Three Men in a Boat

Originally intended as a serious travel guide, then streamlined into an amusing account of a farcical boating excursion on the Thames river, Three Men in a Boat is Jerome K. Jerome's controversially "vulgar" take on English history and recreation. A mix of social satire and Victorian wit, this book of ramblings broaches a variety of unlikely subjects, including leisure, nostalgia, and friendship. Despite telling a story where everything goes wrong, this funny travelogue offers a vivid portrait of Victorian England the reader will not soon forget.