'Once a traveller, always a traveller, and as long as there were maps and guide books and airline schedules I was still fatally susceptible to the lure of the open road . . .'

Brazil: a growing global superpower, the size of half a continent, home to some of the world's most astonishing natural habitats. But despite having journeyed around the world and from pole to pole, Michael Palin had never explored this extraordinary country for himself. Here, he sets out to discover this vast and diverse nation in the adventure of a lifetime. Taking in shanty towns and waterfalls, pristine beaches and bustling cities, Brazil is the record of a journey of dazzling extremes.

"Simply because he is on television, people forget how well Michael Palin writes, as evidenced in Brazil. A vivid synoptic take on a vast, unpredictable country, this book holds its own against more self-consciously literary works about Brazil." - CONDE NAST TRAVELLER UK

"A fascinating picture of a nation that, through the three cultural markers of language, music and food, is triumphantly self-defined and ceaselessly inventive. Palin does his job as a travel writer very well indeed." - THE INDEPENDENT

"Michael Palin brings his trademark charm and enthusiasm to this timely introduction to the country that is about to host the World Cup and the next Olympic Games." - THE GOOD BOOK GUIDE

"Full of warmth and humour, Palin's latest offering is a vibrant account of people he meets as he travels around the vast nation - a must-read for anyone heading to this year's World Cup or the Rio Olympics in 2016" - THE INDEPENDENT '10 best South America travel books'

"The prose of his travel writing is... economical, descriptive and rarely repetitive, making for a fluid, compulsive and engrossing read." - ENTERTAINMENT FOCUS

"Palin does his job as a travel writer very well indeed. He knows how to entertain the reader at first, resists any temptation to lecture, then builds up a slow boil of interest before teasing out some answers through some skilful interviewing. The resulting mosaic of opinions draws out a fascinating composite picture of a nation." - THE INDEPENDENT

"Michael Palin's Brazil is a good primer, written in the same chatty style as he uses in the television series" - THE DAILY TELEGRAPH

"Simply because he is on television, people forget how well Michael Palin writes, as evidenced in Brazil. A vivid synoptic take on a vast, unpredictable country, this book holds its own against more self-consciously literary works about Brazil." - CONDE NAST TRAVELLER UK

"A fascinating picture of a nation that, through the three cultural markers of language, music and food, is triumphantly self-defined and ceaselessly inventive. Palin does his job as a travel writer very well indeed." - THE INDEPENDENT

"Michael Palin brings his trademark charm and enthusiasm to this timely introduction to the country that is about to host the World Cup and the next Olympic Games." - THE GOOD BOOK GUIDE

"Full of warmth and humour, Palin's latest offering is a vibrant account of people he meets as he travels around the vast nation - a must-read for anyone heading to this year's World Cup or the Rio Olympics in 2016" - THE INDEPENDENT '10 best South America travel books'