Selective list by Series Characters

 
Here we present some of the Wodehouse stories with recurring characters, presented in groups listed chronologically by the initial appearance of the character. This is a whimsical selection on the editors’ part, and is by no means exhaustive. Additions will also be haphazard!

As of 2024, we can now present additional stories from 1928 here, which have fallen into USA public domain.

NOTE:

If you select the option "Back to Menu" at the bottom of any of the stories listed here, it will take you to the magazine menu that the story belongs to. If you wish to return here, choose the "Back" command in your browser, or re-select the Series Characters option from the top "Notes & Lists" menu.

 

Pillingshot

How Pillingshot Scored - Captain (UK), May 1903

How Pillingshot Scored! - Greyfriars Holiday Annual, 1926

Pillingshot, Detective - Captain (UK), September 1910

Pillingshot’s Paper - Captain (UK), February 1911

    Other Pillingshots :

Mr. Punch’s Spectral Analyses - V. The Baffled Banshee - Punch (UK), September 16, 1903

The Force of Impulse in Sport - Punch (UK), June 21, 1905

The Pipe - Pearson's (UK), September 1905



 

Jackson

    Mike Jackson:

Jackson Junior - The Captain, April 1907 and succeeding episodes (Mike at Wrykyn in book form)

    Mike Jackson and Psmith:

The Lost Lambs - The Captain, April 1908 and succeeding episodes (Mike and Psmith in book form)

Note: To some extent in The New Fold, and a greater extent in Psmith, Journalist, Mike takes a secondary role to Psmith.

The New Fold - The Captain, October 1908 and succeeding episodes (Psmith in the City in book form)

Psmith, Journalist - The Captain, October 1909 and succeeding episodes

Leave It to Psmith - Saturday Evening Post (US), February 3, 1923 and succeeding episodes

Leave It to Psmith - Grand Magazine (UK), June 1923 and succeeding episodes

An Americanized version of Psmith under the name of Rupert Smith, and part of the plot of Psmith, Journalist, were included in the American book of The Prince and Betty. The newspaper serialization of that book begins at the link below:

Prince and Betty, The - Part 1 – September 14, 1912 (New York Evening Mail, US)

    Other Jacksons:

Cricket at Dulwich - Public School Magazine, September 1901  (real-life L. Jackson of Dulwich)

The Pothunters (part 3) - Public School Magazine, March 1902  (Jackson of Dawson’s house, St. Austin’s)

The Manœuvres of Charteris - II - Captain (UK), September 1903  (real-life prizefighter John Jackson)

Jackson’s Extra - Royal Magazine, June 1904 (Jackson of Spence’s house, Wrykyn; perhaps Mike’s older brother?)

Shields’ and the Cricket Cup - The Captain, June 1905 (Jackson of Spence’s house, Wrykyn; perhaps Mike’s older brother?)

The Last Place - The Captain, August 1905 (Jackson of Spence’s house, Wrykyn; perhaps Mike’s older brother?)

The Deserter - Royal Magazine, August 1905 (Jackson of Spence’s house, Wrykyn; perhaps Mike’s older brother?)

The White Feather - The Captain, November 1905 (Jackson of Dexter’s house, Wrykyn; perhaps Mike’s older brother?)

Eminent Artistes - Books of Today & Tomorrow, February 1907  (ref. Hooper and Jackson)

Jackson’s Dip! - Greyfriars Holiday Annual, 1925 (Jackson of Locksley School)




 

Kid Brady


There may be two boxers using this title, as the Kid of the Pearson’s series is English-born and learns to fight in New York City, while the Kid of Psmith, Journalist and The Prince and Betty comes from the Western United States.

