''The Inimitable Jeeves'' 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, Jee ...

was the first of the Jeeves novels, although not originally conceived as a single narrative, being assembled from a number of short stories featuring the same characters. The book was first published in the United Kingdom by Herbert Jenkins, London, on 17 May 1923 and in the United States by

George H. Doran George H. Doran Company (1908–1927) was an American Publishing, book publishing company established by George Henry Doran. He organized the company in Toronto and moved it to New York City on February 22, 1908. The firm prospered, becoming one ...

, New York, on 28 September 1923, under the title ''Jeeves''.McIlvaine, E., Sherby, L.S. and Heineman, J.H. (1990) ''P.G. Wodehouse: A comprehensive bibliography and checklist''. New York: James H. Heineman, pp. 41-42.

Overview

The novel combined 11 previously published stories, of which the first six and the last were split in two, to make a book of 18 chapters. It is now often printed in 11 chapters, mirroring the original stories. All the stories had previously appeared in '' The Strand Magazine'' in the UK, between December 1921 and November 1922, except for one, "

Jeeves and the Chump Cyril "Jeeves and the Chump Cyril" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, and features the young gentleman Bertie Wooster and his valet Jeeves. The story was published in the '' Saturday Evening Post'' in New York in June 1918, and in ''The Strand Magaz ...

", which had appeared in the ''Strand'' in August 1918. That story had appeared in 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 ...

'' (US) in June 1918. All the other stories appeared in ''

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 ...

'' in the US between December 1921 and December 1922. This was the second collection of Jeeves stories, after '' My Man Jeeves'' (1919); the next collection would be '' Carry On, Jeeves'', in 1925. All of the short stories are connected and most of them involve Bertie's friend

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 ...

, who is always falling in love.

The original story titles and publication dates were as follows (with split chapter titles in parentheses): * "

Jeeves in the Springtime "Jeeves in the Springtime" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, and features the young gentleman Bertie Wooster and his valet Jeeves. The story was published in ''The Strand Magazine'' in December 1921 in London, and in ''Cosmopolitan'' in New Y ...

" — Bertie's friend Bingo is in love with a waitress, Mabel, but fears his uncle won't approve of her. Jeeves suggests a plan using romance novels to sway Bingo's uncle. ** UK: ''Strand'', December 1921 ** US: ''Cosmopolitan'', December 1921 : ("Jeeves Exerts the Old Cerebellum" and "No Wedding Bells for Bingo") * "

Aunt Agatha Takes the Count "Aunt Agatha Takes the Count" (also published as "Aunt Agatha Makes a Bloomer") is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, and features the young gentleman Bertie Wooster and his valet Jeeves. The story was published in ''The Strand Magazine'' in Lond ...

" — Aunt Agatha pushes an unwilling Bertie to marry a girl named Aline Hemingway, who, along with her brother Sidney, appears to be quiet and respectable. ** UK: ''Strand'', April 1922 ** US: ''Cosmopolitan'', October 1922 (as "Aunt Agatha Makes a Bloomer") : ("Aunt Agatha Speaks Her Mind" and "Pearls Mean Tears") * "

Scoring off Jeeves "Scoring off Jeeves" (also published as "Bertie Gets Even") is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, and features the young gentleman Bertie Wooster and his valet Jeeves. The story was published in ''The Strand Magazine'' in London in February 1922, ...

" — Bingo is in love with Honoria Glossop, whom Aunt Agatha wants Bertie to marry. Bertie tries to sort out this dilemma without Jeeves's help. ** UK: ''Strand'', February 1922 ** US: ''Cosmopolitan'', March 1922 (as "Bertie Gets Even") : ("The Pride of the Woosters Is Wounded" and "The Hero's Reward") * "

Sir Roderick Comes to Lunch "Sir Roderick Comes to Lunch" (also published as "Jeeves the Blighter") is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, and features the young gentleman Bertie Wooster and his valet Jeeves. The story was published in ''The Strand Magazine'' in London in Ma ...

