‘I cannot remember the last time I read a book so immediately absorbing and affecting. Michael Palin has never been better – which is, of course, saying a great deal.’ BILL BRYSON

From the moment, many years ago, when Michael Palin heard that his grandfather had a brother, Harry, he decided to learn more about him. The search that followed involved hundreds of hours of painstaking research. Michael traced every shred of family gossip and correspondence he could find. He studied every related official document. He located whatever remained from his great-uncle Harry's diaries and letters and examined photographs of World War I battle scenes to see if Harry appeared in any of them. He walked the path Harry took on his last day in the mud of northern France. And as he did so, a life that had previously existed in the shadows was revealed to him.

Great-Uncle Harry is a disarming account of an ordinary man who led an extraordinary life. A blend of biography, history, travelogue, and personal reminiscence, this is Michael Palin at his best. ‘An important historical document and a finely crafted story in its own right, Great-Uncle Harry is also much more than that: a huge act of love.’ Guardian

Pages: 336, Dimensions: 13x13cm