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Palin's Travels
Pole to Pole with Michael Palin
Pole to Pole is the second of Michael Palin's Great Twentieth Century Adventures. Setting out to travel from one end of the earth to the other, Palin and his team, using aircraft only as a last resort, endured extremes of heat and cold, as they crossed 17 countires on trains, trucks, ships, rafts, ski-doos, buses, barges, bicycles and balloons. Lavishly illustrated with photographs by Basil Pao - Michael's friend and fellow-traveller on Around the World in Eighty Days - Pole to Pole is Michael Palin's own record of the pain and pleasure of an exraordinary journey. If you love travel, have a sense of humor, or just enjoy reading about someone else's misfortunes, then this is the book for you.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1992
92 people are currently reading
2610 people want to read
About the author
Michael Palin
136 books1,187 followersSir Michael Edward Palin, KCMG, CBE, FRGS is an English comedian, actor, writer and television presenter best known for being one of the members of the comedy group Monty Python and for his travel documentaries.
Palin wrote most of his material with Terry Jones. Before Monty Python, they had worked on other shows such as The Ken Dodd Show, The Frost Report and Do Not Adjust Your Set. Palin appeared in some of the most famous Python sketches, including "The Dead Parrot", "The Lumberjack Song", "The Spanish Inquisition" and "Spam". Palin continued to work with Jones, co-writing Ripping Yarns. He has also appeared in several films directed by fellow Python Terry Gilliam and made notable appearances in other films such as A Fish Called Wanda, for which he won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. In a 2005 poll to find The Comedian's Comedian, he was voted the 30th favourite by fellow comedians and comedy insiders.
After Python, he began a new career as a travel writer. His journeys have taken him across the world, the North and South Poles, the Sahara desert, the Himalayas and most recently, Eastern Europe. In 2000 Palin became a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to television.
Palin wrote most of his material with Terry Jones. Before Monty Python, they had worked on other shows such as The Ken Dodd Show, The Frost Report and Do Not Adjust Your Set. Palin appeared in some of the most famous Python sketches, including "The Dead Parrot", "The Lumberjack Song", "The Spanish Inquisition" and "Spam". Palin continued to work with Jones, co-writing Ripping Yarns. He has also appeared in several films directed by fellow Python Terry Gilliam and made notable appearances in other films such as A Fish Called Wanda, for which he won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. In a 2005 poll to find The Comedian's Comedian, he was voted the 30th favourite by fellow comedians and comedy insiders.
After Python, he began a new career as a travel writer. His journeys have taken him across the world, the North and South Poles, the Sahara desert, the Himalayas and most recently, Eastern Europe. In 2000 Palin became a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to television.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 171 reviews
November 7, 2019
During his travels,Michael Palin has been just about everywhere.This journey,undertaken in 1991,takes him from one end of the earth to the other.That means braving both extremes of temperature.
I marvel at his ability to voluntarily undertake these journeys,which travelling through so many countries are always unpredictable,and quite often dangerous.
I particularly enjoyed his descriptions of Antarctica,The Arctic and the African bush.His humour is an added bonus.The downside is that it is a long journey and some of the places visited,particularly in remote African locations, are rather cheerless.
As Palin writes,the Soviet Union was about to disintegrate,at just about the time he was there.But he had got out of there,just a few days before the coup attempt against Gorbachev.Had he been there at the time,his account would doubtless,have been very interesting.The photography,in this book is as usual splendid.After reading the book,I was still interested enough to buy the series on DVD,and it was good as well.
I marvel at his ability to voluntarily undertake these journeys,which travelling through so many countries are always unpredictable,and quite often dangerous.
I particularly enjoyed his descriptions of Antarctica,The Arctic and the African bush.His humour is an added bonus.The downside is that it is a long journey and some of the places visited,particularly in remote African locations, are rather cheerless.
