Editing Jerome K. Jerome (section)

== ''Three Men in a Boat'' and later career ==
[[File:jerome-k-jerome.jpg|thumb|right|Jerome in about 1889]]
Jerome sat down to write ''[[Three Men in a Boat]]'' as soon as the couple returned from their honeymoon. In the novel, his wife was replaced by his longtime friends George Wingrave (George) and [[Carl Hentschel]] (Harris). This allowed him to create comic (and non-sentimental) situations which were nonetheless intertwined with the history of the Thames region. The book, published in 1889, became an instant success and has never been out of print. Its popularity was such that the number of registered Thames boats went up fifty per cent in the year following its publication, and it contributed significantly to the Thames becoming a tourist attraction. In its first twenty years alone, the book sold over a million copies worldwide. It has been adapted into films, [[Three Men in a Boat (TV series)|television]], radio shows, stage plays, and even a musical. Its writing style has influenced many humourists and satirists in England and elsewhere.

With the financial security that the sales of the book provided, Jerome was able to dedicate all of his time to writing. He wrote a number of plays, essays, and novels, but was never able to recapture the success of ''Three Men in a Boat''. In 1892, he was chosen by [[Robert Barr (writer)|Robert Barr]] to edit ''[[The Idler (1892–1911)|The Idler]]'' (over [[Rudyard Kipling]]). The magazine was an illustrated satirical monthly catering to gentlemen (who, following the theme of the publication, appreciated idleness). In 1893, he founded ''To-Day'', but had to withdraw from both publications because of financial difficulties and a [[Defamation|libel]] suit.

Jerome's play ''Biarritz'' had a run of two months at the [[Prince of Wales Theatre]] between April and June 1896.<ref>J. P. Wearing, ''The London Stage 1890–1899: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel'' (Scarecrow Press, 2013),  [https://books.google.com/books?id=nF8pAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA291 p. 291]</ref>

In 1898, a short stay in Germany inspired ''[[Three Men on the Bummel]]'', the sequel to ''Three Men in a Boat'', reintroducing the same characters in the setting of a foreign bicycle tour. The book was nonetheless unable quite to recapture the sheer comic energy and historic rootedness of its celebrated predecessor (lacking as it does the unifying thread that is the river Thames itself) and it has enjoyed only modest success by comparison. However, some of the individual comic [[Vignette (literature)|vignettes]] that make up "Bummel" have been praised as highly as those of "Boat".<ref>Jeremy Nicholas: [http://www.jeromekjerome.com/jerome-in-words/three-men/ Three Men in a Boat and on the Bummel—The story behind Jerome's two comic masterpieces]</ref>

In 1902, he published the novel ''[[Paul Kelver]]'', which is widely regarded as autobiographical. His 1908 play ''The Passing of the Third Floor Back'' introduced a more sombre and religious Jerome. The main character was played by one of the leading actors of the time, [[Johnston Forbes-Robertson]], and the play was a tremendous commercial success. It was twice made into film, [[The Passing of the Third Floor Back (1918 film)|in 1918]] and [[The Passing of the Third Floor Back|in 1935]]. However, the play was condemned by critics; [[Max Beerbohm]] described it as "vilely stupid" and as written by a "tenth-rate writer".<ref>{{cite book | title= Three Men in a Boat, Annotated and Introduced by Cristopher Matthew and Benny Green | last=Jerome | chapter= Introduction| first= Jerome | year= 1982 | publisher= Michael Joseph| isbn=0-907516-08-4}}</ref>