Wodehousekeeping

A solo episode this time, as I (Ian Cockburn) turn to 1917's The Man With Two Left Feet and Other Stories, P. G. Wodehouse's second collection of short stories for adults, which includes "Extricating Young Gussie", the story that first introduces the legendary characters Bertie Wooster (here apparently called Bertie Mannering-Phipps), Aunt Agatha and - in a cameo role - Jeeves. There are plot spoilers. Content note: see below next to individual stories.You can e-mail me at wodehousekeeping@gmail.comtip me at ko-fi.com/wodehousekeepingor follow the show on Bluesky or FacebookStories covered, with start times:"Bill the Bloodhound" 6m "Extricating Young Gussie" 17m  "Wilton's Holiday" 33m 46s"The Mixer: He Meets a Shy Gentleman" 42m "The Mixer: He Moves in Society" 49m "Crowned Heads" 54m"At Geisenheimer's" 1h 1m"The Making of Mac's" 1h 11m (CN: suicide)"One Touch of Nature" 1h 22m"Black for Luck" 1h 27m"The Romance of an Ugly Policeman" 1h 35m"A Sea of Troubles" 1h 43m (CN: suicide)"The Man with Two Left Feet" 1h 46mOther works by Wodehouse mentionedThe Man Upstairs and Other StoriesPiccadilly JimSomething FreshThe Reggie Pepper stories"Three From Dunsterville""Deep Waters", "Fixing it for Freddie"The golf storiesThe Girl on the BoatBustanoby's"In Alkala""By Advice of Counsel""Something to Worry About""The Man Upstairs""The Man Who Disliked Cats"My Man JeevesThe Prince and BettyUneasy MoneyJoy in the MorningNuts and Wine (revue)A Man of MeansReference works consultedSophie Ratcliffe, P. G. Wodehouse: A Life in LettersRobert McCrum, Wodehouse: A LifeNorman Murphy, A Wodehouse HandbookRichard Usborne, Wodehouse at Work to the EndMadame Eulalie's Rare Plums websiteAlso mentionedGeorge Grossmith, Jr.Harry Leon Wilson, Ruggles of Red GapPercy JeevesLeslie Havergal BradshawThe Beatles, "Get Back"Magnetic Fields, "Goin' Back to the Country"O. HenryThe Golden Butterfly (film adaptation of "The Making of Mac's")M. F. Carey, "Learning McFadden to Waltz"Leonora CazaletDenis Mackail "At Mr Besley's"Do the Right Thing podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ian is joined by Nigel Townshend to enthuse over 1917's Piccadilly Jim, a breakthrough novel for Wodehouse. Nigel voices his displeasure at the 2004 film version. There are plot spoilers. You can e-mail me at wodehousekeeping@gmail.comtip me at ko-fi.com/wodehousekeepingor follow the show on Bluesky or FacebookOther works by Wodehouse mentionedLeave it to PsmithThe Little NuggetA Damsel in Distress (film screenplay)A Gentleman of Leisure"Concealed Art"The Riviera Girl (musical, with Guy Bolton and Emmerich Kalman)Bring On the Girls (memoir, with Guy Bolton)Love Among the Chickens"Rallying Round Old George"Anything Goes (musical)Reference works consultedSophie Ratcliffe, P. G. Wodehouse: A Life in LettersRobert McCrum, Wodehouse: A LifeNorman Murphy, A Wodehouse HandbookBarry Day, The Complete Lyrics of P. G. WodehouseLee Davis, Bolton and Wodehouse and KernMadame Eulalie's Rare Plums websiteAlso mentionedThe three film adaptations of the bookBlandings (TV series)New York GiantsThe Regent GrillYe Olde Cheshire CheeseHugh LaurieGeorge Herriman, "The Dingbat Family" & "Krazy Kat" comic stripsDelmonico'sBachelors' Club Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Drop the Dead Monkey! Ian is joined by writer and artist Tom Bailey to look at 1916's Uneasy Money, Wodehouse's second serial for the Saturday Evening Post, which had a personal significance for Plum and Ethel Wodehouse, as it is set in Long Island, setting of their courtship and early married life; and like them, the hero and heroine are married at the "Church 'Round the Corner" on Madison Square, also the inspiration for the song of the same name by Wodehouse and Jerome Kern. Tom and Ian debate the merits or otherwise of Wodehouse's more