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Donaldson, Owen Dudley Edwards, Joseph Connolly and Benny Green have written interesting biographies but all are superseded by Robert MCCrum's Wodehouse: A Life ...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

•

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

•

Acquisitions (62): A Baker's Dozen of Omnibuses

1930s Vintage Library

•

1930s Bookshelves

A Baker's Dozen of Omnibuses

[Classified during the fourth Auckland COVID-19 lockdown:
August 18-December 3, 2021]:

H. de Vere Stacpoole: The Blue Lagoon Omnibus (1930)


The Golden Age of the Omnibus Edition

Look at that ridiculous list of omnibuses on the dustjacket above - all of them available from the same publisher, Hutchinson!

Joseph Conrad and H. G. Wells, yes - I have them in my listings below. But as for the rest ... I've read Rafael Sabatini's Captain Blood, I think (as well as seeing the Errol Flynn movie), but I wouldn't really know what to say about Gilbert Frankau, Talbot Mundy, Eden Philpotts, or H. A Vachell. And yet they must have been sufficiently famous in their day to merit this kind of star treatment.

There's no doubt that the thirties were the great age of the omnibus edition. I suppose that the need to keep on selling books in the midst of the misery of the Great Depression must have encouraged publishers to adopt this thrifty way of providing the maximum bang-for-your-buck.

The list that I've provided below is purely personal. It consists solely of books I happen to have to hand at home. I think there are enough of them here for you to see the clear outlines of the trend, though:

• There are the standout successes in the field - John Buchan, Conan Doyle, P. G. Wodehouse.
• Then there are the more prestige assemblages of the works of classic authors - Lewis Carroll, Joseph Conrad, Thomas Hardy.
• Then, a few rungs further down the ladder, there are the 'guilty pleasures' collections of popular contemporary authors.

All three categories are, now, of considerable interest: the last group in particular, funnily enough.

I guess that I've always appreciated the compactness and solidity of these books: my particular favourites are short story collections such as the Sherlock Holmes Short Stories omnibus (1928) or The Stories of H. G. Wells (1927). One thing's for certain, though: the idea of paying once for each series of books rather than individually for every title was clearly a winner at the time, and that has continued to be the case ever since.

The first ten (or first 100) Penguin Books have long been a collectors' fetish. I'd say that a complementary collection for the post-WWI era would be a set of the numerous omnibuses listed on dustjackets such as the one above!

•

This is the third in a series of 'sets' of books chosen by me according to fairly arbitrarily selected rules. They date, respectively, from 2019, 2020, and 2021.

1. F. Anstey. Humour & Fantasy ['Vice Versa', 1882; 'The Tinted Venus', 1885; 'A Fallen Idol', 1886; 'The Talking Horse', 1892; 'Salted Almonds', 1906; 'The Brass Bottle', 1900]. London: John Murray, 1931. [1180 pp.]
2. John Buchan. The Four Adventures of Richard Hannay ['The Thirty-Nine Steps', 1915; 'Greenmantle', 1916; 'Mr Standfast', 1919; 'The Three Hostages', 1924]. 1930. London: Hodder and Stoughton Limited, 1953. [1214 pp.]
3. Lewis Carroll. The Complete Works. ['Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland', 1865; 'Phantasmagoria', 1869; 'Through the Looking Glass', 1871; 'The Hunting of the Snark', 1876; 'Sylvie and Bruno', 1889; 'Sylvie and Bruno Concluded', 1893; All the Early and Late Verse, Short Stories, Essays, Games, Puzzles, Problems, Acrostics, and Miscellaneous Writings]. Illustrated by John Tenniel. Introduction by Alexander Woollcott. 1939. Modern Library Giant. New York: The Modern Library, n.d. [1310 pp.]
4. Joseph Conrad. The Complete Short Stories ['To-morrow' (1902); 'Amy Foster' (1901); 'Karain: A Memory' (1897); 'The Idiots' (1896); 'An Outpost of Progress' (1896); 'The Return' (1897); 'The Lagoon' (1896); 'Youth: A Narrative' (1898); 'Heart of Darkness' (1898-99); 'The End of the Tether' (1902); 'Gaspar Ruiz' (1904-5); 'The Informer' (1906); 'The Brute' (1906); 'An Anarchist' (1905); 'The Duel' (1908); 'Il Conde' (1908); 'A Smile of Fortune' (1910); 'The Secret Sharer' (1909); 'Freya of the Seven Isles' (1910-11); 'The Planter of Malata' (1914); 'The Partner' (1911); 'The Inn of the Two Witches' (1913); 'Because of the Dollars' (1914); 'The Warrior's Soul' (1915-16); 'Prince Roman' (1910); 'The Tale' (1916); 'The Black Mate' (1886)]. London: Hutchinson & Co. (Publishers), Ltd., 1933. [1007 pp.]
5. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The Conan Doyle Stories [Tales of the Ring & the Camp; Tales of Pirates & Blue Water; Tales of Terror & Mystery; Tales of Twilight & the Unseen; Tales of Adventure & Medical Life; Tales of Long Ago]. 1929. London: John Murray, 1951. [1216 pp.]
6. Kenneth Grahame. The Kenneth Grahame Book ['The Golden Age', 1895; 'Dream Days', 1898; 'The Wind in the Willows', 1908]. 1932. London: Methuen & Co. Ltd., 1933. [412 pp.]
7. Thomas Hardy. The Short Stories ['Wessex Tales', 1888; 'Life's Little Ironies', 1894; 'A Group of Noble Dames', 1891; 'A Changed Man and Other Tales', 1913]. London: Macmillan and Co. Ltd., 1928. [1084 pp.]
8. E. W. Hornung. The Collected Raffles ['The Amateur Cracksman', 1899; 'The Black Mask' (1901); 'A Thief in the Night', 1905]. Introduction by Jeremy Lewis. Classic Thrillers. London: J. M. Dent & Sons, 1985. [448 pp.]
9. M. R. James. The Ghost Stories of M. R. James. ['Ghost Stories of an Antiquary', 1904; 'More Ghost Stories of an Antiquary', 1911; 'A Thin Ghost and Others', 1919; 'A Warning to the Curious and Other Ghost Stories'; 1925]. 1931. London: Edward Arnold (Publishers) Ltd., [1975]. [656 pp.]
10. H. G. Wells. The Short Stories of H. G. Wells. 1927. London: Ernest Benn Limited, 1952. [1038 pp.]
11. Oscar Wilde. The Works. ['The Picture of Dorian Gray', 1890; 'Lord Arthur Savile's Crime and Other Stories', 1891; 'A House of Pomegranates', 1891; 'The Happy Prince and Other Tales', 1888; 'Lady Windermere's Fan', 1892; 'A Woman of No Importance', 1893; 'An Ideal Husband', 1895; 'The Importance of Being Earnest', 1895; Poems; 'Intentions', 1891]. With Fifteen Original Drawings by Donia Nachshen. 1931. London: Collins, n.d. [1247 pp.]
12. P. G. Wodehouse. Week-End Wodehouse. Introduction by Hilaire Belloc. Decorations by Kerr. 1939. London: Pimlico / Herbert Jenkins Ltd., 1992. [512 pp.]
13. P. C. Wren. Stories of the Foreign Legion: A P. C. Wren Omnibus ['Stepsons of France', 1917; 'Good Gestes: Stories of Beau Geste, His Brothers, and Certain of Their Comrades in the French Foreign Legion', 1929; 'Flawed Blades: Tales from the Foreign Legion', 1933; 'Port o' Missing Men: Strange Tales of the Stranger Regiment', 1934]. 1947. London: John Murray, 1953. [655 pp.]

