Michael Palin has written and starred in numerous TV programmes and films, from Monty Python and Ripping Yarns to The Missionary and The Death of Stalin. Not only was it my first time there, it was the first time I’d seen such damage and such resilience side by side. These are shorter trips - a fortnight each - and the accompanying book does read a little bit like a travel blog (short, with maybe half the space taken up with photos), it's recognisably Michael Palin for all that. Bookplates are official labels which are signed by the author and then fixed to the title page of the book.

Most purchases from business sellers are protected by the Consumer Contract Regulations 2013 which give you the right to cancel the purchase within 14 days after the day you receive the item. As noted by previous reviews, the book goes along well with the tv series, but the chapters always end with you wanting to know more about the people and places he encounters on his journey. Every time he’s travelled since then (bar the last one to North Korea) I’ve had the accompanying book as a Christmas present - and collectively they remain my most treasured christmas presents.

Zum ersten Mal sind auch Michaels Alter und seine Gesundheit ein Thema, denn seine fast 80 Jahren und eine überstandenen Operation am Herzen bergen Risiken für die Reise. It leaves something behind in the places one visits and one’s heart finds an affinity and true empathy for those who persevere and have an enduring place in their country. Illustrated throughout with colour photographs taken on the trip, and permeated with his warmth and humour, this is a vivid and varied portrait of a complex country. A lovely book, that brought back terrific memories of earlier Michael Palin journeys in my childhood.

In a 2005 poll to find The Comedian's Comedian, he was voted the 30th favourite by fellow comedians and comedy insiders.Iraq seems as though it was once a very beautiful country and while that beauty is still there, it's been marked with years of hostility and war. Please Note: By their very nature, all signed books will have been handled several times before they get to you. His ability to bring his travels to life with a casual observation, of curious conversation, have not dimmed during COVID. Hij begon in 1980 met een aandeel in “Great railway journeys of the world”, een programma van de BBC waarin hij Groot-Brittannië per trein doorkruiste. Waar de gelegenheid zich aandient gaat Michael Palin op zoek naar geschiedenis, maar hij heeft tegelijkertijd veel aandacht voor het roerige nabije verleden en de toestand vandaag.