As Palin writes,the Soviet Union was about to disintegrate,at just about the time he was there.But he had got out of there,just a few days before the coup attempt against Gorbachev.Had he been there at the time,his account would doubtless,have been very interesting.The photography,in this book is as usual splendid.After reading the book,I was still interested enough to buy the series on DVD,and it was good as well.
January 15, 2023
Re-reading in a gorgeous new Folio Society edition. Fascinating to read 30 years on, the journey taking place in 1991, the year that saw the end of the Soviet Union and apartheid and so much more. Palin is a perfect guide, both comic and thoughtful. Off to watch the TV series again.
November 9, 2019
Done, about a month too late to avoid a fine... Good book, just no time to work in actual eyes-against-text reading.
October 2, 2017
My biggest issue with Palin's around the world in 80 days was how rushed it was, it didn't make for enjoyable reading. In Pole to Pole the journey is epic but due to a longer timeline you can tell Palin has enjoyed himself more...even though he cracks a rib, gets a fever, shoves crushed bark up his nose and suffers from the shits for the bulk of the journey. The book still feels more like a journal than a travel book which is a shame, as some things are only briefly mentioned and Palin's sense of humour only makes an appearance now and then.
I'd give this a higher rating if there was more detail about some of the places. I did find it interesting that this journey took place as USSR was falling apart, Palin was 10 days out of Ukraine when they got independence.
Interesting journey, worth reading just to see that Michael Palin does not shy away from any challenge.
Read as part of the armchair challenge.
I'd give this a higher rating if there was more detail about some of the places. I did find it interesting that this journey took place as USSR was falling apart, Palin was 10 days out of Ukraine when they got independence.
Interesting journey, worth reading just to see that Michael Palin does not shy away from any challenge.
Read as part of the armchair challenge.
March 10, 2020
As road trips go, a four and a half months long journey from North to South Pole through 17 countries (including the Soviet Union, which was to break up shortly after Palin returned home from this 1991 travelling adventure) is surely a rather unique kind of experience. A wealth of impressions, various extremes, a good dose of humour and interesting facts made this a thoroughly entertaining read. (Though a spellcheck for foreign terms and locations might have been beneficial... Uusikau Punki, indeed.)
March 13, 2022
*Applauds*
A great read. If you are like me and are an armchair traveller, this book is for you. Five stars easily earned.
A great read. If you are like me and are an armchair traveller, this book is for you. Five stars easily earned.
May 26, 2020
I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by the author. Entertaining and thought provoking. Really good.
June 9, 2020
What a great book! Considering almost 30 years have passed since Michael Palin has undertaken this journey, it is still a very interesting and refreshing book to read. The world seemed to be a very eventful place in 1991. The disintegration of the Soviet Union, the beginning of the end for Apartheid, the end of a dictatorship in Ethiopia, Palin has seen it all and related all to us.
Interspersed with funny appointments, even his ailments have an entertaining description. I recommend it to all people that enjoy a very good travel book, that shows us a specific moment in time. I wonder how much different some of the places would be if visited now.
Interspersed with funny appointments, even his ailments have an entertaining description. I recommend it to all people that enjoy a very good travel book, that shows us a specific moment in time. I wonder how much different some of the places would be if visited now.
March 26, 2024
big love to michael <3
April 24, 2023
Un ensoñador libro de viajes, que me sorprendió por lo mucho que disfruté leyéndolo.
Suelo tener la idea de que los que escriben literatura de viajes caen en una de dos sopas. O son estos tipos de los que he hablado: más grandes que la vida, glamorosos y legendarios, como Leigh Fermor y Chatwin. O son viejos cascarrabias que pueden salirse con la suya por el pedigrí de ser “Escritores de Viajes”, como Theroux y Bryson.
En este caso, el escritor de viajes es un individuo legendario, ejecutando una travesía maravillosa en la segunda faceta de su carrera. La primera, más conocida en el mundo, involucró entre muchas otras cosas actuar de Poncio Pilatos y hacer reír a los extras de una película hablándoles de una mujer llamada “Incontinencia Nalgas”.