romantic novels, and of romance stories in general.You can e-mail me at wodehousekeeping@gmail.com,give me an unexpected legacy at ko-fi.com/wodehousekeepingor join in the feast of reason and flow of soul on Bluesky or FacebookOther works by Wodehouse mentioned"Bill" (song)"At Geisenheimer's""Extricating Young Gussie"Something FreshPerforming FleaA Gentleman of LeisurePsmith JournalistThe Swoop"Church Round the Corner" (song) in SallyIndiscretions of ArchieBachelors AnonymousRing For Jeeves (the Jeeves novel without Bertie) Reference works consultedSophie Ratcliffe, P. G. Wodehouse: A Life in LettersRobert McCrum, Wodehouse: A LifeNorman Murphy, A Wodehouse HandbookBarry Day, The Complete Lyrics of P. G. WodehouseLee Davis, Bolton and Wodehouse and KernMadame Eulalie's Rare Plums website Also mentionedMichael BuerkNicolae CeaușescuBob PeckJeeves and WoosterDavid NobbsThe Rise and Fall of Reginald PerrinCharles Dickens, The Old Curiosity Shop, Bleak House, Pickwick PapersOscar WildeGeorge EliotOlga Tokarczuk The Empusium, Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of The DeadThomas Mann The Magic MountainMiguel de Cervantes, Don QuixoteHenry Fielding, Tom JonesLaurence Sterne, Tristam ShandyTobias SmollettJonathan CoeHonoré de BalzacEmile ZolaVanity Fair (US)Mary PoppinsF Scott Fitzgerald, The Great GatsbyEdna MayThe Belle of New York (Musical)Lady Constance MacKenzieSarah BernhardtHow to Make Millions Before Grandma DiesJohn Mortimer, The Rumpole storiesAlfred, Lord TennysonBartlett's Familiar QuotationsSuperman IIIHergé,the Tintin storiesIonicus (Joshua Charles Armitage)RashomonBringing Up BabyThe Church of the Transfiguration, New YorkAlice Fraser, A Passion For PassionGeorgette HeyerWhen Harry Met SallyNora Ephron, HeartburnSherlock Jr  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Ian Cockburn (of the Shropshire Cockburns) is rejoined by storyteller and writer Matthew Bellwood to discuss Psmith Journalist, the third Psmith novel, and one of the first of Wodehouse's novels to be set in America. The novel first appeared in The Captain from 1909-10 but didn't appear in book form till 1915, by which point it had already been repurposed in 1912 for the US version of The Prince and BettyA tale of yellow journalism in gangland New York. This podcast contains spoilers, and some discussion of racism.You can e-mail me at wodehousekeeping@gmail.comPut doubloons in the old oak chest at ko-fi.com/wodehousekeepingor follow me on Bluesky or FacebookWodehousekeeping cannot be muzzledOther works by Wodehouse mentionedMike and PsmithThe Luck of the BodkinsPsmith in the CityThe Prince and BettyA Gentleman of LeisureThe Kid Brady storiesThe Little NuggetThe Luck Stone"The Episode of the Live Weekly" Reference works consultedSophie Ratcliffe, P. G. Wodehouse: A Life in LettersRobert McCrum, Wodehouse: A LifeNorman Murphy, A Wodehouse HandbookMadame Eulalie's Rare Plums website Also mentionedColumbo: Strange BedfellowsTwin PeaksThe GodfatherBoardwalk EmpireCharles Dickens, David CopperfieldColin From AccountsCarol VordermanTed Kessler, Paper CutsAl CaponeMonk EastmanGroucho MarxDoctor WhoSandie Shaw, "Reviewing the Situation"John Mitchell Jr.Stella Gibbons, Cold Comfort FarmCole PorterNoël Coward  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ian is joined by Tania Agnihotri to look at Something Fresh, AKA Something New, the first Blandings novel, published 1915. The book introduces the immortal Lord Emsworth, Freddie Threepwood, Beach the butler and the Efficient Baxter, though much of the focus is on this month's imposters at the castle. Content note: bad American accents.You can e-mail me at wodehousekeeping@gmail.commake a donation at ko-fi.com/wodehousekeepingor follow or contact me on Bluesky or FacebookOther works by Wodehouse mentioned:The Mr Mulliner Stories"The