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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9348 in Books
• Published on: 2001-10-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

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

About the Author
W.E. Bowman (1912-1985) was a civil engineer who spent his free time hill-walking, painting and writing (unpublished) books on the Theory of Relativity. He was married with two children.

Customer Reviews

A little gem
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.

Don't read in public, you will cry of laugter
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.

You will laugh!
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.