Pole to Pole: The Photographs

For those who enjoyed the account of Michael Palin's journey in "Pole to Pole", this is the visual storybook of the series. Over 270 photographs are published here, taken by Basil Pao, who accompanied the crew on their trek from the North to the South Pole along 30 degrees east. Palin has written the extended captions. For the most part, trains, trucks, ships, rafts, skidoos, buses, barges, bicycles and balloons provided the transport and some interesting views. The photographs are arranged in order of countries visited, including the USSR, Turkey, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. They provide insight into the Journey itself, what happened behind the scenes, and the people and places along the way. Accompanying maps illustrate an epic journey that witnessed history in the making, noting the collapse of 70 years of Communist rule and the end of Apartheid.