Durante casi cinco meses Michael Palin recorrió de punta a punta el planeta. Casi siempre por la superficie. Cambiando de los hielos eternos al calor insoportable y de regreso. Además de la sorprendente procesión de lugares, gentes y costumbres, el libro se convierte en una crónica invaluable de un momento de cambio. En 1991 y casi por todos los lugares que pasa los coletazos finales de la guerra fría. Con decir que, fuera de los dos nórdicos, el único país del viaje por el que pasan sin que éste estuviera envuelto en profundos cambios es Turquía.
Suelo tener la idea de que los que escriben literatura de viajes caen en una de dos sopas. O son estos tipos de los que he hablado: más grandes que la vida, glamorosos y legendarios, como Leigh Fermor y Chatwin. O son viejos cascarrabias que pueden salirse con la suya por el pedigrí de ser “Escritores de Viajes”, como Theroux y Bryson.
En este caso, el escritor de viajes es un individuo legendario, ejecutando una travesía maravillosa en la segunda faceta de su carrera. La primera, más conocida en el mundo, involucró entre muchas otras cosas actuar de Poncio Pilatos y hacer reír a los extras de una película hablándoles de una mujer llamada “Incontinencia Nalgas”.
Durante casi cinco meses Michael Palin recorrió de punta a punta el planeta. Casi siempre por la superficie. Cambiando de los hielos eternos al calor insoportable y de regreso. Además de la sorprendente procesión de lugares, gentes y costumbres, el libro se convierte en una crónica invaluable de un momento de cambio. En 1991 y casi por todos los lugares que pasa los coletazos finales de la guerra fría. Con decir que, fuera de los dos nórdicos, el único país del viaje por el que pasan sin que éste estuviera envuelto en profundos cambios es Turquía.
May 7, 2015
"Himalaya" was the first T.V. series and book which introduced me to the travel writings of Michael Palin. Since then i have hunted down all the T.V. Shows and books by Palin and i have enjoyed them with great pleasure.
In "Pole to Pole" Michael Palin braves both extremes of temperature as he and his team follows the 30 degree east line of longitude to cross 17 diverse countries in a spectrum of traveling options; from trains, trucks, ships, buses to even a balloon ride. I highly recommend this book for all those who love to read travel adventures.
As usual is the case with other Palin titles the book is lavishly illustrated by superb photographs from his travel companion and friend Basil Pao.
In "Pole to Pole" Michael Palin braves both extremes of temperature as he and his team follows the 30 degree east line of longitude to cross 17 diverse countries in a spectrum of traveling options; from trains, trucks, ships, buses to even a balloon ride. I highly recommend this book for all those who love to read travel adventures.
As usual is the case with other Palin titles the book is lavishly illustrated by superb photographs from his travel companion and friend Basil Pao.
August 11, 2014
Really enjoyed this one. A lot more detail than Around the World in 80 Days. You know what you're getting with the Palin books. It is hardly extreme adventure stuff but great for observational and historical content.
September 12, 2021
Fun book to listen to and always a bonus when the author reads it themselves. What an adventure!
October 12, 2017
No, this book is not about a strip-club dancer forced to work alone a whole evening without a break. It is, literally, an account by the well-known Monty Python alum Michael Palin (not to be confused with his long-lost cousin in Alaska) of his travels from North Pole to South Pole, down through Europe and Africa. He is a travelling man. A companion book to the PBS series. I really enjoy his shows and have enjoyed the books as well. His humor is understated here, and it is pleasant. This is not the hard hitting in-depth reportage of some travel writing, but lighter, come-along-with-me invitation to get a quick glimpse of some of the world, and occasionally an unusual location. I highly recommend the dvds.
December 31, 2014
Delightful as always as we can expect from Mr Palin but the real worth of this book is not only the splendidly incongruous journey but as a record of a world on the cusp of far-reaching changes - their transit through the USSR came only a few days before the abortive August coup against Gorbachov....
