The Luck of the Bodkins
Encyclopedia
The Luck of the Bodkins is a novel
by P.G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom
on October 11, 1935 by Herbert Jenkins
, London
, and in the United States
on January 3, 1936 by Little, Brown and Company
, Boston
. The two editions are significantly different, though the plot remains the same. The novel was serialised in Passing Show magazine (UK) from 21 September to 23 November 1935, and this version was published as the UK edition. For its US magazine appearance, in the Red Book
, between August 1935 and January 1936, Wodehouse re-wrote the story, reducing its length, and this became the US book edition.
The story concerns the complicated love life of amiable young Drone
Monty Bodkin
, the nephew of Sir Gregory Parsloe-Parsloe
, who had previously appeared in Heavy Weather
(1933), when he was employed as the latest in the long line of Lord Emsworth
's secretaries.
The plot of The Luck of the Bodkins continues into Pearls, Girls and Monty Bodkin
(1972), in which Monty, the object of his affections, hockey
-playing Gertrude Butterwick, and movie-mogul Ivor Llewellyn all return.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by P.G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on October 11, 1935 by Herbert Jenkins
Barrie & Jenkins
Barrie & Jenkins was a small British publishing house that was formed in 1964 from the merger of "Herbert Jenkins" and "Barrie & Rockcliffe". One of their most notable authors was P. G...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on January 3, 1936 by Little, Brown and Company
Little, Brown and Company
Little, Brown and Company is a publishing house established by Charles Coffin Little and his partner, James Brown. Since 2006 it has been a constituent unit of Hachette Book Group USA.-19th century:...
, Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. The two editions are significantly different, though the plot remains the same. The novel was serialised in Passing Show magazine (UK) from 21 September to 23 November 1935, and this version was published as the UK edition. For its US magazine appearance, in the Red Book
Redbook
Redbook is an American women's magazine published by the Hearst Corporation. It is one of the "Seven Sisters", a group of women's service magazines.-History:...
, between August 1935 and January 1936, Wodehouse re-wrote the story, reducing its length, and this became the US book edition.
The story concerns the complicated love life of amiable young Drone
Drones Club
The Drones Club is a recurring fictional location in the stories of British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse, being a gentlemen's club in London. Many of his Jeeves and Blandings Castle stories feature the club or its members....
Monty Bodkin
Monty Bodkin
Montague "Monty" Bodkin is a recurring fictional character in three novels of English comic writer P. G. Wodehouse, being a wealthy young member of the Drones Club, tall, slender and lissom, well-dressed, well-spoken, impeccably polite, and generally in some kind of romantic trouble.-Stories:Monty...
, the nephew of Sir Gregory Parsloe-Parsloe
Gregory Parsloe-Parsloe
Sir Gregory Parsloe-Parsloe, 7th Baronet is a fictional character from the Blandings stories of P. G. Wodehouse. The seventh Baronet, who resides at Matchingham Hall, he is the son of the Very Reverend Dean Parsloe-Parsloe and is the rival and enemy of Lord Emsworth, master of Blandings...
, who had previously appeared in Heavy Weather
Heavy Weather (novel)
Heavy Weather is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United States on July 28, 1933 by Little, Brown and Company, Boston, and in the United Kingdom on August 10, 1933 by Herbert Jenkins, London...
(1933), when he was employed as the latest in the long line of Lord Emsworth
Lord Emsworth
Clarence Threepwood, 9th Earl of Emsworth, or Lord Emsworth, is a recurring fictional character in the Blandings stories by British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse. He is the amiable and somewhat absent-minded head of the large Threepwood family...
's secretaries.
The plot of The Luck of the Bodkins continues into Pearls, Girls and Monty Bodkin
Pearls, Girls and Monty Bodkin
Pearls, Girls and Monty Bodkin is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom on October 12, 1972 by Barrie & Jenkins, London and in the United States on August 6, 1973 by Simon & Schuster, Inc., New York under the title The Plot That Thickened.Monty Bodkin, nephew of Sir...
(1972), in which Monty, the object of his affections, hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
-playing Gertrude Butterwick, and movie-mogul Ivor Llewellyn all return.
External links
- The Russian Wodehouse Society's page, with a list of characters