Welcome to the latest in our series of audio adventures, Tales for Our Time, and Part Three of my serialisation of Three Men on the Bummel by Jerome K Jerome. We're always happy to hear from Mark Steyn Club members who enjoy our thrilling serials. After last night, Fran, a First Weekend Founding Member, is one happy listener:
This episode had me rolling off the chair. The guy loses his wife and the fellow he met didn't seem surprised or sorry. The husband couldn't remember what his wife was wearing. This is too great.
Don't do any chair-rolling off high barstools, Fran. For Kelton, a Michigan Steyn Clubber, the launch of this new Tale is perfect timing:
Fancy that! Yesterday I finished listening to Three Men in a Boat for the first time. I was disappointed that I had reached the end of that novel, only for that feeling to be dashed once I noticed the current tale. I joined the club in part for commenting privileges, however I have stayed for Tales for Our Time.
In tonight's episode, ahead of their bicycling trip through the Black Forest, Harris is concerned about the state of his comrades' bicycle:
"Is the thing all right?" he asked.
"The tandem," I replied, "is well."
He said: "Have you overhauled it?"
I said: "I have not, nor is anyone else going to overhaul it. The thing is now in working order, and it is going to remain in working order till we start."
But, as we learn, the bicycling world divides into those who enjoy riding their machines and those who enjoy "overhauling" them. Members of The Mark Steyn Club can hear Part Three of our adventure simply by clicking here and logging-in. Parts One and Two can be found here.
If you've only joined the Steyn Club in recent days and missed our earlier serials (Conan Doyle's The Tragedy of the Korosko, Joseph Conrad's The Secret Agent, Baroness Orczy's The Scarlet Pimpernel, Anthony Hope's The Prisoner of Zenda, plus Kipling, Kafka, Dickens, Gogol, Jane Austen, Jack London, Scott Fitzgerald, P G Wodehouse and more), you can find them all on our easy-to-access Netflix-style Tales for Our Time home page.
If you have friends who might appreciate Tales for Our Time, we have a special Steyn Club Gift Membership that lets them in on that and all the other fun in The Mark Steyn Club. The Club is now approaching its ninth year, and helps support all our content - whether in print, audio or video - and keep it out there in the world for everyone. In return, membership confers, aside from Tales for Our Time, a few other benefits:
~Exclusive Steyn Store member pricing on over 40 books, mugs, T-shirts, and other products;
~The opportunity to engage in live Clubland Q&A sessions with yours truly, such as this Wednesday's;
~Transcript and audio versions of Mark's Mailbox, SteynPosts, and our other video content;
~My video series of classic poetry;
~Priority booking for the upcoming sixth Mark Steyn Club Cruise: we'll be sailing aboard the beautiful Queen Mary 2 from Quebec City to New York via the spectacular Saguenay Fjord;
~Advance booking for my live appearances around the world, assuming I'm ever again well enough to make any;
~Customized email alerts for new content in your areas of interest;
~and the opportunity to support our print, audio and video ventures as they wing their way around the planet.
To become a member of The Mark Steyn Club, please click here - and, for a friend or family member, don't forget that Gift Membership. And please join me tomorrow for Part Four of Three Men on the Bummel.