Jeeves in the Offing

Jeeves in the Offing
Company type	Novel
Industry	Literature
Founded	1960
Founder	P. G. Wodehouse
Products	Comic novel

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Jeeves in the Offing, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 29 November 2025

Jeeves in the Offing is a comic novel authored by P. G. Wodehouse, initially released in the United States on 4 April 1960 by Simon & Schuster, Inc., New York, under the title How Right You Are, Jeeves. It was subsequently published in the United Kingdom on 12 August 1960 by Herbert Jenkins, London.

This eighth installment in the Jeeves series centers on Bertie Wooster visiting his Aunt Dahlia at Brinkley Court. The narrative features recurring figures such as Sir Roderick Glossop and Bobbie Wickham, and notably introduces Aubrey Upjohn, the former headmaster of Malvern House Preparatory School, as a significant character.

Plot

Bertie begins by hosting an old school acquaintance, Reginald "Kipper" Herring, before accepting an invitation from Aunt Dahlia to visit Brinkley Court, coinciding with Jeeves’s departure for a holiday. Aunt Dahlia’s spouse, Uncle Tom, is engaged in business negotiations with the American Homer Cream. While Homer and Uncle Tom are away, Homer's wife Adela—an author—and their son Wilbert remain at Brinkley Court. Also present are Bobbie Wickham, Aubrey Upjohn, and Phyllis Mills, who is both Upjohn’s stepdaughter and Aunt Dahlia’s goddaughter. Upjohn intends to pursue local political office following a speech he plans to deliver at Market Snodsbury grammar school, with Phyllis responsible for typing it.

Prior to arriving, Bertie discovers that Kipper anonymously authored a scathing critique of Upjohn’s latest book. Jeeves cautions Bertie that Wilbert Cream has a reputation as a notorious playboy known as "Broadway Willie." Bertie then finds an engagement announcement in The Times falsely stating he is betrothed to Bobbie.

At Brinkley Court, Bertie observes Wilbert reciting poetry to Phyllis; Bobbie explains that the fictitious engagement was orchestrated to coerce her mother into endorsing her preferred suitor, Kipper. Upjohn encourages Phyllis to wed Wilbert, but Aunt Dahlia disapproves of Wilbert’s notorious reputation. With the butler absent, Aunt Dahlia enlists psychiatrist Sir Roderick Glossop to impersonate the new butler “Swordfish” and keep an eye on Wilbert. Bertie attempts to prevent Wilbert from courting Phyllis. Jeeves informs Bertie via letter that Wilbert suffers from kleptomania. Meanwhile, Uncle Tom’s silver cow-creamer mysteriously vanishes.

Kipper arrives at Brinkley Court distressed over the erroneous engagement notice but feels relieved when Bertie clarifies its falsehood. Glossop investigates the missing cow-creamer and forms a rapport with Bertie. After reading Kipper’s indignant letter about the announcement, Bobbie breaks off her engagement with him and announces her intention to marry Bertie. Though reluctant, Bertie feels compelled by his principles and seeks Jeeves’s assistance at Herne Bay; Jeeves returns with him. Later, Bobbie reconciles with Kipper after forgiving his letter; Kipper spitefully becomes engaged to Phyllis.

Aunt Dahlia reveals that Wilbert was not responsible for stealing the cow-creamer—Uncle Tom had sold it to him. Upjohn plans legal action against Kipper’s newspaper for libel because Bobbie inserted defamatory remarks into Kipper’s otherwise accurate review. Bobbie apologizes and makes amends with Kipper. Glossop advises Kipper to redeem himself by saving Upjohn from drowning. After unsuccessful attempts by Bertie and Bobbie to push Upjohn into a lake, Bertie and Phyllis’s dog accidentally fall in; Kipper rescues Bertie while Wilbert saves the dog. Touched by these events, Phyllis becomes engaged to Wilbert, who is revealed not to be the infamous Broadway Willie—that title belongs to his younger brother Wilfred.

Upon learning that Kipper wrote the review, Upjohn refuses to remain under the same roof. Jeeves packs for Upjohn but neglects his speech; after receiving it from Jeeves, Bobbie persuades Upjohn to abandon the libel suit before returning the typescript.

Glossop had seized the cow-creamer suspecting Wilbert of theft; Adela discovers it in Glossop’s room and suspects him instead. To resolve misunderstandings, Glossop discloses his true purpose and claims he retrieved the cow-creamer from Bertie’s room following Jeeves’s advice. Although displeased that the Cream family considers him a kleptomaniac, Bertie values having supported his uncle: "How right you are, Jeeves!"

