Pole to Pole

From the frozen wastes of both poles, to the scorching heat of Africa, Pole to Pole is a travelogue of bizarre extremes. Palin revels in the surrealism of it all as he travels through a range of vastly different European and African communities undergoing massive social and political upheavals in the aftermath of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Palin's shrewd observations are as ever interspersed with his eye for the weird and the comical, as he meets Santa Claus and Lenin, goes shopping for camels in Omdurman, and makes a final hectic dash to the South Pole via Chile. It's all quite exhausting! --Jerry Brotton

Reader Reviews:

A completly delightful read. (1/1 people found this helpful)

This is the first Michael Palin book I've read, so i can't compare it in quality to any of the others, but I will say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book, much more than I expected to in fact. It can take a little while to get used to Palin's style, as he constantly switches from a detailed narration to a note book shorthand, but once you've acclimatised you quickly realize he is a very competent writer. With a broad yet never verbose vocabulary he paints vivid pictures of the lands he passes through whilst at the same time making many and varied observations about the people and cultures he encounters. It was like having a constant traveling companion and by the end you can't help but feel a great deal of affection not just for Palin, but for the whole team.
I would say one of the books greatest virtues is that you can either read it a few days at a time (the book is divided into days instead of chapters, each a few pages long), or (as I did later on) you can read for hours without getting board. The pictures of the very talented basil are a constant and illuminating delight, yet the book is never so flooded with them that they feel like they are taking over form the writing, they fele more like a garnish than a marinade.
All in all, I highly recommend it.

Fantastic (0/0 people found this helpful)

This is tied top of my favourite Palin books along with Full Circle. It was very funny and i love finding out about parts of the world you just never hear about it's just such an interesting book. My favourite part is the Africa leg, from top to bottom, with many obstacles along the way. Briliant book.

Hugely Funny, but Infomative too (2/2 people found this helpful)

Pole to Pole, by Michael Palin is more of a adventure book than a travel guide mainly because of the fact that it was filmed and written around 15 years ago. The thing about Michael Palin is that he writes like an average adventurer, not a snobbish 'I am better than you' adventurer. That, along with the fact that he always tells the truth about the countries and places he visits, and the fact that he uses humour to describe mix-ups, and confusion, makes his books so enjoyable to read. Just in case you are wondering, Pole to Pole is from the North Pole to, well, the South Pole, going through 17 countries (there was still the Soviet Union at this time) and taking various types of public transport.

Pole to Pole is the second book in the trilogy that consists of 'Around the World in 80 days', 'Pole to Pole' and 'Full circle'. All three are interesting, vibrantly discribed, and written with the right amount of humour (not too much, but not too little)

This is a good travel/adventure book, and for a relatively low price too. You should buy this.

Inspiraring stuff (4/5 people found this helpful)

Michael Palin takes you around the world again, but instead from the north pole to the south pole. It is a longer journey, but more exciting. Michael Palin has something about him that just makes you want to read on & on until you finish.

This book really does take us to the places (3/3 people found this helpful)

In this follow up to Around The World In Eighty Days Michael Palin decides to go from the top of the Earth to the bottom. This book is well worth getting as are al the others and I would recommend them to anybody who either likes travel or likes reading about misfortunes that happen to other people or if you have a good sense of humour and are looking for a good book then get this one.

Michael Palin

Editorial Review: