The Heart of a Goof
Encyclopedia
The Heart of a Goof is a collection of nine short stories
by English comic writer P. G. Wodehouse
. It was first published in the United Kingdom
on April 15, 1926 by Herbert Jenkins
, and in the United States
on March 4, 1927 by George H. Doran, New York
, under the title Divots.
The stories all concern golf
, and are told by the Oldest Member
; the book can be considered a sequel to The Clicking of Cuthbert
(1922).
The dedication, "To my daughter Leonora without whose never-failing sympathy and encouragement this book would have been finished in half the time", is a recycling of the dedication to A Gentleman of Leisure
(1910), which read "To Herbert Westbrook, without whose never-failing advice, help, and encouragement this book would have been finished in half the time".
Short Stories
Short Stories may refer to:*A plural for Short story*Short Stories , an American pulp magazine published from 1890-1959*Short Stories, a 1954 collection by O. E...
by English comic writer P. G. Wodehouse
P. G. Wodehouse
Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, KBE was an English humorist, whose body of work includes novels, short stories, plays, poems, song lyrics, and numerous pieces of journalism. He enjoyed enormous popular success during a career that lasted more than seventy years and his many writings continue to be...
. It was first published in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on April 15, 1926 by Herbert Jenkins
Barrie & Jenkins
Barrie & Jenkins was a small British publishing house that was formed in 1964 from the merger of "Herbert Jenkins" and "Barrie & Rockcliffe". One of their most notable authors was P. G...
, and in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on March 4, 1927 by George H. Doran, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, under the title Divots.
The stories all concern golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, and are told by the Oldest Member
Oldest Member
The Oldest Member is a fictional character from the short stories and novels of P. G. Wodehouse. He narrates the majority of Wodehouse's golf stories from the terrace of a golf club whose location is unclear, and he never has a proper name....
; the book can be considered a sequel to The Clicking of Cuthbert
The Clicking of Cuthbert
The Clicking of Cuthbert is a collection of ten short stories by P. G. Wodehouse, all with a golfing background. It was first published in the United Kingdom on February 3, 1922 by Herbert Jenkins, London, and in the United States on May 28, 1924 by George H. Doran, New York, under the title Golf...
(1922).
The dedication, "To my daughter Leonora without whose never-failing sympathy and encouragement this book would have been finished in half the time", is a recycling of the dedication to A Gentleman of Leisure
A Gentleman of Leisure
A Gentleman of Leisure is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse. The basic plot first appeared in a novella, The Gem Collector, in the December 1909 issue of Ainslee's Magazine. It was substantially revised and expanded for publication as a book, under the title The Intrusion of Jimmy, by W.J. Watt and Co.,...
(1910), which read "To Herbert Westbrook, without whose never-failing advice, help, and encouragement this book would have been finished in half the time".
Contents
The original story titles and publication dates were as follows:- "The Heart of a Goof"
- UK: StrandStrand MagazineThe Strand Magazine was a monthly magazine composed of fictional stories and factual articles founded by George Newnes. It was first published in the United Kingdom from January 1891 to March 1950 running to 711 issues, though the first issue was on sale well before Christmas 1890.Its immediate...
, April 1924 - US: Red BookRedbookRedbook is an American women's magazine published by the Hearst Corporation. It is one of the "Seven Sisters", a group of women's service magazines.-History:...
, September 1923
- UK: Strand
- "High Stakes"
- UK: Strand, October 1925
- US: Saturday Evening PostThe Saturday Evening PostThe Saturday Evening Post is a bimonthly American magazine. It was published weekly under this title from 1897 until 1969, and quarterly and then bimonthly from 1971.-History:...
, 19 September 1925
- "Keeping In with Vosper"
- UK: Strand, March 1926
- US: Liberty, 13 March 1926
- "Chester Forgets Himself"
- UK: Strand, May 1924
- US: Saturday Evening Post, 7 July 1923
- "The Magic Plus Fours"
- UK: Strand, December 1922
- US: Red Book, January 1923 (as "Plus Fours")
- "The Awakening of Rollo Podmarsh"
- UK: Strand, January 1923
- US: Red Book, March 1923 (as "Rollo Podmarsh Comes To")
- "Rodney Fails to Qualify"
- UK: Strand, March 1924
- US: Saturday Evening Post, 23 February 1924
- "Jane Gets off the Fairway"
- UK: Strand, November 1924
- US: Saturday Evening Post, 25 October 1924
- "The Purification of Rodney Spelvin"
- UK: Strand, September 1925
- US: Saturday Evening Post, 22 August 1925
See also
- List of Wodehouse's golf stories
External links
- The Russian Wodehouse Society's page, with a list of the characters in each story