Author Guide · Travel Writing, Diaries & History
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In 1988 Michael Palin, then best known as one of Monty Python, set off to go round the world in 80 days for a BBC series shown in 1989. The book of that journey began a second career: a dozen travel books, from Pole to Pole (1992) to Michael Palin in the Philippines (2026). Alongside them he has published four volumes of diaries, two novels for adults, and history: Erebus (2018), the story of a ship lost in the Arctic and found again in 2014, became a Sunday Times bestseller. This guide covers his 14 key books, in order, and where to begin.
By Lisanne Swart · 14 key books · 1989–2024 · Updated October 2026
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Quick answer
Michael Palin’s best-known books are Around the World in 80 Days (1989), Pole to Pole (1992), his diaries starting with The Python Years (2006), and Erebus: The Story of a Ship (2018). Start with Around the World in 80 Days; for the Python story, go to the first volume of diaries.
Where to Start with Michael Palin
If you want the journey that started it all
→ Around the World in 80 Days (1989) — round the world in 80 days.
If you want Monty Python from the inside
→ Diaries 1969–1979 (2006) — the first volume of his diaries.
If you want narrative history
→ Erebus (2018) — a Sunday Times bestseller.
If you want his fiction
→ Hemingway’s Chair (1995) — his first novel for adults.
14 Michael Palin Books, in Order
Around the World in 80 Days
The book of his first BBC travel series, filmed in 1988 and shown in 1989: a journey round the world in 80 days. It was the first of a dozen travel books.
Pole to Pole
The book of his second BBC journey, travelled in 1991 and shown in 1992, from the North Pole to the South Pole.
Hemingway’s Chair
Palin’s first novel for adults, published in 1995, after several children’s books. Ernest Hemingway, in the title, became a subject for him again four years later in the BBC series and book Michael Palin’s Hemingway Adventure (1999).
Full Circle
The book of the series travelled in 1995 and 1996 and shown in 1997, his third major BBC journey.
Sahara
The book of his Sahara journey, travelled in 2001 and 2002 and broadcast on the BBC in 2002.
Himalaya
The book of his journey through the Himalaya, travelled in 2003 and 2004 and broadcast on the BBC in 2004.
Diaries 1969–1979
The first volume of his diaries covers the decade of Monty Python’s Flying Circus (1969–1974), the films Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) and Life of Brian (1979), and Ripping Yarns, the series he wrote with Terry Jones.
Diaries 1980–1988
The second volume, subtitled “The Film Years”: The Meaning of Life (1983) and A Fish Called Wanda (1988), for which he won the BAFTA for best supporting actor.
The Truth
His second novel for adults, published in 2012, the same year as his BBC series and book Brazil.
Diaries 1988–1998
The third volume covers the decade in which the travel series took over his working life, from Around the World in 80 Days to Full Circle.
Erebus
The life of HMS Erebus, which made two naval expeditions early in Queen Victoria’s reign. On the first she sailed further south than anyone had been; on the second she disappeared in the Canadian Arctic with HMS Terror and 129 men. Her wreck was found in 2014, more than 160 years later. It was a Sunday Times bestseller and BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week; in North America it was published as Erebus: One Ship, Two Epic Voyages, and the Greatest Naval Mystery of All Time.
North Korea Journal
His journal from the filming of Michael Palin in North Korea, shown on Channel 5 in 2018, the first of his travel programmes for the channel.
Great-Uncle Harry
A family history: the story of his great-uncle Harry, told against the background of war and the British Empire, as the subtitle says. Published by Penguin in 2023.
Diaries 1999–2009
The fourth volume covers 1999 to 2009, the years of Sahara, Himalaya and New Europe, and ends in the year he became president of the Royal Geographical Society.
In What Order to Read Michael Palin
The travel books each stand alone, so start with any journey that interests you; Around the World in 80 Days is the one that set the pattern. The four diaries are a sequence and are best read in order, from The Python Years (1969–1979) to There and Back (1999–2009).
The diaries and the travel books also run in parallel: Travelling to Work and There and Back are the behind-the-scenes record of the journeys in the travel books, so they make most sense after you have read one or two of those.
A reading path
1. Around the World in 80 Days (1989)
2. Diaries 1969–1979: The Python Years (2006)
3. Erebus (2018)
4. Great-Uncle Harry (2023)
Everything Else Michael Palin Published
Beyond the 14 key books: 15 more, grouped by kind.
Open a group with the + to see every book in it.
