Wodehouse On Crime

by P.G. Wodehouse, Donald R. Bensen (Editor)

Wodehouse On Crime

Genres: Humor, Fiction, Mystery, Short Stories, Comedy, British Literature, Classics

1 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, KBE, was a comic writer who enjoyed enormous popular success during a career of more than seventy years and continues to be widely read over 40 years after his death. Despite the political and social upheavals that occurred during his life, much of which was spent in France and the United States, Wodehouse's main canvas remained that of prewar English upper-class society, reflecting his birth, education, and youthful writing career.

An acknowledged master of English prose, Wodehouse has been admired both by contemporaries such as Hilaire Belloc, Evelyn Waugh and Rudyard Kipling and by more recent writers such as Douglas Adams, Salman Rushdie and Terry Pratchett. Sean O'Casey famously called him "English literature's performing flea", a description that Wodehouse used as the title of a collection of his letters to a friend, Bill Townend.

Best known today for the Jeeves and Blandings Castle novels and short stories, Wodehouse was also a talented playwright and lyricist who was part author and writer of fifteen plays and of 250 lyrics for some thirty musical comedies. He worked with Cole Porter on the musical Anything Goes (1934) and frequently collaborated with Jerome Kern and Guy Bolton. He wrote the lyrics for the hit song Bill in Kern's Show Boat (1927), wrote the lyrics for the Gershwin/Romberg musical Rosalie (1928), and collaborated with Rudolf Friml on a musical version of The Three Musketeers (1928).

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm on a Wodehouse mission. I am now looking for dead tree copies. I'm also trying to read his whole catalog. I picked this up at Half Price books on my birthday, the day Kobe Bryant died, before all this virus crap started. While I had read a couple of these stories before, most were new to me. This is a collection of stories that are focused on crimes in some way.

Mostly hilarious. Most of his main characters are moronic, idle boys with money (but never enough) and schemes doomed to failure. I think my favorite story in this one is Aunt Agatha Takes the Count, even though the volume doesn't include the follow-up tale that tells what happens when the scam artists come back to collect their... well, spoilers, sweetie... Wodehouse also has such a way with dialogue. I can actually hear it in my mind and picture the scenes. Someone needs to make Wodehouse movies ASAP! (Although we did watch a couple of episodes of the BBC show Blandings from 2013, and MEH! Something didn't quite translate. Even Jennifer Saunders couldn't save it! I'm not sure why, but it just wasn't as great as it should have been. Maybe we should have given it another episode or two. And I can't find the Fry/Laurie Jeeves series on DVD)

[Zoeytron · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book that has languished on one of our bookshelves for probably twenty some odd years. I was looking for something light and diverting, a cleansing of the palate, as it were. Thinking back to those hilarious episodes of Wooster and Jeeves that used to air on television, this volume (subtitled A Dozen Tales of Fiendish Cunning) seemed to be just the ticket.

There are blighters and bounders, old chaps who are good eggs, and formidable ladies who instill pure fear in their hapless brothers, nephews, and spouses. For instance, poor Clarence Emsworth is minding his own business reading a book when his sister, Lady Constance, sweeps into the room and begins to berate him for yet another error in judgment that he has made. 'Worm!' says she, and 'his soul shrank into itself like a salted snail'. We can only assume that this error in judgement was one of many.

You will get your quota of tut-tuts, pip-pips, dash it alls, and the like. There is a wee bit of clandestine intrigue, pince-nez that leap from their moorings, goggly eyes, and more. It's not deep, but it is great fun. Plus, it has that excellent quote in one of the stories, 'There is no surer foundation for a beautiful friendship than a mutual taste in literature.' Right-o!

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wodehouse on Crime is a collection of 12 Wodehouse tales, all dealing with larceny or deception in some way. My favorite is The Crimewave at Blandings. Emsworth's grandson brings an air rifle to the castle and the ensuing shooting spree shakes the castle to its very foundation. Fun stuff.

