. 1925. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1974.
    • Included in: The World of Jeeves: The Inimitable Jeeves; Carry On, Jeeves; Very Good, Jeeves. 1923, 1925, 1930, 1967. London: Book Club Associates / Herbert Jenkins Ltd., 1976.
82. The Heart of a Goof [US; 'Divots', 1927] (1926) [Golf]
    • The Heart of a Goof. 1926. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1978.
    • Included in: The Golf Omnibus: The Clicking of Cuthbert; The Heart of a Goof. 1922, 1926, 1973. Hutchinson. London: Century Hutchinson Ltd., 1990.
83. Meet Mr Mulliner (1927) [Mr. Mulliner]
    • Meet Mr Mulliner. London: Herbert Jenkins Limited, 1927.
    • Included in: The World of Mr Mulliner: Meet Mr Mulliner; Mr Mulliner Speaking; Mulliner Nights. 1927, 1929, 1933, 1935. London: Barrie & Jenkins Limited, 1972.
84. Mr Mulliner Speaking (1929) [Mr. Mulliner]
    • Included in: The World of Mr Mulliner: Meet Mr Mulliner; Mr Mulliner Speaking; Mulliner Nights. 1927, 1929, 1933, 1935. London: Barrie & Jenkins Limited, 1972.
85. Very Good, Jeeves (1930) [Jeeves]
    • Very Good, Jeeves! 1930. Penguin Book 1173. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1966.
    • Included in: The World of Jeeves: The Inimitable Jeeves; Carry On, Jeeves; Very Good, Jeeves. 1923, 1925, 1930, 1967. London: Book Club Associates / Herbert Jenkins Ltd., 1976.
    • Included in: The Jeeves Omnibus 3: Ring for Jeeves; The Mating Season; Very Good, Jeeves. 1949, 1953, 1930, 1991. Hutchinson. London: Random House Group Ltd., 1995.
86. Mulliner Nights (1933) [Mr. Mulliner]
    • Mulliner Nights. 1933. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1971.
    • Included in: The World of Mr Mulliner: Meet Mr Mulliner; Mr Mulliner Speaking; Mulliner Nights. 1927, 1929, 1933, 1935. London: Barrie & Jenkins Limited, 1972.
87. Blandings Castle and Elsewhere [US: 'Blandings Castle'] (1935) [Blandings / Mr. Mulliner]
    • Blandings Castle and Elsewhere. 1935. Penguin Books 985. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1966.
88. Young Men in Spats (1936) [Drones]
    • Young Men in Spats. 1936. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1971.
89. Lord Emsworth and Others [US: 'Crime Wave at Blandings'] (1937) [Blandings / Golf / Ukridge]
    • Lord Emsworth and Others. 1937. Penguin Book 2568. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1966.
90. Eggs, Beans and Crumpets (1940) [Drones]
    • Eggs, Beans and Crumpets. 1940. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1979.
91. Nothing Serious (1950) [Blandings / Golf / Ukridge]
92. A Few Quick Ones (1959) [Jeeves / Ukridge / Mr. Mulliner]
93. Plum Pie (1966) [Jeeves / Blandings / Ukridge / Mr. Mulliner]
    • Plum Pie. 1966. Coronet Books. London: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd., 1983.
94. The Uncollected Wodehouse (1976)
95. Sir Agravaine (1984) [Children's book]
    • Sir Agravaine. 1914. Illustrated by Rodger McPhail. Poole, Dorset: Blandford Press, 1984.
96. A Man of Means (1991)
97. Lord Emsworth Acts for the Best. Introduction by Frank Muir (1992) [Blandings]
98. Plum Stones (1993)
99. Tales of Wrykyn and Elsewhere (1997) [School]
100. Enter Jeeves (1997) [Jeeves / Reggie Pepper]
101. Kid Brady Stories and A Man of Means (2013)

Autobiography:


102. [with Guy Bolton] Bring on the Girls! (1953)
     • Included in: Wodehouse on Wodehouse: Bring on the Girls: The Improbable Story of Our Life in Musical Comedy (with Guy Bolton) / Performing Flea: A Self-Portrait in Letters. With an Introduction and Additional Notes by W. Townend / Over Seventy: An Autobiography With Digressions. 1951, 1951, 1956 & 1980. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1981.
103. [with William Townend] Performing Flea [US: 'Author! Author!', 1962] (1953)
     • Performing Flea: A Self-Portrait in Letters. With an Introduction and Additional Notes by W. Townend, and the Text of P. G. Wodehouse’s Five Berlin Broadcasts. 1953. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1961.
     • Included in: Wodehouse on Wodehouse: Bring on the Girls: The Improbable Story of Our Life in Musical Comedy (with Guy Bolton) / Performing Flea: A Self-Portrait in Letters. With an Introduction and Additional Notes by W. Townend / Over Seventy: An Autobiography With Digressions. 1951, 1951, 1956 & 1980. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1981.
104. Over Seventy [US: 'America, I Like You', 1956] (1957)
     • Included in: Wodehouse on Wodehouse: Bring on the Girls: The Improbable Story of Our Life in Musical Comedy (with Guy Bolton) / Performing Flea: A Self-Portrait in Letters. With an Introduction and Additional Notes by W. Townend / Over Seventy: An Autobiography With Digressions. 1951, 1951, 1956 & 1980. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1981.

Miscellaneous:


105. The Globe By the Way Book (1908)
106. Louder and Funnier (1932)
107. Above Average at Games. Ed. Richard T. Kelly (2019)
     • Above Average at Games. Ed. Richard T. Kelly. Foreword by Henry Blofeld. Hutchinson. London: Penguin Random House, 2019.

Collections:


108. Week-End Wodehouse. Decorations by Kerr (1939)
     • Week-End Wodehouse. Introduction by Hilaire Belloc. Decorations by Kerr. 1939. London: Pimlico / Herbert Jenkins Ltd., 1992.
109. The World of Jeeves (1967) [Jeeves]
     • The World of Jeeves: The Inimitable Jeeves; Carry On, Jeeves; Very Good, Jeeves. 1923, 1925, 1930, 1967. London: Book Club Associates / Herbert Jenkins Ltd., 1976.
110. The World of Mr Mulliner (1972) [Mr. Mulliner]
     • The World of Mr Mulliner: Meet Mr Mulliner; Mr Mulliner Speaking; Mulliner Nights. 1927, 1929, 1933, 1935. London: Barrie & Jenkins Limited, 1972.
111. The Golf Omnibus (1973) [Golf]
     • The Golf Omnibus: The Clicking of Cuthbert; The Heart of a Goof. 1922, 1926, 1973. Hutchinson. London: Century Hutchinson Ltd., 1990.
112. The World of Psmith (1974) [Psmith]
     • The World of Psmith: Mike and Psmith; Psmith in the City; Psmith, Journalist; Leave It to Psmith. 1909, 1910, 1915, 1923. London: Barrie & Jenkins Limited, 1974.
113. [with Guy Bolton & William Townend] Wodehouse on Wodehouse (1980)
     • Wodehouse on Wodehouse: Bring on the Girls: The Improbable Story of Our Life in Musical Comedy (with Guy Bolton) / Performing Flea: A Self-Portrait in Letters. With an Introduction and Additional Notes by W. Townend / Over Seventy: An Autobiography With Digressions. 1951, 1951, 1956 & 1980. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1981.
114. The Jeeves Omnibus 1: Thank You, Jeeves; The Inimitable Jeeves; The Code of the Woosters. 1934, 1923, 1938 (1991) [Jeeves]
115. The Jeeves Omnibus 2: Right Ho, Jeeves; Joy in the Morning; Carry On, Jeeves. 1934, 1946, 1925 (1991) [Jeeves]
116. The Jeeves Omnibus 3: Ring for Jeeves; The Mating Season; Very Good, Jeeves. 1949, 1953, 1930 (1991) [Jeeves]
     • The Jeeves Omnibus 3: Ring for Jeeves; The Mating Season; Very Good, Jeeves. 1949, 1953, 1930, 1991. Hutchinson. London: Random House Group Ltd., 1995.
117. The Jeeves Omnibus 4: Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit; Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves; Jeeves in the Offing. 1954, 1963, 1960 (1991) [Jeeves]
118. The Jeeves Omnibus 5: Much Obliged, Jeeves; Aunts Aren't Gentlemen; 'Extricating Young Gussie', 'Jeeves Makes An Omelette' & 'Jeeves and the Greasy Bird'. 1971, 1974 (1993) [Jeeves]
119. Uncle Fred: An Omnibus (1992) [Uncle Fred]
     • Uncle Fred: An Omnibus ['Uncle Fred in the Springtime' (1939); 'Uncle Dynamite' (1948); 'Cocktail Time' (1958)]. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1992.
120. The Best of Wodehouse: An Anthology (2007)
     • The Best of Wodehouse: An Anthology. Introduction by John Mortimer. Everyman's Library, 306. A Borzoi Book. Alfred A. Knopf. New York & London: Random House, 2007.

