The Prince and Betty

The Prince and Betty is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse. It was originally published in Ainslee's Magazine in the United States in January 1912, and, in a slightly different form, as a serial in Strand Magazine in the United Kingdom between February and April 1912, before being published in book form, in the UK only, by Mills & Boon, London, on 1 May that year. A substantially different version, which incorporated the plot of Psmith, Journalist, was published in the US by W. J. Watt, New York on 14 February 1912, and is the only version now widely available. (This is the version presented here.) The story tells of how unscrupulous millionaire Benjamin Scobell decides to build a casino on the small Mediterranean island of Mervo, dragging in the unwitting heir to the throne to help. Little does he know that his stepdaughter Betty has history with the young man John Maude, and his schemes lead to a rift between the newly-reunited pair. (Introduction from Wikipedia) (6 hr 54 min)

Chapters

Chapter 01, The Cable from Mervo	10:43	Read by Don W. Jenkins
Chapter 02, Mervo and Its Owner	18:50	Read by Don W. Jenkins
Chapter 03, John	12:48	Read by Don W. Jenkins
Chapter 04, Vive le Roi	12:56	Read by Don W. Jenkins
Chapter 05, Mr. Scobell Has Another Idea	13:41	Read by Don W. Jenkins
Chapter 06, Young Adam Cupid	12:09	Read by Don W. Jenkins
Chapter 07, Mr. Scobell Is Frank	13:30	Read by Don W. Jenkins
Chapter 08, An Ultimatum from the Throne	15:20	Read by Don W. Jenkins
Chapter 09, Mervo Changes Its Constitution	17:49	Read by Don W. Jenkins
Chapter 10, Mrs. Oakley	13:25	Read by Don W. Jenkins
Chapter 11, A Letter of Introduction	12:30	Read by Don W. Jenkins
Chapter 12, "Peaceful Moments"	15:09	Read by Don W. Jenkins
Chapter 13, Betty Makes a Friend	12:23	Read by Don W. Jenkins
Chapter 14, A Change of Policy	16:00	Read by Don W. Jenkins
Chapter 15, The Honeyed Word	11:58	Read by Don W. Jenkins
Chapter 16, Two Visitors to the Office	18:00	Read by Don W. Jenkins
Chapter 17, The Man at the Astor	17:40	Read by Don W. Jenkins
Chapter 18, The Highfield	20:43	Read by Don W. Jenkins
Chapter 19, The First Battle	16:16	Read by Don W. Jenkins
Chapter 20, Betty at Large	17:02	Read by Don W. Jenkins
Chapter 21, Changes in the Staff	10:19	Read by Don W. Jenkins
Chapter 22, A Gathering of Cat Specialists	11:16	Read by Don W. Jenkins
Chapter 23, The Retirement of Smith	11:04	Read by Don W. Jenkins
Chapter 24, The Campaign Quickens	13:25	Read by Don W. Jenkins
Chapter 25, Cornered	10:03	Read by Don W. Jenkins
Chapter 26, Journey's End	14:28	Read by Don W. Jenkins
Chapter 27, A Lemon	13:30	Read by Don W. Jenkins
Chapter 28, The Final Attempt	11:43	Read by Don W. Jenkins
Chapter 29, A Representative Gathering	15:33	Read by Don W. Jenkins
Chapter 30, Conclusion	4:06	Read by Don W. Jenkins

Reviews

Very funny, never a dull moment

(5 stars)

Grateful Listener

Reader does a great job, story is crazy, involves royalty, New York gangs, a lovely romance, takes on big city corruption, and loves cats. So funny you will love it!:)

Another great Wodehouse!

(5 stars)

Ancient Aunt

This is yet another great wacky Wodehouse tale, with love, situations, and misunderstandings. But...this one also has a deeper than usual message about socioeconomic disparities and concerns. All handled well and with Wodehouse's trademark humor. This Librivox volunteer reader, Don Jenkins, is one of my favorites and he does a fantastic job of bringing this story to life.

Great story by Wodehouse again!

(5 stars)

Amb6

This was an extremely entertaining story and very well read too! There was never a dull moment. Although it isn’t one of Wodehouse’s funniest tales, I thoroughly enjoyed the little splashes of humor that appeared throughout. Thank you to the wonderful narrator, Don W. Jenkins! I will definitely look for more stories narrated by him.

(5 stars)

bubbles

Delightful story, and well read! Mr. Jenkins did an admirable job with different voices, including some particularly enjoyable 20s NYC gangster accents.

I really loved this story

(5 stars)

mikezane

John never knew much about his father as the subject was forbidden by his uncle. One day, his uncle calls him into the office where they both work, and gives him his inheritance and kicks him out without a backwards glance! Okay, so he's rich, but where does he go now? Imagine his surprise when he is asked to return to the throne vacated by his father, a former prince of Mervo. Enter snarky businessman Scoble who has grand ideas of using this 'prince' as an attraction at his new casino on Mervo, and the prince must have a princess... oh how about his stepdaughter! Wodehouse does a nice job of setting up a wonderful story that takes us through different settings and locations. It is always good for laughs, and always ends well. Don Jenkins is a wonderful reader, he does a great job with character voices and his recordings are always excellent. Thanks Don!