" — Reluctantly engaged to Honoria Glossop, Bertie must demonstrate to her father, Sir Roderick Glossop, that he is mentally sound. Meanwhile, Bertie's cousins Claude and Eustace appear. ** UK: ''Strand'', March 1922 ** US: ''Cosmopolitan'', April 1922 (as "Jeeves the Blighter") : ("Introducing Claude and Eustace" and "Sir Roderick Comes to Lunch") * "

" — While staying in America, Bertie is instructed by Aunt Agatha to keep Cyril Bassington-Bassington, son of an aristocratic friend of hers, from becoming a performer. ** UK: ''Strand'', August 1918 ** US: ''Saturday Evening Post'', 8 June 1918 : ("A Letter of Introduction" and "Startling Dressiness of a Lift Attendant") * "

Comrade Bingo "Comrade Bingo" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, and features the young gentleman Bertie Wooster and his valet Jeeves. The story was published in ''The Strand Magazine'' in London in May 1922, and in ''Cosmopolitan'' in New York that same mo ...

" — Bingo falls in love with Charlotte Corday Rowbotham, a member of a communist group called Heralds of the Red Dawn, and joins the group to win her affection. ** UK: ''Strand'', May 1922 ** US: ''Cosmopolitan'', May 1922 : ("Comrade Bingo" and "Bingo Has a Bad Goodwood") * "

The Great Sermon Handicap "The Great Sermon Handicap" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, and features the young gentleman Bertie Wooster and his valet Jeeves. The story was published in ''The Strand Magazine'' in London in June 1922, and then in ''Cosmopolitan'' in Ne ...

" — At Twing Hall, Bertie, Bingo, and Bertie's cousins Claude and Eustace bet on a race involving the lengths of local parsons' sermons. Concurrently, Bingo is in love with Cynthia Wickhammersley. ** UK: ''Strand'', June 1922 ** US: ''Cosmopolitan'', June 1922 * "

The Purity of the Turf "The Purity of the Turf" is the third episode of the first series of the 1990s British comedy television series ''Jeeves and Wooster''. It is also called "The Village Sports Day at Twing" or "The Gambling Event". It first aired in the UK on on ...

" — Bertie, Jeeves, and Bingo place bets on contests at the annual village school treat at Twing Hall. The bookmaker, Steggles, intends to undermine their bets. ** UK: ''Strand'', July 1922 ** US: ''Cosmopolitan'', July 1922 * "

The Metropolitan Touch "The Metropolitan Touch" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, and features the young gentleman Bertie Wooster and his valet Jeeves. The story was published in ''The Strand Magazine'' in London in September 1922, and then in ''Cosmopolitan'' in N ...

" — Bingo falls in love with Mary Burgess, niece of the parson Heppenstall, and hopes to impress her by producing the Village School Christmas Entertainment at Twing. ** UK: ''Strand'', September 1922 ** US: ''Cosmopolitan'', September 1922 * "

The Delayed Exit of Claude and Eustace "The Delayed Exit of Claude and Eustace" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, and features the young gentleman Bertie Wooster and his valet Jeeves. The story was published in ''The Strand Magazine'' in London in October 1922, and then in ''Cosmo ...

" — Claude and Eustace are being sent to South Africa following expulsion from Oxford, but they both fall in love with Bertie's friend Marion Wardour and refuse to leave. ** UK: ''Strand'', October 1922 ** US: ''Cosmopolitan'', November 1922 * "

Bingo and the Little Woman "Bingo and the Little Woman" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, and features the young gentleman Bertie Wooster and his valet Jeeves. The story was published in ''The Strand Magazine'' in London in November 1922, and then in ''Cosmopolitan'' i ...

" — Bingo falls in love with a waitress again, and wants Bertie to get his uncle to approve the match. But there is something different about this waitress. ** UK: ''Strand'', November 1922 ** US: ''Cosmopolitan'', December 1922 : ("Bingo and the Little Woman" and "All's Well")

Publication history

Along with '' Right Ho, Jeeves'' and ''

Very Good, Jeeves ''Very Good, Jeeves'' is a collection of eleven short stories by P. G. Wodehouse, all featuring Jeeves and Bertie Wooster. It was first published in the United States on 20 June 1930 by Doubleday, Doran, New York, and in the United Kingdom on 4 J ...

'', the novel was included in a collection titled ''Life With Jeeves'', published in 1981 by Penguin Books.McIlvaine (1990), p. 126, B24a.

References

External links

* *
The Russian Wodehouse Society's page
with numerous book covers and lists of characters * {{DEFAULTSORT:Inimitable Jeeves, The 1923 British novels Short story collections by P. G. Wodehouse Novels by P. G. Wodehouse 1923 short story collections Herbert Jenkins books British comedy novels

Overview

Contents

Publication history

References

External links