Plays:


121. [with Herbert Westbrook] After the Show (1911)
122. [with John Stapleton] A Gentleman of Leisure [Adaptation of Wodehouse's novel 'A Gentleman of Leisure'] (1911)
123. [with John Stapleton] A Thief for the Night [Revival of A Gentleman of Leisure] (1913)
124. [with Herbert Westbrook] Brother Alfred [Adaptation of Wodehouse's short story 'Rallying Round Old George'] (1913)
125. [with C. H. Bovill] Nuts and Wine (1914)
126. [with Guy Bolton] Have a Heart [Music by Jerome Kern] (1917)
127. [with Guy Bolton] Oh Boy! [Revised for the UK as 'Oh Joy!'] (1917)
128. [with Guy Bolton] Leave It to Jane [Music by Jerome Kern] (1917)
129. [with Guy Bolton] Kitty Darlin' (1917)
130. [with Guy Bolton] The Riviera Girl (1917)
131. [with Guy Bolton] Miss 1917 (1917)
132. [with Guy Bolton] Oh, Lady! Lady!! [Music by Jerome Kern] (1918)
133. [with Guy Bolton] See You Later (1918)
134. [with Guy Bolton] The Girl Behind the Gun [Revised for the UK as 'Kissing Time'] (1918)
135. [with Guy Bolton] The Canary (1918)
136. [with Guy Bolton] Oh, My Dear! (1918)
137. [with Guy Bolton] The Rose of China (1919)
138. [with Guy Bolton, Clifford Grey, Buddy De Sylva & Anne Caldwell] Sally [Music by Jerome Kern] (1920)
139. [with Fred Thompson] The Golden Moth (1921)
140. [with George Grossmith] The Cabaret Girl [Music by Jerome Kern] (1922)
141. [with George Grossmith] The Beauty Prize [Music by Jerome Kern] (1923)
142. [with Guy Bolton] Sitting Pretty [Music by Jerome Kern] (1924)
143. [with Laurie Wylie] Hearts and Diamonds [Adaptation of 'The Orlov' by Biuno Granichstaedten & Ernst Marischka] (1926)
144. The Play's the Thing [Adaptation of a play by Ferenc Molnár] (1926)
     • Included in: Four Plays: The Play’s the Thing / Good Morning, Bill / Leave it to Psmith / Come on, Jeeves. 1926, 1928, 1931, 1956. Introduction by David A. Jasen. Methuen Paperbacks. London: Methuen London Ltd., 1983.
145. [with Guy Bolton] Oh, Kay! [Music by George Gershwin, lyrics by Ira Gershwin] (1926)
146. [with Valerie Wyngate] Her Cardboard Lover [Music by George Gershwin, lyrics by Ira Gershwin; based on 'Dans sa candeur naïve' by Jacques Deval] (1927)
147. Good Morning, Bill [Adapted from a play by Ladislaus Fodor] (1927)
     • Included in: Four Plays: The Play’s the Thing / Good Morning, Bill / Leave it to Psmith / Come on, Jeeves. 1926, 1928, 1931, 1956. Introduction by David A. Jasen. Methuen Paperbacks. London: Methuen London Ltd., 1983.
148. [with George Gershwin, Sigmund Romberg & Ira Gershwin] Rosalie (1928)
149. [with Clifford Grey] The Three Musketeers [Adaptation of 'The Three Musketeers' by Alexandre Dumas] (1928)
150. [with Ian Hay] A Damsel in Distress [Adaptation of Wodehouse's novel 'A Damsel in Distress'] (1928)
151. [with Ian Hay] Baa, Baa, Black Sheep (1929)
152. Candle-light [Adapted from a play by Siegfried Geyer] (1929)
153. [with Ian Hay] Leave It to Psmith [Adaptation of Wodehouse's novel 'Leave It to Psmith'] (1930)
     • Included in: Four Plays: The Play’s the Thing / Good Morning, Bill / Leave it to Psmith / Come on, Jeeves. 1926, 1928, 1931, 1956. Introduction by David A. Jasen. Methuen Paperbacks. London: Methuen London Ltd., 1983.
154. [with Guy Bolton] Who's Who [Adaptation of Wodehouse's novel 'If I Were You'] (1934)
155. [with Guy Bolton, Howard Lindsay & Russel Crouse] Anything Goes [Lyrics and music by Cole Porter] (1934)
156. [with Guy Bolton] The Inside Stand [Adaptation of Wodehouse's novel 'Hot Water'] (1935)
157. Arthur [Adapted from 'Jemand' by Ferenc Molnár (1947)
158. Game of Hearts [Adapted from a play by Ferenc Molnár] (1947)
159. [with Guy Bolton] Don't Listen, Ladies [Adapted from a play by Sacha Guitry] (1948)
160. Nothing Serious (1950)
161. [with Guy Bolton] Phipps (1951)
162. [with Guy Bolton] Come On, Jeeves (1956)
     • Included in: Four Plays: The Play’s the Thing / Good Morning, Bill / Leave it to Psmith / Come on, Jeeves. 1926, 1928, 1931, 1956. Introduction by David A. Jasen. Methuen Paperbacks. London: Methuen London Ltd., 1983.
163. Oh, Clarence! [Adapted by John Chapman from Blandings Castle stories] (1968)
164. Jeeves [Adapted by Alan Ayckbourn from Jeeves stories; music by Andrew Lloyd-Webber] (1975)
165. Four Plays: The Play’s the Thing / Good Morning, Bill / Leave it to Psmith / Come on, Jeeves. Introduction by David A. Jasen (1983)
     • Four Plays: The Play’s the Thing / Good Morning, Bill / Leave it to Psmith / Come on, Jeeves. 1926, 1928, 1931, 1956. Introduction by David A. Jasen. Methuen Paperbacks. London: Methuen London Ltd., 1983.
166. By Jeeves [Adapted by Alan Ayckbourn from Jeeves stories; music by Andrew Lloyd-Webber] (1996)