Story of Webster""The Truth About George"Mike and Psmith (part two of Mike)The Ukridge storiesLove Among the ChickensThe Luck Stone"The Matrimonial Sweepstakes""The Delayed Exit of Claude and Eustace""A Man of Means: The Episode of the Hired Past"Psmith in the City"The Crime Wave At Blandings"The Reggie Pepper stories"Ruth in Exile"Right Ho, Jeeves"Pearls Means Tears""Strychnine in the Soup"Leave it to Psmith"The Goalkeeper and the Plutocrat""A Man of Means: The Episode of the Live Weekly""A Pal Like You" from Oh, Boy!Reference works consultedSophie Ratcliffe, P. G. Wodehouse: A Life in LettersRobert McCrum, Wodehouse: A LifeNorman Murphy, A Wodehouse HandbookPaul Kent, Pelham Grenville WodehouseMadame Eulalie's Rare Plums websiteAlso mentionedSaki, "Mrs Packletide's Tiger"George AdeHerbert W. WestbrookWilliam TownendSamuel Johnson ("A man who is tired of London...")Alfred HarmsworthSimpson's in the StrandPhilip Peveril WodehouseGeorgette HeyerJ M Barrie, The Admirable CrichtonJeeves and Wooster (TV series) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I am rejoined by Gwen Sheldon to peruse the first collection of Wodehouse short stories for a general audience, The Man Upstairs and Other Stories (1914), a bumper crop of nineteen stories and a favourite of both of us. Because there is so much to discuss, we have split it into two parts. In the second part we look at the remaining eleven stories, including the two stories whose success persuaded Wodehouse to move to America, "Archibald's Benefit" (his first golf short story) and "The Good Angel" (the first Keggs story, and first mention of a Lord Emsworth). Also in this batch we have a rare football-themed story, a Knights of the Round Table parody, and a highly autobiographical love story. We also each list our ten favourite stories. There will be spoilers.You can e-mail me at wodehousekeeping@gmail.commake a donation at ko-fi.com/wodehousekeepingor follow me on Bluesky or FacebookStories covered in this instalment, with start times:"Archibald's Benefit" / "Reginald's Record Knock" 2m 09s"The Man, The Maid, and the Miasma" 10m 44s"The Good Angel" 17m 12s"Pots o' Money" 30m 08s"Out of School" 38m 46s"Three from Dunsterville" 43m 53s"The Tuppenny Millionaire" 51m 26s"Ahead of Schedule" 55m 22s"Sir Agravaine" ih 05m 50s"The Goal-Keeper and the Plutocrat" 1h 06m 40s"In Alcala" 1h 16m 16sOther works by Wodehouse mentionedLove Among the Chickens"The Truth about Webster"A Damsel in Distress"Mr Punch's Spectral Analyses. IV - An Official Muddle""Love Me, Love My Dog"The Coming of BillOver SeventySomething Fishy"The Crime Wave at Blandings""Creatures of Impulse""Jeeves in the Springtime"William Tell Told Again"The Idle King""At Geisenheimers"Reference works consultedRichard Usborne, Wodehouse at Work to the End, notes to Sunset at Blandings Sophie Ratcliffe, P. G. Wodehouse: A Life in LettersRobert McCrum, Wodehouse: A LifeNorman Murphy, A Wodehouse HandbookMadame Eulalie's Rare Plums websiteAlso mentionedElla Wheeler WilcoxRobert BrowningAlfred, Lord Tennyson, Idylls of the KingGene (band)Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Romeo and JulietFlanders and Swann, At The Drop of Another Hat (stage patter)"Purity" Statue, Times Square, New York City, 1909Thomas Mallory, Le Morte D'ArthurShrekJames Thurber, The 13 Clocks and The White DeerMark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in the Court of King ArthurJ B Priestley, The 31st of JuneTed LassoAndré Messager, MiretteAlice DoveyLeslie BradshawWilliam Townend Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I am rejoined by Gwen Sheldon to peruse the first collection of Wodehouse short stories for a general audience, The Man Upstairs and Other Stories (1914), a bumper crop of nineteen stories and a favourite of both of us. Because there is so much to