November 22, 2024
All in all a perfect example of the type of book that Palin does so well and an enjoyable read in his travel series.
If you've read one of his books then there is nothing new here in terms of style. Really the why of the book is irrelevant, from place A to place B, travelling around place c is important sure but it's not the focus. it's HIS focus cause he needs to get to the designated finish line but his writing doesn't get too bogged down on it. Instead you're treated to a number of short anecdotes of a particular moment, a morning at this or that place, an evening with some locals in a place he's staying. It's a rich tale made all the more spectacular by the events that seemed to be happening round about him as he's doing it. The account is obviously a travel book but there's parts of it that could be considered almost historical. Taking place in 1991 at a time of great upheaval for the world, reading about Palin's thoughts on the Soviet Union literally as it falls to bits, Ethiopia and Sudan as it struggles to rebuild after conflict and South Africa as it moves away from Apartheid, is fascinating. On fear of sounding like an old lad it also is fascinating to read of travel at a time when you weren't connected 24/7 from anywhere in the world with internet access. As he mentions in one of his other books, the world has gotten smaller but certainly in this book there's a feeling of adventure coming through the pages, albeit adventure heavily managed by the BBC.
If you've read one of his books then there is nothing new here in terms of style. Really the why of the book is irrelevant, from place A to place B, travelling around place c is important sure but it's not the focus. it's HIS focus cause he needs to get to the designated finish line but his writing doesn't get too bogged down on it. Instead you're treated to a number of short anecdotes of a particular moment, a morning at this or that place, an evening with some locals in a place he's staying. It's a rich tale made all the more spectacular by the events that seemed to be happening round about him as he's doing it. The account is obviously a travel book but there's parts of it that could be considered almost historical. Taking place in 1991 at a time of great upheaval for the world, reading about Palin's thoughts on the Soviet Union literally as it falls to bits, Ethiopia and Sudan as it struggles to rebuild after conflict and South Africa as it moves away from Apartheid, is fascinating. On fear of sounding like an old lad it also is fascinating to read of travel at a time when you weren't connected 24/7 from anywhere in the world with internet access. As he mentions in one of his other books, the world has gotten smaller but certainly in this book there's a feeling of adventure coming through the pages, albeit adventure heavily managed by the BBC.
July 14, 2019
I remember watching this series on TV. Always loved Monty Python and was delighted that Michael Palin has all these travel shows. Listening to it on audiobook now is a delight. Narrated by the author himself, it feels like an uncle telling you stories of his many exotic travels. Of course, at this point, it's also a historical track since I'm sure many things have changed from 1991. When he was travelling, the Soviet Union is still hanging on to its last breaths. It would be interesting for the youngsters of today to hear how things were in the "old days". One also wonders if traveling the same route nowadays would be easier than before.
January 11, 2024
Michael Palin travels from the arctic to Antarctica and provides a detailed, humorous account of the places and people he comes across along the way. I love travel writing, and thought this was a great read. He balances descriptions of the historical/political backdrops of where he visits with subjective accounts of the people he talks to really well.
November 13, 2017
Book Riot Read Harder Challenge 2017: Read a travel memoir
Very straightforward, and, surprisingly, mostly humorless account of Michael Palin's trip from the North Pole to the South Pole. Honestly, I thought it would be funnier, but I did learn quite a bit about the areas of the world that Palin's team traveled through. The countries located in the Arctic Circle and the countries in Southern Africa were the most interesting.
Very straightforward, and, surprisingly, mostly humorless account of Michael Palin's trip from the North Pole to the South Pole. Honestly, I thought it would be funnier, but I did learn quite a bit about the areas of the world that Palin's team traveled through. The countries located in the Arctic Circle and the countries in Southern Africa were the most interesting.
