William Tell Told Again

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 book was published on 11 November 1904 by Adam & Charles Black, London, and was dedicated "to Biddy O'Sullivan for a Christmas present".

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] The title of the book comes from its prologue, which is told in verse (by John W. Houghton): THE Swiss, against their Austrian foes, Had ne'er a soul to lead 'em, Till Tell, as you've heard tell, arose And guided them to freedom.

The people of Switzerland send three representatives – Walter Fürst, Werner Staufacher, and Arnold of Melchthal – to Gessler's Hall of Audience to complain about the taxes.

Gessler refuses to change the taxes and uses the threat of boiling oil (demonstrated on the tip of Arnold of Melchtha's finger, for which he is charged a fee) to make the three men leave the Hall.

When Gessler commands the guards to bind him again, Tell grabs the bow and quiver lying on the deck and jumps off the ship onto the rocks.

With the death of the Governor, the Swiss people are no longer afraid and successfully revolt against Austrian rule.

It maintains the basic outline of the traditional legend, but distorts single elements in many parts of the story for their comic value.

The language used in the book imitates the slightly artificial, pompous prose used in stories retold for children, with occasional archaic expressions such as "I' faith!".

From this day they will stalk through the land burning to ashes the slough of oppression which our tyrant Governor has erected in our midst.

An example of this occurs in the story, in a description of Tell: "He had the courage of a lion, the sure-footedness of a wild goat, the agility of a squirrel, and a beautiful beard.

However, Barry Phelps, in his book P. G. Wodehouse: Man and Myth (1992), held a different view of both William Tell Told Again and The Swoop!

: "Both books are early Wodehouse, writing rapidly for cash rather than art, giving them an exuberant, uninhibited freshness.