#Blandings is the second most popular Wodehouse series but I’ve read none of it yet

[aceredshirt13]

Hulloa! For a P.G. Wodehouse total newcomer- do you have any recommendations which story to start with? :)

Halloa, old chap! I think most Wodehouse folks - including myself - start with Jeeves, and I certainly can’t blame them, since I truly do think Bertie’s the most fun narrator he’s ever done. I read the public domain Jeeves stories chronologically in date of publication via Standard eBooks, but… I will also be sending out the public domain Jeeves stories in my Substack, Letters Regarding Jeeves! It starts next year on February 14th, and will begin with the telling of how Bertie and Jeeves first met, which I would say is a lovely place for any aspiring Wodehouse fan to start!

If you prefer to read things in print, then I recommend picking up a copy of My Man Jeeves, which has four of the earliest stories about the duo, and they’re quite a lot of fun. (The stories were rewritten for the more popular collection Carry On, Jeeves, but the rewrites are honestly inferior and cut a lot of humor and charm and sweetness in the intros. So start with these versions!) If you can’t get a copy of that one, then The Inimitable Jeeves is also a great collection to start with!

(I’m not a Wodehouse expert by any means, haha - I’ve read a portion of Jeeves, all of Ukridge (which more people should read lmao), a little of Psmith, most of Archie, and most of the Reggie Peppers, plus a few random assorted stories. But I can say if you want to start with something not Jeeves, start with the anthology just titled Ukridge, because it’s great fun also.)