June 2, 2019
I did not see the TV series back in 1991 so I enjoyed this book - Palin is a very good writer
September 19, 2023
Heerlijk reisverhaal met alle ongemakken die daar bij horen. Natuurlijk al wat ouder en mooi om nog even te worden meegenomen in de wereld van toen.
February 20, 2021
Uma boa forma de viajar nestes tempos confinados que teimam em continuar...
April 19, 2023
A true joy from start to finish
February 25, 2022
I enjoyed this, but it was all terribly rushed. Didn't really get the feel of a place before being rushed off to the next.
Also, it was quite heartbreaking to read a book that commented on the then brand new independence of the Ukraine on the very day the Russian tanks were rolling in to try to take it back. :(
Also, it was quite heartbreaking to read a book that commented on the then brand new independence of the Ukraine on the very day the Russian tanks were rolling in to try to take it back. :(
July 3, 2023
It can be interesting to wonder what the same travelogue might be like if undertaken again. The Great Railway Bazaar and Ghost Train to the Eastern Star is one of the very few examples, but even those trips were 30 years apart. But the book of Pole to Pole feels like a separate, near contemporaneous, telling of the TV journey; it's amazing how much depth there is in this version that doesn't really appear in the series. The trip through Africa in particular comes across far more uncomfortable in this telling, with hotel rooms and train toilets in various degrees of decrepitude. There's scorpions in the rooms and a local waiting on the English traveller called Michael who got her daughter pregnant - all the bits that couldn't really be caught on camera are up front and centre here. It's like watching the journey in 3D.
The journey is more than 30 years old at this stage and one thing that does jump out is the population increase in the meantime. Kigoma in Tanzania - 50k then, 230k now. Dodoma - 45k then, 765k now. Johannesburg - 1.6m then, 5.4m now. Ethiopia - 45m then, 120m now, and it's lost Eritrea in the meantime. It's remarkable how out of control it is.
And in the meantime, of course, Palin is a consummate travel writer. "Egypt offers no gradual assimilation into Africa, no comfortable cultural transition. The strangeness of everything beings at the coast and doesn't let up." Or "Travel, at its best, is a process of continually conquering disbelief, and to be in a Finnish hotel on the Arctic Highway, with a sign outside my window saying 'Murmansk 313 kilometres' and the sound of a plaintive violin accompanying daylight that refuses to disappear is, I feel, after a beer or two, the sort of thing that makes life worth living" - a feeling I've had in random places with a pint too. And a special nod to the subtle "Is this the same city I was in last night?" of the second day of the journey in Tromsø - but the intro notes a two-month break between arrival in the city and returning to leave and continue the rest of the trip, so presumably the city he was actually in the previous night was London or Oslo.
It doesn't quite match the TV series, but it's a great addition to it.
The journey is more than 30 years old at this stage and one thing that does jump out is the population increase in the meantime. Kigoma in Tanzania - 50k then, 230k now. Dodoma - 45k then, 765k now. Johannesburg - 1.6m then, 5.4m now. Ethiopia - 45m then, 120m now, and it's lost Eritrea in the meantime. It's remarkable how out of control it is.
And in the meantime, of course, Palin is a consummate travel writer. "Egypt offers no gradual assimilation into Africa, no comfortable cultural transition. The strangeness of everything beings at the coast and doesn't let up." Or "Travel, at its best, is a process of continually conquering disbelief, and to be in a Finnish hotel on the Arctic Highway, with a sign outside my window saying 'Murmansk 313 kilometres' and the sound of a plaintive violin accompanying daylight that refuses to disappear is, I feel, after a beer or two, the sort of thing that makes life worth living" - a feeling I've had in random places with a pint too. And a special nod to the subtle "Is this the same city I was in last night?" of the second day of the journey in Tromsø - but the intro notes a two-month break between arrival in the city and returning to leave and continue the rest of the trip, so presumably the city he was actually in the previous night was London or Oslo.
It doesn't quite match the TV series, but it's a great addition to it.