Style

Wodehouse creates humor by juxtaposing slang with formal diction, frequently occurring when Bertie either recalls or Jeeves quotes literary lines, which Bertie then renders into casual speech. For instance, in chapter 11, they reference Shakespeare's Macbeth and Hamlet:

"[Poppet's] combative stance is straightforward—"
"Sound and fury signifying nothing, sir?"
"Exactly, pure bravado. A few polite words and he'll be grappling you…what's the phrase I've heard you use?"
"Grappling me to his soul with hoops of steel, sir?"
"Within the first two minutes."

Bertie frequently incorporates vocabulary and expressions borrowed from Jeeves, notably Latin phrases, which underscores Jeeves's influence and results in amusing reinterpretations. For example, in chapter 19, Bertie blends the Latin term nolle prosequi with a Biblical allusion while explaining to Bobbie that Balaam's donkey was famous for its obstinacy:

"Jeeves."
"Sir?"
"To settle a wager, wasn't it Balaam's ass that entered the nolle prosequi?"
"Yes, sir."

Normally, Bertie employs words Jeeves introduced earlier within this story or the series. Occasionally, however, Bertie uses terms not previously uttered by Jeeves, such as altruistic in chapter 1: "You are probably unfamiliar with the word, but it's one I've heard Jeeves use. It describes a fellow who provides selfless service."

Wodehouse also makes use of transferred epithets by applying adjectives to nouns instead of adverbs to verbs for stylistic effect—for instance, "He was now smoking a sad cigarette and waiting for the blow to fall." In another example, an adjective modifies the subject to express feeling: "His eyes widened, and an astonished piece of toast fell from his grasp."

Background

The phrase "in the offing," which titles the UK edition, denotes something about to happen.

Initial notes from November 1956 reveal Wodehouse’s original plot involved Aunt Dahlia and Uncle Tom in America, with Aunt Agatha and Lord Worplesdon at Brinkley Court. This early draft featured an American millionaire and the theft of a silver cow-creamer—elements that remained in the final narrative—and Bertie mistakenly engaged to an unidentified woman. Placeholder names suggest Wodehouse mapped out essential plot elements before finalizing character details.

After halting work in December 1956, Wodehouse resumed writing in early 1958. A character list from August 1958 included figures later removed from the final version, such as Uncle Tom’s sister, Judson Coker (from Wodehouse’s 1924 novel Bill the Conqueror), and Edwin the Boy Scout (Florence Craye’s troublesome brother), who was intended to serve as a detective.

A late manuscript reveals Wodehouse refining Bertie’s dialogue for enhanced comedic impact—for example, adding "[his eye rolled in what they call a fine frenzy]" to heighten emotional expression.

Similar to Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit, this novel references actor David Niven—who portrayed Bertie Wooster in the 1936 film Thank You, Jeeves!. Bertie likens suspected playboy Wilbert Cream to Niven.

Publication history

The narrative was initially published under the title How Right You Are, Jeeves across three different periodicals: it ran as a serial from 29 August to 19 September 1959 in the British magazine John Bull, featuring illustrations by Richard O. Rose; it appeared in the February 1960 issue of the American magazine Playboy, with artwork by Bill Charmatz; and was also printed on 23 April 1960 in the Canadian publication Star Weekly, accompanied by illustrations from Gerry Sevier.

Later, as How Right You Are, Jeeves, this story was included in the 1976 anthology Jeeves, Jeeves, Jeeves, which also contained the novels Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves and Jeeves and the Tie That Binds.

Reception

In his review for The New York Times dated 28 June 1960, Charles Poore commended the work as "quick and light, yet abundant in human insight," emphasizing Wodehouse's intricate storytelling and the well-timed reappearance of Jeeves to bring resolution.
J. M. Richardson of the Birmingham Daily Post (16 August 1960) underscored Jeeves’ lasting appeal spanning over forty years and sixty books, describing this latest story as "classic," even though Jeeves is largely absent until his pivotal return.

Conversely, biographer Richard Usborne offered a more critical perspective on Jeeves in the Offing, viewing it as a later piece that reveals signs of decline: "The storylines feel somewhat strained. Certain passages are terse. Numerous images and stylistic touches are distinctly dated."

Adaptations

No episode of the television series Jeeves and Wooster was based on this particular story. However, an unabridged audiobook edition was released by Audible, narrated by Ian Carmichael.

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

The Russian Wodehouse Society's page, featuring a character list