discuss, we have split the episode into two parts. In the first part we look at the background of the book and Wodehouse's life when he wrote them (living cheaply in New York), and discuss the first eight stories. There will be spoilers.Content note: mention in "Rough-Hew Them How We Will" of attempted suicide and of animal cruelty in "The Man Who Disliked Cats".You can e-mail me at wodehousekeeping@gmail.comMake a donation at ko-fi.com/wodehousekeepingor follow me on Bluesky or FacebookStories covered in this instalment, with start times:"The Man Upstairs" 12m 33s"Something to Worry About" 23m 52s"Deep Waters" 32m 10s"When Doctors Disagree" 41m 47s"By Advice of Counsel" 49m 13s"Rough-Hew Them How We Will" 57m 03s"The Man Who Disliked Cats" 1h 02m 57s"The Fatal Kink In Algernon" (later rewrite of the above) 1h 11m 50s"Ruth in Exile" 1h 17m 40sOther works by Wodehouse mentionedThe Man With Two Left Feet and Other StoriesOver SeventyUneasy Money (preface)"When Papa Swore in Hindustani"The Code of the WoostersJoy in the MorningA Gentleman of Leisure"Jeeves and the Chump Cyril" The SwoopThe Luck Stone"Sir Roderick Comes To Lunch"Right Ho, Jeeves"The Fatal Kink In Algernon""Aunt Agatha Takes the Count" (AKA "Aunt Agatha Makes a Bloomer")The Adventures of SallyReference works consultedRichard Usborne, Wodehouse at Work to the EndSophie Ratcliffe, P. G. Wodehouse: A Life in LettersRobert McCrum, Wodehouse: A LifeNorman Murphy; A Wodehouse HandbookMadame Eulalie's Rare Plums websiteAlso mentionedThe Ainu people of JapanO. Henry, "The Gift of the Magi"F. Opper, Alphonse and Gaston (comic strip)Alfred, Lord TennysonWilliam Shakespeare, Othello and HamletLord RobertsAgatha Christie's character Hercule PoirotGeorge Herriman, Alexander and Krazy Kat (comic strips)Michael Tisserand, George Herriman: A Life in Black and WhiteThe Book of Ruth (The Bible)Herbert WestbrookThe Billiken Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A solo episode. Ian delves into two short story cycles, The Kid Brady stories (1905-7) and A Man Of Means (1914, with C. H. Bovill) which posthumously were collected into a single volume. The Kid Brady stories are boxing tales set in New York, while A Man of Means is a quasi-novella wherein a hapless clerk from Bury St Edmonds inadvertently keeps getting richer and richer. There will be spoilers.CN: brief discussion of racismOther Wodehouse works mentionedOver SeventyPsmith JournalistThe Prince and Betty The Gold BatThe White FeatherThe Coming of Bill AKA The White HopeThe Reggie Pepper StoriesThe Inimitable JeevesThe Indiscretions of ArchieSomething FreshNot George Washington (with H W Westbrook)Nuts and Wine (Revue) (with C H Bovill)The Globe By The Way Book (with H W Westbrook)Big MoneyBachelors AnonymousBring on the Girls (with Guy Bolton)Reference works consulted or mentionedmadameeulalie.orgNorman Murphy, A Wodehouse HandbookGarrison and Midkiff, Who's Who in Wodehouse (third edition)David Jasen P. G. Wodehouse: Portrait of a Master Also mentionedKid McCoyToo many other real life boxers to mentionJack Johnson vs James J JeffriesDamon RunyanRandy Newman, Short People (song)Harold Begbie, The Curious and Diverting Adventures of Sir John Sparrow, Bart. Charles Dickens, David CopperfieldSeymour Hicks, The Gay Gordons (musical comedy)Phyllis BedellsC H Bovill, Honi Soit (revue)Miguel de Cervantes, Don QuixoteTobias Smollett, Roderick RandomCharles Dickens, The Pickwick PapersGeorge Barr McCutcheon, Brewster's Millions The Bumpkin Billionaires, comic strip originally in Whoopee comicGuglielmo MarconiWodehousekeeping Podcast linksWodehousekeeping on BlueskyWodehousekeeping on FacebookBuy me a coffee on Ko-fiemail: wodehousekeeping@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ian Cockburn is joined by his old friend Nigel Townshend to dissect Agatha