More travel books
6
6 books · 1999–2026
- 1999Michael Palin’s Hemingway AdventureBBC series and book
- 2007New EuropeBBC series and book
- 2012BrazilBBC series and book
- 2022Into IraqChannel 5 series and book
- 2025Michael Palin in VenezuelaChannel 5 series and book
- 2026Michael Palin in the Philippinespublished in the UK on 1 October 2026
Python, plays and co-written books
4
4 books · 1974–2003
- 1974Bert Fegg’s Nasty Book for Boys and Girlswith Terry Jones
- 1984Dr Fegg’s Encyclopaedia of All World Knowledgeexpanded edition, with Terry Jones and Martin Honeysett
- 1994The Weekendhis stage play
- 2003The Pythons Autobiography by The Pythonswith the other Pythons
Children’s books
5
5 books · 1982–1986
- 1982Small Harry and the Toothache Pills
- 1985Limericksalso published as The Limerick Book
- 1986Cyril and the House of Commons
- 1986Cyril and the Dinner Party
- 1986The Mirrorstonewith Alan Lee and Richard Seymour
The years · 1943–2019
Quick facts about Michael Palin
- Known for
- Being one of Monty Python and, from 1989, presenting BBC travel series that each became a bestselling book.
- 1943
- Born in Sheffield
- 1969
- Monty Python’s Flying Circus begins
- 2006
- First volume of diaries
- 2019
- Knighted
- Born
- 5 May 1943, Ranmoor, Sheffield
- Education
- Shrewsbury School; modern history at Brasenose College, Oxford
- Comedy
- Monty Python (1969–1974); Ripping Yarns, with Terry Jones
- Film
- BAFTA for best supporting actor, A Fish Called Wanda
- Travel
- President of the Royal Geographical Society, 2009–2012
- Honours
- CBE (2000), BAFTA Fellowship (2013), knighted KCMG (2019)
The red mark is 1989: Around the World in 80 Days, the journey and book that made him a travel writer.
How Michael Palin Writes: The Diarist on the Road
Palin is a diarist first: four volumes of his diaries have been published, covering 1969 to 2009, and the travel books follow the same habit, moving through each journey in the order it happened.
Most of his travel books are tied to a television series: the BBC journeys from Around the World in 80 Days (1989) to Brazil (2012), then the Channel 5 programmes from North Korea (2018) to the Philippines (2026).
His later books turn to history. Erebus tells the story of a single ship across two voyages, one to the far south and one into the Arctic, and Great-Uncle Harry takes the same approach to a member of his own family.
Watch
Michael Palin at the Wheeler Centre
Michael Palin in conversation at the Wheeler Centre in Melbourne, 2015.
Frequently asked questions about Michael Palin’s books
How many books has Michael Palin written?
More than 25. This page lists 29: the 14 key books, six more travel books, four Python, play and co-written titles, and five children’s books.
What are Michael Palin’s books in order?
The key books: Around the World in 80 Days (1989), Pole to Pole (1992), Hemingway’s Chair (1995), Full Circle (1997), Sahara (2002), Himalaya (2004), The Python Years (2006), Halfway to Hollywood (2009), The Truth (2012), Travelling to Work (2014), Erebus (2018), North Korea Journal (2019), Great-Uncle Harry (2023) and There and Back (2024).
Where should I start with Michael Palin?
With Around the World in 80 Days (1989), his first travel book. If you are here for Monty Python, start with Diaries 1969–1979: The Python Years (2006).
What is Michael Palin’s most famous book?
Around the World in 80 Days (1989), the book of his first BBC travel series. Of his later books, Erebus (2018) was a Sunday Times bestseller.
In what order should I read Michael Palin’s diaries?
In order of the years they cover: The Python Years (1969–1979), Halfway to Hollywood (1980–1988), Travelling to Work (1988–1998) and There and Back (1999–2009).
Has Michael Palin written novels?
Two for adults: Hemingway’s Chair (1995) and The Truth (2012). He has also written several children’s books.
What is Erebus about?
HMS Erebus, a Royal Navy ship that sailed further south than anyone had been on her first expedition, then vanished in the Canadian Arctic with HMS Terror and 129 men on her second. Her wreck was found in 2014.
What is Michael Palin’s newest book?
Michael Palin in the Philippines, published in the UK on 1 October 2026 with his Channel 5 series.
Is Michael Palin still alive?
Yes. He was born on 5 May 1943 in Sheffield. His wife, Helen Gibbins, whom he married in 1966, died in May 2023.
Was Michael Palin knighted?
Yes, in the 2019 New Year Honours (KCMG), the only member of Monty Python to be knighted. He was also president of the Royal Geographical Society from 2009 to 2012.
Footnotes
- Michael Palin — Wikipedia
- Erebus: The Story of a Ship — Penguin
- Great-Uncle Harry — Penguin
- There and Back — Hachette UK
- Michael Palin goes to the Philippines — Chortle, 2026
Bibliography last verified 9 October 2026. Where sources give different first-publication years, this page uses the year in library catalogues or the publisher’s own record.
This list was not put together by a machine.
The notes are all mine,
and the books are all his.
Lisanne x
Written by Lisanne Swart, who has curated reading lists and author guides at lisanneswart.com since 2021.
See more on her personal bookshelf.
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