Kid Brady - Light-weight: How He Made His Début - Pearson's (US), September 1905

How Kid Brady Broke Training - Pearson's (US), November 1905

How Kid Brady Won the Championship - Pearson's (US), January 1906

How Kid Brady Assisted a Damsel in Distress - Pearson's (US), March 1906

How Kid Brady Joined the Press - Pearson's (US), May 1906

How Kid Brady Fought for His Eyes - Pearson's (US), July 1906

How Kid Brady Took a Sea Voyage - Pearson's (US), March 1907

    In a minor capacity, or passing reference :

Psmith, Journalist - Part 2 - Captain (UK), November 1909

Psmith, Journalist - Part 3 - Captain (UK), December 1909

Psmith, Journalist - Part 4 - Captain (UK), January 1910

Psmith, Journalist - Part 5 - Captain (UK), February 1910

Psmith, Journalist - Part 6 - Captain (UK), March 1910

Prince and Betty, The - Part 7 – October 26, 1912 (New York Evening Mail, US)

Prince and Betty, The - Part 8 – November 2, 1912 (New York Evening Mail, US)

Prince and Betty, The - Part 9 – November 9, 1912 (New York Evening Mail, US)

Prince and Betty, The - Part 10 – November 16, 1912 (New York Evening Mail, US)

Prince and Betty, The - Part 11 – November 23, 1912 (New York Evening Mail, US)

Prince and Betty, The - Part 12 – November 30, 1912 (New York Evening Mail, US)

Prince and Betty, The - Part 13 – December 7, 1912 (New York Evening Mail, US)

Prince and Betty, The - Part 15 – December 21, 1912 (New York Evening Mail, US)

Prince and Betty, The - Part 16 – December 28, 1912 (New York Evening Mail, US)


 

Keggs

Mr. Punch’s Spectral Analyses: IV. An Official Muddle (story) - Punch (UK), September 2, 1903

Note: The above is apparently the first appearance in Wodehouse of a butler called Keggs, noted by Neil Midkiff (November 2013). He works at Strathpuffer Castle; his relationship to others named Keggs is not known.

The Gem Collector – Ainslee’s (US), December 1909

The above Keggs buttles at Corven Abbey.
 
The next four stories clearly form a group of two pairs with the same Keggs in each, told twice, for UK and US readers, as if the same events happened on both sides of the Atlantic.

The Good Angel - The Strand (UK), February 1910

The Matrimonial Sweepstakes - Cosmopolitan (US), February 1910
 

The Watch Dog - Hampton's (US), May 1910

“Love Me, Love My Dog.” - The Strand (UK), August 1910

Possibly the same Keggs, perhaps a relative:

The White Hope - May 1914

Back in the UK, at Belpher Castle working for Lord Marshmoreton, perhaps a different Keggs:

A Damsel in Distress - Part 1 - Saturday Evening Post (US), May 10, 1919

A Damsel in Distress - Part 2 - Saturday Evening Post (US), May 17, 1919

A Damsel in Distress - Part 3 - Saturday Evening Post (US), May 24, 1919

A Damsel in Distress - Part 4 - Saturday Evening Post (US), May 31, 1919

A Damsel in Distress - Part 5 - Saturday Evening Post (US), June 7, 1919

A Damsel in Distress - Part 6 - Saturday Evening Post (US), June 14, 1919

A Damsel in Distress - Part 7 - Saturday Evening Post (US), June 21, 1919

A Damsel in Distress - Part 8 - Saturday Evening Post (US), June 28, 1919

Beyond the time frame of stories we can include here, there is also the Augustus Keggs who used to buttle for Lord Uffenham and is now retired, landlord of three homes in Valley Fields, in Something Fishy (1957) and Ice in the Bedroom (1961).




