Working for an American branch of Lloyds' insurers, Owen Jephson is used to underwriting unusual things—weight loss in actors, inconvenient rain at garden parties, twins in the family—nonetheless he is taken aback when Lord Harrowby asks him to insure against his fiancée jilting him at the altar. Never one to... read more »
The further escapades of the incorrigible Evans, Edgar Wallace's Cockney hero of the Turf feature in these twelve tales. There are bets, bookmakers, horses, tip-offs, winners, journalists and women. There is banter, humour and much fun to be had along the way. read more »
The Master of Mystery has become the Master of Mirth! In Educated Evans Edgar Wallace has forsaken the Realm of Crime for the Kingdom of Mirth! His story of Evans, the little cockney tipster, is full of amusing incidents of love and adventure set amidst the bustle and excitement of the racecourse. Edgar Wallace... read more »
This continues the life of Evans, Edgar Wallace's Cockney tipster and 'the wizard of Camden Town'. Follow the loves, predictions and calamities of this likeable hero of the Turf in the seventeen tales of this book. It is not only race-lovers who will love Evans, but lovers of life itself. read more »
The Diary of a Nobody is so unassuming a work that even its author, George Grossmith, seemed unaware that he had produced a masterpiece. For more than a century this wonderfully comic portrayal of suburban life and values has remained in print, a source of delight to generations of readers, and a major literary... read more »
A bestseller when it was first published, The Children is a comic, bittersweet novel about the misadventures of a bachelor and a band of precocious children. The seven Wheater children, stepbrothers and stepsisters grown weary of being shuttled from parent to parent are eager for their parents' latest reconciliation... read more »
A collection of humorous short stories with a diverse set of characters and settings from the vivid imaginations of Connell, that will remind of you The Twilight Zone, with critiques against idle curiosity, arrogance, superficiality, and uninformed decision-making. read more »
A Damsel in Distress is an early novel from comic genius, P.G. Wodehouse, about the aristocratic Marshmoreton family—a precursor to the Blandings series. When American composer George Bevan comes to an English lady's rescue, he is instantly smitten. Unfortunately, the lady is in love with another. read more »
Wodehouse's brilliant but human brand of humor is perfectly suited to these stories of love, rivalry, revenge, and fulfillment on the links. While the Oldest Member sits in the clubhouse quoting Marcus Aurelius on patience and wisdom, outside on the green the fiercest human passions burn. All kinds of human life are... read more »
It wasn't Archie's fault really. It's true he went to America and fell in love with Lucille, the daughter of a millionaire hotel proprietor and if he did marry her--well, what else was there to do? From his point of view, the whole thing was a thoroughly good egg; but Mr. Brewster, his father-in-law, thought... read more »
The Little Nugget is one of the novels in which Wodehouse found his feet, a light comic thriller set in an English prep school for the children of the nobility and gentry. Into their midst comes eleven-year-old Ogden Ford, the mouthy, overweight, chain-smoking son of an American millionaire. Ogden (whom we meet... read more »
The Coming of Bill is the nearest Wodehouse ever came to a serious novel, although the influence of the musical comedies he was writing at the time is never far away. Bill is the child of Ruth, a spoilt heiress, and Kirk, an impecunious artist of perfect physique. Their marriage has been arranged by Ruth's aunt, a... read more »
Death At The Excelsior is a highly recommended introduction into the world of Wodehouse. A sterling collection of early short stories from the master of comedic complications. Death at the Excelsior and Others is a posthumously published compilation of short stories by Wodehouse, including: * Death at the... read more »
For William, Lord Dawlish, it seemed the realization of his dreams. He could marry the girl he loved. Of course, things are not quite so simple. The famous Wodehouse humour, which has no equal, sees to that, in a transatlantic cocktail of breathtaking ingenuity. read more »
An ode to the power of nicotine, by the Scottish novelist and dramatist, best known for inventing the character of Peter Pan. My Lady Nicotine is one of his earlier works. Focusing on his days as a smoker, J. M. Barrie takes us through his life as a smoker to his last pipe as he begins his non-smoking days. Barrie's... read more »
