‘The perfect introduction to the whole Wodehousiness of Wodehouse.’ - Stephen Fry

P.G. Wodehouse saw his first article published when still at school, and went on to become the leading humour writer of the twentieth century. He created characters famous across the English-speaking world, such as Rupert Psmith, Stanley Ukridge, Uncle Fred, the inhabitants of the Drones Club, Bertie Wooster and Jeeves, and Lord Emsworth and his beloved Empress, all of whom remain as popular today as they were when they first appeared all those years ago.

But behind all the brilliant metaphors that make us laugh outloud, there is a surprising background of reality. Wodehouse didn’t create his stories from scratch; he used real settings and exaggerated the characteristics of people he knew.

P.G. Wodehouse: Inspiring Lives provides a comprehensive overview of Wodehouse’s life and works; describes the development of his legendary characters; tells us where he got his ideas from; and demonstrates why his admirers included Bertrand Russell, Berthold Brecht, George Orwell, Rudyard Kipling and the Kaiser. A must for all fans of P.G. Wodehouse.

N.T.P. MURPHY read Law at Oxford University before re-joining the Regular Army. He retired as a lieutenant colonel at the Ministry of Defence. As a lifelong Wodehouse fan, in 1981 he published his first book on Wodehouse that showed how many of his characters and most of his settings were based on real people and places. Since then he published three more Wodehouse-based books. He was also the founding chairman of The P.G. Wodehouse Society (UK).