One of the Funniest Books I've Ever Read

 

Three Men on a Boat (Not to Mention the Dog), by Jerome K. Jerome, is one of the funniest books I've ever read. It's premise is simply--the novel describes a two-week boat trip along the Thames. There's the narrator, two of his friends and a dog named Montmorency. None of the men are particularly competent, though each of them is convinced he knows more than his friends. Written in 1889, the author started out intending to write a serious travel guide, but his sense of humor took over and we end up with an account of slapstick misadventures (such as all three men suffering injuries of some sort while trying to open a tin of pineapples after discovering they forgot to pack a can opener), with the author often digressing into anecdotes about a zillion other subjects--an account of his uncle Podger disastrous attempt to hang a picture on a wall or the tale of enduring living nearby to someone trying to learn to play the bagpipes.

There's a few serious passages, but mostly its one hilarious anecdote after another. Gee whiz, this book is funny.