THE ASCENT OF RUM DOODLE

Never a bestseller, as Bill Bryson relates in his introduction, this book is, nevertheless, beloved by mountaineers. The proof of that is seen in Antarctica, where a mountain was named Rum Doodle in 1960, and in Nepal, where a bar by that name greets travelers. Terry Wale reads the story of the ascent of the world's highest peak in the expedition leader's first-person voice with the unaware, overconfident air of an idiot. His straightforward, serious reading makes for a delightful parody of climbers' accounts. This is an excellent tongue-in-cheek reading of a tall tale that once convinced mountaineers that W.E. Bowman was one of their own. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/ MAR 04]