•

A Baker's Dozen of 6-volume Sets
[Classified during the first COVID-19 lockdown:
Auckland, March 25-May 14, 2020]:

1. Joseph Addison. The Works. Ed. Richard Hurd. Rev. Henry Bohn. 6 vols. Bohn’s Standard Library. London: George Bell and Sons, 1901-06.
2. Jane Austen. The Works: The Text Based on Collation of the Early Editions. With Notes, Indexes and Illustrations from Contemporary Sources. The Oxford Illustrated Jane Austen. Ed. R. W. Chapman. 5 vols. 1923. 6 vols. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1948-1954. London: Oxford University Press, 1975.
3. Richard Barber. Legends. ['Legends of King Arthur', 1998; 'British Myths and Legends', 2000]. Illustrated by Roman Pisarev & John Vernon Lord. 6 vols. London: The Folio Society, 2001 & 2002.
4. William Blake. The Illuminated Books. 6 vols. London: The William Blake Trust & The Tate Gallery / Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1991-95.
5. Sir Thomas Browne. The Works. Ed. Geoffrey Keynes. 6 vols. London: Faber & Gwyer / New York: William Edwin Rudge, 1928-31.
6. Emily Dickinson. Poems / Letters. ['The Poems of Emily Dickinson', 1955; 'The Letters of Emily Dickinson', 1958]. Ed. Thomas H. Johnson et al. 6 vols. Cambridge, Mass & London, England: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1998 & 1979.
7. F. Scott Fitgerald. The Bodley Head Scott Fitzgerald. 6 vols. London: The Bodley Head, 1958-63.
8. Edward Gibbon. The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Ed. Oliphant Smeaton. 6 vols. Everyman’s Library. 1910. London: J. M. Dent / New York: E. P. Dutton, 1928.
9. Henry James. The Novels. Ed. William T. Stafford, Daniel Mark Fogel, Myra Jehlen, Leo Bersani & Ross Posnock. 6 vols. The Library of America. New York: Literary Classics of the United States, Inc., 1983-2011.
10. Polybius. The Histories. Trans. W. R. Paton. Introduction by Col. H. J. Edwards. 6 vols. 1922, 1922, 1923, 1925, 1926, 1927. Loeb Classics. London: William Heinemann / Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1967, 1968, 1972.
11. Rainer Maria Rilke. Sämtliche Werke. Ed. Rilke Archive, with Ruth Sieber-Rilke & Ernst Zinn. 6 vols. Frankfurt am Main: Insel Verlag, 1955-1966.
12. William Robertson. The Works: To Which is Prefaced an Account of the Life and Writings of the Author. Ed. Dugald Stewart. 6 vols. London: Longman, Brown, Green, & Longmans, et al., 1851.
13. Virginia Woolf. The Letters. Ed. Nigel Nicolson, with Joanne Trautmann. 6 vols. London: The Hogarth Press, 1975-80.

