''Ukridge'' is a collection of short stories by
P. G. Wodehouse
Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse ( ; 15 October 1881 – 14 February 1975) was an English writer and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. His creations include the feather-brained Bertie Wooster and his sagacious valet, Je ...
, first published in the United Kingdom on 3 June 1924 by
Herbert Jenkins, London, and in the United States on 30 July 1925 by
George H. Doran, New York, under the title ''He Rather Enjoyed It''.
[McIlvaine, E., Sherby, L.S. and Heineman, J.H. (1990) ''P. G. Wodehouse: A comprehensive bibliography and checklist''. New York: James H. Heineman, pp. 45-46. ]
The stories had previously appeared in ''
Cosmopolitan Magazine
''Cosmopolitan'' (stylized in all caps) is an American quarterly fashion and entertainment magazine for women, first published based in New York City in March 1886 as a family magazine; it was later transformed into a literary magazine and, sinc ...
'' in the US and in the ''
Strand Magazine
''The Strand Magazine'' was a monthly British magazine founded by George Newnes, composed of short fiction and general interest articles. It was published in the United Kingdom from January 1891 to March 1950, running to 711 issues, though the ...
'' in the UK.
The book contains ten short stories relating the adventures of
Stanley Featherstonehaugh Ukridge
Stanley Featherstonehaugh Ukridge ( ) is a fictional character in comedic stories by author P. G. Wodehouse. Ukridge appears in one novel and nineteen short stories.
Ukridge is a charismatic opportunist who will do anything to increase his capita ...
, narrated by Ukridge's long-suffering friend, the writer
"Corky" Corcoran.
Contents
* "
Ukridge's Dog College"
** United States: ''
Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan may refer to:
Internationalism
* World citizen, one who eschews traditional geopolitical divisions derived from national citizenship
* Cosmopolitanism, the idea that all of humanity belongs to a single moral community
* Cosmopolitan ...
'', April 1923
** United Kingdom: ''
Strand
Strand or The Strand may refer to:
Topography
*The flat area of land bordering a body of water, a:
** Beach
** Shoreline
* Strand swamp, a type of swamp habitat in Florida
Places Africa
* Strand, Western Cape, a seaside town in South Africa
* ...
'', May 1923
* "
Ukridge's Accident Syndicate"
** US: ''Cosmopolitan'', May 1923
** UK: ''Strand'', June 1923 (as "Ukridge, Teddy Weeks and the Tomato")
* "
The Debut of Battling Billson
"The Debut of Battling Billson" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, which first appeared in the United States in the June 1923 issue of ''Cosmopolitan'' and in the United Kingdom in the July 1923 ''Strand''. It features the irrepressible Stanle ...
" (spelled Début in original versions)
** US: ''Cosmopolitan'', June 1923
** UK: ''Strand'', July 1923
* "
First Aid for Dora"
** US: ''Cosmopolitan'', July 1923
** UK: ''Strand'', August 1923
* "
The Return of Battling Billson
"The Return of Battling Billson" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, which first appeared in the United States in the August 1923 issue of ''Cosmopolitan'' and in the United Kingdom in the September 1923 ''Strand''. It features the irrepressible ...
"
** US: ''Cosmopolitan'', August 1923
** UK: ''Strand'', September 1923
* "
Ukridge Sees Her Through"
** US: ''Cosmopolitan'', September 1923
** UK: ''Strand'', October 1923
* "
No Wedding Bells for Him"
** US: ''Cosmopolitan'', October 1923
** UK: ''Strand'', November 1923
* "
The Long Arm of Looney Coote"
** US: ''Cosmopolitan'', November 1923
** UK: ''Strand'', December 1923
* "
The Exit of Battling Billson
"The Exit of Battling Billson" is a short story by British author P. G. Wodehouse, which first appeared in the United States in the December 1923 issue of ''Cosmopolitan'', and in the United Kingdom in the January 1924 ''Strand''. It features th ...
"
** US: ''Cosmopolitan'', December 1923
** UK: ''Strand'', January 1924
* "
Ukridge Rounds a Nasty Corner"
** US: ''Cosmopolitan'', January 1924
** UK: ''Strand'', February 1924
Ukridge had previously appeared in ''
Love Among the Chickens'' (1906), Wodehouse's first
novel
A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...
to be published in the US, and would return in some other shorts. The timeline of his adventures is rather hard to follow—the tales collected here begin with him meeting up with Corky after a long separation, and follow fairly neatly on from each other, via being disowned by his
Aunt Julia to meeting
Millie
Millie is a feminine given name, or diminutive form of various other given names, such as Emily, Millicent, Mildred, Camille, Camilla, Camila, Emilia, Maximillian, or sometimes Amelia.
People with the given name
Notable people with the given ...
, to whom he is married by the time of ''Love Among the Chickens''. In the later shorts, however, he seems to be still single and living sporadically with his aunt.
Reception
Wodehouse biographer
Richard Usborne
Richard Alexander Usborne (16 May 1910 – 21 March 2006) was a journalist, advertising executive, schoolmaster and author. After the publication of his book ''Wodehouse at Work'' in 1961 he became regarded as the leading authority on the works ...
cheered, "These are some of the best stories that Wodehouse ever wrote."
See also
*
List of Wodehouse's Ukridge stories
References and sources
;References
;Sources
*
External links
*
*
*
The Russian Wodehouse Society's page with photos of book covers and a list of characters
with details of published editions, photos of book covers and links to used copies
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ukridge (Short Stories)
Short story collections by P. G. Wodehouse
1924 short story collections
Herbert Jenkins books