Monty Python's Big Red Book is a humour book comprising mostly material derived and reworked from the first two series of the Monty Python's Flying Circus BBC television series. Edited by Eric Idle, it was first published in the UK in 1971 by Methuen Publishing Ltd. It was later published in the United States in 1975 by Warner Books.
As well as the comedy content, the title itself is a humorous reference to Mao Zedong's Little Red Book— despite the title, the book has a blue cover. To add to the confusion, the credits page refers to it as Monty Python's Big Brown Book.
The book contains some stills of footage shot for And Now For Something Completely Different but not used, including "Ken Shabby" and "Le Pouff Celebre/Flying Sheep".
Shortly after publication the book ran into trouble when a music publishing company objected to the use of their trade name being used on the "Bing Tiddle Tiddle Bong" sheet music. After the first 75,000 copies were sold, all subsequent editions removed the reference to "The Wright Ukulele Tutor" and replaced it with "The Volti Subito".
In 1972 a paperback edition was issued with the words "Special New Hardback Edition" replacing the "Very Urgent" sticker on the front cover. In 1981 both this book and The Brand New Monty Python Bok were reissued as a hardback book entitled The Complete Works Of Shakespeare And Monty Python: Volume One – Monty Python. Paperback editions of both these books were reissued again in 1986 as The Monty Python Gift Boks, sold together inside an outer cover which folded out into a mini poster.
In 2008 Monty Python's Big Red Book was referenced in the Doctor Who episode "Silence in the Library".
Contents
Forewords
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Juliette – Ken Shabby & Rosemary, A True Love Story Of Our Times
Credits
Why Accountancy Is Not Boring
Naughty Pages
Join The Professionals
The Silly Party
Keyhole For voyeurs
Batley Ladies Townswomen's Guild
E.D. Silly's Page
Spam
Sports Page
Arts Page
Horace Poem
The World Encyclopedia Of Carnal Knowledge
Australia Page
Children's Page
Postal Blackmail
A Song For Europe
The Importance Of Being Earnest
Are You Civilised? Le Pouff Celebre Madame Palm Writes The Family Tree Of Johann Gambolputty... The Greatest Upper Class Race In The World What To Look For In A Great Twit Lumberjack Song Do-It-Yourself Story Goat's Page Hello O.N.s Everywhere Whizzo Assortment English To Hungarian Phrasebook Johnson's Novelties How To Walk Silly Be A Modern Hermit The Poems Of Ewen McTeagle The Piranha Brothers Python Literary Guild Bibliography
Credits
Authors – Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin
Illustrator – Terry Gilliam
Editor – Eric Idle
Photography – Doug Webb, BBC News Picture Library, The Radio Times, Hulton Picture Library, John Horton, Tony Sullivan Art Director – Derek Birdsall Art Editor/Lay-out – Katy Hepburn Artwork – Roger Hudson, Stephen Scales Music Arranger – Fred Tomlinson