•

A Baker's Dozen of 12-volume sets
[Acquired: Paeroa, Monday, September 2, 2019]:

1. Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë. The Works. Illustrations by A. S. Greig. Ornaments by T. C. Tilney. 9 vols of 12. 1893. London: J. M. Dent, 1895-96.
2. George Gordon, Lord Byron. Byron's Letters and Journals: The Complete and Unexpurgated Text of All the Letters Available in Manuscript and the Full Printed Version of All Others. Ed. Leslie A. Marchand. 12 vols. London: John Murray, 1973-1982.
3. Giacomo Casanova di Seingalt. The Memoirs: Translated into English by Arthur Machen. Privately Printed for Subscribers Only. 1894. Limited Edition of 1,000 numbered sets. + The Twelfth Volume of the Memoirs of Giacomo Casanova; Containing Chapters VII. and VIII. Never Before Printed; Discovered and Translated by Mr. Arthur Symons; and Complete with an Index and Maps by Mr. Thomas Wright. 12 vols. London: The Casanova Society, 1922-1923.
4. Daniel Defoe. The Shakespeare Head Edition of the Novels and Selected Writings. [The Shortest Way with the Dissenters and other pamphlets (1702); A Plan of the English Commerce (1728); The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe of York, Mariner, 3 vols (1719); A Journal of the Plague Year (1722); The Fortunate Mistress, 2 vols (1724); Captain Singleton (1720);Memoirs of a Cavalier (1720); Moll Flanders, 2 vols (1722); Colonel Jack, 2 vols (1722)]. 1927-28. 14 vols. [The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe of York, Mariner, 3 vols (1719); A Journal of the Plague Year (1722); The Fortunate Mistress, 2 vols (1724)]. 6 vols of 12. Oxford: Basil Blackwell / Stratford-upon-Avon: The Shakespeare Head Press / London: William Clowes & Sons Limited, 1974.
5. Diodorus Siculus. The Library of History. 12 vols. Loeb Classics. London: William Heinemann / Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1935-67.
6. Fyodor Dostoevsky. The Novels. Trans. Constance Garnett. 12 vols. 1912. London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1912-1920.
7. Henry James. The Complete Tales. Ed. Leon Edel. 12 vols. London: Rupert Hart-Davis, 1962-1964.
8. Andrew Lang. The Fairy Books. Illustrated by H. J. Ford. 12 vols. 1889-1910.
9. Enno Littmann. Die Erzählungen aus den Tausendundein Nächten: Vollständige deutsche Ausgabe in zwölf Teilbänden zum ersten mal nach dem arabischen Urtext der Calcuttaer Ausgabe aus dem Jahre 1839 übertragen von Enno Littmann. 1921-28. 2nd ed. 1953. 6 vols in 12. Frankfurt am Main: Insel Verlag, 1976.
10. Edward Powys Mathers. The Anthology of Eastern Love. Engravings by Hester Sainsbury. 12 vols in 4. London: John Rodker, 1927-30.
11. Alexander Pope. The Poems: Twickenham Edition. Ed. John Butt et al. 12 vols. London: Methuen & Co. Ltd. / New Haven: Yale University Press, 1940-69.
12. Arthur Ransome. The Swallows and Amazons Series. 12 vols. London: Jonathan Cape, 1930-47.
13. William Makepeace Thackeray. The Works. 12 vols. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1881-1882.

Books I own are marked in bold:

•

F. Anstey: Humour & Fantasy (1931)


1. F. Anstey. Humour & Fantasy

['Vice Versa', 1882; 'The Tinted Venus', 1885; 'A Fallen Idol', 1886; 'The Talking Horse and Other Tales', 1892; 'Salted Almonds', 1906; 'The Brass Bottle', 1900]. London: John Murray, 1931. [1180 pp.]


It it weren't for Vice Versa - once described by C. S. Lewis as the only truthful school story in existence - I think it's fairly safe to say that few would now remember anything much about F. Anstey.

Which is a shame, really. Some of his other fantasies (The Brass Bottle, for instance) are almost equally amusing. It's pointless to pretend that they haven't dated somewhat, but then, what does that matter? Why else would one read the work of such late-Victorian, early-Edwardian humourists, whether it be Three Men in a Boat (1889) or The Diary of a Nobody (1892)?

But Vice Versa keeps on going from strength to strength, whether you call it that or Freaky Friday instead!

This book is a good example of the classic thirties omnibus edition: over 1000 pages in length, with a gaudy dust jacket (generally discarded quite early in the piece, unfortunately), and an implicit promise of cheaply-priced riches within.



Thomas Anstey Guthrie ['F. Anstey'] (1856-1934)




•

John Buchan: The Four Adventures of Richard Hannay (1930)


2. John Buchan. The Four Adventures of Richard Hannay

['The Thirty-Nine Steps', 1915; 'Greenmantle', 1916; 'Mr Standfast', 1919; 'The Three Hostages', 1924]. 1930. London: Hodder and Stoughton Limited, 1953. [1214 pp.]


John Buchan is undoubtedly one of the three kings of the omnibus edition. Here's a chronological list of those I'm aware of (the ones I have copies of are marked in bold):

The Four Adventures of Richard Hannay. London: Hodder and Stoughton Limited, 1930:

1. The Thirty-Nine Steps (1915)
2. Greenmantle (1916)
3. Mr Standfast (1918)
4. The Three Hostages (1924)

The Adventures of Sir Edward Leithen. London: Hodder and Stoughton Limited, 1935:

1. The Power-House (1916)
2. John Macnab (1925)
3. The Dancing Floor (1926)
4. The Gap in the Curtain (1932)

Four Tales. 1936. Edinburgh & London: William Blackwood & Sons Ltd., 1936:

1. The Thirty-Nine Steps (1915)
2. The Power-House (1916)
3. The Watcher by the Threshold, and Other Tales (1902)
4. The Moon Endureth: Tales and Fancies (1912)

The Adventures of Dickson McCunn. London: Hodder and Stoughton Limited, 1937:

1. Huntingtower (1922)
2. Castle Gay (1930)
3. The House of the Four Winds (1935)

A Five-Fold Salute to Adventure. London: Hodder and Stoughton Limited, 1939:

1. The Blanket of the Dark (1931)
2. Witch Wood (1927)
3. Salute to Adventurers (1915)
4. Midwinter (1923)
5. The Free Fishers (1934)

They're all 1,000 pages (or so) in length. All of them appeared during the 1930s.

