Wodehouse In His Own Words [Hardcover]

Barry Day (Author), Tony Ring (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 31, 2003

Acclaimed author and lifelong Wodehouse admirer, Barry Day, tells the story of P. G. Wodehouse's life, through the comic master's own writing and with the help of Tony Ring, president of the International Wodehouse Association. Beautifully illustrated and full of the brilliant wordplay and hilarity that characterize Wodehouse's novels, stories, letters, and nonfiction, P.G. Wodehouse In His Own Words is the perfect companion to Overlook's sumptuous Wodehouse collection and a marvellous book in its own right.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Barry Day has been an admirer of Wodehouse all of his life. He is currently preparing Wodehouse's Complete Lyrics for publication.

In addition to being president of the International Wodehouse Association, Tony Ring is editor of Wooster Sauce.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 300 pages
• Publisher: Overlook Hardcover; First Edition, 1st Printing edition (March 31, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585673935
• ISBN-13: 978-1585673933
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,528,570 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In His Own Words, And What Words Could Be Better?, April 28, 2003

By 

R. Hardy "Rob Hardy" (Columbus, Mississippi USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Wodehouse In His Own Words (Hardcover)

Evelyn Waugh admired him, and his books were at the bedside of Eudora Welty. P. G. Wodehouse's enormous output of books can be found in castles and cottages, and have been translated into dozens of languages; the Russian versions are particularly adored. It is true that he doesn't appeal to everybody; I have run into many who think he just put out the same silly comedy with interchanging characters. They are completely wrong, but we can't argue about tastes. Barry Day and Tony Ring are two Wodehouse enthusiasts who had the bright idea of taking bits and pieces from Wodehouse's amusing letters, inserting parts of his work, and tying it all together with a very few notes as a small biography. Their book, _P. G. Wodehouse in His Own Words_ (Overlook) is a great success, but it must be said (and they would agree, I am sure) that its success derives from page after page of quotations from the master.

Woodhouse had a happy early life, and loved school. His public school values of fair play, loyalty, and honesty stuck to him all during his life, and may easily be found within his stories. A dip in his father's fortunes made college impossible, and he entered commerce for which he was completely unfit. He had trouble in the basics like getting to work on time. If his supervisor was as good at dry understatement as Wodehouse was, Wodehouse might have gotten the following warning, which comes from one of his books: "I must ask you in future to try and synchronise your arrival at the office with that of the rest of the staff. We aim as far as possible at the communal dead heat." What he did do with fervor was to write stories. It was tough in the beginning, as he took a while to acquire his tone now familiar. "I wrote nineteen short stories in three weeks, I just sent the stories out... (all of which, I regret to say, editors were compelled to decline owing to lack of space. The editors regretted it, too. They said so.)" But once he found his voice, magazines and book publishers in England and in the U.S. were enthusiastic. He crossed to the U.S., working in the theater and in Hollywood. After being imprisoned in Nazi Germany, he settled into working his last decades in America, writing constantly, and tending his dogs and cats. When he died in 1975, he was in the middle of a novel, and he was writing new lyrics for a musical _Kissing Time_ that he had written in 1918. And less than two months before, he had been given his knighthood.

Wodehouse was not Shakespeare. ("Shakespeare's stuff is different from mine, but that is not to say that it is inferior.") His plots can be clever, his characters unbelievable dolts (as is Bertie Wooster, but as is not the invaluable Jeeves), but his expressions guarantee a smile, and possibly a guffaw, on every page. "The Sergeant of Police... was calm, stolid and ponderous, giving the impression of being constructed of some form of suet." "I don't suppose he makes enough out of a novel to keep a midget in doughnuts for a week. Not a really healthy midget." "I've seen worse shows than this turned into hits. All it wants is a new book and lyrics and a different score." "I was in musical comedy. I used to sing in the chorus, till they found out where the noise was coming from." Day and Ring seem to have read every Wodehouse book with total recall to find comments on butlers, golf, America, clubs, and the clergy. Even displaced from his daffy plots and characters, the many quotations here provide spiffing entertainment, and will remind even the best of fans that it is always a good time to get reacquainted with Lord Emsworth, Gussie Fink-Nottle, Aunt Agatha, Psmith, the Mulliners, and all the rest of the balmy crew.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Carry On, Plum!, January 29, 2005

By 

Laurie Eno (New England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wodehouse In His Own Words (Hardcover)

This splendid little tome, co-authored by Wodehouse fans Barry Day and Tony Ring (the latter of whom is President of the International Wodehouse Society) will tickle every rib of anyone who has ever mined the rich, seemingly bottomless vein of humor that is the work of Pelham Greenville "P.G." Wodehouse.

If it is true that the foundation of all comedy lies in truth, then Wodehouse was a master observer of the human race, every hue, stripe and rosette of it. This book brings together so many wonderul excerpts from various Wodehouse works (and he was prolific, authoring more than 90 books in his lifetime), that it has a place not only on the shelf of Sir W.'s fan's but also in the hands of those who have not yet discovered this enduring genius with an exquisite and masterful grasp of the English language.

The only downside to being a Wodehouse afficianado is that one must own a bookshelf just to house all of the books that are "musts" (and most of them are) ... small price to pay for a library that will keep you in the proverbial stitches, come what may.

This is a great addition to that library -- or a good reason to start one of your own.

Right ho!

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars PLUM PUDDING, June 6, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Wodehouse In His Own Words (Hardcover)

"A splendid Wodehouse vade-mecum; no home should be without a copy. No hotel,tavern,or public accomodation,either. Perhaps the Gideons can be persuaded to branch out and include a copy of this estimable little volume with their other reading matter."

Roger Kimball
Managing Editor of The New Criterion