 

Lord Emsworth – Blandings Castle

Something New - Part 1 - Saturday Evening Post (US), June 26, 1915

Something New - Part 2 - Saturday Evening Post (US), July 3, 1915

Something New - Part 3 - Saturday Evening Post (US), July 10, 1915

Something New - Part 4 - Saturday Evening Post (US), July 17, 1915

Something New - Part 5 - Saturday Evening Post (US), July 24, 1915

Something New - Part 6 - Saturday Evening Post (US), July 31, 1915

Something New - Part 7 - Saturday Evening Post (US), August 7, 1915

Something New - Part 8 - Saturday Evening Post (US), August 14, 1915

Leave It to Psmith - Saturday Evening Post (US), February 3, 1923 and succeeding episodes

Leave It to Psmith - Grand Magazine (UK), June 1923 and succeeding episodes

The Custody of the Pumpkin - Saturday Evening Post (US), November 29, 1924

The Custody of the Pumpkin - The Strand (UK), December 1924

Lord Emsworth Acts for the Best - Liberty (US), June 5, 1926

Lord Emsworth Acts for the Best - The Strand (UK), June 1926

Pig-hoo-o-o-o-ey - Liberty (US), July 9, 1927

“Pig-hoo-o-o-o-ey!” - The Strand (UK), August 1927

Company for Gertrude - The Strand (UK), September 1928

Company for Gertrude - Cosmopolitan (US), October 1928

Lord Emsworth and the Girl Friend - Liberty (US), October 6, 1928

Lord Emsworth and the Girl Friend - The Strand (UK), November 1928

The next Blandings story is “The Go-Getter,” which appeared in 1931 and thus cannot be included here. See Neil Midkiff's web list of the Blandings Castle stories and novels for a complete chronological list.


 