By far the most successful must be the Richard Hannay volume. It's the one you see most often in second-hand shops, and the first two novels (at least) are extremely entertaining. Some have lamented the fact that it appeared before the publication of the last in the series, The Island of Sheep (1936). Others would see that as not much of a loss.



John Buchan (1875-1940)




•

Lewis Carroll: The Complete Works (1939)


3. Lewis Carroll. The Complete Works

['Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland', 1865; 'Phantasmagoria', 1869; 'Through the Looking Glass', 1871; 'The Hunting of the Snark', 1876; 'Sylvie and Bruno', 1889; 'Sylvie and Bruno Concluded', 1893; All the Early and Late Verse, Short Stories, Essays, Games, Puzzles, Problems, Acrostics, and Miscellaneous Writings]. Illustrated by John Tenniel. Introduction by Alexander Woollcott. 1939. Modern Library Giant. New York: The Modern Library, n.d. [1310 pp.]


This is the first, but by no means the most comprehensive, attempt at a single-volume collected works of Lewis Carroll. Taken as such, it's quite impressive. It's a pity about that Complete Works misnomer, though.

It's important to stress, however, that several alternative approaches to his oeuvre have appeared since 1939:

1. The Works of Lewis Carroll. Ed. Roger Lancelyn Green. Illustrations by John Tenniel. Spring Books. London: Paul Hamlyn Ltd., 1965.
2. The Illustrated Lewis Carroll. ['Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland', 1865; 'Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There', 1871; 'The Hunting of the Snark', 1876; A Carroll Selection; Appendix: The "Alice Verses" and their Originals]. Ed. Roy Gasson. 1978. Poole, Dorset: New Orchard Editions Ltd., n.d.
3. The Complete Illustrated Works of Lewis Carroll. ['Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland', 1865; 'Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There', 1871; 'The Hunting of the Snark', 1876; 'Rhyme? and Reason?', 1883; 'A Tangled Tale', 1885; 'Alice’s Adventures Underground', 1886; 'Sylvie and Bruno', 1889; 'Sylvie and Bruno Concluded', 1893; 'Three Sunsets and Other Poems', 1898]. Ed. Edward Giuliano. Illustrated by John Tenniel, Lewis Carroll, Arthur B. Frost, Henry Holiday, Harry Furniss, & E. Gertrude Thomson. Avenel Books. New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1982.
Of these, Roger Lancelyn Green's is undoubtedly the most capacious, but for logic and ease of use, Edward Giuliano's is perhaps superior. The truth of the matter is that the road of the Carroll collector is beset by pitfalls, partial reprints, revised editions, and oddly themed compilations. That doesn't make it any the less beguiling, however:


Oh, see you not yon narrow road
So thick beset with thorn and briars
That is the path of righteousness
Though after it but few enquire.

And see you not that broad, broad road
That lies across that lily leven
That is the path of wickedness
Though some call it the road to Heaven.

And see you not that bonnie road
That winds about the fernie brae
That is the road to fair Elfland
Where thou and I this night maun gae.


Charles Lutwidge Dodgson ['Lewis Carroll'] (1832-1898)




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Joseph Conrad: The Complete Short Stories (1935)


4. Joseph Conrad. The Complete Short Stories

['To-morrow' (1902); 'Amy Foster' (1901); 'Karain: A Memory' (1897); 'The Idiots' (1896); 'An Outpost of Progress' (1896); 'The Return' (1897); 'The Lagoon' (1896); 'Youth: A Narrative' (1898); 'Heart of Darkness' (1898-99); 'The End of the Tether' (1902); 'Gaspar Ruiz' (1904-5); 'The Informer' (1906); 'The Brute' (1906); 'An Anarchist' (1905); 'The Duel' (1908); 'Il Conde' (1908); 'A Smile of Fortune' (1910); 'The Secret Sharer' (1909); 'Freya of the Seven Isles' (1910-11); 'The Planter of Malata' (1914); 'The Partner' (1911); 'The Inn of the Two Witches' (1913); 'Because of the Dollars' (1914); 'The Warrior's Soul' (1915-16); 'Prince Roman' (1910); 'The Tale' (1916); 'The Black Mate' (1886)]. London: Hutchinson & Co. (Publishers), Ltd., 1933. [1007 pp.]


Not to keep you in suspense, there's one interesting feature about this very attractive reprint of the short stories of Joseph Conrad. It consists of the omission of one particular story.

And which one is that? Give up? It's 'Falk' (1901), first published in the third of his collections of short fiction, Typhoon and Other Stories (1903).

