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The Ascent of Rum Doodle
 
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The Ascent of Rum Doodle (Paperback)

by W.E. Bowman (Author), Bill Bryson (Introduction)
4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
RRP: £8.99
Price: £6.99 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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The Ascent of Rum Doodle + Three Men in a Boat: to Say Nothing of the Dog (Penguin Popular Classics) + Diary of a Nobody (Wordsworth Classics)
Price For All Three: £10.98

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Product details

  • Paperback: 160 pages
  • Publisher: Pimlico; New edition edition (4 Oct 2001)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 071266808X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0712668088
  • Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 13 x 1.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 12,578 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #65 in  Books > Humour > Fiction

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Product Description

Review
'Wonderful...Rum Doodle does for mountaineering what Three Men in a Boat did for Thames-going or Catch-22 did for the Second World War. It is simply an account of the leader of an expedition up Rum Doodle, a 40,000 and a half foot peak in the Himalayas, in the same way that Scoop is simply a tale about newsgathering in Africa. The tone is nearer to Pooter than anyone else I can think of, but the flavour is all W.E. Bowman's own.' Sunday Times

Product Description
First published in 1956, The Ascent of Rum Doodle quickly became established as a mountaineering classic. As an outrageously funny spoof about the ascent of a 40,000-and-a-half-foot peak, many thought it inspired by the 1953 conquest of Everest. But Bowman had drawn on the flavour and tone of earlier adventures, of Bill Tilman and his 1937 account of the Nandi Devi expedition. The book's central and unforgettable character, Binder, is one of the finest creations in comic literature.

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Customer Reviews

18 Reviews
5 star:
 (13)
4 star:
 (3)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (2)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (18 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A little gem, 17 Aug 2004
By A Customer
I was a little wary when this book was recommended to me, but it is undoubtedly one of the funniest books I have ever read. Even the jokes which seem a little too obvious at first (such as the team's navigator becoming lost en route to the planning meeting) are really just plants for an ongoing series of gentle running gags which are developed wonderfully. The writing is superb and I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a dry sense of humour. There are so many little comments and observations that the book is as funny if not funnier every time you read it. Excellent.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Don't read in public, you will cry of laugter, 23 Nov 2001
By A Customer
I bought this book in an attempt to cheer myself up amist a depressing work load.

After a good introduction I went over the first chapters stepping carefully and curiously observing whether this was what the cover promised.

The books grows on you because it not a simple attempt to assemble a host of funny jokes. But better, it is the brilliantly crafted caracters that you get to know that will crack you up. These characters are revealed bit by bit through every tongue-in-cheek incident that takes place in the course of their (parody of an) expedition.

I tried to read this in the tube only to find that my laughter became a scene. So I went and retreated to Hampstead Heath to get the peace to read it.

Truly uplifting and funny.

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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars You will laugh!, 29 Oct 2001
By A Customer
I'm not a climber, but I do enjoy humour - the drier the better - and I love this book. I first read it 15 years ago and have just re-bought it for myself as an early Christmas present. It's a very gentle, deadpan tale of disaster that I've regularly found myself re-reading over the years. Treat yourself to a laugh. You won't be disappointed.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Muddling through in the best tradition of the Empire

"For most people, it appears, RUM DOODLE is the funniest book they have never heard of." - Bill Bryson, in the Introduction to THE ASCENT OF RUM DOODLE

Even if... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Joseph Haschka

2.0 out of 5 stars Very disappointing
I bought this book based on the number of excellent reviews written and the foreword by Bill Bryson. Read more
Published 10 months ago by I. R. Manton

5.0 out of 5 stars A comedy masterpiece
I stumbled upon this book in an old second-hand bookshop, though why the previous owner chose to part with it is a mystery to me. Read more
Published 12 months ago by giveitsomestick

5.0 out of 5 stars A classic. If you don't own it, then buy it!
I very much enjoy humour books and have been reading and collecting them for years. This one is certainly in my top ten. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Donald

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the funniest books you will ever read!
I have just finished reading this book. It's taken me about four hours, although it probably would've taken less time if I hadn't had to keep stopping to catch my breath and wipe... Read more
Published on 12 Feb 2007 by M. Hare

5.0 out of 5 stars quirky and very funny - an unexpected classic
This is just a very funny book, and, rather like 'The Diary of a Nobody', unique in its field. It deserves to be considered a classic. Read more
Published on 29 Dec 2006 by Mr. Ian A. Macfarlane

4.0 out of 5 stars A hidden gem!
In my humble opinion, no funnier book than "Three Men in a Boat" has ever been written, but for anyone who appreciates that kind of humour this is a pretty close second (hence... Read more
Published on 14 Oct 2004 by John Nevill

5.0 out of 5 stars 153 stars of hilarity.
Like another reviewer here has written, for the first few chapters you're not quite sure where this is going, but by the end you have to immediately start it again. Read more
Published on 18 Mar 2004 by Jon Ryan

5.0 out of 5 stars The funniest book on the planet
This is without question the funniest book I have read for a very long time. So much so that it had me laughing out loud and disgustingly in very public places. Read more
Published on 21 Mar 2003 by David Simpson

5.0 out of 5 stars Hysterically funny in a very, very gentle way
You never know with humour, and for the first half of this book I wasn't at all sure I was going to like it. Was it funny at all? I couldn't make up my mind. Read more
Published on 22 Jan 2003 by T. D. Welsh

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