Pole to Pole

Following a loose line along the 30th meridian, British comedian, actor, and writer Michael Palin leads the listener from the North Pole to the South Pole on his fascinating 12,500-mile trip through 17 countries in 141 days. Palin could have easily relied on his superb comic observations and wonderful turns of phrase, but he allows himself to go beyond that. His voice honestly conveys the range of emotions that one feels in extremes of climate, culture, and health. Completed in 1991, this travelogue reflects Palin's acute awareness that he was traveling through lands (the former Soviet Union and Somalia) that would never be the same again. B.P. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine