As the title indicates, this volume is three books in one. "The Inimitable Jeeves" is a collection of episodes, chronologically arranged, each episode taking about 1-3 chapters. In "Very Good, Jeeves!" the episodes are shorter, about a chapter each. "Right Ho, Jeeves" is one long story.
Each episode follows the dependable formula of Bertie Wooster falling -- or being pushed -- into trouble and climbing out with advice or more direct help from Jeeves. Wooster's troubles are seldom simple; they usually involve many layers of complication and seem hopeless, while the Jeevesian solutions elegantly peel away the difficulties and make things right. Wodehouse's characters (all, not just these two) are wonderfully drawn, and the hilarity is frequent and intense.
"Right Ho, Jeeves," however, is different. The solutions are less elegant, Wooster and Jeeves seem a bit mean-spirited and the language and plotting seem forced. I strongly recommend you read the first two books, chapters in the second of which can easily be taken out of order if desired, and ignore the third. "The Inimitable Jeeves" and "Very Good, Jeeves!" are so wonderful and occasioned so many episodes of embarrassing public laughter or suppression of same that I have had to give the book top marks anyway.
By the way, as I'm not sure what effect my having seen the PBS "Jeeves and Wooster" productions had on my reading of the books, if you haven't seen these you might want to rent a tape before or during your first exposure to the stories in print. The stories can certainly stand alone, but as the settings are so bygone-days and Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry are so perfect in their roles, the video experience could make the imagery even more effective. Wooster's verbal shuffling and conversational mode are unusual outside England of the '20s and '30s, so a cold reading might be a little difficult to "hear" correctly; an hour with a video could make it all go down more easily. And ease of reception, after all, is necessary for humor to do its best.
