New Releases by P. G. Wodehouse

THE conditions of life in New York are so different from those of London that a story of this kind calls for a little explanation. There are several million inhabitants of New York. Not all of them eke out a precarious livelihood by murdering one another, but there is a definite section of the population which murders--not casually, on the spur of the moment, but on definitely commercial lines at so many dollars per murder. The gangs" of New York exist in fact. I have not invented them. Most of the incidents in this story are based on actual happenings. The Rosenthal case, where four men, headed by a genial individual calling himself "Gyp the Blood" shot a fellow-citizen in cold blood in a spot as public and fashionable as Piccadilly Circus and escaped in a motor-car, made such a stir a few years ago that the noise of it was heard all over the world and not, as is generally the case with the doings of the gangs, in New York only. Rosenthal cases on a smaller and less sensational scale are frequent occurrences on Manhattan Island. It was the prominence of the victim rather than the unusual nature of the occurrence that excited the New York press. Most gang victims get a quarter of a column in small type..."

And then I saw Him. Not distinctly, for he was rowing a dinghy in my direction, and consequently had his back to me. In the stress of my emotions and an aggravation of modesty, I dived again. With an intensity like that of a captured conger I yearned to be hidden by the water. I could watch him as I swam, for, strictly speaking, he was in my way, though a little farther out to sea than I intended to go. As I drew near, I noticed that he wore an odd garment like a dressing gown. He had stopped rowing. I turned upon my back for a moment''s rest, and, as I did so, heard a cry. I resumed my former attitude, and brushed the salt water from my eyes. The dinghy was wobbling unsteadily. . . .

When Jimmy Crocker -- a bit of a troublemaker, frankly -- finds the papers calling him "Piccadilly Jim" in his native England, and in a world of trouble otherwise, he decides to go to New York. En route, he meets a beautiful young woman and hears her talking to her family about what an awful person "that James Crocker" is. He decides to meet her by pretending to be someone else -- he makes a name up on the spur of the moment: Algernon Bayliss. But he''s constantly running into people who recognize him as Crocker, and, worse still, the girl plans to pass "Algernon" off as Crocker to their shared aunt. (They aren''t really related, but step-cousins through a second marriage.) And Jimmy finds himself pretending to be Algernon pretending to be Jimmy -- while trying to get this girl to fall in love with him. A classic tale of false identity; like much of Wodehouse, a classic of a very peculiar kind.

A humorous novel in which an Earl and his aristocratic family are divided by what is seen as a socially unsuitable marriage.

"Indiscretions of Archie" by P. G. Wodehouse is a humorous novel written in the early 20th century. The story revolves around Archie Moffam, an Englishman who travels to America, falls in love with a hotelier''s daughter named Lucille, and faces the subsequent challenges posed by his disapproving father-in-law, Mr. Brewster. As Archie navigates the complexities of his newfound marriage and the expectations of his wealthy in-laws, readers are treated to a comedic exploration of misunderstandings, social faux pas, and the trials of love. The opening portion of the novel introduces Archie as he grapples with his relationship with Mr. Brewster, who harshly judges Archie for his lack of wealth and fame, as well as for a previous criticism of his hotel. In a humorous exchange, Archie attempts to express his grievances concerning his stay at the Hotel Cosmopolis but only manages to irritate Brewster further. Through witty dialogue and misunderstandings, the reader witnesses the awkward beginning of Archie''s journey as a new son-in-law, setting up the comedic situations that will ensue as he tries to win the approval of his formidable father-in-law while adjusting to life in America. (This is an automatically generated summary.).