''Plum Stones'' (subtitled ''The Hidden P. G. Wodehouse'') is a set of 12 volumes of uncollected short stories by
P. G. Wodehouse
Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, ( ; 15 October 188114 February 1975) was an English author and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. His creations include the feather-brained Bertie Wooster and his sagacious valet, Jeev ...
. All 25 stories were previously published in magazines, but not published in book form in the UK. The volumes were published posthumously between 1993 and 1995 in the UK by Galahad Books. The first two volumes were published in 1993, the following six in 1994, and last four in 1995.
[
Each volume is a short booklet, with commentary on the stories by Tony Ring. The stories were printed in a limited edition with the permission
of the Trustees of the Wodehouse Estate. The first sixteen sets were issued as an omnibus edition, published in 1993.]
Volumes
''Wodehouse, Detective Writer''
First volume, 64 pages.
*" The Strange Disappearance of Mr Buxton-Smythe" (also published in the 1997 UK collection ''Tales of Wrykyn and Elsewhere
''Tales of Wrykyn and Elsewhere'' is a collection of short stories by British writer P. G. Wodehouse, first published on 1 October 1997 by Porpoise Books, London, with illustrations by T. M. R. Whitwell. It contains previously uncollected work, m ...
'')
** UK: ''Public School Magazine
''Public School Magazine'' was a short-lived magazine for boys. It was started in 1898 by publishing company Adam and Charles Black and appeared monthly until March 1902, when it ceased publication, the copyright being sold to rival publisher Geo ...
'', December 1901
*" The Adventure of the Split Infinitive" (also in ''Tales of Wrykyn and Elsewhere'')
** UK: ''Public School Magazine'', March 1902
* "Death at the Excelsior" (also published in the 1976 US collection '' The Uncollected Wodehouse)''
** UK: ''Pearson's'', December 1914 (as "The Education of Detective Oakes")
** US: '' All-Story Cavalier Weekly'', March 13, 1915 (longest of all versions, under the title "The Harmonica Mystery", also printed under that title in ''The Saint Detective Magazine'', June 1955, and in May 1978 in ''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine
''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'' is a bi-monthly American digest size fiction magazine specializing in crime fiction, particularly detective fiction, and mystery fiction. Launched in fall 1941 by Mercury Press, ''EQMM'' is named after the fict ...
'', the source for this book)
* "Mr McGee's Big Day"
** US: ''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'', November 1950
"Mr McGee's Big Day" was six pages long in ''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine''. For comparison, another Wodehouse story, " Strychnine in the Soup", was fifteen pages long when published in ''Ellery Queen'' in 1952.
''Unrepublished Reggie Pepper''
Second volume, 76 pages. All three stories feature the early Wodehouse character Reggie Pepper
Reginald "Reggie" Pepper is a fictional character who appears in seven short stories by English author P. G. Wodehouse. Reggie is a young man-about-town who gets drawn into trouble trying to help his pals. He is considered to be an early prototyp ...
.
*"Disentangling Old Percy
Reginald "Reggie" Pepper is a fictional character who appears in seven short stories by English author P. G. Wodehouse. Reggie is a young man-about-town who gets drawn into trouble trying to help his pals. He is considered to be an early prototyp ...
"
**US: ''Collier's
''Collier's'' was an American general interest magazine founded in 1888 by Peter Fenelon Collier. It was launched as ''Collier's Once a Week'', then renamed in 1895 as ''Collier's Weekly: An Illustrated Journal'', shortened in 1905 to ''Collie ...
'', 30 March 1912 (as "Disentangling Old Duggie")
**UK: ''Strand
Strand may refer to:
Topography
*The flat area of land bordering a body of water, a:
** Beach
** Shoreline
*Strand swamp, a type of swamp habitat in Florida
Places Africa
*Strand, Western Cape, a seaside town in South Africa
* Strand Street, ...
'', August 1912 (source for this book)
*"Concealed Art
Reginald "Reggie" Pepper is a fictional character who appears in seven short stories by English author P. G. Wodehouse. Reggie is a young man-about-town who gets drawn into trouble trying to help his pals. He is considered to be an early prototyp ...
"
**UK: ''Strand'', February 1915 (source for this book)
**US: ''Pictorial Review'', July 1915
*" The Test Case" (also in ''The Uncollected Wodehouse'')
**UK: ''Pearson's'', December 1915
**US: ''Illustrated Sunday Magazine'', 12 December 1915 (source for this book)
''Theatrical Stories''
Third volume, 64 pages.
