Michael Palin Books in Order

The fourth volume of Palin’s diaries covers 1999 to 2009, a decade that includes the making of *Hemingway Adventure*, *Sahara*, *Himalaya* and *New Europe*, as well as national shocks, personal losses and the arrival of grandchildren, all observed with his usual dry warmth.

Blending family history and First World War research, this book follows Palin’s great-uncle Harry from comfortable Victorian childhood through colonial service and army life to his death on the Somme, using letters, diaries and travel to reconstruct a life almost lost to memory.

A day-by-day account of Palin’s two weeks inside North Korea, following his journey from Pyongyang to border towns and mountain landscapes. He records controlled encounters, off-guard moments and quiet reflections, offering a rare, ground-level look at a closed country.

This narrative history follows HMS Erebus from her launch in the 1820s through daring voyages in Antarctica and the Arctic, to her disappearance with Franklin’s expedition and the underwater discovery of her wreck, blending maritime adventure with careful historical sleuthing.

A compact collection of new limericks, each telling a tiny, ridiculous story in five lines. Eccentric characters, odd mishaps and playful rhymes make it a light, funny book to dip into or read aloud.

Covering the decade when he became a full-time traveller, this diary volume follows Palin through *Around the World in 80 Days*, *Pole to Pole* and *Full Circle*, as well as film roles, stage work and family life, all noted in his wry, everyday voice.

Drawn from his diaries, this book looks behind the scenes at how Monty Python’s television shows, films, albums and live tours were created, from first ideas to final performances, capturing both inspired collaboration and the tensions that came with it.

Freelance writer Keith Mabbut is hired to write the authorised biography of elusive activist Hamish Melville and travels to India to track him down. As he uncovers conflicting stories and corporate pressure mounts, Keith has to decide what version of the truth he is willing to sign his name to.

The book of Palin’s journey across Brazil, this travelogue moves from the northeast’s colonial cities and beaches to the Amazon, Brasilia and the industrial south, mixing big landscapes with street-level encounters in a country changing at high speed.

These diaries chronicle years dominated by films and television, from *Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life* to *A Fish Called Wanda*, alongside family milestones and public events, showing how Palin juggled growing fame with a determination to stay grounded.

A companion to the TV series of the same name, this book tracks Palin through more than twenty countries in Central and Eastern Europe, exploring post-Communist life, shifting borders and local stories as the region adjusts to a new place in modern Europe.

The first volume of Palin’s diaries covers the birth and boom of Monty Python, recording writing sessions, rehearsals, tours and film shoots, as well as marriage, children and his father’s illness, in a candid, often very funny daily record.

Following a six-month trek along the great mountain chain, Palin travels from the Khyber Pass through Pakistan, India, Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan and Bangladesh. The book blends tough journeys, high-altitude villages and big-city encounters with photographs that show the Himalayas at their most spectacular.

Told in the voices of all six Pythons, this large-format book pieces together interviews, diary extracts and photographs to tell the group’s story from childhood to reunion shows, giving a many-sided view of how Monty Python came together, worked and eventually wound down.

Here Palin circles the Sahara Desert by land and sea, starting and ending near Gibraltar. His route takes in desert towns, remote oases and harsh borderlands, and his account dwells as much on the people who live at the desert’s edge as on the sand itself.

Another compact anthology of Monty Python writings, this volume continues the series’ mix of classic sketches, obscure gems and short pieces chosen by the team, giving a concentrated hit of their humour away from screens.

Part of a series in which each Python selects favourite sketches, poems and prose, this volume gathers a pocket-sized selection of material from the TV shows, films, albums and books, ideal for dipping into on a commute or lending to another fan.

Retracing Ernest Hemingway’s life through the places he knew best, Palin travels from Chicago and Michigan to Italy, Paris, Spain, Africa, Cuba and Idaho. Along the way he meets people who knew Hemingway, tries a few of his pastimes and weighs the man behind the legend.

An illustrated companion volume that draws together highlights from Palin’s early journeys, this book combines photographs, maps and extracts from *Around the World in 80 Days*, *Pole to Pole* and *Full Circle* to give an overview of his first decade as a TV traveller.

Based on the series *Full Circle with Michael Palin*, this travel book follows a ten-month, 50,000-mile loop around the Pacific Rim. Palin’s diary-style narrative moves through Russia, East Asia, Australasia and the Americas, recording both the grand sweep and small, awkward moments of the journey.

Assistant postmaster Martin Sproale leads a quiet life in an English coastal town, obsessed with Ernest Hemingway and the old-fashioned post office he works in. When corporate modernisers and a determined American scholar arrive, Martin is pushed into conflict and behaviour he never imagined.

A stage play centred on Stephen Febble, a man who dreads the arrival of his daughter’s family for a supposedly relaxing weekend. As tempers fray and small grievances surface, the comedy comes from recognisable domestic tensions rather than big set pieces.

