Frost On My Moustache: The Arctic Exploits of a Lord and a Loafer

Description

Inspired by the swashbuckling travelogues of Victorian diplomat Lord Dufferin, frail surburbanite Tim Moore sets out to prove his physical and spiritual worth before his sceptical Nordic in-laws by retracing Dufferin's epic voyage to Iceland and Spitzbergen. Dufferin's battles with icebergs, polar bears and the deep potations of hospitable Norsemen is a tale of derring-do; Moore's struggle against seasickness, vertigo and over-priced groceries is all too plainly one of derring-don't. As his bid to emulate the Empire tradition of fearless pluck in the face of adversity crumbles before haughty Icelandic skippers, a convoy of Norwegian Vikings and Spitzbergen's Soviet ghost towns, he finds himself transferring his affections to Dufferin's valet Wilson, a man so profoundly gloomy that "he was seen to smile but once, when told that his colleague, the steward, had been almost thrown overboard". As Moore says, "Dufferin seems the personification of Kipling's ""If"". I'm more of a ""But..."" man myself." The volume is the wretched apologia of a big earl's blouse.

Failed dandy Tim Moore lives in West London with his wife and slightly too many children. His writing has appeared in several publications including the SUNDAY TIMES, the INDEPENDENT, the OBSERVER, ESQUIRE and the EVENING STANDARD.

'There won't be a funnier or more original contender until Tim Moore publishes his next volume ... There hasn't been such a fresh voice among itinerant writers since Redmond O'Hanlon or Bill Bryson got started' SPECTATOR 'Regularly had me laughing out loud' SUNDAY TIMES 'His is a rare comic talent, and his debut a brilliantly sustained piece of travel writing' THE TIMES 'One of the funniest travelogues you will ever read' EXPRESS 'What really makes this book is Moore's superb comic style...the fact that it made me laugh out loud at 8am can only be the highest accolade.' WANDERLUST 'Moore has a way of making the most of his slapstick mishaps, without going over the top, or trying too hard, or falling into any of the million traps that make writing comedy very difficult.' DAILY MAIL 'Read it and weep- with laughter.' TIME OUT [CONTINENTAL DRIFTER] is inevitably going to be compared to Bill Bryson's best which, in a way, is a pity because it's vastly better...Moore delivers humour, history and a hell of a lot more...' ARENA 'Its opening is true comic genius...' GEOGRAPHICAL 'Moore's main achievement is not his ability to produce snorts of laughter from the reader though he can be exceedingly funny- but that by the end of this magnificent book he makes you really feel for the tragi-comic Coryate.' THE TIMES 'Hilarious. Quirky. Off-beat. And that's just his dress sense... Moore establishes himself as a contender for Bill Bryson's crown as king of comic travels.' SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY 'His is a rare comic talent, and his debut a brilliantly sustained piece of travel writing. THE TIMES 'In other hands, this might be a lame tale. But the way Moore tells it, it's hilarious.' GUARDIAN 'A laugh-a-minute, unputdownable book, packed to the rim with self-deprecating remarks which could only have been written by a Brit.' GEOGRAPHICAL 'A hilarious read, observant, sardonic and admirably self-deprecating in just the right proportions.' THE LIST 'Moore's almost infallible comic touch ensures that this anti-travelogue is a delight from cover to cover.' SCOTSMAN 'A hugely entertaining and original travel book.' MAIL ON SUNDAY 'He's funnier than Bill Bryson and more winning than Michael Palin.' INDEPENDENT 'Not only it is well-written, it's damn funny too.' BOOKSELLER 'The Lord of Frost on my Moustache: The Arctic Exploits of a Lord and Loafer is Victorian diplomat, Marquess Dufferin, who sailed his private yacht to Iceland and the Arctic Circle and back in 1856. The Loafer is Tim Moore, a London journalist who decides to follow in the great man's footsteps. "Dufferin seems the personification of Kipling's If,observes Moore; "I'm more of a 'But...' man myself." The resulting book brilliantly contrasts the derring-do of Dufferin's heroic gentleman-adventurer exploits (icebergs, polar bears and so on) with the derring-don't of Moore, who gets sea-sick, saddle-sore and twists his ankle. Moore has a great sense for timing a punch-line; this is some of the best comic travel writing since Bill Bryson or maybe even Jerome K. Jerome. For example, he turns suffering seasickness on a boat to Iceland into a laugh-out-loud, gut-pummelling episode. In this reviewer's opinion, Frost on my Moustache is sure to become a comic classic.' - Adam Roberts, AMAZON.CO.UK REVIEW