My Man Jeeves

My Man Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse (1919)

Bertie Wooster, the amiable but dim aristocrat, and Jeeves, his genius valet, navigate society scrapes with impeccable comic timing. The first collection of the most beloved comic duo in English literature.

Historical Significance:
P.G. Wodehouse introduced Jeeves in the 1915 short story "Extricating Young Gussie" and collected the first Jeeves and Wooster stories in My Man Jeeves in 1919. The formula — hapless master, omniscient servant — was not new (it goes back to Roman comedy), but Wodehouse perfected it with prose of such effortless elegance that Evelyn Waugh called him "the best living writer of English." Wodehouse wrote 96 books over 73 years, but the Jeeves stories remain his crown jewels. Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie's TV adaptation (1990-93) is considered definitive. Wodehouse is read for pure joy — there is no darkness, no tragedy, only the perfect comic sentence.

This public domain classic was originally published in 1919. Free to read and share.