A cheerfully chaotic collection of Monty Python songs, this volume gathers lyrics, snippets of script and deliberately scrappy illustrations. It is designed for fans who want to sing along properly, raid the material for performances or simply enjoy the silliness on the page.

Part of a wider anthology on Cairo, this volume gathers classic and modern travel writing about the city, including a contribution from Palin, to show its streets, riverfront and back alleys through many different voices and eras.

The written record of Palin’s journey from the North Pole to the South Pole, following a rough line of longitude through Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, Africa and Antarctica. Travelling mostly by surface transport, he encounters political upheaval, border snags and moments of unexpected kindness.

An omnibus edition that gathers all the *Ripping Yarns* scripts into one book, complete with illustrations and stills, giving readers the full run of Palin and Jones’s affectionate parodies of pre-war adventure fiction.

In his first major travel book, Palin attempts to follow Phileas Fogg’s fictional route around the globe without flying. Told as a race against the clock, his diary captures fast trains, slow ships, bureaucratic delays and the personalities he meets en route.

This volume contains script transcripts for the first twenty-three episodes of *Monty Python’s Flying Circus*, set out in broadcast order with character names and performer credits, giving readers the full text of classic sketches as they were originally written and performed.

Companion to Volume 1, this book continues the complete scripts of *Monty Python’s Flying Circus*, covering the remaining television episodes. It preserves dialogue, stage directions and credits, making it easy to revisit or restage the later runs of the series.

Continuing where the first *Just the Words* book leaves off, this second volume completes the set of Flying Circus scripts, so readers can follow the whole television run from first broadcast to final episode in printed form.

A paperback edition of the TV scripts, this volume prints a substantial run of *Monty Python’s Flying Circus* episodes with minimal commentary, letting the dialogue, scene descriptions and abrupt sketch endings speak for themselves on the page.

A picture book that introduces children to the House of Commons through the misadventures of Cyril and his unexpected visit to Parliament. Light-hearted text and detailed illustrations turn a serious building into the backdrop for a gentle, comic tour.

An omnibus edition bringing together both *Just the Words* script volumes in one binding, this book offers the complete text of *Monty Python’s Flying Circus* for readers who want every sketch, link and aside in a single, hefty package.

A slim promotional volume that samples a selection of *Monty Python’s Flying Circus* scripts from the full *Just the Words* collections, giving a taste of the show’s written chaos and encouraging readers to explore the complete editions.

When Paul notices that the face in a swimming baths mirror is not his own, he is pulled into a strange quest that moves from everyday life to underwater worlds. Rich paintings and holograms turn this looking-glass adventure into an unusually visual storybook.

Cyril finds himself at a formal dinner where nothing quite goes to plan. This lively picture book turns a grown-up occasion into a romp of misunderstandings and small disasters, softened by cheerful illustrations and a warm ending.

An earlier collection of original limericks, this book strings together brisk, five-line verses about odd people and unlikely situations, pairing playful rhymes with illustrations to make a small, mischievous volume for children and adults.

The script of Palin’s period comedy about a well-meaning clergyman who returns from years abroad to Edwardian London. His attempts to rescue fallen women collide with class snobbery, romantic entanglements and his own naivety, producing a gently subversive farce.

A tie-in book to the film, this volume prints the full screenplay of *Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life*, including sketches cut from the cinema release, and illustrates it with photographs and design details from the production.

A children’s story about Small Harry, whose encounter with some alarming toothache pills turns an ordinary day into a chain of comic surprises. The tale is told in clear, rhythmic prose with bright pictures that keep the tone light rather than frightening.

A second volume of *Ripping Yarns* scripts, offering more stand-alone adventures that twist familiar genres. The tales skewer everything from patriotic war stories to overblown sporting legends, keeping the tone knowingly nostalgic and sharply funny.

This script edition of *Monty Python’s Life of Brian* sets out the full dialogue and scene descriptions from the film, along with visual material, preserving every joke, argument and crowd scene from the controversial biblical satire.

This book collects scripts from the television series *Ripping Yarns*, written by Palin and Terry Jones. Each story spoofs old-fashioned boys’ adventure tales, sending earnest heroes into increasingly ridiculous scrapes in public schools, colonies and small British towns.

The screenplay of the film *Monty Python and the Holy Grail*, presented with stage directions, marginalia and stills. Readers can follow King Arthur’s increasingly ridiculous quest for the Grail exactly as the Pythons wrote and reshaped it.

A spoof reference book credited to the deranged Dr Fegg, this volume rearranges and expands material from *Bert Fegg’s Nasty Book for Boys and Girls* into absurd alphabetised entries, fake diagrams and violent running jokes in the best Python tradition.

Co-written with Terry Jones, this anarchic book parodies children’s annuals and textbooks with gruesome stories, fake nature notes, spoof adverts and deliberately tasteless jokes, framed as the work of the unreliable Dr Bert Fegg.