A Sackful of Limericks

by Michael Palin, Tony Ross (Illustrator)

If you've ever wondered what happened to the young fellow from Malta who bought his grandfather an altar ...

If you're concerned about the camper called Jack who found a huge snake in his pack ....

And if you suspect that an eccentric landowner called Grey spent Christmas a very strange way but aren't sure precisely what that entailed ...

Then a dip into Michael Palin's 'Sackful of Limericks' will provide all the answers —and a lot of fun besides.

Genres: Poetry, Fiction, Humor

96 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Sir Michael Edward Palin, KCMG, CBE, FRGS is an English comedian, actor, writer and television presenter best known for being one of the members of the comedy group Monty Python and for his travel documentaries.

Palin wrote most of his material with Terry Jones. Before Monty Python, they had worked on other shows such as The Ken Dodd Show, The Frost Report and Do Not Adjust Your Set. Palin appeared in some of the most famous Python sketches, including "The Dead Parrot", "The Lumberjack Song", "The Spanish Inquisition" and "Spam". Palin continued to work with Jones, co-writing Ripping Yarns. He has also appeared in several films directed by fellow Python Terry Gilliam and made notable appearances in other films such as A Fish Called Wanda, for which he won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. In a 2005 poll to find The Comedian's Comedian, he was voted the 30th favourite by fellow comedians and comedy insiders.

After Python, he began a new career as a travel writer. His journeys have taken him across the world, the North and South Poles, the Sahara desert, the Himalayas and most recently, Eastern Europe. In 2000 Palin became a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to television.

Reviews

[Julie]

July 26, 2024 - We visited the Leominster Library today and got our Herefordshire library cards! We've been in limbo between Crystal Lake, Illinois and our new home in Herefordshire. There have been eBooks of course, however it was a true delight to hold books in our hands again. I found a pile to checkout. I specifically wanted to choose books I had not come across in the US, and this was one of them.

I have always had a soft spot for a good limerick and this was a fun read. The illustrations by Tony Ross are a perfect accompaniment. My favorites are:

A young TV star from Jamaica
Had a stormy affair with a baker.
He had the show
And she had the dough,
But she gave it up for a Quaker.

There once was a dachshund called Clive
Who was wanted dead or alive
For biting pet cats
And swallowing bats
And attacking queen bees in their hive.

[Gerry]

There was a writer called Michael Palin
Who as a wordsmith never was failin'
So he wrote funny limericks for Yuletide
And then he presented them worldwide,
The result brought about much laughter, no wailin!

And so ...

There was a young reader called Gerry
Who wanted to be remarkably merry
So to Michael Palin he turned
And that's when he learned
To laugh, which made him happy, very!

[Stefan Grieve]

A delightful collection of funny, imaginative limericks, that sometimes plays with the form and bends the rules, but usually in a way you can imagine the author is winking at the reader knowingly. The illustrations are good too, and can even add extra jokes. Although I was surprised to see a few of them a bit bloody, but nothing that kids wouldn't really have seen before. It appears to be Christmas themed, but there are only a few limericks that are, but that doesn't matter much. Full of fun, mirth and creativity. An ideal Christmas stocking filler, gift or even a short fun way to pass the time or to read out a few to like-minded friends.

[Jane]

A bit hit and miss.

[Amanda Witt]

I found most of these funny, as a limerick writer myself. Little cartoon drawings on most pages too

[V.A. Hezaran]

Fun poems, but some need to be read in an English accent (sometimes very specific regional accents), so they don't quite work upon the first reading if you're not English.

[Kirk Dreiser]

Enjoyable but not as funny as I had hoped for.

I expected Pythonish humor from a Month member. It was enjoyable, but not really up to my expectations. Still worth the read.

[Slaa!!!]

I enjoyed this version more in my old(er) age than I did when I read the original one back in the day I think!

[Renetta Neal]

If you like limericks then you will love these :-)

[Jane]

Quite ridiculous really. Spotted it in the library when I was looking for poetry. I ended up borrowing this instead. Some do nothing for me, but some have made me laugh a lot. The cartoon illustrations add to the humour as well.

[Ross]

A serious review cannot do justice to this side-splitting little gem. Palin displays the brilliantly perverse sense of humour that powered the Pythons. A cure for any bad day at the office.