🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About Michael Palin
He was born in Broomhill, Sheffield on May 5, 1943, the only son and the second child of Mary Rachel Lockhart and Edward Moreton Palin. He was educated at Shrewsbury and Birkdale School. Angela, his sister, was nine years older than him, despite this age difference the two had a close relationship until her suicide in the year 1987. Palin, when he was just five years old, had his very first acting experience at Birkdale where he played Martha Cratchit in a school performance of A Christmas Carol. When he was ten, he, while still interested in acting, made a comedy monologue and read a Shakespeare play to his mom while he played all the parts. After he left Shrewsbury in the year 1962, he went on to read modern history at Brasenose College, Oxford.
All Book Series by Michael Palin
Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years
Series opener · book 1 of 4 · published 2006
Small Harry And The Toothache Pills
Series opener · book 1 of 4 · published 1982
Cyril and the Dinner Party
Book 3 of 4 · published 1986 Co-authored · Caroline Holden
Cyril and the House of Commons
Latest in the series · book 4 of 4 · published 1988
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Series opener · book 1 of 5 · published 1977 Co-authored · Graham Chapman,John Cleese,Eric Idle,Terry Gilliam
The Life of Brian
Book 2 of 5 · published 1979 Co-authored · Graham Chapman,Eric Idle,Terry Gilliam
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life
Book 3 of 5 · published 1983 Co-authored · Graham Chapman,Eric Idle,Terry Gilliam
Ripping Yarns
Series opener · book 1 of 3 · published 1978 Co-authored · Terry Jones
The Complete "Ripping Yarns"
Latest in the series · book 3 of 3 · published 1990 Co-authored · Terry Jones
Dr. Fegg's Encyclopeadia of All World Knowledge
Series opener · book 1 of 15 · published 1976
The Pythons' Autobiography By The Pythons
Book 6 of 15 · published 2003 Co-authored · Graham Chapman,John Cleese,Eric Idle,Terry Gilliam
Dr. Fegg's Encyclopeadia of All World Knowledge: Formerly The Nasty Book
Book 11 of 15 · published 1976
Around the World in 80 Days: Companion to the PBS Series
Book 12 of 15 · published 1990
Full Circle: One Man's Journey by Air, Train, Boat and Occasionally Very Sore Feet Around the 20.000 Miles of the Pacific Rim
Book 13 of 15 · published 1997
Erebus: One Ship, Two Epic Voyages, and the Greatest Naval Mystery of All Time
Latest in the series · book 15 of 15 · published 2018
Great-Uncle Harry: A Tale of War and Empire
Latest in the series · book 15 of 15 · published 2023
Cairo
Series opener · book 1 of 6 · published 1994 Co-authored · William S. Burroughs,T.E. Lawrence,Naguib Mahfouz,Beryl Markham,John Miller,KirstenMiller
Prague: Tales of the City
Book 3 of 6 · published 1994 Anthology · John Miller,KristenMiller
St. Petersburg
Book 5 of 6 · published 1995 Anthology · John Miller,KirstenMiller
Istanbul
Latest in the series · book 6 of 6 · published 1995 Anthology · John Miller,KristenMiller
Monty Python's Big Red Book
Series opener · book 1 of 6 · published 1972 Anthology · Graham Chapman,John Cleese
Brand New Monty Python Bok
Book 2 of 6 · published 1973 Anthology · Graham Chapman,John Cleese
The Complete Monty Python's Flying Circus: All the Words: Volume 1
Book 3 of 6 · published 1989 Co-authored · Graham Chapman,Terry Jones,Roger Wilmut,John Cleese,Eric Idle,Terry Gilliam
The Complete Monty Python's Flying Circus: All the Words, Vol. 2
Book 4 of 6 · published 1989 Co-authored · Graham Chapman,Terry Jones,Eric Idle,Terry Gilliam
Monty Python's Flying Circus: Just the Words
Book 5 of 6 · published 1989 Anthology · Graham Chapman,John Cleese,Terry Gilliam
The Fairly Incomplete and Rather Badly Illustrated Monty Python Song Book
Latest in the series · book 6 of 6 · published 1994 Co-authored · Graham Chapman,John Cleese,Terry Gilliam
A Pocketful Of Python
Series opener · book 1 of 5 · published 2000 Anthology · Graham Chapman
A Pocketful of Python: Vol. 2
Book 2 of 5 · published 2000 Anthology · John Cleese
A Pocketful of Python: Vol. 5
Latest in the series · book 5 of 5 · published 2002 Anthology · Graham Chapman,Eric Idle
Irresponsible Traveller: Tales of Scrapes and Narrow Escapes
Series opener · book 1 of 3 · published 2014
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Michael Palin?
He was born in Broomhill, Sheffield on May 5, 1943, the only son and the second child of Mary Rachel Lockhart and Edward Moreton Palin. He was educated at Shrewsbury and Birkdale School. Angela, his sister, was nine years older than him, despite this age difference the two had a close relationship until her suicide in the year 1987.
Which Michael Palin series should I start with?
The best place to start is the Monty Python series, the earliest of Michael Palin's multi-book series: it opens with Monty Python's Big Red Book (1972) and runs to 6 books across 1972–1994, ending with The Fairly Incomplete and Rather Badly Illustrated Monty Python Song Book (1994). Michael Palin's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.
How many books has Michael Palin written?
Michael Palin has 66 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1972 and 2026. 34 of them belong to 5 named series — the largest being the Palin's Travels series with 13 books — and 32 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should Michael Palin's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Michael Palin's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Monty Python (1972–1994, 6 books), Palin's Travels (1990–2026, 13 books) and Chronicles Abroad (1994–1995, 6 books), plus 2 more.
How are Michael Palin's books organised into series?
This guide splits Michael Palin's 66 books into 5 named series and 32 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Palin's Travels (13 books, 1990–2026); Chronicles Abroad (6 books, 1994–1995); Monty Python (6 books, 1972–1994); A Pocketful of Python (5 books, 2000–2002); Palin Diaries (4 books, 2006–2024).