Three Men

A spectacular reading of this classic comedy by Hugh Laurie. Join the accident-prone fellows and their unruly dog as they embark on a supposedly relaxing boating holiday down the River Thames. “Three Men in a Boat” is one of the most amusing and durable books in the English language. Semi-autobiographical, it recounts the adventures and mishaps of George, Harris, J. (the author) and his remarkable dog Montmorency during a boat trip along the River Thames in England from London to Oxford. Jerome K. Jerome originally intended the book to be a guide to the Thames Valley but his publisher thought it so entertaining it was published as a comic novel and has endured as a classic of the genre ever since. Wonderfully light and surprisingly modern in tone, the sense of fun is irrepressible, the enjoyment unstoppable.

Humor and overall literary style have changed a lot in the 132 years since this book was published in 1889. However, the information remains informative, primarily because there is a certain amount of truthfulness about it that manages to disregard the passage of time. It takes in some unusual events that either did happen, or could have. It involves three men and a dog that is sometimes smarter than any of them. Between them, they come up with some depth of thought and at least a minor ability to understand human nature. No real claim is made that the story teaches any particular lessons, good, bad, or indifferent, and veracity occasionally strays in unexpected directions. Of course, that's to be expected when you realize the foursome, which naturally includes the dog, have no more, maybe less, poetic values than the rest of us. How you might have reacted in some of their occasional zany escapades is up to you to decide. In any case, we invite you to hear about what at least part of England was like almost a century and a half ago.

Three men and a dog in a boat on one of the prettiest waterways in the world-the Thames-in summer. Idyllic, wouldn't you say? Perhaps, if George hadn't insisted on camping, and if someone had remembered the can-opener, and if, well, maybe not idyllic, but certainly hilarious, as you'll discover when you take the trip yourself with three men and their dog.

If 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.

Three friends, one dog, one boat, one river. What could go wrong? Plenty. Even when the sailing is smooth, the stories never stop in Jerome K. Jerome's comic novel. Plaster fishes, dead water rats, near death escapes and many, many jocose anecdotes create a colorful narrative of holiday life on the river. For, once three hypochondriacs self-diagnose themselves as "clearly overworked", the rest practically writes itself!

A "bummel" is a journey without end. Whether we want to or not, most of us have to settle with a return to our regular exertions. So do these heroes of “Three Men in a Boat”, only on this occasion, a cycling trip through the Black Forest, it seems they may cycle on forever, such are their problems. Whether it's George attempting to buy a cushion for his aunt or Harris's harrowing experience with a road-waterer, not to mention the routine problems with language and directions, things get very confused indeed.

"A 'Bummel,'" I explained, "I should describe as a journey, long or short, without end." However wonderful this may sound, it is often necessary to arrive back at the starting point. And, for the three fearless friends whose earlier adventures were told in Three Men in a Boat, this poses a troublesome problem. George, Harris, and J. decide to take a cycling trip through the Black Forest-to be accomplished on a tandem plus one. Whether it is Harris' harrowing experience with a Hanoverian road-waterer or George's valiant attempt to buy a cushion for his aunt, their experiences are hilarious——and they may even offer some important lessons to all who may be contemplating a cycling trip in the US.