New P G Wodehouse 'Pick-Me-Up' series in store

Hutchinson/Arrow has renewed the publishing licence of P G Wodehouse for a further 10 years and will be publishing a new "Pick-Me-Up" series of his short stories aimed at the literary gift market.

The deal to extend the licence was done with Peter Straus at Rogers, Coleridge and White on behalf of the Wodehouse Estate. Hutchinson/Arrow have been publishing Wodehouse since 2008.

In recognition that Wodehouse is "a tonic for the soul", Hutchinson will be publishing a series of four pocket-sized paperback "pick-me-ups" – each containing three of the best Wodehouse short stories – for "those moments when you’re in need of a small dose of joy". The new four books will be published in November 2017 as £4.99 paperbacks in Arrow.

This new series follows the publication of Highballs for Breakfast, a collection of passages dedicated to drinking, taken from the best of Wodehouse. The Pick-Me-Up series will be aimed at the literary gift market for both devoted Wodehouse fans and curious new readers.

The titles in the set – The Amazing Hat Mystery, Mulliner’s Buck-U-Uppo, Goodbye to All Cats and The Smile that Wins – are among Wodehouse’s "most absurd", featuring repeating characters Jeeves and Wooster, Ukridge, and Mr Mulliner, the Oldest Member at the Golf Club.