Something New

The novel that introduced Blandings Castle—the most famous country house in English comedy—and the first appearance of Lord Emsworth, his prize pig, and a cast of characters who would delight readers for decades.

P.G. Wodehouse’s first Blandings novel is a masterpiece of mistaken identity, romantic entanglement, and the timeless struggle between the English aristocracy and the American collector.

Ashe Marson, a struggling writer of detective stories, is bored with his life. He takes a job as a secretary at Blandings Castle, the seat of Lord Emsworth. Joan Valentine, a young woman with a mysterious past, is also at Blandings. They are both there for the same reason: to steal a scarab—an ancient Egyptian artifact—that belongs to Lord Emsworth’s guest, the wealthy American collector J. Preston Peters. The scarab is locked in a safe. The safe is in Lord Emsworth’s library. And the library is guarded by a butler, a secretary, and a cast of eccentric aristocrats who have no idea that two impostors are living among them. Everything goes wrong. Ashe falls in love with Joan. Joan falls in love with Ashe. The scarab is stolen, recovered, and stolen again. And Lord Emsworth, who only wants to be left alone with his prize pig, the Empress of Blandings, is caught in the middle.

This is Wodehouse at his most inventive and hilarious: the novel that launched the Blandings Castle series, which would become one of the great achievements of twentieth-century comic literature.

• First published in 1915 as Something Fresh, later republished as Something New

• The first novel to feature Blandings Castle, Lord Emsworth, and the Empress of Blandings

• Introduces the themes and characters that would appear in eleven subsequent Blandings novels

Available in multiple formats:

• Paperback & Hardcover: Beautifully designed print editions presenting the complete, unabridged text made to last.

• Ebook: DRM-free EPUB compatible with Kindle, Kobo, Apple Books, and all major e-readers.

• Audiobook: Professionally narrated, complete and unabridged, available on all major audiobook platforms.

A beautifully crafted edition for your shelf, your device, or your ears, or the perfect gift for anyone who knows that the best comedy is the kind that feels brand new, every time.

About the Author

P.G. Wodehouse (1881–1975) was an English author and one of the most celebrated comic writers of the twentieth century. Born in Guildford, Surrey, he was educated at Dulwich College and worked briefly in a bank before becoming a full-time writer. He wrote more than ninety books, including the Jeeves and Wooster series, the Blandings Castle series, and numerous short stories, plays, and musicals. Something New was his first Blandings novel, written when he was in his early thirties. The novel was originally serialized in The Saturday Evening Post before being published in book form. Wodehouse would return to Blandings Castle again and again, writing eleven novels and several short stories set in the fictional Shropshire estate. Wodehouse moved to the United States in the 1930s and became an American citizen. He was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for Humor and was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire shortly before his death. He is buried in Remsenburg, New York.