The story tells of how unscrupulous millionaire Benjamin Scobell decides to build a casino on the small Mediterranean island of Mervo, dragging in the unwitting heir to the throne to help. Little does he know that his stepdaughter Betty has history with the young man John Maude, and his schemes lead to a rift... read more »
After seeing his friend Stanley Featherstonehaugh Ukridge for the first time in years, Jeremy Garnet is dragged along on holiday to Ukridge's new chicken farm in Dorset. Hilarious situations abound with Garnet's troublesome courting of a girl living nearby and the struggles on the farm, which are worsened by... read more »
"This is an odd book" or so states the author in 1917 for his first introduction. A fairytale with seven league boots, a princess, an enchantment, and the Countess Belvane. As Milne wrote in a later introduction: "But, as you see, I am still finding it difficult to explain just what sort of book it is. Perhaps no... read more »
When Sally Nicholas became an heiress, she had to cope her brother's wild theatrical ambitions and the defection of her fiance, his replacement being a strangely unattractive suitor. A trip to England only made things worse, but then a piece of speculation might just offer a happy ending. read more »
Wodehouse's well-known gift for satisfying plots and comic surprises is evident on every page, but there are also signs of his debt to earlier writers in the realistic tradition. Set mainly in London or New York, many of the stories concern ordinary people - shopassistants, schoolmasters, secretaries, servants... read more »
Jill had money and was engaged to be married to Sir Derek Underhill. But when she suddenly becomes penniless, she finds herself no longer engaged. Refusing to be beaten, she heads for New York, with a smile that betrays a tinge of recklessness, to join the chorus of 'The Rose of America'. read more »
The intrusion of Jimmy is a fast-paced farce about love and burglary. Playboy Jimmy Pitt is a betting man, and he reckons that breaking into a house isn't so difficult. He makes a wager that he can do it himself, but finds it heavier going than he expected when the house he burgles turns out to belong to a New York... read more »
The action begins with playboy bachelor Jimmy Pitt in New York; having fallen in love on a transatlantic liner, he befriends a small-time burglar and breaks into a police captain's house as a result of a bet. The cast of characters head to England, and from there on it is a typically Wodehousian romantic farce, set... read more »
In Piccadilly Jim, Jimmy Crocker has a scandalous reputation on both sides of the Atlantic and must do an about-face to win back the woman of his dreams. Uneasy Money sees the hard-up Lord Dawlish off to America to make a fortune, while in Cocktail Time events turn on the fate of a film script. Spring Fever is a... read more »
A collection of satirical works on English society in the mid 19th century and attributed with coining the word snob in its current usage. This fascinating work is thoroughly recommended for anyone who is a fan of Thackeray or interested in the satire of the age. This humorous study begins with the assertion that... read more »
In order to save his reputation and the honour of his house at school after he shames himself by running away from a fight between fellow pupils and toughs from the local town, a studious schoolboy takes up the study of boxing. This charming early novel by P. G. Wodehouse plays a series of witty variations on the... read more »
It is the general view at Eckleton school that there never was such a house of slackers as Kay's. Fenn, head of house and county cricketer, does his best to impose some discipline but is continually undermined by his house-master, the meddlesome and ineffectual Mr Kay. After the Summer Concert fiasco, Mr Kay... read more »
When O'Hara and Moriarty, two boys at Wrykyn School, tar and feather the statue of a pompous local MP, O'Hara mislays at the scene of their crime a tiny gold bat borrowed from Trevor, captain of the school cricket team. The plot revolves around the fate of this bat and attempts to retrieve it, but the real focus of... read more »
St Austin’s School is the setting for these twelve delightful early Wodehouse stories. A nostalgic look at English public-school life at the turn of the twentieth century, the cricket-filled tales are made enjoyable today by the young Wodehouse’s gentle humor and witty turn of phrase. read more »
A collection of humorous pieces written by Milne for Punch and collected in 1915. A familiarity with early 20th century English society will help you better appreciate the humour, and some of the terminology might be unfamiliar, but it's pleasantly light-hearted and nostalgic feel makes for an easy read. read more »