Christie's favourite Wodehouse novel The Little Nugget (1913). A tale of kipnapping at an English private preparatory school, presumably inspired by Wodehouse's time as a guest at Emsworth House school. There will be spoilers.Other Wodehouse works mentionedPiccadilly JimFull MoonThank You, JeevesThe Luck StoneThe Eighteen-Carat Kid (variant version of The Little Nugget)The Indiscretions of ArchieMuch Obliged, JeevesPsmith JournalistAlso mentionedThe Beano and Dandy comicsThe BBC radio Jeeves adaptations with Richard Briers and Michael HordernAgatha Christie, Hallowe'en PartyBaldwin King-HallHerbert WestbrookKing Cophetua Harry Hershfield, Desperate Desmond (comic strip)Napoleon BonaparteReference works consultedmadameeulalie.orgRobert McCrum, Wodehouse: A LifeGarrison and Midkiff, Who's Who in Wodehouse volume 3Sophie Ratcliffe (ed.), P. G. Wodehouse: A Life in LettersNorman Murphy, A Wodehouse HandbookWodehousekeeping Podcast linksWodehousekeeping on BlueskyWodehousekeeping on FacebookBuy me a coffee on Ko-fiemail: wodehousekeeping@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ian is joined by Alexander Rennie once more to look at the UK version of the novel The Prince and Betty (1912). The US version has a very different plot closely based on the earlier novel Psmith, Journalist (serialised 1909-1910, book version 1915). We touch lightly on the US version but the main discussion of it will follow in the episode on Psmith, Journalist.Alexander's own podcast is Forgotten TownsOther Wodehouse works mentionedPsmith, JournalistThe Swoop"The Good Angel" (AKA "The Matrimonial Sweepstakes")A Gentleman of LeisurePsmith in the CityThe Prizegiving scene in Right Ho, JeevesThe Steggles stories in The Inimitable JeevesThe J. Washburn Stoker character in Thank You, JeevesAlso mentionedMills and BoonBoris KarloffEllaline TerrissSeymour HicksThe Monégasque Revolution of 1910Carry On FilmsStephen Leacock, "Gertrude the Governess"Mary Shelley, FrankensteinYes MinisterYe Olde Cheshire CheeseKigeli V Ndahindurwa of RwandaReference works consultedDaniel H. Garrison and Neil Midkiff, Who's Who in Wodehouse (Third Expanded Edition)Neil Midkiff's notes on the different versions at Madame Eulalie's Rare PlumsNorman Murphy, A Wodehouse HandbookSophie Ratcliffe, P. G. Wodehouse: A Life in LettersWodehousekeeping Podcast linksWodehousekeeping on BlueskyWodehousekeeping on FacebookBuy me a coffee on Ko-fiemail: wodehousekeeping@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ian looks at the 1997 posthumous collection of Wodehouse short school stories, Tales of Wrykyn and Elsewhere, featuring stories that first appeared in magazines from 1901-1911. No plot spoilers for once, except one that comes with an advance warning.WIkipedia page for the bookMadame Eulalie's Rare Plums links:List of Doyle/Holmes references in Wodehouse's early worksIndex to school stories viewable at Madame EulalieGuide to early series characters, and an attempted explanation of which Jackson is whichOther Wodehouse works mentionedAll of the school novelsTales of St Austin'sPsmith in the CityThe Prince and Betty The Luck of the BodkinsNot George WashingtonJeeves and the Feudal Spirit"Treating of Cribs""The Fifteenth Man""From a Detective's Notebook" (The World of Mr Mulliner)"The Great Sermon Handicap"The Joan Romney storiesAlso mentionedDaniel H. Garrison and Neil Midkiff, Who's Who in Wodehouse (Third Expanded Edition)Tony Ring and Geoffrey Jaggard, Millennium Wodehouse ConcordanceHenry Bohn's Classic Library (used as "cribs" by Edwardian schoolboys)Barry PainThe works of Sir Arthur Conan DoyleOtto Penzler (ed.) SherlockPeter Cannon, "The Adventure of the Noble Husband"Without A ClueCharles Hamilton, the Greyfriars StoriesF C Burnand, "Happy Thoughts"Sir Walter Scott, "Marmion"Lewis Carroll, "Eight or Nine Wise Words About