The Ascent Of Rum Doodle

The story of the attempt to conquer the world's highest mountain, the 40000-and-a-half-foot Rum Doodle. Featuring a navigator who keeps getting lost, a physician who is always sick, and a supporting (often literally) cast of porters who speak in belches. Then there is the food prepared by the dreaded Yogistani Cook, Pong -- who can even make a ghastly mess out of high-quality tinned provisions.

Well, yes, it is a spoof, as though you hadn't guessed. For some reason given the British fondness for comedy novels, WE Bowman's first novel (of two) vanished off the radar for decades, although it was a bit of a cult among climbers who speculated considerably as to the identity of Bowman: given his accurate descriptions of the world of high-altitude climbing, surely 'Bowman' must have been the pseudonym of some famous climber? But it wasn't; Bowman was a Yorkshire-born engineer whose experience was limited to hiking and hill-walking, which experience alone could give a writer some idea of the mindsets involved. The weekend walker attempting, say, Scafell Pike might well find themselves in the company of people who had done much more.

"Rum Doodle" appeared in the 1950s but sends up an earlier era: the adventure narratives of the 1930s. Its cast of characters are resolute and usually way out of their depth. The number 153 occurs a lot - it's explained in Bryson's introduction to this edition and has no arcane meaning. Binder, the narrator, seems fixated upon his team's marital status and makes frequent reference to fiancees - this may have been more significant in the 1950s, as many men married later in life due to having been in the Army overseas. But among all the disasters Binder maintains a positive outlook towards his team and at the end all has been worth it. Among the broad comedy there is a genuine sense of comradeship.