1. Tales of Unrest [The Idiots; The Lagoon; An Outpost of Progress; The Return; Karain: A Memory]. 1898. Penguin Modern Classics. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1977.
2. Youth; Heart of Darkness; The End of the Tether: Three Stories. 1902. Joseph Conrad’s Works: Collected Edition. 1946. London: J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd., 1961.
3. Typhoon and Other Stories [Typhoon; Amy Foster; Falk; Tomorrow]. 1903. Penguin Modern Classics. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1970.
4. A Set of Six [Gaspar Ruiz; The Informer; The Brute; An Anarchist; The Duel; Il Conde]. 1908. London: Methuen & Co. Ltd., 1927.
5. ’Twixt Land and Sea: Three Tales [A Smile of Fortune; The Secret Sharer; Freya of the Seven Isles]. 1912. Penguin Modern Classics. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1978.
6. Within the Tides [The Planter of Malata; The Partner; The Inn of the Two Witches; Because of the Dollars]. 1915. Penguin Modern Classics. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1978.
7. Tales of Hearsay [The Warrior's Soul; Prince Roman; The Tale; The Black Mate]. 1925 & 1926. Joseph Conrad’s Works: Collected Edition. London: J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd., 1955.
And why this particular story? I presume that it must be because it involves a mention of cannibalism, and that was considered just a bit too risqué for readers in 1933 (though not, it appears, thirty years earlier, in 1903).

That's only a guess, mind you. It may have been sheer inadvertence. It does seem a rather considered choice of a story to leave out, however. Needless to say, more recent compilations of Conrad's stories have not perpetuated this act of censorship (if that's what it was):


The Complete Short Fiction of Joseph Conrad. Ed. Samuel Hynes. 4 vols. New York: The Ecco Press, 1991-1992.

1. The Stories I [The Idiots (1896); The Lagoon (1896); An Outpost of Progress (1896); Karain: A Memory (1897); The Return (1897); Youth: A Narrative (1898); Amy Foster (1901); To-morrow (1902); Gaspar Ruiz: A Romantic Tale (1904-5)] (1991)
2. The Stories II [An Anarchist: A Desperate Tale (1905); The Informer: An Ironic Tale (1906); The Brute: An Indignant Tale (1906); The Black Mate (1886); Il Conde: A Pathetic Tale (1908); The Secret Sharer: An Episode from the Coast (1909); Prince Roman (1910); The Partner (1911); The Inn of the Two Witches: A Find (1913); Because of the Dollars (1914); The Warrior's Soul (1915-16); The Tale (1916); Appendix: The Sisters (1895)] (1992)
3. The Tales I [Heart of Darkness (1898-99); Typhoon (1899-1901]; The End of the Tether (1902)] (1992)
4. The Tales II [Falk: A Reminiscence (1901); The Duel (1908); A Smile of Fortune (1910); Freya of the Seven Isles: A Story of Shallow Waters (1910-11); The Planter of Malata (1914)] (1992)


George Charles Beresford: Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski ['Joseph Conrad'] (1857-1924)




•

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: The Conan Doyle Stories (1929)


5. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The Conan Doyle Stories

['Tales of the Ring & the Camp'; 'Tales of Pirates & Blue Water'; 'Tales of Terror & Mystery'; 'Tales of Twilight & the Unseen'; 'Tales of Adventure & Medical Life'; 'Tales of Long Ago']. 1929. London: John Murray, 1951. [1216 pp.]


Conan Doyle is ahead even of John Buchan in the omnibus stakes. Here are all seven of his best, in chronological order:


The Complete Sherlock Holmes Short Stories. London: John Murray, 1928:

1. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1892)
2. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (1894)
3. The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1905)
4. His Last Bow (1917)
5. The The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes (1927)

The Complete Sherlock Holmes Long Stories. London: John Murray, 1929:

1. A Study in Scarlet (1887)
2. The Sign of Four (1890)
3. The Hound of the Baskervilles (1902)
4. The Valley of Fear (1915)

The Conan Doyle Stories. London: John Murray, 1929.

1. Tales of the Ring & the Camp
2. Tales of Pirates & Blue Water
3. Tales of Terror & Mystery
4. Tales of Twilight & the Unseen
5. Tales of Adventure & Medical Life
6. Tales of Long Ago

The Conan Doyle Historical Romances. Vol. 1 of 2. London: John Murray, 1931.

1. The White Company (1891)
2. Sir Nigel (1906)
3. Micah Clarke (1888)
4. The Refugees (1893)

The Conan Doyle Historical Romances. Vol. 2 of 2. London: John Murray, 1932.

1. Rodney Stone (1896)
2. Uncle Bernac (1897)
3. The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard (1896)
4. The Adventures of Brigadier Gerard (1903)

The Complete Professor Challenger Stories. London: John Murray, 1952.

1. The Lost World (1912)
2. The Poison Belt (1913)
3. The Land of Mist (1926)
4. The Disintegration Machine (1928)
5. When the World Screamed (1929)

The Complete Napoleonic Stories. London: John Murray, 1956.

1. Uncle Bernac (1897)
2. The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard (1896)
3. The Adventures of Brigadier Gerard (1903)
4. The Great Shadow (1892)

You'll note that the last two didn't appear till the 1950s, and that the second of them is largely a rehash of the second volume of the Conan Doyle Historical Romances. After that, a number of facsimile editions of the original publications of both Sherlock Holmes and the other stories started to appear:

1. The Original Illustrated 'Strand' Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Facsimile Edition. 1989. Ware, Hertfordshire: Wordsworth Editions Ltd., 1990.
2. The Original Illustrated Arthur Conan Doyle. Castle Books. Secausus, New Jersey: Book Sales, Inc., 1980.
There were also some even more useful supplementary volumes - mostly edited by the late, lamented Richard Lancelyn Green - in the 1980s:

1. The Unknown Conan Doyle: Uncollected Stories. Ed. John Michael Gibson and Richard Lancelyn Green. 1982. London: Secker & Warburg, 1983.
2. The Uncollected Sherlock Holmes. Ed. Richard Lancelyn Green. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1983.
3. The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: After Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Ed. Richard Lancelyn Green. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1985.
Don't even get me started on the subject of annotated editions of Holmes, or annotated editions in general, though. I fear I've had far too much to say on that subject already.



