A Life in Letters
50th Anniversary Edition
Published on 1. May 2025
Book
Hardback
624 pages
978-1-5291-5423-8 (ISBN)
Description
Charming, witty and profound, this stylish 50th anniversary hardback edition of A LIFE IN LETTERS is the perfect addition to any Wodehouse-lover's bookcase.
'The letters, gossipy in the kindliest, most amused/bemused manner, bear true witness to the wide-ranging influences on Wodehouse's' best-known novels and best-loved characters.' THE TIMES
'It's hard to imagine a better beach companion' PROSPECT
***
The definitive edition of P.G. Wodehouse's collected letters, edited with commentary by Oxford academic Sophie Ratcliffe.
One of the funniest and most admired writers of the twentieth century, P. G. Wodehouse always shied away from the idea of a biography. A quiet, retiring man, he expressed himself through the written word. His letters - collected and expertly edited here - provide an illuminating biographical accompaniment to legendary comic creations such as Jeeves, Bertie Wooster, Psmith and the Empress of Blandings.
Drawing on previously unpublished sources, these letters give an unrivalled insight into Wodehouse, covering his schooldays at Dulwich College, the family's financial reverses which saw his hopes of university dashed, life in New York working in musical comedy with Jerome Kern and George and Ira Gershwin, the years of fame as a novelist, and the unhappy episode in 1940 where he was interned by the Germans and later erroneously accused of broadcasting pro-Nazi propaganda.
'The letters, gossipy in the kindliest, most amused/bemused manner, bear true witness to the wide-ranging influences on Wodehouse's' best-known novels and best-loved characters.' THE TIMES
'It's hard to imagine a better beach companion' PROSPECT
***
The definitive edition of P.G. Wodehouse's collected letters, edited with commentary by Oxford academic Sophie Ratcliffe.
One of the funniest and most admired writers of the twentieth century, P. G. Wodehouse always shied away from the idea of a biography. A quiet, retiring man, he expressed himself through the written word. His letters - collected and expertly edited here - provide an illuminating biographical accompaniment to legendary comic creations such as Jeeves, Bertie Wooster, Psmith and the Empress of Blandings.
Drawing on previously unpublished sources, these letters give an unrivalled insight into Wodehouse, covering his schooldays at Dulwich College, the family's financial reverses which saw his hopes of university dashed, life in New York working in musical comedy with Jerome Kern and George and Ira Gershwin, the years of fame as a novelist, and the unhappy episode in 1940 where he was interned by the Germans and later erroneously accused of broadcasting pro-Nazi propaganda.
Reviews / Votes
It's hard to imagine a better beach companion * Prospect *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Cornerstone
Dimensions
Height: 223 mm
Width: 145 mm
Thickness: 57 mm
Weight
727 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5291-5423-8 (9781529154238)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
05/2025
Penguin (Cornerstone)
€12.99
Available for download
Persons
P. G. Wodehouse (1881-1975) is widely regarded as the greatest comic writer of the 20th century. Wodehouse wrote more than 70 novels and 200 short stories, creating numerous much-loved characters - the inimitable Jeeves and Wooster, Lord Emsworth and his beloved Empress of Blandings, Mr Mulliner, Ukridge, and Psmith. His humorous articles were published in more than 80 magazines, including Punch, over six decades. He was also a highly successful music lyricist, once with over five musicals running on Broadway simultaneously. P.G. Wodehouse was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for 'an outstanding and lasting contribution to the happiness of the world'.