Jeeves and Wooster

Extricating Young Gussie - Saturday Evening Post (US), September 18, 1915

Extricating Young Gussie - The Strand (UK), January 1916

Leave It to Jeeves - Saturday Evening Post (US), February 5, 1916

Leave It to Jeeves - The Strand (UK), June 1916

The Aunt and the Sluggard - Saturday Evening Post (US), April 22, 1916

The Aunt and the Sluggard - The Strand (UK), August 1916

Jeeves Takes Charge - Saturday Evening Post (US), November 18, 1916

Jeeves Takes Charge - The Strand (UK), April 1923

Jeeves and the Unbidden Guest - Saturday Evening Post (US), December 9, 1916

Jeeves and the Unbidden Guest - The Strand (UK), March 1917

Jeeves and the Hard-Boiled Egg - Saturday Evening Post (US), March 3, 1917

Jeeves and the Hard-Boiled Egg - The Strand (UK), August 1917

Jeeves and the Chump Cyril - Saturday Evening Post (US), June 8, 1918

Jeeves and the Chump Cyril - The Strand (UK), August 1918

Jeeves in the Spring-Time - The Strand (UK), December 1921

Jeeves in the Springtime - Cosmopolitan (US), December 1921

Scoring off Jeeves - The Strand (UK), February 1922

Bertie Gets Even - Cosmopolitan (US), March 1922

Sir Roderick Comes to Lunch - The Strand (UK), March 1922

Jeeves the Blighter - Cosmopolitan (US), April 1922

Aunt Agatha Takes the Count - The Strand (UK), April 1922

Aunt Agatha Makes a Bloomer - Cosmopolitan (US), October 1922

Comrade Bingo - The Strand (UK), May 1922

Comrade Bingo - Cosmopolitan (US), May 1922

The Great Sermon Handicap - The Strand (UK), June 1922

The Great Sermon Handicap - Cosmopolitan (US), June 1922

The Purity of the Turf - The Strand (UK), July 1922

The Purity of the Turf - Cosmopolitan (US), July 1922

Bertie Changes His Mind - The Strand (UK), August 1922

Bertie Changes His Mind - Cosmopolitan (US), August 1922

The Metropolitan Touch - The Strand (UK), September 1922

The Metropolitan Touch - Cosmopolitan (US), September 1922

The Delayed Exit of Claude and Eustace - The Strand (UK), October 1922

The Delayed Exit of Claude and Eustace - Cosmopolitan (US), November 1922

Bingo and the Little Woman - The Strand (UK), November 1922

Bingo and the Little Woman - Cosmopolitan (US), December 1922

The Rummy Affair of Old Biffy - Saturday Evening Post (US), September 27, 1924

The Rummy Affair of Old Biffy - The Strand (UK), October 1924

Clustering Round Young Bingo - Saturday Evening Post (US), February 21, 1925

Clustering Round Young Bingo - The Strand (UK), April 1925

Without the Option - Saturday Evening Post (US), June 27, 1925

Without the Option - The Strand (UK), July 1925

Inferiority Complex of Old Sippy, The - Liberty (US), April 17, 1926

Inferiority Complex of Old Sippy, The - The Strand (UK), April 1926

Jeeves and the Impending Doom - The Strand (UK), December 1926

Jeeves and the Impending Doom - Liberty (US), January 8, 1927

Jeeves and the Yuletide Spirit - Liberty (US), December 24, 1927

Jeeves and the Yule-Tide Spirit - The Strand (UK), December 1927

Stories which appeared in 1929 or later are still under USA copyright and thus cannot be included here. See Neil Midkiff's web list of the Jeeves and Bertie stories and novels for a complete chronological list.


 

The Oldest Member (golf stories)

The Oldest Member of the golf club (variously set in Britain and America) narrates these stories, generally to a younger member of the club, and generally at a length which the listener finds excessive, but which seems perfect to the reader of Wodehouse. In “Those in Peril on the Tee” the club secretary calls him a fearful old bore who hangs about the place, lying in wait to collar people and tell them stories.

✎ A Woman Is Only a Woman - Saturday Evening Post (USA), June 7, 1919

✎ A Woman is Only a Woman - The Strand (UK), October 1919

Ordeal by Golf - Collier’s (USA), December 6, 1919

A Kink in His Character - The Strand (UK), February 1920

A Mixed Threesome - McClure’s (USA), June 1920

✎ A Mixed Threesome - The Strand (UK), March 1921

The Rough Stuff - Chicago Daily Tribune (USA), October 10, 1920

✎ The Rough Stuff - The Strand (UK), April 1921

Sundered Hearts - McClure’s (USA), December 1920

Sundered Hearts - The Strand (UK), December 1920

The Salvation of George Mackintosh - The Strand (UK), June 1921

The Salvation of George Mackintosh - McClure’s (USA), September 1921

The Long Hole - The Strand (UK), August 1921

The Long Hole - McClure’s (USA), March 1922

The Unexpected Clicking of Cuthbert - The Strand (UK), October 1921

Cuthbert Unexpectedly Clicks - The Elks Magazine (USA), July 1922

✎ The Heel of Achilles - The Strand (UK), November 1921

The Heel of Achilles - Chicago Daily Tribune (USA), June 11, 1922

The Magic Plus Fours - The Strand (UK), December 1922

The Plus Fours - Red Book (USA), January 1923

✎ The Awakening of Rollo Podmarsh - The Strand (UK), January 1923

Rollo Podmarsh Comes To - Red Book (USA), March 1923

✎ Chester Forgets Himself - Saturday Evening Post (USA), July 7, 1923

Chester Forgets Himself - The Strand (UK), May 1924

Rodney Fails to Qualify - Saturday Evening Post (USA), February 23, 1924

✎ Rodney Fails to Qualify - The Strand (UK), March 1924

The Heart of a Goof - Red Book (USA), September 1923

The Heart of a Goof - The Strand (UK), April 1924

Jane Gets Off the Fairway - Saturday Evening Post (USA), October 25, 1924

✎ Jane Gets Off the Fairway - The Strand (UK), November 1924

The Purification of Rodney Spelvin - Saturday Evening Post (USA), August 22, 1925

✎ The Purification of Rodney Spelvin - The Strand (UK), September 1925

✎ High Stakes - Saturday Evening Post (USA), September 19, 1925

High Stakes - The Strand (UK), October 1925

Keeping In with Vosper - Liberty (US), March 13, 1926

Keeping In with Vosper - The Strand (UK), March 1926

Those in Peril on the Tee - Liberty (US), May 21, 1927

Those in Peril on the Tee - The Strand (UK), June 1927

  —Told by the Oldest Member in magazines; revised for book publication as a Mr. Mulliner story.