Henry L. Gates: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930)




•

Kenneth Grahame: The Kenneth Grahame Book (1932)


6. Kenneth Grahame. The Kenneth Grahame Book

['The Golden Age', 1895; 'Dream Days', 1898; 'The Wind in the Willows', 1908]. 1932. London: Methuen & Co. Ltd., 1933. [412 pp.]


While a pretty enough book, this is in some ways a rather frustrating volume. The 'Prefatory Note' (by the publisher, not the author, who had recently died) reads as follows:


It would have been possible to include in this collection Kenneth Grahame's book of essays, Pagan Papers, which appeared in the National Observer under W. E. Henley's editorship and won for him many warm admirers; and also his fantasy, The Headswoman; but on careful consideration it was decided that these two works were in a key so different from The Golden Age, Dream Days, and The Wind in the Willows that their presence here would be a mistake.

That's all very well. But it means that the assiduous collector is forced to hunt down one of the rare-as-hen's-teeth remaining copies of these two books in order to own the whole of Kenneth Grahame's work, so the omission seems to me an even more glaring 'mistake'.

Still, I'm not the one who had to sell the book, and perhaps they were right in judging that the inclusion of a collection of luke-warm essays from the 1890s and a rather macabre fantasy would not have assisted them in reaching a target audience of children and their doting parents.



John Singer Sargent: Kenneth Grahame (1859-1932)




•

Thomas Hardy: The Short Stories (1928)


7. Thomas Hardy. The Short Stories

['Wessex Tales', 1888; 'Life's Little Ironies', 1894; 'A Group of Noble Dames', 1891; 'A Changed Man and Other Tales', 1913]. London: Macmillan and Co. Ltd., 1928. [1084 pp.]


Apparently the main point of interest for collectors is the varying states of the dustjacket.

[In the first impression, t]he un-cropped portrait of the author (after E.O. Hoppes) is framed and is facing left. [In] the equally scarce second impression, published in March 1928, the same month as the first, ... the portrait of Hardy is now facing to the right, unframed and has been cropped. . ... The first impression is ... uncommon in the wrapper. Collectible.

I'm sorry to report that my own copy appears to be of the second impression, with the portrait unframed and cropped - not that such matters make much difference to me, I'm relieved to say.

There are a few extra stories which escaped the net of Hardy's various collections, and are therefore not included here. For a serviceable set of these, readers were forced to wait for the advent of The New Wessex Edition in the 1970s:

Old Mrs Chundle and Other Stories, with The Famous Tragedy of the Queen of Cornwall. Ed. F. B. Pinion. The New Wessex Edition of the Stories of Thomas Hardy, vol. 3. London: Macmillan and Co. Ltd., 1977.

For the most part, though, the volume above remains very useful.



William Strang: Thomas Hardy (1840-1928)




•

E. W. Hornung: Raffles (1918)


8. E. W. Hornung. The Collected Raffles

['The Amateur Cracksman', 1899; 'The Black Mask' (1901); 'A Thief in the Night', 1905]. Introduction by Jeremy Lewis. Classic Thrillers. London: J. M. Dent & Sons, 1985. [448 pp.]


This one is interesting because, even though the notion of collecting all the 'Raffles' short stories into one volume is such an obvious one - when it was finally done in the 1980s, Graham Greene, who based his 1975 play The Return of A. J. Raffles on Hornung's stories, called it "a splendid idea" - there doesn't appear to have been an omnibus of that type back in the era when such things were in vogue.

There was a book called Raffles: The Amateur Cracksman (London: Eveleigh Nash, 1906), which included "stories taken from The Amateur Cracksman and The Black Mask," but no bona fide collected edition that I can find a mention of before the one listed above, which dates from 1985.

I'd love to know more, though, so if any of you have any more information on the subject, I'm all ears.



Ernest William Hornung (1866-1921)




•

M. R. James: Collected Ghost Stories (1931)


9. M. R. James. The Ghost Stories of M. R. James

['Ghost Stories of an Antiquary', 1904; 'More Ghost Stories of an Antiquary', 1911; 'A Thin Ghost and Others', 1919; 'A Warning to the Curious and Other Ghost Stories'; 1925]. 1931. London: Edward Arnold (Publishers) Ltd., [1975]. [656 pp.]


Once again, I've had a great deal to say on the subject of M. R. James already, and don't feel any need to rehash that here. I guess the main reason for including his classic ghost story collection in this list comes down to one remark in his preface:

In accordance with a fashion which has recently become common, I am issuing my four volumes of ghost stories under one cover, and appending to them some matter of the same kind.

'A fashion which has recently become common' - quite so. He adds that 'a preface is demanded by my publishers, and it may as well be devoted to answering questions which I have been asked', and concludes by saying:

Since we are nothing if not bibliographical nowadays, I add a paragraph or two setting forth the facts about the several collections and their contents.

That pretty much puts it in a nutshell. The omnibus fashion was certainly already strongly in vogue by 1931, when his collection first came out - and the prefaces did tend to be fairly short and sweet - sometimes, in fact (as in the case of Kenneth Grahame above), written by the publisher instead of the author.