Letter Writing"Punch Wodehousekeeping Podcast linksWodehousekeeping on BlueskyWodehousekeeping on Facebookemail: wodehousekeeping@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ian is rejoined by his brother Josh to scrutinise "Psmith in the City" AKA "The New Fold", the second Psmith novel, serialised in 1908-9 and collected in book form in 1910. It is a highly autobiographical account of reluctantly working in a London bank. Mike and Psmith's schooldays are behind them, but Mike is still fixated on cricket and Psmith is still out to cause disruption wherever possible. There will be spoilers and a soupçon of politics. Special thanks to the website Madam Eulalie's Rare Plums.Article mentioned in the show that helped explain the reference to the Unionist partyBradshaw's interview with Wodehouse, quoted in the episodeMark Hodson's annotations of the novel Other Wodehouse books and stories mentionedThe Gold BatMike at Wrykyn (Jackson Junior)Mike and Psmith (The Lost Lambs)Psmith JournalistLeave it to PsmithBig MoneyNot George WashingtonOver Seventy (Autobiography)The Luck StoneThe SwoopMoney in the Bank"The Goalkeeper and the Plutocrat""L'affaire Uncle John""Comrade Bingo"Wodehouse reference books mentioned and/or consultedRichard Usborne, Wodehouse at Work to the EndRobert McCrum, Wodehouse: A LifeNorman Murphy, A Wodehouse HandbookSophie Ratcliffe, P. G. Wodehouse: A Life in LettersAlso mentionedThe Fosters of WorcestershireSir Arthur Conan DoyleLeslie Havergal BradshawHall CaineManchester UnitedJimmy and Tom TurnbullJerome K Jerome, Three Men in a BoatGeorge AdeJack HobbsThe Marx Brothers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ian is joined by former teenage Wodehouse obsessive Gavin Bradbury to look at Plum's first country house novel, A Gentleman of Leisure AKA The Intrusion of Jimmy from 1910. The book is at once a light romantic story, an exposé of the corruption in the New York police force, a satire of "gentleman criminal" style stories, and a precurser to the Blandings novels. Ian is unable to be impartial about one of the first Wodehouse novels he ever read, whereas Gavin is more critical.We discuss the differences between the novel and the related novella "The Gem Collector", why this book was such a hit on stage and screen, changing mores in acceptable morality in early twentieth century entertainment, how Jimmy Pitt differs from our ideal Wodehouse leading man, and what's still missing from the later classic formula.Other Wodehouse books mentioned:The World of Mr MullinerThe Coming of BillSomething FreshThe Man UpstairsThe Heart of a GoofPsmith in the CityPsmith, JournalistThe Luck of the BodkinsAlso mentioned:Fawlty TowersThe Young OnesThe Kenny Everett ShowCoronation StreetA Sharp Intake of BreathThe Lennie and Jerry ShowTony HancockJames CagneyPhiladelphia StoryBringing Up BabyCary GrantWodehouse TV adaptationsJohn StapletonDouglas FairbanksJohn BarrymoreTim KeyE.W. Hornung, Raffles(The real) Spike MullinsTrading PlacesAlan BennettSteve CooganMiguel de Cervantes, Don QuixoteCharles Dickens, Pickwick PapersSir Walter Scott, "Marmion"The Seven Inches, "Stop Pestering Me" Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ian looks at the final public school novel by Wodehouse, a lurid adventure story called The Luck Stone, first published in Chums magazine from 1908 to 1909 under the pseudonym "Basil Windham". It was first published in book form posthumously in 1997. There will be spoilers.The story can be read hereContent note: national stereotyping, imperialism, racism.Other Wodehouse works mentioned:Performing FleaMike at WrykynMike and PsmithThe Head of KaysLittle NuggetPsmith Journalist"The Man Who Disliked Cats""Sir Roderick Comes to Lunch""The Metropolitan Touch"The Mating SeasonNot George WashingtonOther books mentionedSophie