Films:


167. A Gentleman of Leisure [Based on the play 'A Gentleman of Leisure' by John Stapleton & Wodehouse] (1915)
168. A Damsel in Distress [Based on Wodehouse's novel 'A Damsel in Distress'] (1919)
169. Piccadilly Jim [Based on Wodehouse's novel 'Piccadilly Jim'] (1919)
170. The Prince and Betty [Based on Wodehouse's novel 'The Prince and Betty'] (1919)
171. Oh, Lady, Lady [Based on the play 'Oh, Lady! Lady!!' by Guy Bolton, Jerome Kern & Wodehouse] (1920)
172. A Gentleman of Leisure [Based on the play A Gentleman of Leisure by John Stapleton & Wodehouse] (1923)
173. The Golden Butterfly [Based on Wodehouse's short story 'The Making of Mac's'] (1926)
174. Oh, Kay! [Based on the play 'Oh, Kay!'by Guy Bolton, Jerome Kern & Wodehouse] (1928)
175. Those Three French Girls [Dialogue only] (1930)
176. The Man in Possession [Dialogue only] (1931)
177. Brother Alfred [ Based on the play 'Brother Alfred' by Herbert Westbrook & Wodehouse] (1932)
178. Leave It to Me [Based on Wodehouse's novel 'Leave It to Psmith'] (1933)
179. Summer Lightning [Based on Wodehouse's novel 'Summer Lightning'] (1933)
180. Anything Goes [Based on the play 'Anything Goes' by Guy Bolton, Cole Porter & Wodehouse] (1936)
181. Piccadilly Jim [Based on Wodehouse's novel 'Piccadilly Jim'] (1936)
182. Thank You, Jeeves! [Based on Wodehouse's novel 'Thank You, Jeeves'] (1936)
183. Step Lively, Jeeves [Based the characters created by Wodehouse] (1937)
184. A Damsel in Distress [Based on Wodehouse's novel 'A Damsel in Distress'] (1937)
185. Rosalie [Based on the 1928 musical play 'Rosalie' by George Gershwin, Sigmund Romberg, Ira Gershwin & Wodehouse] (1937)
186. Thunder and Lightning [Based on Wodehouse's novel 'Summer Lightning'] (1938)
187. Anything Goes [Based on the play 'Anything Goes' by Guy Bolton, Cole Porter & Wodehouse (1956)
188. The Girl on the Boat [Based on Wodehouse's novel 'The Girl on the Boat'] (1961)
189. Piccadilly Jim [Based on Wodehouse's novel 'Piccadilly Jim'] (2004)

