Three Men

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.

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.

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.

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!