Ratcliffe, ed., P. G. Wodehouse: A Life in LettersRichard Usbourne, Wodehouse at Work to the endWilkie Collins, The MoonstoneSir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Sign of the FourRudyard Kipling, KimF. Anstey, Baboo JabberjeeFrank Richards, The Greyfriars storiesAlso mentioned:Dennis the Menace/The Bash Street Kids (The Beano)William TownendHerbert WestbrookAnthony HomeLord Roberts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ian is joined by storyteller Matthew Bellwood to discuss Mike and Psmith, the second half of the double novel Mike, published in 1909. This is the debut of the beloved character Psmith, and the final public school novel by Wodehouse published in his lifetime.There will be spoilers. May contain knuts.Mike and Psmith at Project GutenbergThe Lost Lambs (magazine version) at Madame EulalieOther Wodehouse works referenced:Mike at WrykynPsmith in the CityPsmith, JournalistLeave it to PsmithSomething NewJoy in the Morning (Preface)The Globe By The Way Book"The Reformation of Study Sixteen""The Stone and the Weed""Society Gossip"Also referenced:Richard Usborne, Wodehouse At Work To The EndNorman Murphy, A Wodehouse HandbookDoris Buckler, "Thanks to Psmith"Terry PratchettDouglas AdamsJane Austen, Pride and PrejudiceStella Gibbons, Cold Comfort FarmKen Kesey, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's NestRupert D'Oyly-Carte (the inspiration for Psmith)Sir Kreemy Knut (Sharp's Toffee mascot)E C Segar, Thimble TheaterSir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Sherlock Holmes storiesF Anstey, Babboo JabberjeeCharles Dickens, David CopperfieldRudyard Kipling, Stalky and CoE W Hornung, the Raffles storiesC. J. Cutcliffe Hyne, the Captain Kettle storiesArthur Ransome Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ian is rejoined by Alexander Rennie of the "Forgotten Towns" podcast to discuss Mike at Wrykyn, the first half of the double novel Mike, published in 1909. It's a public school story focused on cricket and introduces a new series character. Other Wodehouse books mentionedMike and PsmithPsmith in the CityPsmith JournalistLeave it to PsmithVery Good JeevesRing For Jeeves (the novel where Jeeves appears without Bertie Wooster)Laughing GasThe Mating SeasonA Gentleman of LeisureAlso referenced:Norman Murphy, A Wodehouse Handbook (copiously)Richard Usborne, Wodehouse at Work To The EndSophie Ratcliffe, P. G. Wodehouse, A Life in Letters (source of all the letters quoted)Alec WaughMalcolm MuggeridgeGeorge OrwellThe Foster family of WorcestershireThe Haileybury walkoutClement AtleeVarious cricketersVictoria Wood Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ian is joined by composer Peter Falconer, of the How I Hobby podcast, to look at The Swoop! or, How Clarence Saved England: A Tale of the Great Invasion (1909) a spoof of three separate Edwardian trends: invasion literature, the boy scout movement, and the music hall. Thanks again to madameeulalie.org. There will be spoilers.Content note: racismOther Wodehouse works mentioned:The Military Invasion of America (US version of the story)The Next InvasionEggs, Beans and CrumpetsThe Man UpstairsDo Butlers Burgle BanksWeekend WodehouseLove Among the ChickensOver SeventyThe Inimitable JeevesSummer LightningThe Prince and BettyAlso mentionedIonicusVladimir NabokovJ R R TolkienJohn Le CarréShirley JacksonWilliam le Queux, The Invasion of 1910Alfred and Hildebrand HarmsworthSaki When William CameBaden-Powell Scouting For BoysGeorge and Weedon Grossmith Diary of a NobodyI'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (radio show)Ici on parle français (play)Ocean's Twelve (film)Big Train (TV show)Paul Hatcher, The World Stare-out Championship FinalJohn Major, My Old ManHenry LauderAndy G, "Tawny Owl"Aerated Bread CompanyNorman Murphy, A Wodehouse HandbookBart KennedyEdgar