Why Annotate

P G Wodehouse published his first book in 1902 and continued writing until his death, in 1975. Throughout his career, his books included topical references -- to popular songs, well-known personalities, occasionally current affairs. At the time, these would usually have been instantly recognisable to his readers. But, in many cases, the songs have ceased to be popular, the personalities are almost forgotten, and the affairs are no longer current. As a result, the modern reader is likely to miss some of the humour.

The modern reader faces two other difficulties.

• Wodehouse's books are full of quotations (often severely mangled for humorous effect) from the Bible (King James version), Shakespeare, and the major English poets (especially Tennyson). Because modern readers are often not familiar with these literary sources, many of these quotations -- and the underlying humour -- may pass unnoticed.
• Wodehouse was raised and educated in England, but spent much of his life in the United States, and he used both countries as settings for his stories. Even today, readers in both countries may be puzzled by some of the cultural references in stories set in the other country. And the problems are multiplied for those not brought up in an English or American culture.

The annotations projects aims to overcome these problems by explaining as many of Wodehouse's references as possible.