The uncle of the title is a mysterious stranger who arrives at Beckford College and turns out to be younger than his nephew, already a prefect at the school. Thus the scene is set for comic confusion and misunderstanding. But the plot is the least interesting part of this charming early book which turns more impressively on a series of sporting events which Wodehouse describes with the perception and panache of an afficionado. An amusing variation on the traditional school story in which the youthful uncle foreshadows both Psmith and Ukridge.