The Clicking of Cuthbert is a collection of ten short stories by P. G. Wodehouse. All the stories center around the sport of golf, its players, culture, and history; the first story in the collection introduces the Oldest Member, a repeat Wodehouse character, who narrates all of the stories but the last. Views: 354
"A Jeeves and Wooster collection"
An outstanding collection of Jeeves stories, every one a winner, in which Jeeves endeavours to give satisfaction: By saving a grumpy cabinet minister from being marooned and attacked by a swan - in the process saving Bertie Wooster from his impending doom...By rescuing Bingo Little and Tuppy Glossop from the soup (twice each)...By arranging rather too many performances of the song 'Sonny Boy' to a not very appreciative audience...And by a variety of other sparkling stratagems that should reduce you to helpless laughter. This early collection shows P.G.Wodehouse at the top of his game, writing with sublime wit and delicacy of plotting. Views: 354
When a seed-merchant of cautious disposition and an eye to the main chance receives from an eminent firm of jam-manufacturers an extremely large order for clover-seed, his emotions are mixed. Joy may be said to predominate, but with the joy comes also uncertainty. Are these people, he asks himself, proposing to set up as farmers of a large scale, or do they merely want the seed to give verisimilitude to their otherwise bald and unconvincing raspberry jam? On the solution of this problem depends the important matter of price, for, obviously, you can charge a fraudulent jam disseminator in a manner which an honest farmer would resent. This was the problem which was furrowing the brow of Mr. Julian Fineberg, of Bury St. Edwards, one sunny morning when Roland Bleke knocked at his door; and such was its difficulty that only at the nineteenth knock did Mr. Fineberg raise his head. "Come in—that dashed woodpecker out there!" he shouted, for it was his habit to express himself with a generous strength towards the junior members of his staff. The young man who entered looked exactly like a second clerk in a provincial seed-merchant\'s office—which, strangely enough, he chanced to be. His chief characteristic was an intense ordinariness. He was a young man; and when you had said that of him you had said everything. There was nothing which you would have noticed about him, except the fact that there was nothing to notice. His age was twenty-two and his name was Roland Bleke. "Please, sir, it\'s about my salary." Mr. Fineberg, at the word, drew himself together much as a British square at Waterloo must have drawn itself together at the sight of a squadron of cuirassiers. "Salary?" he cried. "What about it? What\'s the matter with it? You get it, don\'t you?" "Yes, sir, but--" "Well? Don\'t stand there like an idiot. What is it?" "It\'s too much." Mr. Fineberg\'s brain reeled. It was improbable that the millennium could have arrived with a jerk; on the other hand, he had distinctly heard one of his clerks complain that his salary was too large. He pinched himself. "Say that again," he said. "If you could see your way to reduce it, sir--" It occurred to Mr. Fineberg for one instant that his subordinate was endeavoring to be humorous, but a glance at Roland\'s face dispelled that idea. "Why do you want it reduced?" "Please, sir, I\'m going to be married." "What the deuce do you mean?" "When my salary reaches a hundred and fifty, sir. And it\'s a hundred and forty now, so if you could see your way to knocking off ten pounds--" Mr. Fineberg saw light. He was a married man himself. "My boy," he said genially, "I quite understand. But I can do you better than that. It\'s no use doing this sort of thing in a small way. From now on your salary is a hundred and ten. No, no, don\'t thank me. You\'re an excellent clerk, and it\'s a pleasure to me to reward merit when I find it. Close the door after you." And Mr. Fineberg returned with a lighter heart to the great clover-seed problem. The circumstances which had led Roland to approach his employer may be briefly recounted. Since joining the staff of Mr. Fineberg, he had lodged at the house of a Mr. Coppin, in honorable employment as porter at the local railway-station. The Coppin family, excluding domestic pets, consisted of Mr. Coppin, a kindly and garrulous gentleman of sixty, Mrs. Coppin, a somewhat negative personality, most of whose life was devoted to cooking and washing up in her underground lair, Brothers Frank and Percy, gentleman of leisure, popularly supposed to be engaged in the mysterious occupation known as "lookin\' about for somethin\'," and, lastly, Muriel. Views: 353
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 Raymand Bastable.
Unfortunately things don’t end there.