Television:


190. The World of Wooster: 3 series - with Ian Carmichael as Bertie Wooster & Dennis Price as Jeeves - [Adapted by Richard Waring & Michael Mills from Wodehouse's Jeeves stories] (1965-67)
191. The World of Wodehouse: 2 series:
     1. Blandings Castle - with Ralph Richardson as Lord Emsworth - [Adapted by John Chapman from Wodehouse's Blandings Castle stories] (1967)
     2. Ukridge - with Anton Rodgers as Ukridge - [Adapted by Richard Waring from Wodehouse's Ukridge stories] (1967)
192. Wodehouse Playhouse: 3 series - with John Alderton & Pauline Collins - [Adapted by David Climie from Wodehouse's short stories] (1974-78)
193. Jeeves and Wooster: 4 series - with Hugh Laurie as Bertie Wooster & Stephen Fry as Jeeves - [Adapted by Clive Exton from Wodehouse's Jeeves stories] (1990-93)
194. Heavy Weather: TV movie - with Peter O'Toole as Lord Emsworth - [Adapted by Douglas Livingstone from Wodehouse's novel 'Heavy Weather'] (1995)
195. Blandings: 2 series - with Timothy Spall as Lord Emsworth & Jennifer Saunders as Lady Constance Keeble - [Adapted by Guy Andrews from Wodehouse's Blandings Castle stories] (2013)

Edited:


196. A Century of Humour (1934)
     • A Century of Humour. London: Hutchinson & Co. (Publishers) Ltd., n.d. [1934]

Letters:


197. Yours, Plum: The Letters of P. G. Wodehouse. Ed. Frances Donaldson (1988)
     • Yours, Plum: The Letters of P. G. Wodehouse. Ed. Frances Donaldson. 1990. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1992.
198. A Life in Letters. Ed. Sophie Ratcliffe (2011)
     • P. G. Wodehouse: A Life in Letters. Ed. Sophie Ratcliffe. 2011. Arrow Books. London: Random House, 2013.

Secondary:


199. Connolly, Joseph. P. G. Wodehouse: An Illustrated Biography. With Complete Bibliography and Collector’s Guide. 1979. London: Eel Pie Publishing Limited, 1981.
200. Davis, Lee. Bolton and Wodehouse and Kern: The Men Who Made Musical Comedy. New York: James H. Heineman, 1993.
201. Donaldson, Frances. P. G. Wodehouse: A Biography. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson Limited, 1982.
202. Edwards, Owen Dudley. P. G. Wodehouse: A Critical and Historical Essay. London: M. Brian & O'Keeffe, 1977.
203. Green, Benny. P.G. Wodehouse: A Literary Biography. 1981. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1983.
204. Hedgecock, Murray, ed. Wodehouse At The Wicket: A Cricketing Anthology. London: Hutchinson, 1997.
205. Jaggard, Geoffrey. Blandings the Blest and the Blue Blood: A Companion to the Blandings Castle Saga of P. G. Wodehouse, LL.D., with a Complete Wodehouse Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage. 1968. Coronet Books. London: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd., 1984.
206. Jasen, David A. P. G. Wodehouse: A Portrait of a Master. London: Garnstone Press Limited, 1975.
207. Jasen, David A. The Theatre of P. G. Wodehouse. London: B. T. Batsford Ltd., 1979.
208. McCrum, Robert. Wodehouse: A Life. Viking. London: Penguin, 2004.
209. Murphy, N. T. P. In Search of Blandings. 1981. London: Secker & Warburg, 1986.
210. Murphy, R. T. P. A Wodehouse Handbook. 2 vols. Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada: Sybertooth, 2013.
211. Phelps, Barry. P. G. Wodehouse: Man and Myth. London: Constable, 1992.
212. Sproat, Iain. Wodehouse at War. New Haven & New York: Ticknor & Fields, 1981.
213. Usborne, Richard. Wodehouse at Work to the End. 1961. Rev. ed. 1976. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1978.

The World of Wodehouse: Blandings Castle: Lord Emsworth and the Girl Friend (1967)
[l-to-r: Jack Radcliffe, Gaynor Jones & Ralph Richardson]

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• category - English prose (post-1900): Authors

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