Product Description

Inspired by the swashbuckling travelogues of Victorian diplomat Lord Dufferin, frail surburbanite Tim Moore sets out to prove his physical and spiritual worth before his sceptical Nordic in-laws by retracing Dufferin's epic voyage to Iceland and Spitzbergen. Dufferin's battles with icebergs, polar bears and the deep potations of hospitable Norsemen is a tale of derring-do; Moore's struggle against seasickness, vertigo and over-priced groceries is all too plainly one of derring-don't. As his bid to emulate the Empire tradition of fearless pluck in the face of adversity crumbles before haughty Icelandic skippers, a convoy of Norwegian Vikings and Spitzbergen's Soviet ghost towns, he finds himself transferring his affections to Dufferin's valet Wilson, a man so profoundly gloomy that 'he was seen to smile but once, when told that his colleague, the steward, had been almost thrown overboard'. As Moore says, 'Dufferin seems the personification of Kipling's 'If'. I'm more of a 'But...' man myself.' FROST ON MY MOUSTACHE is the wretched apologia of a big earl's blouse.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #20892 in Books
• Published on: 2000-01-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
The Lord of Frost on my Moustache: The Arctic Exploits of a Lord and Loafer is Victorian diplomat, Marquess Dufferin, who sailed his private yacht to Iceland and the Arctic Circle and back in 1856. The Loafer is Tim Moore, a London journalist who decides to follow in the great man's footsteps. "Dufferin seems the personification of Kipling's If,observes Moore; "I'm more of a 'But...' man myself."

The resulting book brilliantly contrasts the derring-do of Dufferin's heroic gentleman-adventurer exploits (icebergs, polar bears and so on) with the derring-don't of Moore, who gets sea-sick, saddle-sore and twists his ankle. Moore has a great sense for timing a punch-line; this is some of the best comic travel writing since Bill Bryson or maybe even Jerome K. Jerome. For example, he turns suffering seasickness on a boat to Iceland into a laugh-out-loud, gut-pummelling episode. In this reviewer's opinion, Frost on my Moustache is sure to become a comic classic. --Adam Roberts

Review
'There won't be a funnier or more original contender until Tim Moore publishes his next volume ... There hasn't been such a fresh voice among itinerant writers since Redmond O'Hanlon or Bill Bryson got started' SPECTATOR 'Regularly had me laughing out loud' SUNDAY TIMES 'His is a rare comic talent, and his debut a brilliantly sustained piece of travel writing' THE TIMES 'One of the funniest travelogues you will ever read' EXPRESS 'What really makes this book is Moore's superb comic style...the fact that it made me laugh out loud at 8am can only be the highest accolade.' WANDERLUST 'Moore has a way of making the most of his slapstick mishaps, without going over the top, or trying too hard, or falling into any of the million traps that make writing comedy very difficult.' DAILY MAIL 'Read it and weep- with laughter.' TIME OUT [CONTINENTAL DRIFTER] is inevitably going to be compared to Bill Bryson's best which, in a way, is a pity because it's vastly better...Moore delivers humour, history and a hell of a lot more...' ARENA 'Its opening is true comic genius...' GEOGRAPHICAL 'Moore's main achievement is not his ability to produce snorts of laughter from the reader though he can be exceedingly funny- but that by the end of this magnificent book he makes you really feel for the tragi-comic Coryate.' THE TIMES 'Hilarious. Quirky. Off-beat. And that's just his dress sense... Moore establishes himself as a contender for Bill Bryson's crown as king of comic travels.' SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY 'His is a rare comic talent, and his debut a brilliantly sustained piece of travel writing. THE TIMES 'In other hands, this might be a lame tale. But the way Moore tells it, it's hilarious.' GUARDIAN 'A laugh-a-minute, unputdownable book, packed to the rim with self-deprecating remarks which could only have been written by a Brit.' GEOGRAPHICAL 'A hilarious read, observant, sardonic and admirably self-deprecating in just the right proportions.' THE LIST 'Moore's almost infallible comic touch ensures that this anti-travelogue is a delight from cover to cover.' SCOTSMAN 'A hugely entertaining and original travel book.' MAIL ON SUNDAY 'He's funnier than Bill Bryson and more winning than Michael Palin.' INDEPENDENT 'Not only it is well-written, it's damn funny too.' BOOKSELLER 'The Lord of Frost on my Moustache: The Arctic Exploits of a Lord and Loafer is Victorian diplomat, Marquess Dufferin, who sailed his private yacht to Iceland and the Arctic Circle and back in 1856. The Loafer is Tim Moore, a London journalist who decides to follow in the great man's footsteps. "Dufferin seems the personification of Kipling's If,observes Moore; "I'm more of a 'But...' man myself." The resulting book brilliantly contrasts the derring-do of Dufferin's heroic gentleman-adventurer exploits (icebergs, polar bears and so on) with the derring-don't of Moore, who gets sea-sick, saddle-sore and twists his ankle. Moore has a great sense for timing a punch-line; this is some of the best comic travel writing since Bill Bryson or maybe even Jerome K. Jerome. For example, he turns suffering seasickness on a boat to Iceland into a laugh-out-loud, gut-pummelling episode. In this reviewer's opinion, Frost on my Moustache is sure to become a comic classic.' - Adam Roberts, AMAZON.CO.UK REVIEW

EXPRESS
'One of the funniest travelogues you will ever read'

Customer Reviews

They don't come much better than this.
A dangerous book to read in public... you will get some odd looks. This is possibly the funniest book I have read. I can't think of one that has made me laugh more. The idea is very engaging... Tim Moore tries to follow in the footsteps of an eccentric adventurer and in so doing casts himself as the hopelessly inept traveller, who achieves his task more by luck than judgement. He makes himself the target of some extremely funny, humiliating and indeed hairy situations, griping and moaning self-pityingly all the way... and the result is hysterical. He has a great style too: easy to read... sometimes whimsical, sometimes gritty. Always entertaining. A genuine adventure.

Funny, fascinating travelogue
In this and his later book "Continental Drifter", Tim Moore takes an old travelogue and broadly re-traces the journey. The original in this case is a Victorian account of a journey to Iceland, Norway and Spitzbergen (Letter from High Latitudes by Lord Dufferin - well worth a read too).
If you've ever enjoyed a Bill Bryson book you'll love this. He's clever without being a smartarse, funny without losing the book's focus, and researches his subject with real thoroughness, while still eagerly seizing on all cheap laughs wherever they can be found. What's more, unlike any of Bryson's books, he has a well-defined aim which he (mostly) sees right through to the end.
The descriptions of his destinations are wonderfully well-observed, helped by the huge changes of recent history. His reflections on Lord Dufferin himself are colourful and poignant. And the joke from which the title originates is a cracker.

A Fantastic Read!
What can I say? This book is brilliant! If you're looking for a comedy book, then you absolutely must buy this one! It starts off a bit slow, but once Tim Moore gets going, the laughs come thick and fast! A bit more insight:

Tim is looking to emulate the journey of Lord Dufferin, which involves travelling to some foreign countries, most notable Iceland and Norway. What follows is more like an adventure, but Tim puts his own perspective on things to turn into a hiliarious read. From popping one too many seasick tablets, nearly falling to his death and discovering some very strange things that foreigners actually do - it all is very original and a great read, very possibly the funniest book I've ever read!