The sprightly earl finds that his action has inspired a scandalous bestseller and a film script—but this is as nothing compared with the entangled fates of the couples that surround him and which only his fabled sweetness and light can unravel. Views: 349
Poor Sir Buckstone Abbott, Bart! Not only does he own in Walsingford Hall, one of the least attractive stately homes in the country, but he has to take in paying guests to keep it upright. So when it seems a rich (if not very nice) continental princess might buy it, he's overjoyed - particularly as he's being rooked by the publisher of his sporting memoirs. His daughter Jane comes up trumps in the company of the playwright Joe - but not before engagements are broken and fortunes lost and made. Another delightful novel form the master of the Engllish comedy, Wodehoues deftly unties all the knots he had so cleverly tied around his characters in the first place. Views: 347
The twelfth anthology of short stories set in the beloved Valdemar universe, featuring stories by debut and established authors and a brand-new story from Lackey herself.The Heralds of Valdemar are the kingdom's ancient order of protectors. They are drawn from all across the land, from all walks of life, and at all ages—and all are Gifted with abilities beyond those of normal men and women. They are Mindspeakers, FarSeers, Empaths, ForeSeers, Firestarters, FarSpeakers, and more. These inborn talents—combined with training as emissaries, spies, judges, diplomats, scouts, counselors, warriors, and more—make them indispensable to their monarch and realm. Sought and Chosen by mysterious horse-like Companions, they are bonded for life to these telepathic, enigmatic creatures. The Heralds of Valdemar and their Companions ride circuit throughout the kingdom, protecting the peace and, when necessary, defending their land and monarch.Now, twenty-three...
When representatives of Alanda's Church seek to ferret out unauthorized magic and music, the Free Bards--those who will not or cannot join the priest-condoned Guild--fight back. Views: 346
Oakes smiled. "As the medical evidence proved, he died of the bite of a cobra. It was a small cobra which came from Java." "Did you see the snake?" Oakes shook his head. "Then, how in heaven's name --" "I have enough evidence to make a jury convict Mr. Snake without leaving the box." Oaks had the evidence, all right. The problem with it was, Oaks was just plain wrong. Views: 345
A play about ‘second chances’ based upon the four 'Sleezy the Fox’ stories that the late Princess Diana used to read to her children, William and Harry when they were aged 9 and 7 years respectively. Written by the founder of ‘Anger Management’ courses in Great Britain in the 70s, the stories were originally written for the purposes of radio transmission and are highly popular with schools.This play has been adapted from the four ‘Sleezy the Fox’ stories, which were recorded in the early 1990s for the original purpose of radio transmission.The prominent theme of the story is one of ‘second chances’, something that all of us require from time to time in our lives.In my earlier years of development, I needed ‘second chances’ on many occasions and was lucky enough to have received ‘second chances’ at crucial periods of my life. ‘Second chances’ not only redeemed my character, but it also reformed my behaviour from that of thief to one of honest citizen.In later life, as a Probation Officer and the founder of ‘Anger Management’ courses in Great Britain in the early 70s, I was able to afford the opportunity of receiving a ‘second chance’ to many people who displayed aggressive impulses that they were initially unable to control and manage.When Princes William and Harry were 9 and 7 years old respectively, their mother came across these stories, contacted me and requested that I send her a copy of my 'Douglas the Dragon' and 'Sleezy the Fox' stories that she wanted to read to her sons at their bedtime. It is a nice thought to know that the next King of England was read the stories of ‘Sleezy the Fox’ as a child by his mother, the late Princess Diana.The play has been written in a manner that makes it ideally suitable to be performed by schools and is arranged in such a way as to make the inclusion of a number of selected and suitable songs at appropriately spaced junctures possible to turn it into a Musical Play. Views: 344
Founded on the tenets of Alcoholics Anonymous, a bachelor can turn to other members of the circle whenever the urge to take a woman out to dinner surfaces. Views: 339
A tribute to and continuation of the work of the horror master, William Hope Hodgson.Based on characters created by the legendary pioneer of supernatural horror William Hope Hodgson, this short story speculates what might have happened to the ghost-finder and his circle during World War I. In 1919 they meet again after the better part of five years - well, all bar one. Views: 337