 

Stanley Featherstonehaugh Ukridge

Ukridge was introduced in Love Among the Chickens in 1906–09 as a married man; that novel was revised for its 1921 reappearance. Presumably its popularity urged Wodehouse to continue writing about the character in 1923, beginning a series of short stories about his earlier bachelor life; those stories would be collected in Ukridge (1924) (in the US as He Rather Enjoyed It, 1925). The 1928 magazine versions are newly available in 2024 here:

✎ Ukridge’s Dog College - Cosmopolitan (US), April 1923

Ukridge’s Dog College - The Strand (UK), May 1923
 

✎ Ukridge’s Accident Syndicate - Cosmopolitan (US), May 1923

✎ Ukridge, Teddy Weeks and the Tomato - The Strand (UK), June 1923
 

✎ The Début of Battling Billson - Cosmopolitan (US), June 1923

The Début of Battling Billson - The Strand (UK), July 1923
 

✎ First Aid for Dora - Cosmopolitan (US), July 1923

First Aid for Dora - The Strand (UK), August 1923
 

The Return of Battling Billson - Cosmopolitan (US), August 1923

The Return of Battling Billson - The Strand (UK), September 1923
 

✎ Ukridge Sees Her Through - Cosmopolitan (US), September 1923

Ukridge Sees Her Through - The Strand (UK), October 1923
 

✎ No Wedding Bells for Him - Cosmopolitan (US), October 1923

No Wedding Bells for Him - The Strand (UK), November 1923
 

✎ The Long Arm of Looney Coote - Cosmopolitan (US), November 1923

The Long Arm of Looney Coote - The Strand (UK), December 1923
 

✎ The Exit of Battling Billson - Cosmopolitan (US), December 1923

The Exit of Battling Billson - The Strand (UK), January 1924
 

Ukridge Rounds a Nasty Corner - Cosmopolitan (US), January 1924

Ukridge Rounds a Nasty Corner - The Strand (UK), February 1924
 

Buttercup Day - Saturday Evening Post (USA), November 21, 1925

Buttercup Day - The Strand (UK), December 1925
 

A Bit of Luck for Mabel - Saturday Evening Post (USA), December 26, 1925

A Bit of Luck for Mabel - The Strand (UK), January 1926
 

Level Business Head, The - Liberty (US), May 8, 1926

Level Business Head, The - The Strand (UK), May 1926
 

Ukridge and the Old Stepper - The Strand (UK), June 1928

Ukridge and the Old Stepper - Liberty (US), June 9, 1928


 

Roberta “Bobbie” Wickham

This volatile and frivolous redhead interacts with characters from multiple sagas.

✎ Something Squishy - Saturday Evening Post (USA), December 20, 1924

Something Squishy - The Strand (UK), January 1925

When collected into Mr. Mulliner Speaking, “Something Squishy” had a framing story at the Anglers’ Rest, and the story was told by Mr. Mulliner, a cousin of Lady Wickham.

✎ The Awful Gladness of the Mater - Saturday Evening Post (USA), March 21, 1925

The Awful Gladness of the Mater - The Strand (UK), May 1925

When collected into Mr. Mulliner Speaking, “The Awful Gladness of the Mater” had a framing story at the Anglers’ Rest, and the story was told by Mr. Mulliner, a cousin of Lady Wickham.

The Rest Cure - Liberty (US), January 23, 1926

Mr. Potter Takes a Rest Cure - The Strand (UK), February 1926

The Passing of Ambrose - The Strand (UK), July 1928

The Passing of Ambrose - Cosmopolitan (US), August 1928

When collected into Mr. Mulliner Speaking, “The Passing of Ambrose” was told by Mr. Mulliner, a cousin of Lady Wickham.