Sunday, August 23, 2009

Around the World in 80 Days [book]

Around the World in 80 Days
by Michael Palin [910.41 Pal]

In 1988, Monty Python vet Michael Palin, backed by a BBC camera crew, took on the challenge of duplicating the fictional Phileas Fogg's legendary journey around the entire globe -- in 80 days -- 115 years after that literary achievement. Limiting himself to only the methods of transportation that would have been available in the 1860s (many of which were no longer available to him!), Palin was not only filmed for his successful BBC documentary series, but he also kept a detailed journal, which is reproduced here, complete with hundreds of photos. This chaotic travelogue would have been entertaining enough, but when written by one of the Monty Python comedy troupe, you find yourself chuckling several times per page -- he can be alternately urban and witty one moment, and bawdy and unapologetic in the next. Palin has gone on to take numerous other filmed adventures around the globe in more recent years, but this first global trip still stands as one of the best. This book can be enjoyed on its own or read as a companion volume to the DVD set. In this print volume, Palin is able to provide far more details about many of the experiences he has in the documentary than would have been possible in the video format...including background about how he and his camera crew accomplished some of their incredible footage! -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ official Around the World in 80 Days page on the official Michael Palin's Travels web site ]

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