Sahara

(Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Fifty years after he was given his first book, Tales from the Arabian Nights, consummate traveler and Monty Python founding member Palin trekked to Francophone Africa, believing that the Sahara embodies "the thin line between survival and destruction, the power to take life or to transform it." Fortunately for his readers, the Sahara seems to have transformed Palin (Around the World in 80 Days, Full Circle). This tie-in to the Bravo series airing in April consists of Palin's journal entries, full of his trademark self-deprecating humor (writing about the far-removed city of Djenne, which a British tour group nonetheless infiltrated, Palin confesses that "I know I shouldn't feel this way, but when I'm asked if I've ever been to Stoke-on-Trent all my romantic illusions of desert travel begin to wilt"). But Palin is also a piquant political observer (he notes that African women may be "by nature more direct, more open, more honest and considerably less submissive than their menfolk expect them to be"), and the Sahara's exoticism frequently inspires him to craft beautiful descriptions (the bizarre "battleship-grey" baobab trees "look like some prehistorical arboreal throwback, gnarled and twisted like old prize-fighters"). Readers looking for engaging, detailed insight to the Sahara will hit paydirt here, although newcomers to Palin's work may find themselves dismayed by his ubiquitous appearance in the photographs that dot nearly every page of this book. 175 color and b&w photos.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

What can I say except WOW! Sales are just wonderful and Michael is in the middle of his November/December two-week tour. His fans are still coming out tothe signings in their droves and buying lots of copies, ensuring that SAHARAhasn't dropped off it's number one slot in THE SUNDAY TIMES - everything looks set for it staying there till Christmas. I hope you all got a chance to see the wonderful one hour film which Michael and David Attenborough put together celebrating David's 50 years in television called LIFE ON AIR which was shown on Sunday December 1st on BBC 1. Just to remind you of all the coverage we've received: * DAILY TELEGRAPH serial and interview* My London in ES MAGAZINE* PARKINSON on BBC 1 Saturday 28th September.* RADIO TIMES - front cover and huge illustrated feature to run week of the 13th October.* SUNDAY TIMES, TRAVEL SECTION - has written a travel front of 2,500 words about his train journeys in the Sahara. Ran 13th October* DAILY MIRROR, LOOK MAGAZINE - interviewran 5th October* INDEPENDENT, DEBORAH ROSS INTERVIEW -ran Monday 7th October* GOOD HOUSEKEEPING - main interview for their November issue, out 14th October* BBC 2 LATER WITH JOOLS HOLLAND - to be broadcast at the end of November* CONDE NAST TRAVELLER -piece about the Paris -Dakar rally for October issue, out now.* YOU MAGAZINE, MAIL ON SUNDAY - Q&A interview over double page spread ran 6th October* WOMAN MAGAZINE - interview to run week of 30th September.* TV TIMES, TV QUICK, WHAT'S ON TV -* PA NEWS, HAM & HIGH, CAMDEN NEW JOURNAL Reviews for the book have been excellent too: 'An engaging read..... agood-humoured romp through the greatest desert on earth.'Justin Marozzi, THESPECTATOR 'This book is not only an interesting account of his adventures, but also a fantastic pictorial record.'HELLO 'It's brisk, fresh and like the programmes, makes you want to go where he has gone, if not necessarily to eat camel liver'THE DAILY TELEGRAPH 'The book is a classic for the armchair traveller and one is left full of admiration for the good-natured patience of our genial guide, Michael Palin.'Cathal O'Shannon, IRELAND ON SUNDAY 'This is explorer-adventurer Michael Palin at his best.'GEOGRAPHICAL MAGAZINE --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (June 16, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312305435
• ISBN-13: 978-0641779725
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #99,902 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good book about a not-so-good trip, February 2, 2006

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

This review is from: Sahara (Hardcover)

All of the travelogues made with Michael Palin for BBC TV resulted in a book being published as an alternative account of the trip. These books were written by Michael Palin and contain his fascinating descriptions of the trips plus many beautiful and interesting photographs.

For all of the previous trips ("Around the World in 80 Days", "Pole to Pole", "Full Circle", and "Hemingway Adventure") I found the tone of the TV programs and the books to be consistent. This is not the case with "Sahara".

For "Sahara" the TV program is fairly upbeat, with the same mood as the other TV programs in the series. The book, on the other hand, is more honest and discusses or mentions many problems not featured in the TV program.

The trip involved traveling all around and through the Sahara Desert. It started in Gibraltar and went through Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, Niger, Algeria, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria again, Ceuta, and back to Gibraltar. Some of these countries are huge; for example, Algeria is four times the size of France or three times the size of Texas. The Sahara Desert is roughly the same size as the United States, and the trip covered 10,000 miles and took three months.

It's a very impressive trip, and "Sahara" (the book) does an excellent job of describing it all. Despite the negative aspects of the trip the book still shows Michael Palin's wit and charm, and one does get a very good impression of what it was like for him to make this trip.

But now for a list of the negative aspects related to the countries and areas traveled through:
- inhospitable environment, extreme heat, drought, no water, freezing nights
- poverty, unemployment, begging, disease, starvation
- discrimination against women
- political unrest, refugees, fear of rebels, armed guards needed in Algeria
- primitive customs, cultures in decline, refusal to accept the modern world
- barbaric traditions (female circumcision, sacrificial slaughter of sheep)
- cities in slow deterioration, lack of modern facilities
- economies based almost entirely on exploitation of natural resources
- incredible bureaucracy, filming under restrictive supervision, especially in Libya
- people desperate to escape Africa and enter Europe

To top it all off, the Sept. 11, 2001 tragedy occurred in the middle of this trip. That certainly put a damper on the mood.

A few quotes from the book may help to explain my negative feelings about the whole trip:

"They knew that almost anywhere else is better than here and yet it is their home." (pg 195)

"... a sharp and poignant contrast to the apathy and resignation I've seen in so much of the Sahara." (pg 241)

OK, I am focusing too much on the negative aspects of the trip, but they are there, although they were glossed over in the TV program. Still, it's a very good book about a not-so-good trip, and I do recommend the book.

Finally, a few words about the audio versions. There are both abridged and unabridged versions available, both read by Michael Palin himself, and he does a great job. Be aware that the abridged version, which lasts 6 hours, is sold as unabridged by some resellers. The unabridged version lasts 10 hours and is difficult to find.

Rennie Petersen

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than expected, May 10, 2005

By	Smallchief - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Sahara (Hardcover)

I had low expectations on reading this book and was surprised that it turned out to be so good. The photos are excellent; Palin is amusing and informative. He is self effacing and likeable rather than being a movie star on tour.

Palin and a film crew spent 99 days -- in several trips -- to travel nearly 10,000 miles in the Sahara. Their trip starts in Gibraltar and continues in a big circle through Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, Niger, Libya, Algeria, and back to Morocco. The Sahara countries they missed are Egypt, Chad, and Sudan. The book is in the form of a daily diary and Palin reports hilariously on the status of his bowels as well as the more touristic daily events.

Ninety-nine days of travel in an area as large as the United States doesn't permit profound insights -- and Palin doesn't overreach. Examples of the highlights of the book include a section on Niger where for a few days Palin and his crew live in the desert by taking a camel caravan into the formidable Tenere region. In Algeria he travels to the mountain refuge of a French missionary in the Hoggar, about where one would say is the exact center of the Sahara, and follows it with a visit to an oil field and its modern technology, green lawns, and technicians, Arab and foreign. He gives a good description of obscure and unknown Western Sahara where reigns a tense cease fire between Morocco and the Polisario. His attitude throughout is good-natured.

If you would like a quick tour of the Sahara, including the landscape, the people, the problems, the politics, and the economy, this is a good book. The high-quality color photos enhance the text.

Smallchief

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A few comments, January 2, 2005

By	magellan (Santa Clara, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

This review is from: Sahara (Hardcover)

I just had a few miscelleneous comments on this book.

Not being familiar with Palin's previous travel adventures I had no expectations about this book, but I was pleasantly surprised. If it's possible to write a witty, funny, and entertaining travelogue about perhaps the most forbidding and unforgiving place on the planet, Palin does it here in this very well done book. Palin's descriptions of the Sahara are interesting, informative, and sometimes funny as well. The photos are superb and really complement the text. Being a biologist by education, I knew that the Sahara wasn't a single unremitting expanse of sand waiting to trap hapless travellers or anyone foolish enough to try to cross it unaided, but I was surprised at the diversity of habitats, plants, and animals that can be be found there, not to mention the many tribes and cultures who live in and around the Sahara itself. Palin also gives you a feel for some of these cultures and their history and I enjoyed that too. Also I enjoy architecture and the photos of the mosque at Djenna are really stunning, truly an architectural flower of the desert if there ever was one. Overall, a fine book on this vast but still misunderstood area of the world.