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| The Ascent of Rum Doodle | 
 enlarge | Author: W.e. Bowman
Creator: Bill Bryson
Publisher: Pimlico
Category: Book
List Price: £7.99
Buy Used: £1.59
You Save: £6.40 (80%)
New (32) from £3.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  19 reviews
Sales Rank: 17476
Media: Paperback
Edition: New edition
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 160
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.7
ISBN: 071266808X
Dewey Decimal Number: 817
EAN: 9780712668088
ASIN: 071266808X
Publication Date: October 4, 2001
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: Ex-library. Ships from USA. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Shipped daily. Over one million satisfied book lovers read with Experienced Books. Acceptable condition reading copy showing definate wear. All pages plus cover present. EX-LIBRARY with typical library markings, attachments and wear.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 14 more reviews...
 Muddling through in the best tradition of the Empire September 18, 2008
"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 you've never climbed, or thought in your life to climb, an Asian massif, THE ASCENT OF RUM DOODLE is worth a couple of hours of your time. The book's author, W.E. Bowman, an English civil engineer, himself never ascended anything more challenging than the gentle slopes of England's Lake District. RUM DOODLE is, according to Bryson, a parody based on The Ascent Of Nanda Devi by H.W. Tilman (1937).
Rum Doodle is a forty-thousand foot peak in the fictional country of Yogistan. The narrative of the assault on its summit is told in the first person by the British expedition's leader, who's known to the reader only by his walkie-talkie pseudonym, Binder. (The time is presumably the mid-1950's when the volume was first published - no sat phones here.) The six others on the ascent team are: Burley, the commissaryman, Wish, the scientist, Jungle, the route-finder, Shute, the photographer, Constant, the translator, and Prone, the physician. It should come as no surprise that each is either incompetent or otherwise unsuitable for the mission. Binder himself is as about an unheroic and ineffectual as can be imagined; he has no concept of the leadership qualities required for an expedition on which the greatest dangers not posed by the mountain itself are the horrific, panic-inciting concoctions served up by the chief cook, Pong. Indeed, it's Binder's utter cluelessness that is the lynchpin of the story's humor.
I would politely disagree with Bryson that THE ASCENT OF RUM DOODLE "is the funniest book (most people) have never heard of." In my opinion, that honor goes to The Complete McAuslan by George MacDonald Fraser, which is, most assuredly, the most laugh-inspiring book I've ever read. But, THE ASCENT OF RUM DOODLE, at 171 pages, is a quick read in a small package amenable to inclusion in a backpack for the hike down into the Grand Canyon last week. During a longer than expected stop at Indian Gardens on the Bright Angel Trail, it, between the arrival of the mule trains, proved a most amusing, four-star diversion while I awaited someone ascending on foot from Phantom Ranch.
 Very disappointing August 17, 2008
I bought this book based on the number of excellent reviews written and the foreword by Bill Bryson. Having read a number of Bill Bryson books I thought this would keep me entertained. I was exceedingly let down. There are a few good moments but overall the book did not live up to its billing. A significant number of the jokes are writen in different ways but are essentially the same. I was left feeling happy that the book was quite short (<200 pages) which meant I could finish it quickly and move onto something more enjoyable.
 A comedy masterpiece June 18, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
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. It is absolutely hilarious from beginning to end. The way in which the loveable central character, Binder, never lets the catalogue of disasters get him down, and sees beyond the utter incompetence and laziness of his comrades - who are more interested in hypochondria or gastronomy than climbing a mountain - had me crying with laughter throughout. His blind optimism is touching and uplifting; and his eternal praise for the gruff porters - and mortal fear of offending the fearsome chef, Pong - is hilarious.
If you liked Diary of a Nobody or Three Men in a Boat, then you really will not fail with this book.
A classic. If you don't own it, then buy it! December 1, 2007
I very much enjoy humour books and have been reading and collecting them for years. This one is certainly in my top ten. I first read it about 15 or so years ago, after stumbling across it in a bookstore, and remember laughing aloud a lot at some of the wonderfully cosy and subtle humour. In fact, back then I re-read it about four times, and then lent it out to everyone I knew who I thought would like it. I remember my sister finding it hysterical (but then she enjoys subtle humour based on character and found 'Diary of a Nobody' hilarious too).
What prompted me to write this review is that I was surfing through these pages yesterday and came across the entry for the Ascent of Rum Doodle, and looked at the other reviews, and doing that caused me to pop up in the attic and dig out the book and read it again last night. Although it had that 'time gap' quality to it, like watching an old Morecambe & Wise show that you haven't seen for years and so you can't help comparing how you feel now with how you felt when you first encountered it, and although it was so familiar that I could almost recite the jokes in it, I *still* thought it was great. That same cosiness was there, together with that real sense of having stumbled across something very 'different' to the norm - and certainly different to the run-of-the-mill 'comedy' books you usually find churned out.
I won't say much about the storyline, since that's covered already above, but will suggest that everyone give themselves a real treat and buy a copy of The Ascent of Rum Doodle (the Voyage of the Flying Fish - another Bowman book - is pretty good too, but Rum Doodle is the one to curl up with and have a really nice time).
Can't give this book anything but 5 stars!
One of the funniest books you will ever read! February 12, 2007
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
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 my eyes. In his introduction (itself, amusing and informative, as is all his work) Bill Bryson says that The Ascent of Rum Doodle is "one of the funniest books you will ever read". Sure enough, by page 4 I was already crying tears of laughter, which later progressed into choking sobs of hilarity. This book is an absolute joy! Now that I've finished it, I feel at a loss. I might just have to read it again... and again... and again...
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