WallaceBugsy MaloneDouglas AdamsRob Grant and Doug NaylorTerry Pratchett Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I am joined by Gwen Sheldon to look at extracts from The Globe By The Way Book — A Literary Quick-Lunch for People Who Have Only Got Five Minutes to Spare (1908) in particular the spoof serial "Women, Wine and Song". We also look at "For Love or Honour" (1907) a serial from the Globe By the Way daily newspaper column. Both works were written with Herbert Westbrook, the Prince of Slackers. Thanks to Madame Eulalie's Rare Plums website for sharing these out-of-print delights!https://www.madameulalie.org/articles/Deconstructing_The_Globe_By_the_Way_Book.htmlhttps://www.madameulalie.org/globe/women_wine_song_01.htmlhttps://www.madameulalie.org/grp/For_Love_or_Honour.htmlAlso referenced:"Jeeves Takes Charge" from Carry On, Jeeves"Goodbye to All Cats" and "The Amazing Hat Mystery" from Young Men in SpatsNorman Murphy, A Wodehouse HandbookWodehouse scholars John Dawson, Karen Shotting and Neil MidkiffLewis CarrollWilliam Haselden, the book's illustratorThe work of Glen BaxterHall CaineWinston ChurchillJonathan SwiftAlexander PopeThe Suffragette movementBioscopes and myrioramasThe radium crazeThe Saphead (film)Flanders and Swann, "A Song of the Weather"E Phillips OppenheimPeter Motteaux (the "Was for him the work of a moment" chap)Stella Gibbons, Cold Comfort FarmFrancis Beaumont, The Knight of the Burning PestleThere is little more to tell. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ian Cockburn talks to Mora about the first of two collaborations with Herbert Westbrook, Not George Washington (1907), a semi-autobiographical novel about life in Edwardian London as a struggling writer. There will be spoilers.Free eBook of Not George Washington at Project GutenbergNot George Washington public domain audiobook at LibriVox(NB the book is not public domain in all countries)Also mentioned in the podcast:Reference books and resources:Norman Murphy's A Wodehouse HandbookSophie Ratcliffe's P.G. Wodehouse: A Life in LettersDaniel Garrison & Neil Midkiff Who's Who in WodehouseMadame Eulalie's Rare Plums Other Wodehouse books and storiesOver Seventy (memoir)The Small BachelorLove Among the ChickensA Gentleman of Leisure "Jeeves and the Yule-tide Spirit" (Very Good, Jeeves)"Best Seller" (Mulliner Nights)"An Unfinished Collection""The Last Instance"Other booksGeorge Du Maurier, TrilbyGuy Thorne, When it was Dark (which I read about in Claud Cockburn's Bestseller)Not mentioned in the podcast is the archetype of "struggling London writer novels", George Gissing's New Grub StreetThis might be the painting of Napoleon and his generals Wodehouse meant.For more about Westbrook check out the podcasts on The Gold Bat and on Love Among the ChickensFor more about Seymour Hicks check out the episode on The Head of Kay'sMora's podcast (about the fantasy series/world Malazan) is Smiley'sThe music for the Boxing jingle is by Shaun Day. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ian talks to Ujjwal Deb about the eighth P. G. Wodehouse book, "The White Feather" (1907), a public school novel set at Wrykyn School, in some ways a sequel to "The Gold Bat". Spoilers feature early and often.Topics discussed include:Wodehouse's popularity in IndiaUjjwal's experience on the TV show MastermindThe schoolboy code of honourThe possible real-life origin of WrykynWhether the Jackson in this book is any relation to Mike (of Mike and Psmith)Motor cars and motoring regulations in the Edwardian ageRacism in boxing in the period, and in public school life and literature.C. S. Calverley and Thomas Babington Macaulay (both quoted in the book)The history and meaning of the symbol, "the white feather"Tom Brown's Schooldays by Thomas Hughes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.