*"The Colour Line"
**US: ''McClure's
''McClure's'' or ''McClure's Magazine'' (1893–1929) was an American illustrated monthly periodical popular at the turn of the 20th century. The magazine is credited with having started the tradition of muckraking journalism (investigative journ ...
'', March/April 1920 (as "The Golden Flaw")
**UK: ''Grand
Grand may refer to:
People with the name
* Grand (surname)
* Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor
* Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist
* Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper
Places
* Grand, Oklahoma
* Grand, Vosges, village and commu ...
'', April 1920 (source for this book)
Under the title "The Golden Flaw", the story was published in ''McClure's'' with illustrations by Arthur William Brown
Arthur William Brown (1881–1966) was a Canadian commercial artist, most known for his work as an illustrator for the '' Saturday Evening Post'', ''American Magazine'', and '' Redbook''.
Education and works
In the 1890s, he attended the Hamilt ...
.
*"Back to the Garage"
**UK: ''Strand'', July 1929 (source for this book)
**US: ''Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan may refer to:
Food and drink
* Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo"
History
* Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953
Hotels and resorts
* Cosmopoli ...
'', July 1929 (as "Franklin's Favorite Daughter")
"Franklin's Favorite Daughter" was illustrated by David Robinson in ''Cosmopolitan''. In the ''Strand'', "Back to the Garage" was illustrated by S. Abbey.
''Keggs, the Butler''
Fourth volume, 36 pages.
*"Love Me, Love My Dog"
**US: ''Hampton's'', July 1920 (as "The Watch Dog", also published in ''Home'' in August 1931 as "A Dog-Eared Romance" and ''Green Book'' in August 1933 as "The Watch Dog")
**UK: ''Strand'', August 1910 (as "Love Me, Love My Dog."; source for this book)
"Watch Dog" was illustrated by Phillips Ward in ''Hampton's Magazine''. "Love Me, Love My Dog" was illustrated by Harry Rountree
Harry Rountree (26 January 1878''1939 England and Wales Register'' – 26 September 1950) was a prolific illustrator working in England around the turn of the 20th century. Born in Auckland, New Zealand, he moved to London in 1901, when he was 23 ...
in the ''Strand''.
''First Impressions, Mature Reflections''
Fifth volume, 52 pages.
*"A Job of Work"
**UK: ''Strand'', January 1913 (source for this book)
**US: ''Collier's'', 6 September 1913
The story was illustrated by E. H. Shepard
Ernest Howard Shepard OBE MC (10 December 1879 – 24 March 1976) was an English artist and book illustrator. He is known especially for illustrations of the anthropomorphic animal and soft toy characters in ''The Wind in the Willows'' and ''W ...
in the ''Strand'', and by John Sloan
John French Sloan (August 2, 1871 – September 7, 1951) was an American painter and etcher. He is considered to be one of the founders of the Ashcan school of American art. He was also a member of the group known as The Eight. He is best known ...
in ''Collier's''.
*"Ways to Get a Gal" (contains plot elements previously used in "Ahead of Schedule", collected in '' The Man Upstairs'')
**US: ''Dream World'', February 1957
The story was illustrated by "R. L. S." in ''Dream World'', a Chicago-based magazine.
''There But For the Grace of God Goes Baxter''
Sixth volume, 28 pages.
*"Creatures of Impulse" (later rewritten as "The Crime Wave at Blandings
"The Crime Wave at Blandings" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse that first appeared in the United States in two parts, in the October 10 and October 17, 1936 editions of the ''Saturday Evening Post'', and in the United Kingdom in the January 193 ...
")
**UK: ''Strand'', October 1914 (source for this book)
**US: ''McClure's'', October 1914
''Self-Derivatives'' Par Excellence
Seventh volume, 60 pages.
*"Big Business
Big business involves large-scale corporate-controlled financial or business activities. As a term, it describes activities that run from "huge transactions" to the more general "doing big things". In corporate jargon, the concept is commonly kn ...
" (later rewritten as a Mr Mulliner
Mr. Mulliner is a fictional character from the short stories of P. G. Wodehouse. Mr. Mulliner is a loquacious pub raconteur who, no matter what the topic of conversation, can find an appropriate (if improbable) story about a member of his fam ...
story)
**US: ''Collier's'', 13 December 1952
**UK: '' Lilliput'', March 1953 (source for this book)
*"Joy Bells for Barmy" (contains plot elements taken from "Dudley Is Back to Normal", and some reused in "The Right Approach" and ''Barmy in Wonderland
''Barmy in Wonderland'' is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom on 21 April 1952 by Herbert Jenkins, London, and in the United States on 8 May 1952 by Doubleday & Company, New York, under the title ''Angel Cake''. ...