May 8, 2024
Just delightful. You feel like you're off on an adventure with him most of the time, such is his optimistic, good-natured spirit and affable manner. This was his first trip after Around the World in 80 Days: Companion to the Pbs Series, and he tells of how constant sarcastic questions and comments from people on the street, taxi drivers etc ("You should try getting around this ring road in 80 days mate!") started to drive him "up the pole". His friend and producer said to him "Speaking of Poles..." and this new challenge was born.
The idea was to stay as close as possible to the 30th Meridian East line, as it covers the greatest amount of land, but of course deviations were constant and necessary. He has all sorts of mishaps and adventures, including skidooing across the perilous snowscapes of Svalbard, cracking a rib in the Zambesi river, fever, food poisoning, witnessing a witch doctor's ritual (and getting a prescription for his fever), Finnish sauna and cold lake plunge, riding on top of a train across Tanzania, panning for gold, balloon safari with people who have hunted with Hemingway, and eventually making it all the way to the bottom of the world. Or the top, "depending on which way you look at it". All these amazing adventures, combined with his unwavering curiosity, friendly politeness and good humour made this for me a book I found hard to put down, despite its glossy hardback weight.
The idea was to stay as close as possible to the 30th Meridian East line, as it covers the greatest amount of land, but of course deviations were constant and necessary. He has all sorts of mishaps and adventures, including skidooing across the perilous snowscapes of Svalbard, cracking a rib in the Zambesi river, fever, food poisoning, witnessing a witch doctor's ritual (and getting a prescription for his fever), Finnish sauna and cold lake plunge, riding on top of a train across Tanzania, panning for gold, balloon safari with people who have hunted with Hemingway, and eventually making it all the way to the bottom of the world. Or the top, "depending on which way you look at it". All these amazing adventures, combined with his unwavering curiosity, friendly politeness and good humour made this for me a book I found hard to put down, despite its glossy hardback weight.
September 24, 2007
I love journey stories. In the post-9/11 world, I find myself retreating to travel stories more and more. I rediscovered Michael Palin's Around the World in 80 Days a few months back, and decided to rent this series (on VHS) as well. It was so good that I went to [http://www.palinstravels.co.uk] and read the companion book of the series. It's free, but it's a grind as there's only a few hundred words on each page. Still, the story is worth telling -- going from the North Pole through Europe, the Soviet Union just before it falls, Istanbul, Cairo, down the length of Africa only to find out the ship they wish to take to Antarctica won't take them, so then flying to South America and catching a flight to a base in Antarctica and then ultimately the South Pole. It's an adventure that I wish I was explorer enough to take, and the book contains so many more details than the video that, if you're a fan, is worth pursuing.
January 4, 2018
Similar to my reaction to Michael Palin's other work, "Around the World in Eighty Days," I found Pole to Pole to be a truly entertaining book, and one I was itching to get back to reading every second it was out of my hands.
There are moments of humor, frustration, bewilderment and also of history- within a few short weeks of having pass through the Soviet Union and stayed in Leningrad, Leningrad was St. Petersburg and the Soviet Union was experiencing the turbulence that would end it.
A highly enjoyable read. I stated that after finishing "Around the World in Eighty Days" that Michael Palin had gotten a new fan in me- this book only cements that.
There are moments of humor, frustration, bewilderment and also of history- within a few short weeks of having pass through the Soviet Union and stayed in Leningrad, Leningrad was St. Petersburg and the Soviet Union was experiencing the turbulence that would end it.
A highly enjoyable read. I stated that after finishing "Around the World in Eighty Days" that Michael Palin had gotten a new fan in me- this book only cements that.
February 16, 2015
A fantastic travelogue I first read over 10 years ago. This time I'm listening to the audiobook - Michael Palin narrates his book beautifully.
November 4, 2013
Michael Palin writes a mean book but tapes a better show. So good I wanted to watch it but sadly not on streaming and will have to wait for disk. :(
Displaying 1 - 30 of 171 reviews