Jerome K. Jerome

He was born in Walsall in 1859, the youngest of four children. He left school at 14 and worked as a journalist, actor, teacher, and salesman. In 1885, he published his first book, *In and Out of the Stage*, which was followed by numerous books, plays, and articles in magazines and newspapers. In 1892, along with some friends, he founded a monthly illustrated magazine that gained a reputation for being humorous and entertaining. When the magazine went bankrupt, Jerome turned to the theatre and became known as a playwright. He loved nature, boats, and rivers. He was a relaxed, courteous man and a tireless promoter of new ideas and experiences. He travelled throughout Europe, was a pioneer of skiing in the Alps, and visited Russia and America several times. He was a prolific writer, and his work is vast and translated into several languages. However, Jerome himself said: 'It is as the author of Three Men in a Boat that the public persists in remembering me.' The three men are inspired by himself (Jerome K. Jerome) and two real-life friends, George Wingrave (who would become a senior manager at Barclays Bank) and Carl Hentschel (founder of a printing company, the Harris of the book), with whom Jerome took several boat trips. He died in 1927, a year after writing his autobiography My Life and My Times and being decorated by the authorities of his homeland.