[Lillian Carl]

Wodehouse on Crime: A Dozen Tales of Fiendish Cunning, edited by D.R. Benson and with a foreward by Isaac Asimov

An anthology of Wodehouse stories centered on a very loose definition of crime. Or at least mis-doing and minor deception. Some of the stories are Jeeves-and-Bertie tales (I can't help but see Laurie and Fry playing the parts), some are Mulliner tales, there's one from the Blandings series, and so forth. Every one is laugh-out-loud entertaining, not just for the clever if very slight plots, but for the way Wodehouse writes.

His style, buoyed with slang and music-hall Britishms of the 1920s or so, doesn't seem at all dated but adds to the charm of the stories. You just throw yourself into the effortless prose and sparkling dialog and waft delightfully along, chuckling happily the entire way. Even the names of his characters and places are funny.

But then, I always thought the name of the Glossop family was funny until I met a man whose name is Glossop!

(Even the introduction by Asimov is funny---the esteemed sf writer got into the swing of the verbiage beautifully.)

[Sabrina Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first that I read Wodehouse and I really enjoy his sarcastic and witty humor! Too much of it in one sitting gets a little old, but I think he’ll be a go-to author when I want a funny read.

[Daphyne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wodehouse is brilliant. Here are 12 short stories of petty crime and sculduggery committed as always by Wodehouse’s idiotic but lovable characters. You will laugh until your sides hurt.

[rabbitprincess · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good collection of stories. Some I liked more than others, of course, but that's to be expected. The Jeeves stories (especially the one involving Bertie and the policeman's helmet) were absolutely capital, and the first story, "Strychnine in the Soup", was hysterical. Fortunately, I was reading that one at home and did not have to worry about laughing out loud and disturbing others around me (always a danger with Wodehouse). The Blandings story ("Crime Wave at Blandings") was a nice treat as well, all about air guns and the inordinate amount of temptation they present.

The only stories I got tired of were the Anglers' Rest ones. Granted, Soup was a story in this vein, but it was the first and also it was a hoot. It seemed like at least a good third of the 12-story collection was Anglers' Rest stories, and they all follow the same kind of format: some pub chitchat to start, with patrons referred to by their drink of choice (a Whisky Sour, for instance, or a Pale Ale), then Mr. Mulliner starts up a tale about one of his seemingly myriad nephews who get into spots of bother. Seeing so many of these stories in such short order was a bit tiresome. I probably would have enjoyed the stories more had they just been straight narratives, forget the framing device of the pub guy. And I can't say I found the golf story interesting, but that's because I am not a golf enthusiast. Golf enthusiasts would enjoy the story.

To sum up, this is a good collection with a strong start and fairly consistent quality throughout. Recommended for Wodehouse fans.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the Wodehouse world, "Crime" consists of pinching a policeman's helmet on Boat Race Night, or "borrowing" a copy of the latest Whodunnit because you absolutely cannot wait another moment to, well, find out whodunnit. As Isaac Asimov states in the forward of this book, "P. G. Wodehouse...created a world of his own." As surely as J. K. Rowling created Hogwarts School in the middle of modern-day England, Wodehouse created a fantasy world of country estates, dim-witted millionaires, plucky heroines and smart and resourceful valets. If you appreciate the sheer wonderfulness of how words can fit and flow together, you should treat yourself to some Wodehouse. His stories are not profound; he doesn't dig down deep and examine the human soul in all its dark recesses. His stories are sheer, delightful froth, and I can think of no better way to spend a summer evening than to imagine myself at Blandings Castle, or the Drones Club, back in some mystical early-20th-century time that never really existed.
I often say that I don't really like to read Fantasy. But I realize now that I just don't usually care for the Dragon/Wizard type of fantasy story. I absolutely love and cannot get enough of musical comedy/P. G. Wodehouse-type fantasy.

[Alida · Rating 4 out of 5]

What's better than one Wodehouse book? Why two of course!

[Madhulika Liddle · Rating 4 out of 5]

In all the years I’ve been reading Wodehouse—ever since I was about eleven or twelve—I’ve come across numerous episodes of misdemeanor. People blackmailing others, people impersonating others (even, in the memorable case of Piccadilly Jim, impersonating oneself), people pinching things. There are kidnappings, break-ins, and more. Some of it isn’t, strictly speaking, crime: but a lot is, even if it’s nothing as severe as murder.

