Man with Two Left Feet, and Other Stories

P.G. Wodehouse was still finding his comic voice when he assembled this 1917 collection, yet the wit that would make him immortal already blazes through every page. The stories here, centering on romance gone sideways, sporting mishaps, and the bewildering habits of household pets, show a young writer discovering his true calling: making readers laugh until they weep. Most of these tales feature no recurring characters, offering instead a portrait gallery of Brits in absurd circumstances, from footballers afflicted with inexplicable fears to young men desperately trying to impress unsuitable women. The collection's real treasure, however, lies in one story: "Extricating Young Gussie." Here, for the first time in print, appear Bertie Wooster and his man Jeeves, though Bertie hasn't yet earned his famous surname and Jeeves occupies merely a supporting role. What follows is the raw material of literary history, the first sketch of the greatest comic partnership in English fiction. These are the early workings of a master still becoming himself, but the comic genius burns bright enough to forecast everything that was to come.