Special Sub-Topic: Three Men in a Boat Click Here To Play: Three Men in a Boat

Jerome K. Jerome's two companions were George and Harris. What was Harris's full name?

William Samuel Harris. Harris's full name is revealed when he and George are introduced in the very first sentence of the book. He is actually based on a friend of Jerome's named Carl Hentschel. Klapka was Jerome K. Jerome's middle name.

What was the name of the dog that accompanied the three friends on their journey up the River Thames?

Montmorency. Montmorency was a fox terrier. Unlike George and Harris, the dog was entirely fictional, however Jerome remarked that he "had much of me in it".

Jerome went to the British Library to read up on a medical condition. After consulting a medical encyclopedia, which was the only illness that he was sure that he definitely did NOT have?

Housemaid's knee. Jerome felt slightly bemused that he did not have Housemaid's knee, as he was convinced he had everything else. Cholera he had "with severe complications", but Bright's disease he "only had in a modified form". He had originally gone to to the British Library to read up about Hayfever.

Uncle Podger attempted to undertake which task himself, with disastrous consequences?

Hang a picture on the wall. Uncle Podgers DIY disaster is described at length in Chapter 3. Uncle Podger is mentioned again in Chapter 7, where Jerome tells the overzealous churchyard worker that Uncle Podger has a splendid tomb in Kensal Green Cemetery.

What pungent items did Jerome agree to transport back from Liverpool for one of his friends?

Two ripe cheeses. He took the reeking cheeses back by train, which although it was crowded, he was unsurprisingly able to get a compartment all to himself. When his friend Tom eventually returned from Liverpool, the cheeses were too ripe to eat, so he tried several ways of getting rid of them - he threw them into the canal but had to fish them out after the bargemen complained, and he left them in the mortuary, but the coroner thought he was trying to wake the dead. He eventually got rid of them by burying them on the beach. Visitors remarked how strong the air was for years afterwards.

In which famous English tourist attraction did Harris get lost?

Hampton Court Maze. Harris believed he had an accurate map of the maze, and all one had to do was keep taking the first turning on the right.

Whose attempts to sing a comic song descend into a farce?

Harris. Jerome, George and Harris are discussing what should be done to proprietors who close Thames backwaters. Harris would like slay their entire families, then burn down their houses, and sing comic songs on the ruins. Jerome considers that this is a bit extreme, so Harris agrees not to sing comic songs. George's father is mentioned when he gets into the wrong bed in a country inn.

Jerome commences the packing whilst George and Harris look on. After he has finished packing, he is concerned that he has forgotten to pack which item?

His toothbrush. After Jerome had eventually packed the clothes, Harris and George attempt to pack the food and cooking implements. The packing is eventually completed at 12:50.

What type of tinned fruit did Jerome, George and Harris unsuccessfully attempt to open?

Pineapple chunks. They forgot the tin opener, so try a number of ways to open the tin. Jerome attempts to pierce it using the pitcher, but simply injures George instead. They then hammer it into all sorts of shapes, until in their anger they throw the unopened tin into the river, and row away at speed.

Who actually caught the fine Trout displayed in the public house?

No one - it was not a real fish. Several pub regulars, including Billy Maunders, Joe Muggles, Mr Jones, and the pub landlord himself all told some fishy sounding tales on how they claimed to have caught the fish. However, when George stood on a chair to get a better view, he fell, bringing the fish down and smashing it - it was Plaster of Paris.