Cocktail Time

Frederick, Earl of Ickenham, remains young at heart. So it is for him the act of a moment to lean out of the Drones Club window with a catapult and ping the silk top-hat off his grumpy in-law, the distinguished barrister Sir Raymond Bastable. Unfortunately, things don't end there.

P. G. Wodehouse (1881-1975) is widely regarded as the greatest comic writer of the twentieth century. Wodehouse wrote more than seventy 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 eighty 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'.

"It's dangerous to use the word genius to describe a writer, but I'll risk it with him" -- John Humphrys "For as long as I'm immersed in a P.G. Wodehouse book, it's possible to keep the real world at bay and live in a far, far nicer, funnier one where happy endings are the order of the day" -- Marian Keyes "Wodehouse always lifts your spirits, no matter how high they happen to be already" -- Lynne Truss "The incomparable and timeless genius - perfect for readers of all ages, shapes and sizes!" -- Kate Mosse "Not only the funniest English novelist who ever wrote but one of our finest stylists" -- Susan Hill