The Pothunters is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse. It was Wodehouse's first published novel, and the first of several school stories, this one set at the fictional public school of St Austin's. Pelham Grenville Wodehouse KBE (October 15, 1881 – February 14, 1975) (IPA: ) was an English comic writer who has enjoyed enormous popular success for more than seventy years. ... In political geography and international politics, a country is a political division of a geographical entity, a sovereign territory, most commonly associated with the notions of state or nation and government. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... A comic novel is a work of fiction in which the writer seeks to amuse the reader: sometimes with subtlety and as part of a carefully woven narrative, sometimes above all other considerations. ... A publisher is a person or entity which engages in the act of publishing. ... A & C Black is a British book publishing company. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... ISBN-13 represented as EAN-13 bar code (in this case ISBN 978-3-16-148410-0) The International Standard Book Number, ISBN, is a unique[1] commercial book identifier barcode. ... OCLC Online Computer Library Center was founded in 1967 and originally named the Ohio College Library Center (OCLC). ... A novel (from French nouvelle Italian novella, new) is an extended, generally fictional narrative, typically in prose. ... Pelham Grenville Wodehouse KBE (October 15, 1881 – February 14, 1975) (IPA: ) was an English comic writer who has enjoyed enormous popular success for more than seventy years. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

First edition copies of the book in good condition are highly prized by collectors, and can change hands for over $10,000. see also: The First Edition, a musical group fronted by Kenny Rogers. ...

The story was originally printed as a serial in Public School Magazine, commencing in January 1902, but when the magazine ceased publication in March that year, the remainder of the plot was summarised in the form of a letter from one of the characters. It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles accessible from a disambiguation page. ... Public School Magazine was a magazine for young boys, published in the late 1800s and early 1900s. ... 1902 (MCMII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

Plot summary

The novel follows the lives of several of the schoolboys as they study, take part in their school sports (particularly boxing and running), and enjoy tea in their studies. After the school's sports trophies ('pots' in contemporary slang) are stolen in a burglary, the boys, their masters and the police join in the hunt for the 'pots'. Professional boxing bout featuring Ricardo Domínguez (left, throwing a left uppercut) versus Rafael Ortiz Boxing, also referred to as pugilism is a combat sport in which two participants of similar weight fight each other with their fists in a series of one to three-minute intervals called rounds. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Tea leaves in a Chinese gaiwan. ... A study is a room in a house which is used for paperwork, computer work, or reading. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Trivia

The advance of technology has made part of the story opaque to the modern reader. "On Sunday we jellygraph it," writes Wodehouse without explanation. Jellygraph, a common term for a hectograph, was a method of making a limited number of copies, about 20 to 80. With a jellygraph the master copy was written with a special type of pencil containing the jellygraph pigment. These special pencils are referred to in the story: "How many jelly machine things can you raise?" The master copy - on paper - is placed face down in a pan whose bottom is covered in a special gelatin. It takes a bit of time, but the pigment is transferred to the gelatin as a mirror image. The copies are then made one at a time by placing blank sheets of paper onto the gelatin after the master copy is removed. Although a reasonably simple method, the copy produced had text (and figures) in a pale coloured ink that was hard to read. The hectograph or gelatin duplicator is a printing process which involves transferring from an original sheet prepared with special inks to a gelatin pad. ... The hectograph or gelatin duplicator is a printing process which involves transferring from an original sheet prepared with special inks to a gelatin pad. ...

More stories about St. Austin's school can be found in Tales of St. Austin's (1903). Tales of St. ... 1900 (MCMIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Friday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ...

Wodehouse cites Thucydides in The Pothunters in Latin:

"Consica mens recti, nec si sinit esse dolarem Sed revocare gradum".

External links

• The Russian Wodehouse Society's page, with photos of book covers and list of characters
• Free eBook of The Pothunters at Project Gutenberg
• Used editions at ABE Books