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Shop nowThree Men in a Boat
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Learn moreIf you’ve never read anything by Jerome K. Jerome, you’d be well advised to heed this warning by the Glasgow Herald: “It would be dangerous to [listen to] this book in any place––say a full railway compartment––where the reader was not at perfect liberty to laugh as loudly and as long as he chose.” The passage of time has not altered that verdict. Here is a perfect picture of those lazy summer days “messing about in boats.”
After his final trip up the river Thames with his three companions––Harris, George, and Montmorency the dog––Jerome K. Jerome sat down to write his proposed book, The Story of the Thames. But before he could tackle the work in the serious manner intended, his humor took over and gave birth to a masterpiece of unquenchable comedy. This is a classic of English humor, justifiably loved around the world.
Jerome K. Jerome (1859–1927), English humorist, novelist, and playwright, was born in Staffordshire and brought up in London. After a series of jobs including clerk, schoolmaster, actor, and journalist, he became joint editor of the Idler in 1892 and launched his own twopenny weekly, To-Day. His magnificently ridiculous Three Men in a Boat (1889) established itself as a humorous classic of the whimsical. His other books include Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow (1886); Three Men on the Bummel (1900); Paul Kelver (1902); the morality play The Passing of the Third Floor Back (1907); and his autobiography, My Life and Times (1926).
Frederick Davidson (1932–2005), also known as David Case, was one of the most prolific readers in the audiobook industry, recording more than eight hundred audiobooks in his lifetime, including over two hundred for Blackstone Audio. Born in London, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and performed for many years in radio plays for the British Broadcasting Company before coming to America in 1976. He received AudioFile’s Golden Voice Award and numerous Earphones Awards and was nominated for a Grammy for his readings.
Reviews
“Wonderfully fresh and funny…Jerome’s writing triumphantly stands the test of time.”
“The book was meant to be a serious travel guide…but Jerome’s rambling anecdotes and humorous take on travelers J., Harris, and George—and J.’s feckless fox terrier, Montmorency—turned it into something far rarer: an honest account of male friendship.”
“The trio of Jerome K. Jerome’s comic 1889 novel are in that honorable tradition. They are indolent, upper-class and rather dim…They have several comic mishaps, including a disastrous encounter with a tin of pineapple, but they also, in some of the book’s loveliest passages, absorb a bit of the history and the beauty of their country.”
“I'd warn against reading this book in public: you may get arrested for breach of the peace. I would be a little stunned if it doesn't become on of your favorites.”
“Perhaps the greatest of all Victorian comic novels.”
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