In this collection, DR Bensen brings together a bunch of short stories from across the Wodehouse canon, all of which feature (or so the book’s title, foreword and introduction suggest) crime in some form or the other. There is Mr Mulliner, talking about a relative who was kidnapped, and another who was an unwitting arsonist. There is Bertie Wooster, finding himself conned (or nearly), and—in an entirely different episode—being cheated by an amateur bookie. There is Lord Emsworth, presiding over The Crime Wave at Blandings (which, really, isn’t a crime story at all: there’s no crime in it). And, there is the one and only Ukridge, never above some skullduggery of his own, finding himself participating unwittingly in a con—and, in another story, finding a spanner being thrown in the works thanks to the cowardice of an accomplice.

I liked this collection a lot. The Mr Mulliner stories and the Oldest Member ones, have never appealed to me much, but they’re not bad (can Wodehouse ever be outright bad? Only his early stories, the not-too-funny ones, can come across as a little too serious, but otherwise, it’s basically a question of where on the scale of funniness a particular story falls). And Ukridge, the Blandings stories, and the Bertie and Jeeves tales are pure joy.

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Silly characters caught in even sillier situations. Vintage, brilliantly funny Wodehouse.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the perfect book for when you're sick, or just need a quick escape. The stories are all dashed amusing; Wodehouse's characters are all endearingly loony and get mixed up in hilarious doings. A fine introduction to Wodehouse's world if you have been so unlucky as to have never read his work.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A visit to Wodehouse's world is the perfect excursion to dispel the winter doldrums. Droll humor, slapstick actions and bumbling characters all make for a cheerful read. Now to see if others feel the same as we discuss various Wodehouse books later this month....

[Bob Ladwig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simply hilarious, the stories are short and leave you wanting more from Wodehouse.

[Martin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried. I am just not a fan of the author

[Jed Park · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wodehouse isn't Tolstoy, or even Waugh, but for pure reading pleasure he "can't be beat". His prose is phenomenal. "Stychnine in the Soup" is one of the greatest "light" short stories of all time.

[S. Suresh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wodehouse on Crime is a delightful collection of dozen short stories on crime by Plum. In a foreword that is a must-read, sci-fi guru Isaac Asimov introduces the magical world of Wodehouse to the uninitiated, and refreshes the memory of those who are familiar with it. Stories in this collection most certainly have appeared elsewhere. But that doesn’t diminish the unadulterated joy of re-reading some of Wodehouse’s exquisite short stories and remarkable world of crime.

There is no gore in Wodehouse's world of crime; rather, it has an abundance of detectives drawing out criminals with their affected smile, kidnapped photographers falling in love, air guns fired to drive away undesirable ex-secretaries, helmets of policemen that get pinched on boat-race night, fearsome aunts tamed to submission and crooked bookies who nobble favorites in homely village races.

The Crime Wave at Blandings & The Smile that Wins are 5-star stories. The last two, Indiscretions of Archie & Ukridge’s Accident Syndicate probably merit 3-stars. The remaining deserve no less than 4-stars. A must-read collection for those desirous of getting a glimpse into the outrageous world of crime in Wodehouse’s make-believe worlds.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Crime is not a term most of us would like with that gentlest of humorists, P.G. Wodehouse, but it is a fact that, perhaps affected by a boyhood diet of the latest exploits of Sherlock Holmes as they came off the presses, he was rarely able to keep his characters within the law. In this collection, the heroes and heroines indulge in gunplay, theft, assault with sharp instruments, arson, fraud, and extortion; we shrink from revealing what the bad guys get up to. Bertie Wooster, Jeeeves, Lord Emsworth, any number of Mulliner friends-and-relations, and the arch-fiendess Roberta (Bobbie) Wickham stand shown at last in their true criminous colors.

"Is there a higher law than the law of the land? Is laughter more important than the accepted canons of society? Readers of Wodehouse will no doubt ponder these issues while making themselves unbearable because they're laughing so hard."
~~front flap

It's all too true. these stories are outrageously funny, especially the one about Lord Emsworth and the ... well, best leave that unmentioned. If you're a Wodehouse fan, you don't need convincing, you only need a copy of the book. If you're not already a fan, this book will convert you, and you'll join the unbearable ranks of those laughing too hard.

