Around the World in Eighty Days

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Actor and comedian Palin's account of circumnavigating the globe by camel, dog sled, cargo ship and balloon is the companion to a PBS series. (Jan.)

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