Three Men in a Boat

by Jerome K Jerome

Jeremy Lewis (Notes)

A comic masterpiece that has never been out of print since it was first published in 1889, Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men in a Boat includes an introduction and notes by Jeremy Lewis in Penguin Classics.

Martyrs to hypochondria and general seediness, J. and his friends George and Harris decide that a jaunt up the Thames would suit them to a 'T'. But when they set off, they can hardly predict the troubles that lie ahead with tow-ropes, unreliable weather forecasts and tins of pineapple chunks - not to mention the devastation left in the wake of J.'s small fox-terrier Montmorency. Three Men in a Boat was an instant success when it appeared in 1889, and, with its benign escapism, authorial discursions and wonderful evocation of the late-Victorian 'clerking classes', it hilariously captured the spirit of its age.

In his introduction, Jeremy Lewis examines Jerome K. Jerome's life and times, and the changing world of Victorian England he depicts - from the rise of a new mass-culture of tabloids and bestselling novels to crazes for daytripping and bicycling.

Jerome K. Jerome (1859-1927) was born in Walstall, Staffordshire, and educated at Marylebone Grammar School. He left school at fourteen to become a railway clerk, the first in a long line of jobs that included actor, teacher and journalist. His first book, On Stage and Off, a collection of humorous pieces about the theatre, was published in 1885, and was followed the year after with the more commercially-successful The Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow; but it was with Three Men in a Boat (1889) that Jerome achieved lasting fame. He later went on to become one of the founders of the humorous magazine, The Idler, and continued to write articles and plays.

If you enjoyed Three Men in a Boat, you might like Stella Gibbons's Cold Comfort Farm, also available in Penguin Classics.

• ISBN10: 0141441216
• ISBN13: 9780141441214
• Publish Date: 25 March 2004 (first published 1 January 1889)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
• Imprint: Penguin Classics
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 224
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/isbn/9780141441214

Reviews

[jamiereadthis]

Droll and lovable. It’s free on Gutenberg, so I figured if not now, when? I can see why Connie Willis co-opted not just the discarded half of the title but the whole vibe of these hapless Thames adventurers for her Oxford time travelers in To Say Nothing of The Dog.

[alessio]

La prima volta che lessi Tre uomini in barca fu ai tempi della scuola elementare. All'interno dell'edificio vi era una biblioteca e circa tre volte all'anno le maestre chiedevano a ognuno di noi di scegliere un libro e di leggerlo. Ognuno poteva scegliere ciò che più lo ispirava e io puntavo sempre sui classici: Moby Dick, Ventimila leghe sotto i mari, Piccole Donne eccetera. Poi un giorno mi capitò tra le mani proprio Tre uomini in barca e fu amore a prima lettura. Pur avendolo letto numerose volte da allora la mia opinione a riguardo non è mai cambiata.



Il libro narra delle vicende di J. Harris e George alle prese con un viaggio in barca sul Tamigi. Con questa frase ho descritto la storia dall'inizio alla fine. Non ci sono colpi di scena o finali a sorpresa, il libro è tutto qua. La storia viene poi condita da numerosi aneddoti, ricordi di avventure passate e ricche descrizioni storiche e paesaggistiche (residui della forma originale del libro, il quale era nato come guida turistica piuttosto che come romanzo di narrativa). Alcune descrizioni risultano essere esageratamente prolisse, ma possono essere tranquillamente saltate. Le parti comiche sono ben fatte, mai sopra le righe o volgari, basate principalmente su equivoci e sulle situazioni ridicole-disastrose che si vengono a creare durante il viaggio. E' comunque un libro scritto più di 100 anni fa, quindi è più che comprensibile se questo tipo di umorismo non è di gradimento a molti. Io stesso non sono scoppiato in fragorose risate a ogni pagina, ma a distanza di anni lo rileggo comunque con piacere e sempre col sorriso.

Altre recensioni sul mio blog: https://artedellalettura.blogspot.com/

[MurderByDeath]

As part of my plan to knock off TBR books quicker by checking out audio versions, I started this book just at the tail end of last year, but didn't make enough progress before holidays, so picked it back up this month.  But there were problems:   My first audio, checked out from my local library, was a popular edition with holds, so my check-out expired before I could finish it and I couldn't renew - there are currently still 2 holds on it before mine.   When I went to dig out my paperback copy to finish reading it, I couldn't find it.  I remember showing it to MT because he'd heard mention of the book somewhere, and now neither of us can find it.  Not a happy camper.   Because my library copy has numerous holds, I went to a neighbouring system I have a card with and checked out their audio edition - a different one, but it's narrated by Hugh Laurie, and he can't suck right?  Right.  But when it ended much sooner than I expected it to, I discovered it's abridged.   SO - I'm reviewing it anyway and when I get home there will be a possibly violent rummage through the house and the paperback will be found.  At which point I will figure out what I missed.  It doesn't really matter though, because the book is lovely.  Light, amusing, entertaining and often poetic.  While Hugh Laurie was brilliant, I think I have to give an extra nudge to Frederick Davidson's edition.  He adds a certain ironic gravitas to his reading that makes lightly amusing anecdotes hilarious.   Highly recommended in any form.