William Tell Told Again

First edition cover

William Tell Told Again is a retelling of the William Tell legend in prose and verse with illustrations. The main prose element was written by P. G. Wodehouse, while Philip Dadd supplied the frontispiece and 15 full-page illustrations, all in colour. The 15 illustrations were each accompanied by a verse written by John W. Houghton, who also wrote the prologue and epilogue in verse.

The book was published on 11 November 1904 by Adam & Charles Black, London, and was dedicated "to Biddy O'Sullivan for a Christmas present".[1] Wodehouse dedicated books to 43 different people;[2] "Biddy O'Sullivan" was the last to be traced. Her identity was not known until 2006, when she was identified as the young daughter of Denis O'Sullivan (1869–1908), an actor and singer who was a friend of Wodehouse in the early 1900s.[3]

  1. ^ McIlvaine (1990), p. 14, A5.
  2. ^ Phelps, Barry (1992). P G Wodehouse: Man and Myth. London: Constable. pp. 88–89. ISBN 0-09-471620-X.
  3. ^ Murphy, Norman (2006). A Wodehouse Handbook, vol 1 - The World of Wodehouse. London: Popgood & Groolley. ISBN 978-0-9554209-1-7.