[William Bibliomane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wodehouse and the classic crime novel make such a perfect pairing that it's hard to accept that such a combination never really happened, and that he *didn't* actually write, for example, the Sir Henry Merrivale mysteries (that, of course, was Mr. John Dickson Carr). Many Wodehouse characters enjoy a good bit of detective adventure, though, including some who appear in this volume. Most of your favourites will be found within these covers, including a couple of Jeeves and Wooster tales, a brace of Mulliners, the odd Emsworth, and the occasional Ukridge. It may not fully rise to the standard of The Mystery of the Pink Crayfish, but Wodehouse on Crime will definitely soothe the troubles whatsit of your average reader just longing for a bit of an escape from the nasty vileness of the world. Read on, gentles all.

[MH · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of stories about crime, albeit in a very light Wodehousian sense (there are stories of embezzlement, theft and assault, but also stories about crashing country weekends and the tragedy of leaving a mystery novel on the train). They've all been published elsewhere, mostly in collections about Wodehouse's most familiar characters (Jeeves and Bertie Wooster, the Mulliner family, the inhabitants of Blandings, the Oldest Member - they're all here), but they're still wonderful, very funny, and they serve as a nice introduction to Wodehouse's world.

[Yibbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I dislike extracts. I dislike how they start randomly and stop with dreadful cliffhangers. I just want to know the whole story! That is the biggest thing that I have against this book. It’s mostly extracts from his novels. I really hope I haven’t stumbled across a bunch of spoilers. The next thing is the title. Yes, crime is involved in each of these stories, but it’s of a distinctly Wodehousian type. So no real mysteries here, just a bunch of silly people getting themselves crosswise of the law and escaping.
Don’t get me wrong. It’s fun, just not my cup of tea.

[Bardfilm · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful selection of Wodehouse stories—from Jeeves & Wooster to Mr. Mulliner to Blandings.

Everyone has their favorite Wodehousians; mine vary from reading to reading. This was the one that struck me during this reading:

Besides Lady Bassett and himself, the only visitors were a nondescript couple of the name of Simpson, and a tall, bronzed, handsome man with flashing eyes who, his hostess informed him in a whispered aside, was Lester Mapledurham (pronounced Mum), the explorer and big-game hunter.

[Victoria & David Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written mostly in the twenties and thirties, these tales cover the usual leading lights (and dim bulbs) that Wodehouse does so well. And let us not forget romance. And misunderstanding. And misunderstanding regarding romance. And noblesse oblige. And doing the right thing.
"The soul of modesty, he could not affront Annabelle with the spectacle of his bare toes."

[Daniel Bittleston · Rating 5 out of 5]

First book for ages that has me laughing out loud.
Language use is hilariously original. Characters absolutely outrageously English. I’m thinking of adding one story to my storytelling repertoire to see if I can persuade anyone here in America that the British sense of humor is funny...

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was....interesting. You can almost imagine the author, a preppy Englishman, smirking and winking while he writes one of these stories with his right hand and tips his Scotch with the left. Humorous, yes, but in a prep school kind of way.

[William Howle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun book. If you enjoy British humor, you will like this book. He likes to take shots at the upper class and this is no exception. I particularly liked "The Crimewave at Blandings". Always the Jeeves and Wooster stories are funny as Jeeves comes to the rescue of the bumbling Bertie.

[Sara Christians · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories are all very good. I wish that the book was organized differently, however - I would have preferred to have the Mr. Mulliner stories together, the Ukridge stories together, etc., rather than mixing them up

[Geoff Gander · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of Wodehousian tales that feature capers or light-hearted crimes, and there’ a nice mix of Jeeves, Blandings, Ukridge, and others. There were a few genuine laughs in this one, but even when Wodehouse is mildly amusing it’s still a pleasant ride.

[Rachel S McManus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great collection of short stories. The “Crime Wave at Blandings” made me laugh until I cried! It’s absolutely Hilarious!

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

A friend of mine introduced me to Wodehouse years ago with the irresistible phrase "literary comfort food." I remain deeply grateful every time I revisit Wodehouse's books.