''Three in Norway (by Two of Them)'' is a

travelogue Travelogue may refer to: Genres * Travel literature, a record of the experiences of an author travelling * Travel documentary A travel documentary is a documentary film, television program, or online series that describes travel in general or ...

from the 19th century in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

, written by James A. Lees and Walter J. Clutterbuck. Fjågesund and Syme identify it as one of the most frequently reprinted travel accounts for Norway.

Development of the narrative

First published in 1882, the book tells, in an engaging humorous and deadpan style, the adventures of three friends who set out to fish and shoot through one long summer, traveling by canoe and camping along the way through Espedalen to

Jotunheimen Jotunheimen (; "the home of the Jötunn") is a mountainous area of roughly in southern Norway and is part of the long range known as the Scandinavian Mountains. The 29 highest mountains in Norway are all located in the Jotunheimen mountains, in ...

, a mountainous area. This amusing party make light of the rigours of outdoor life in Norway and enjoy every minute of their idyllic tour, with pristine lakes full of large eager trout, which have never seen an artificial fly, heather hills rich with

ptarmigan ''Lagopus'' is a small genus of birds in the grouse subfamily commonly known as ptarmigans (). The genus contains three living species with numerous described subspecies, all living in tundra or cold upland areas. Taxonomy and etymology The ge ...

and

reindeer Reindeer (in North American English, known as caribou if wild and ''reindeer'' if domesticated) are deer in the genus ''Rangifer''. For the last few decades, reindeer were assigned to one species, ''Rangifer tarandus'', with about 10 sub ...

, the characters among the Norwegian country folk they encounter. A typical sentence from the book: "It continued raining in a nice keep-at-it-all-day-if-you-like kind of manner, so we resided in the tent, and read, and indulged in whisky and water for lunch to counteract any ill effects of the reading – for some of it was poetry."

Publication history

There were many editions published in the latter years of the nineteenth century. A 2003 limited edition published by The Flyfisher's Classic Library quickly sold out, and in 2008/9 there was a new Flyfisher's Classic Library edition, as well as a new paperback edition published by Coch-y-Bonddu Books. These editions carry a new introduction by Jon Beer, who retraced the steps of the ''Three in Norway'' over 100 years later. It served as an inspiration for the travelogue '' Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)'', a humorous account by

Jerome K. Jerome Jerome Klapka Jerome (2 May 1859 – 14 June 1927) was an English writer and humourist, best known for the comic travelogue ''Three Men in a Boat'' (1889). Other works include the essay collections '' Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow'' (1886) an ...

of a boating holiday on the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

between

Kingston upon Thames Kingston upon Thames (hyphenated until 1965, colloquially known as Kingston) is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, England. It is situated on the River Thames and southwest of Charing Cross. It is notable ...

and

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, which was published in 1889.

References

External links

''Three in Norway''
at

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

(scanned books original editions illustrated) *
''Three in Norway''
(illustrated epub) {{DEFAULTSORT:Three in Norway (By Two of Them) Travelogues Tourism in Norway