Around the World in 80 Days [Hardcover]

Michael Palin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1991

In the autumn of 1988 Michael Palin set out from the Reform Club to circumnavigate the world, following the route taken by the fictional Phileas Fogg 115 years earlier. He had to make the journey in 80 days - accompanied by a BBC film crew - using only forms of transport that would have been available to Fogg. Their voyage took them from the opulence of the Orient Express to the stench of a Venetian refuse-collecting boat; from the lurching progress of an Egyptian camel called Michael to the heights of a hot-air balloon over Aspen, Colorado. Palin was attacked by a parrot in Hong Kong, given a close shave by an apparently blind Indian barber and accepted into the Brotherhood of Mariners by King Neptune himself - all recorded by the BBC film crew and resulting in a six-part television series on BBC1. This book is the story of, and behind, the making of that television series.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

For a TV series, the BBC dispatched Monty Python comedian Palin to travel the world in 80 days, following in the steps of Phileas Fogg--Jules Verne's hero in the novel Around the World in 80 Days --who made the voyage in 1872. Palin's notes on the journey are collected here in chronological order. Forbidden to use modern transport, he made the trip by means available to his predecessor--train, boat, camel, etc.--and handily crossed the globe in the time allotted, passing through Italy, Greece, Egypt, India, China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan and the U.S. The results in prose are improvisational, amiable, anecdotal and yet curiously flat--Palin's characteristic wit is missing. Photos are mostly conventional tourist shots, though a few color glimpses of Shanghai and other sights are vivid.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Palin, a member of the Monty Python comic troupe, is the most recent voyager to be inspired by Jules Verne's famous novel. His journey (filmed by the BBC), which barred airplane travel and tried to loosely follow Phileas Fogg's route, was much more of a lark than an adventure. It takes a fair amount of planning to circumnavigate the Earth in 80 days, even today: while technology has added greatly to travelers' comforts, political and bureaucratic obstacles may be even worse than in the past, and ocean travel is also more difficult to arrange. Palin writes in diary format, and he maintains his good humor throughout. The book is richly illustrated but needs a better map of the route traveled. Recommended for public libraries.
- Harold M. Otness, Southern Oregon State Coll. Lib., Ashland
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: BBC Pubns (July 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0563362138
• ISBN-13: 978-0563493303
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 7.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,614,819 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Monty Python's Excellent Adventure, August 15, 1998

By 

sashley "sashley" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Around the World in 80 Days: Companion to the Pbs Series (Best of the BBC) (Paperback)

In 1988, Michael Palin (of Monty Python and "A Fish Called Wanda" fame) set out to recreate the voyage described in Jules Verne's "Around the World in 80 Days". The trip was recorded for a BBC series, but Palin's book stands on its own. The book is a journal written aboard the ships, boats, trains and dog sleds Palin used to make his way from London through Europe, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, America, and the Atlantic Ocean, back to London again. The journal is whimsically illustrated in the manner of a family album: with maps, stamps, ticket stubs and lots of photos.

Palin is an excellent tale-teller, and even the delays are good reading. At each port, Palin makes an effort to get to know the place and its inhabitants. The results are always interesting, and often hilarious. My favorite part of the book? Palin's description of the rite of passage he went through upon crossing the International Date Line. He and the other novice sailors donned burlap loin cloths and were forced to pay homage to the god Neptune (really, the ship's electrician). During a particularly extreme portion of the initiation, Palin remarks, "this is worse than being in a Terry Gilliam film". All in all, Palin's "Around the World in 80 Days" was the idea travel book: funny, informative, and in the end, a nail biter! Does Palin make it back to London in time? Do you think I'd actually tell you?!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The trip that started Michael Palin's new career, January 8, 2006

By 

Rennie Petersen (Copenhagen, Denmark) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Around the World in Eighty Days : With Michael Palin (Paperback)

"Around the World in 80 Days" is the book based on the TV travelogue that Michael Palin made for the BBC in 1988. This travelogue was such a success that it started a whole series of TV programs over the following years: "Pole to Pole", "Full Circle", "Hemingway Adventure", "Sahara" and "Himalaya".

The trip was intended to follow the route traveled by Phileas Fogg in Jules Verne's novel from 1872. The self-imposed rule was that airplane travel was not allowed so only trains, buses, ships and cars could be used. This was problematic for Michael Palin because in 1872 there were many passenger ship lines, while in 1988 there were almost none because of air travel. As a result he had to obtain passage on various cargo and container ships that normally don't accept passengers.

All of Michael Palin's travel books (and DVDs) share the same qualities. Mr. Palin's wit and charm and exuberance are evident, and he has a knack of meeting interesting people and getting involved in amusing situations wherever he goes.

This trip is, however, unlike the others in that there is a pre-defined route involving a lot of sea travel, and a "race against the clock" element because the trip must be completed in 80 days. The time limit provides a bit of excitement, especially when Michael Palin passes through Singapore 10 days behind the fictitious Phileas Fogg.

The large amount of sea travel is a negative aspect because it's limited how many interesting things can be done aboard a container ship, for example. In fact, a significant number of the 80 days are spent on board ships, and it gets rather boring.

Still, there are many interesting experiences reported and photographed from the various cities passed through, as well as the countryside. The cultural differences are amazing and Michael Palin reports on it all in a way that makes you feel like you're there with him.

The pictures are beautiful, even though they were not all taken by Basil Pao, who became Michael Palin's regular stills photographer on all of his later trips.

My only criticism is that I would have liked there to be some maps in the book so I could follow the trip more exactly.

The audio version of this book is read by Michael Palin himself, which is a plus. But beware: There are both abridged and unabridged versions of the audio book.

In summary, a great start for what became a great series of travel books and TV programs.

Rennie Petersen

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Proving Jules Verne right, August 13, 2004

By 

Martin Mulcahey - See all my reviews

This review is from: Around the World in 80 Days: Companion to the Pbs Series (Best of the BBC) (Paperback)

Probably the best of Palin's travelogues, or maybe I enjoyed it most because it introduced me to his offbeat travel series? I rate it the best because Palin comes in contact with the most cultures in this one. Proof that Palin's comedy does indeed work all over the world. I would pick this one up before Full circle, Hemingway Adventure, Full Circle, Pole to Pole, and Sahara in that order. But you can not go wrong with any of the books, or videos for that matter.