The Inimitable Jeeves

One of the earliest and best collections of stories about hapless aristocrat Bertie Wooster and his supremely efficient valet Jeeves, this volume centers on the romantic travails of Bertie's school chum, Bingo Little. A splendid introduction to P. G. Wodehouse's most popular characters, these comic gems recount Bertie's reluctant involvement in Bingo's misadventures and Jeeves' uncanny ability to rescue his employer from every scrape. In the opening entry, "Jeeves Exerts the Old Cerebellum," Bingo seeks help in persuading his wealthy guardian to accept his socially undesirable fiancée. Mabel the waitress is only the first in a succession of Bingo's romantic interests, which include a parson's niece, a Communist, and Bertie's own fiancée—among others. Eighteen connected stories trace Bingo and Bertie's shenanigans at home and abroad and introduce assorted Wooster relatives, from the terrifying Aunt Agatha to Claude and Eustace, the fun-loving, trouble-making twins. The collection is particularly distinguished by the inclusion of a Wodehouse masterpiece, "The Great Sermon Handicap," in which bets are placed on the length of a Sunday oration and hilarity ensues.