What You Actually Get With This Edition
The Brand New Monty Python Papperbok Sic A Methuen Paperback is a reprint of the classic Monty Python reference work, issued by Methuen Publishing. It compiles sketches, characters, and episodes from the television series into a single volume. The format is a standard paperback, roughly 200 pages, with the familiar black-and-white illustrations that appear throughout. If you are looking for a first-edition hardback with dust jacket, this is not that. It is a modern reprint, which means the paper quality is decent but not archival grade. I picked up my copy at a secondhand shop in London for about eight pounds. The binding was already slightly loose at the spine, which is common with Mass Market paperbacks that have been handled a lot. The print is clear enough to read, but the paper has a slight grey tint to it that makes the black-and-white photos look a bit dull compared to the original publication. If you are a completionist who cares about matching the original visual presentation exactly, this might frustrate you. The real value here is portability. The original hardback is heavy and awkward to carry around. This paperback version sits comfortably in a bag or on a small shelf. The index at the back is functional, though not as thorough as some readers expect. It covers the main sketches and recurring characters, but if you are searching for something obscure like the full script of the "Crunchy Frog" sketch verbatim, you will need to cross-reference other sources.
One thing nobody tells you about this edition is the page numbering. Methuen changed the pagination from the original BBC publications, so if you own earlier Python books and try to cite page numbers together, they will not line up. I spent about twenty minutes trying to figure out why my references didn't match before I realized the numbering was simply different. The workaround is straightforward: note the chapter or sketch title rather than relying on page numbers when citing from this version. Another practical issue is the glue used in the binding. On my copy, the adhesive was still slightly tacky after about six months on the shelf, which means if you lay the book flat and leave it open for extended reading sessions, the pages near the spine can stick together. The fix is simple: gently separate any stuck pages by running your finger along the edge rather than pulling the book open wide, which risks tearing the gutter over time. The content itself remains solid. Every major sketch from the run is represented, and the photographs are adequate for a paperback reproduction. The prose sections that introduce each episode are concise without being skimpy. What this book does not contain is any behind-the-scenes material or interviews with the cast. That information exists in other publications, notably the Monty Python personal histories by Michael Palin and Graham Chapman's autobiography. If you are building a Python library and already have those, this paperback fills a specific gap as a quick-reference collection of the actual sketches.
Pricing varies considerably depending on condition. A used copy in good shape typically runs between five and fifteen pounds on eBay or AbeBooks. New copies from specialty retailers can go for twenty-five pounds or more, which is hard to justify given what you are getting. The printing quality is fine, but it is not a collector's item in the traditional sense. Methuen reprinted this several times over the years, so there is no single definitive printing to hunt for. If you are considering purchasing this, the best approach is to buy from a seller who accepts returns and check the photos of the actual spine and pages before committing. The condition of the binding makes a noticeable difference to how long the book will hold up on a shelf. A loose spine on a paperback is a one-way ticket to a broken book within a year of regular use. The ISBN for this edition is 0413483202. You can find it on major bookselling sites and specialist Python merchandise stores. There is no official digital version released by the estate, so if you want an e-book read, you are looking at unauthorized scans, which tend to have poor OCR quality and missing images. The physical copy remains the only reliable format.
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