Ascent of Rum Doodle

By W. E. Bowman An outrageously funny spoof about the ascent of a 40,000-and-a-half-foot peak, The Ascent of Rum Doodle has been a cult favourite since its publication in 1956. Led by the reliably under-insightful Binder, a team of seven British men including Dr Prone (constantly ill); Jungle the route finder (constantly lost), Constant the diplomat (constantly arguing) and 3,000 Yogistani porters, set out to conquer the highest peak in the Himalayas. With an introduction by Bill Bryson. Arthur Beale says "The perfect cure for Covid19 induced gloom (or indeed any other gloom), The Ascent of Rum Doodle is a brilliant parody of stiff upper-lip British exploration - particularly the works of the explorer H.W. Tilman. First published in 1956, the book has long been a cult classic for mountaineers despite being out of print for many years, but it has recently quite rightly begun to gain a wider readership - the whole book is completely brilliant, and I have to avoid reading certain parts of it in public because they make me laugh too much. A perfect read for fans of travel or exploration writing."