The Man With Two Left Feet
Encyclopedia
The Man With Two Left Feet, and Other Stories is a collection of short stories
by P. G. Wodehouse
, first published in the United Kingdom
on March 8, 1917 by Methuen & Co., London
, and in the United States
in 1933 by A.L. Burt and Co., New York
. All the stories had previously appeared in periodicals
, usually the Strand
in the UK and the Red Book
magazine or the Saturday Evening Post in the US.
It is a fairly miscellaneous collection — most of the stories concern relationships, sports and household pets, and do not feature any of Wodehouse's regular characters; one, however, "Extricating Young Gussie
", is notable for the first appearance in print of two of Wodehouse's best-known characters, Jeeves
and his master Bertie Wooster
(although Bertie's surname isn't given and Jeeves's role is very small), and Bertie's fearsome Aunt Agatha
.
In the U.S. version of the book, "Wilton's Holiday", "Crowned Heads" and the two-part "The Mixer" were omitted, and replaced with three other stories, "Absent Treatment", "Rallying Round Old George" and "Doing Clarence a Bit of Good", which all feature Reggie Pepper
and had all appeared in the UK in My Man Jeeves
(1919).
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by 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...
, 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 March 8, 1917 by Methuen & Co., London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1933 by A.L. Burt and Co., 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...
. All the stories had previously appeared in periodicals
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
, usually the Strand
Strand Magazine
The 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...
in the UK and the Red Book
Redbook
Redbook 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:...
magazine or the Saturday Evening Post in the US.
It is a fairly miscellaneous collection — most of the stories concern relationships, sports and household pets, and do not feature any of Wodehouse's regular characters; one, however, "Extricating Young Gussie
Extricating Young Gussie
"Extricating Young Gussie" is a short story by British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse, being the first appearance of two of his most popular characters, the ingenious valet Jeeves and his master Bertie Wooster. It was first published in the U.S. in the 15 September 1915 issue of The Saturday Evening...
", is notable for the first appearance in print of two of Wodehouse's best-known characters, Jeeves
Jeeves
Reginald Jeeves is a fictional character in the short stories and novels of P. G. Wodehouse, being the valet of Bertie Wooster . Created in 1915, Jeeves would continue to appear in Wodehouse's works until his final, completed, novel Aunts Aren't Gentlemen in 1974, making him Wodehouse's most famous...
and his master Bertie Wooster
Bertie Wooster
Bertram Wilberforce "Bertie" Wooster is a recurring fictional character in the Jeeves novels of British author P. G. Wodehouse. An English gentleman, one of the "idle rich" and a member of the Drones Club, he appears alongside his valet, Jeeves, whose genius manages to extricate Bertie or one of...
(although Bertie's surname isn't given and Jeeves's role is very small), and Bertie's fearsome Aunt Agatha
Aunt Agatha
Agatha Gregson, née Wooster, later Lady Worplesdon, is a recurring fictional character in the Jeeves stories of British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse, being best known as Aunt Agatha, Bertie Wooster's least favourite aunt, and a counterpoint to her sister, Bertie's Aunt Dahlia...
.
Contents
- "Bill the Bloodhound"
- USUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
: CenturyThe Century MagazineThe Century Magazine was first published in the United States in 1881 by The Century Company of New York City as a successor to Scribner's Monthly Magazine...
, February 1915 - UKUnited KingdomThe 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...
: 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 1915
- US
- "Extricating Young GussieExtricating Young Gussie"Extricating Young Gussie" is a short story by British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse, being the first appearance of two of his most popular characters, the ingenious valet Jeeves and his master Bertie Wooster. It was first published in the U.S. in the 15 September 1915 issue of The Saturday Evening...
"- 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:...
, September 18, 1915 - UK: Strand, January 1916
- US: Saturday Evening Post
- "Wilton's Holiday"
- UK: Strand, July 1915
- US: Illustrated Sunday Magazine, March 19, 1916 (as "Wilton's Vacation")
- "The Mixer: He Meets a Shy Gentleman"
- UK: Strand, November 1915
- 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:...
, June 1916 (as "A Very Shy Gentleman")
- "The Mixer: He Moves in Society"
- UK: Strand, December 1915
- US: Red Book, July 1916 (as "Breaking into Society")
- "Crowned Heads"
- US: ArgosyArgosy (magazine)Argosy was an American pulp magazine, published by Frank Munsey. It is generally considered to be the first American pulp magazine. The magazine began as a general information periodical entitled The Golden Argosy, targeted at the boys adventure market.-Launch of Argosy:In late September 1882,...
, June 1914 - UK: Pearson'sPearson's MagazinePearson's Magazine was an influential publication which first appeared in Britain in 1896. It specialised in speculative literature, political discussion, often of a socialist bent, and the arts. Its contributors included Upton Sinclair, George Bernard Shaw, Maxim Gorky and H. G...
, April 1915
- US: Argosy
- "At Geisenheimer's"
- US: Saturday Evening Post, August 21, 1915
- UK: Strand, October 1915 (as "The Love-r-ly Silver Cup")
- "The Making of Mac's"
- UK: Strand, May 1915
- US: Red Book, May 1916 (as "The Romance of "Mac's"")
- "One Touch of Nature"
- US: McClure'sMcClure'sMcClure's or McClure's Magazine was an American illustrated monthly periodical popular at the turn of the 20th century. The magazine is credited with creating muckraking journalism. Ida Tarbell's series in 1902 exposing the monopoly abuses of John D...
, August 1914 (as "Brother Fans")
- US: McClure's
- "Black for Luck"
- UK: Strand, June 1915
- US: Red Book, July 1915 (as "A Black Cat For Luck")
- "The Romance of an Ugly Policeman"
- UK: Strand, January 1915
- US: Ainslee'sAinslee's MagazineAinslee's Magazine was an American literary periodical published from 1897 to 1926. It was originally published as a humor magazine called The Yellow Kid, based on the popular comic strip character. It was renamed Ainslee's, the following year....
, September 1926
- "A Sea of Troubles" ("A Sea of Trouble" in the US edition)
- US: McClure's, September 1914
- UK: Pearson's, June 1915
- "The Man With Two Left Feet"
- US: Saturday Evening Post, March 18, 1916
- UK: Strand, May 1916
In the U.S. version of the book, "Wilton's Holiday", "Crowned Heads" and the two-part "The Mixer" were omitted, and replaced with three other stories, "Absent Treatment", "Rallying Round Old George" and "Doing Clarence a Bit of Good", which all feature Reggie Pepper
Reggie Pepper
Reginald Pepper, known as "Reggie", is a fictional character who appears in seven short stories by P.G. Wodehouse. He is a young man-about-town with far more money than brain cells...
and had all appeared in the UK in My Man Jeeves
My Man Jeeves
My Man Jeeves is a collection of short stories by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom in May 1919 by George Newnes. Of the eight stories in the collection, half feature the popular characters Jeeves and Bertie Wooster, while the others concern Reggie Pepper, an early prototype...
(1919).
See also
- Categorised list of Wodehouse's short stories
External links
- The Russian Wodehouse Society's page, with numerous book covers and a list of characters
- Fantastic Fiction's page, with details of published editions, photos of book covers and links to used copies
- Free eBook of The Man With Two Left Feet at Project GutenbergProject GutenbergProject Gutenberg is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks". Founded in 1971 by Michael S. Hart, it is the oldest digital library. Most of the items in its collection are the full texts of public domain books...