Montague Rhodes James (1862-1936)




•

H. G. Wells: Short Stories (1960)


10. H. G. Wells. The Short Stories of H. G. Wells

['The Time Machine and Other Stories', 1895; 'The Stolen Bacillus and Other Incidents', 1895; 'The Plattner Story and Others', 1897; 'Tales of Space and Time, 1899; 'Twelve Stories and a Dream', 1903]. 1927. London: Ernest Benn Limited, 1952. [1038 pp.]


Recently I rewrote my Advanced Fiction Writing course at Massey to include a new module called Utopia / Dystopia.

The main text we looked at was H. G. Wells's classic story "The Country of the Blind", though this was supplemented by a number of more contemporary writers, such as Ursula Le Guin and Tina Shaw.

Doing the background reading for this revision reminded me of just how cogent and clear Wells' writing is. And this single volume of collected short stories is really the summit of his art. It's hard to think of any other writer who could match it with an equally varied, innovative and elegant set of stories.

Wells can do it all: slice-of-life social dramas, fantasy and ghost stories, as well as straight SF. If you haven't ever read the book above, all I can do is urge you to remedy that as fast as possible. It's no accident that his stories still continue to be adapted for films and TV after all these years.



Herbert George Wells (1866-1946)




•


Oscar Wilde: The Works (1931)


11. Oscar Wilde. The Works

['The Picture of Dorian Gray', 1890; 'Lord Arthur Savile's Crime and Other Stories', 1891; 'A House of Pomegranates', 1891; 'The Happy Prince and Other Tales', 1888; 'Lady Windermere's Fan', 1892; 'A Woman of No Importance', 1893; 'An Ideal Husband', 1895; 'The Importance of Being Earnest', 1895; Poems; 'Intentions', 1891]. With Fifteen Original Drawings by Donia Nachshen. 1931. London: Collins, n.d. [1247 pp.]


The fact that there are now much more inclusive single-volume editions of Wilde on the market cannot detract from the charm of this early attempt to put him back in the public eye.

Oscar Wilde. Complete Works. 1948. Ed. J. B. Foreman. Introduction by Vyvyan Holland. 1966. London & Glasgow: Collins, 1971.

Wilde was as thoroughly shamed and erased as a public figure could be, due to his failed libel action against the Marquis of Queensberry, who had accused him of corrupting his son, Lord Alfred Douglas, by "posing as [a] somdomite [sic.]".

But as a writer, his works simply refused to die. For all the denunciations of his writings as decadent froth or pointless assemblages of epigrams, they continued to live in the public imagination, and it's impossible now to ignore his status as one of the truly titanic figures of the fin-de-siècle.

It's interesting to see that he, too, benefitted from the thirties craze for omnibus editions. This one lacks a number of the essays and poems, but otherwise gives a pretty good coverage of his genius.



Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (1854-1900)




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P. G. Wodehouse: Week-End Wodehouse (1939)


12. P. G. Wodehouse. Week-End Wodehouse

Introduction by Hilaire Belloc. Decorations by Kerr. 1939. London: Pimlico / Herbert Jenkins Ltd., 1992. [512 pp.]

This trackless desert of print which we see before us, winding on and on into the purple distance, represents my first Omnibus Book: and I must confess that, as I contemplate it, I cannot overcome a slight feeling of chestiness, just the faint beginning of that offensive conceit against which we authors have to guard so carefully. I mean to say, it isn't everyone ... I mean to say, an Omnibus Book ... Well, dash it, you can't say that it doesn't mark an epoch in a fellow's career and put him just a bit above the common herd. P. G. Wodehouse, O.B. Not such a very distant step from P. G. Wodehouse, O.M.

So begins the introduction to Wodehouse's Jeeves omnibus in 1931, the first in a long line of such which would adorn his great career. One has to admit that he sums up there most succinctly the parameters of what might, in that most Freudian of ages, have been referred to as 'omnibus anxiety':

There is, of course, this to be said for the Omnibus Book in general and this one in particular. When you buy it, you have got something. The bulk of this volume makes it almost the ideal paperweight. The number of its pages assures its possessor of plenty of shaving paper on his vacation ...

A sudden thought comes to me at this point and causes me a little anxiety. Never having been mixed up in this Omnibus Book business before, I am ignorant of the rules of the game. And what is worrying me is this - Does the publication of an Omnibus Book impose a moral obligation on the author, a sort of gentleman's agreement that he will not write any more about the characters included in it? I hope not ...

Before we go any further, I must have it distinctly understood that the end is not yet.

When Wodehouse came to revisit this preface, written some "thirty-five years ago come Lammas Eve", for the reissue of what was now to be called The World of Jeeves (1967), he seemed a bit surprised at the lofty moral attitudes struck by him at the time, particularly the reference to "selling one's artistic soul for gold":

It is true that Jeeves has not yet appeared in a comic strip, but ... one tends to lose one's austerity, and today I should not object very strongly if someone wanted to do JEEVES ON ICE.