'')
**UK: ''Carnival'', November 1946 (as "A Wedding Has Been Arranged")
**US: ''Cosmopolitan'', October 1947 (source for this book)
*"The Right Approach
''The Right Approach'' is a 1961 CinemaScope drama film directed by David Butler and starring Juliet Prowse, Frankie Vaughan (in his final film role) and Martha Hyer.
It was known as ''The Live Wire''.
Plot
Army buddies return home to Pasadena ...
" (contains plot elements taken from "Joy Bells for Barmy", later rewritten as a Mr Mulliner story)
**UK: ''Lilliput'', September 1958 (as a Mulliner story, collected in ''A Few Quick Ones'')
**US: ''Playboy
''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother.
K ...
'', January 1959 (source for this book, substantially revised from 1958 version)
''Bertie's Friends''
Eighth volume, 44 pages. The first story features Bobbie Wickham
Roberta "Bobbie" Wickham is a recurring fictional character in the Jeeves and Mr. Mulliner stories of English comic writer P. G. Wodehouse, being a mischievous red-headed girl who is fond of practical jokes. She is a friend and one-time love int ...
and the second Bingo Little
Richard P. "Bingo" Little is a recurring fictional character in the comedic Jeeves and Drones Club stories of English writer P. G. Wodehouse, being a friend of Jeeves's master Bertie Wooster and a member of the Drones Club.
In his early appear ...
.
*"Dudley is Back to Normal" (contains plot elements reused in "Joy Bells for Barmy")
**UK: ''Strand'', July 1940
*"The Great Fat Uncle Contest" (also published as "Stylish Stouts
''Plum Pie'' is a collection of nine short stories by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom on 22 September 1966 by Barrie & Jenkins (under the Herbert Jenkins imprint), and in the United States on 1 December 1967 by Simon & S ...
")
**US: ''Playboy'', April 1965 (as "Stylist Stout")
**UK: ''London Evening Standard
The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format.
In October 2009, after be ...
'', 24 December 1965 (source for this book)
''"In That Shape, Rotten"''
Ninth volume, 40 pages.
*"Reggie and the Greasy Bird"
**US: ''The Saturday Evening Post
''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely c ...
'', 28 November 1936 (source for this book, rewritten from " The Masked Troubadour")
**UK: ''Strand'', December 1936 (as "The Masked Troubadour")
''Ethics and Eugenics''
Tenth volume, 52 pages.
*"A Prisoner of War" (with a character that appears in '' The Coming of Bill'')
**UK: ''Strand'', March 1915 (source for this book)
**US: ''Illustrated Sunday Magazine'', 13 February 1916
"A Prisoner of War" was illustrated by Alfred Leete
Alfred Ambrose Chew Leete (1882–1933) was a British graphic artist. Born at Thorpe Achurch, Northamptonshire, he studied at Kingsholme School and The School of Science and Art (now Weston College) in Weston-super-Mare, before moving to ...
in the ''Strand''.
*"The Pro" (contains plot elements reused in "The Goal-Keeper and the Plutocrat" in ''The Man Upstairs'')
**UK: ''Pearson's'', August 1906 (source for this book), and ''Novel Magazine'' in August 1907 as "The Pro."
The story was illustrated by W. Heath Robinson in ''Pearson's''.[McIlvaine (1990), p. 175, D118.14.]
''Wrykyn Havoc''
Eleventh volume, 36 pages.
*" Jackson's Extra" (also in ''Tales of Wrykyn and Elsewhere'')
** UK: ''Royal
Royal may refer to:
People
* Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name
* A member of a royal family
Places United States
* Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community
* Royal, Illinois, a village
* Royal, Iowa, a cit ...
'', June 1904
*"The Deserter
The Deserter or Deserter (s) may refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Deserter'' (1912 film), a silent film by Thomas H. Ince
* ''The Deserter'' (1933 film), a film by Vsevolod Pudovkin
* ''The Deserter'' (1971 film), a film by Burt Kennedy
...
" (also in ''Tales of Wrykyn and Elsewhere'')
** UK: ''Royal'', August 1905
''First Drafts''
Twelfth volume, 44 pages.
*"Reginald's Record Knock" (cricket story)
**UK: ''Pearson's'', July 1909
**US: ''Collier's Weekly'', 19 March 1910 (as " Archibald's Benefit", a similar golf story collected in ''The Man Upstairs'')
*"Tom, Dick and Harry" (cricket story, also in ''The Uncollected Wodehouse'')
**UK: ''Grand'', June 1905 (as "Tom, Dick—and Harry")[
]
References
;Notes
;Sources
*
External links
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{{P. G. Wodehouse
Short story collections by P. G. Wodehouse
1993 short story collections