Monty Python Encyclopedia

I find this flawed effort nevertheless very enjoyable; but I am of two minds about its not quite beign what it professes to be. An encyclopedia should (as Sgt. Friday used to insist) just give the facts. Almost every sentence here is concerned with Mr. Ross's personal opinion about the facts--opinion, by the way, stated as fact. When he says, for example, that episode 7 of the lst series of MP's Flying Circus is "one of the most unfunny," this can scarcely be accepted as fact (it is the one about the transformation into Scotsmen). The format is also inconsistent. A complete treatment of an Avengers episode is offered because John Cleese makes a brief appearance but another episode in which Carol Cleveland plays a major role is not featured and barely mentioned in her own write up. Also--and this is a Good Thing--Ross includes any film or tv show in which even a single Pythonite has had a hand. So with an eye open for typos and occasional inaccuracies, I will continue to peruse this book but always careful to separate fact from opinion. And all the more so now that the MPFC tapes and DVDs are being made available by A & E!

I bought this book the same day I bought Monty Python Speaks. This book is good to let you know what movis and tv shows each python member is in. It is a very good book for a Monty Python fan.

The Monty Python Encyclopaedia is fantastic. I know it's low on pictures, and has a lot of typos and font errors, and I know some of it's a touch wrong, but in the end, someone who has the mammoth task of writing a huge compendium on Monty Python is bound to make mistakes. And who cares - it's someone who appreciates the class and criticises the dross that has written it. I agree with him on several points - 1) 'Fierce Creatures' is a lot better than 'A Fish Called Wanda'; 2) The ending to 'Holy Grail' is not a hilarious ending, it's a poor get-out ploy; 3) 'Meaning of Life' is great entertainment; and 4) Some Python sketches are extremely poor. I shall look forward to buying the revised edition, and expect more magic from Robert Ross soon!

Alright, this has gone a little too far. Perhaps the reason why 3 Pythons have endorsed the book is because they *ACTUALLY LIKED IT*. Mr. Frankenstein, or whatever his name is who wrote that lousy review probably right above this one, has not a clue what humor is. Probably the best way to write about a topic is to know it firsthand, and the second best way is to be objective. To leave writing Python books to the Pythons themselves would probably leave us with a bunch of books to be reviewed badly by uninformed persons such as Mr. Frankenstein, or whatever his name is. I have read through the book and have found nothing but pure Python emerging from its pages, pure humor, comprehensive and complete, and pretty well written. To give it one star is a lousy show of action. The only people who would give the Monty Python Encyclopedia ONE LOUSY STAR would be people who don't appreciate British humor for what it's worth. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book, even though it's paperback and doesn't have many pictures. It's got everything else, what's wrong with it?

Part of the reason I give it 5 stars is simply because it's Monty Python. Moreover, this helped me prepare a report on influences on modern humor. Got an "A+" on it, so I guess it worked!