And certainly the long list of omnibuses assembled below gives substance to this assertion:

1. The World of Jeeves ['The Inimitable Jeeves', 1923; 'Carry On, Jeeves', 1929; 'Very Good, Jeeves', 1930]. 1931. London: Herbert Jenkins Ltd., 1967.
2. The World of Mr Mulliner ['Meet Mr Mulliner', 1927; 'Mr Mulliner Speaking', 1929; 'Mulliner Nights', 1933]. 1935. London: Barrie & Jenkins Limited, 1972.
3. The Golf Omnibus ['The Clicking of Cuthbert', 1922; 'The Heart of a Goof', 1926]. London: Barrie & Jenkins Limited, 1973.
4. The World of Psmith ['Mike and Psmith', 1908; 'Psmith in the City', 1910; 'Psmith, Journalist', 1915; 'Leave It to Psmith', 1923]. London: Barrie & Jenkins Limited, 1974.
5. Wodehouse on Wodehouse [{with Guy Bolton} 'Bring on the Girls: The Improbable Story of Our Life in Musical Comedy', 1951; 'Performing Flea: A Self-Portrait in Letters. With an Introduction and Additional Notes by W. Townend', 1951; 'Over Seventy: An Autobiography With Digressions, 1956]. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1980.
6. The Jeeves Omnibus 1 ['Thank You, Jeeves', 1934; 'The Code of the Woosters', 1938; 'The Inimitable Jeeves', 1923]. Hutchinson. London: Random House Group Ltd., 1989.
7. The Jeeves Omnibus 2 ['Right Ho, Jeeves', 1934; 'Joy in the Morning', 1946; 'Carry on, Jeeves', 1925]. Hutchinson. London: Random House Group Ltd., 1990.
8. The Jeeves Omnibus 3 ['The Mating Season', 1949; 'Ring for Jeeves', 1953; 'Very Good, Jeeves', 1930]. Hutchinson. London: Random House Group Ltd., 1991.
9. The Jeeves Omnibus 4 ['Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit', 1954; 'Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves', 1963; 'Jeeves in the Offing', 1960]. 1991. Hutchinson. London: Random House Group Ltd., 1992.
10. The Jeeves Omnibus 5 ['Much Obliged, Jeeves', 1971; 'Aunts Aren't Gentlemen', 1974; 'Extricating Young Gussie', 1915; 'Jeeves Makes An Omelette', 1959; 'Jeeves and the Greasy Bird', 1966]. Hutchinson. London: Random House Group Ltd., 1993.
11. The Clergy Omnibus. Hutchinson. London: Random House Group Ltd., 1992.



P. G. Wodehouse, ed. A Century of Humour (1935)


Furthermore, as well as all of the originals listed above, Wodehouse also found time in the 1930s to edit the 1024-page Century of Humour collection above for those omnibus-aficionados Hutchinson's of London.



Pelham Grenville Wodehouse (1881-1975)




•

P. C. Wren: Stories of the Foreign Legion (1947)


13. P. C. Wren. Stories of the Foreign Legion: A P. C. Wren Omnibus

['Stepsons of France', 1917; 'Good Gestes: Stories of Beau Geste, His Brothers, and Certain of Their Comrades in the French Foreign Legion', 1929; 'Flawed Blades: Tales from the Foreign Legion', 1933; 'Port o' Missing Men: Strange Tales of the Stranger Regiment', 1934]. 1947. London: John Murray, 1953. [655 pp.]

I suppose that it's a question of timing, above all. If you happen to have had the good fortune to chance on Beau Geste or one of Wren's other Foreign Legion novels at an impressionable age, they retain a strange charm, despite their obvious deficiencies as social history.

In any case, that's what happened to me. I had an abridged children's edition of Beau Geste, which I greatly enjoyed, but it was actually Beau Sabreur which really impressed me. The details of barracks life, the saucy love story - it had everything I required in a book at the time, and while I haven't reread it for many years, I suspect I would still find it just as entertaining now.

P. C. Wren: Foreign Legion Omnibus (1928)

P. C. Wren. Foreign Legion Omnibus. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1928.

1. Beau Geste (1924)
2. Beau Sabreur (1926)
3. Beau Ideal (1928)

Like E. W. Hornung, Wren came late to the field of the omnibus edition. His trilogy appeared in that format in the US in 1928, it seems, but the two collections of Foreign Legion stories did not appear till the late 1940s, after the war.

P. C. Wren: Dead Men's Boots: A Second Omnibus (1949)

P. C. Wren. Dead Men's Boots and Other Tales from the Foreign Legion: A Second P. C. Wren Omnibus. ['These tales were originally published in book form in "Stepsons of France" (1917), "Good Gestes" (1929), "Flawed Blades" (1933), and "Port o' Missing Men" (1934) and are here collected in one volume']. London: Gryphon Books Limited, 1949.

Would contemporary teenagers still find them entertaining, I wonder? Possibly not. They're not exactly enlightened in their implicit endorsement of colonial attitudes. But then they're not really recruiting tracts for the French Foreign Legion. On the contrary, they paint it as brutal, oppressive, and the last resort of the desperate. I guess that's why these books provided a myth which has fuelled movie thrillers for much of the past century.

Percival Christopher Wren (1875-1941)

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Aldous Huxley: Rotunda (1932)

Clearly there are many other examples I could have chosen: There's a thousand-plus page omnibus called Rotunda: A Selection from the Works of Aldous Huxley, which appeared in 1932, possibly as a companion volume to his Texts and Pretexts: An Anthology with Commentaries, published in the same year.

W. Somerset Maugham: The World Over (1951)

There are also later compilations such as Somerset Maugham's The World Over: The Collected Stories (1951). That came out in a set of two - or, retitled The Complete Short Stories, three - volumes, however. Including multi-volume collections seems to me to negate the spirit of the exercise, much though I'd like to count them in for their own sake.

1930s Bookcase

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• category - English Prose (post-1900): Alphabetical

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