Autobiography: adventurers and explorers Books
Brewin Books A Grammar School Girl
Book SynopsisA Grammar School Girl is the sequel to Grace Caroline Holte's The Girl from Guildford Street, which depicted an idyllic Sixties childhood in the working class Back to Backs of Aston and Lozells, at a time of radical political change when Birmingham was considered the Workshop of the World. The Seventies were a gloomier affair as much of the old city disappeared. Strikes, change and conflict were rife. The Birmingham Bombings marked the darkest day in the city's history. Yet there were happy times. In 1968, the author moved to the Newtown Estate, experiencing teenage trials and tribulations along with the delights of youth clubs and coffee bars. An education at King Edward's Grammar School for Girls, Handsworth, enabled her to attend University, a first for the family. Birmingham survived the troubled decade of the Seventies and emerged with her indomitable spirit intact. This is the story of one family during that era. It is Birmingham's story. It may also be your story.
£12.95
Diffusion Uprising: A True Story: As Portrayed on SMALL
Book SynopsisThis is the gritty but inspiring true story of the award-winning author Alex Wheatle. Alex had a tough start in life. He was abandoned by his family as a young child and grew up in a care home. After being expelled from school as a teenager, he was sent to live in a hostel in Brixton. There, Alex found music and friends but he also got mixed up in drugs and violence. When he was sent to prison for taking part in the Brixton Uprising, Alex’s future seemed hopeless. But then something happened to change his life . . . SERIES INFORMATION This page-turning story from award-winning author Alex Wheatle is part of the Diffusion books range, written especially for adults and teenagers who want to improve their reading skills. Easy-to-read, with short chapters, the books in the series enable learners to practice their reading skills and build up their reading confidence. They are also a brilliant choice for anyone learning English as an additional language. The books also include discussion and reflection questions that help readers to understand the story and to reflect on their own lives and relationships. Buying this book will support our project to help people in prison improve both their reading skills and their life chances. To find out more visit https://spckpublishing.co.uk/diffusion-books
£7.59
Grub Street Publishing Rate of Climb
Book SynopsisAs the proud son of one of the Few', Rick Peacock-Edwards was inspired to follow his father into the Royal Air Force and become a fighter pilot. This is an action-packed account of a foremost flyer's life with endless good stories, and a colourful cast of characters to match. Amust for all lovers of derring-do in the air.
£13.49
Fernhurst Books Limited Sailing Around Britain - A Weekend Sailor's
Book SynopsisKim Sturgess was a weekend sailor: he enjoyed club racing and several brief sailing holidays, but had never attempted a substantial expedition. Reaching the age of fifty focused the mind and he decided to sail around Britain. While many cruising sailors would not contemplate a 1900 nautical mile voyage, he broke the voyage into a series of day sails, making it an achievable ambition for him, largely single-handed, and for many other weekend sailors who might dream of sailing around their home island. This book tells the quirky traveller's narrative of the voyage and visits to forty-eight towns. Evoking the spirit of both Jerome K. Jerome with his Three Men in a Boat and Joshua Slocum's Sailing Alone Around the World, Kim shares his thoughts and struggles, recounting how easy it is for anyone to become an adventurer here at home. But don't expect to always agree with him - he has been described as "the Jeremy Clarkson of yachting"!Trade Review"If the thought of tough coastal night passages puts you off sailing round Britain, try Kim Sturgess's tactic of breaking the voyage down into '50 day sails and one night passage' as he did... It's interesting for anyone thinking of making the voyage." (Yachting Monthly) "His narrative grips the reader as we share the heart-in-the-mouth experience... He tells his story with a vivid immediacy: we are there with him. We share the dangers he faces during the miserable summer of 2007, his philosophical observations along the way and his sadness at recurring evidence of national decline in the places he visits." (Cruising Association) “Sail the glorious and challenging coast of Britain with Kim Sturgess in his salty tale…. His leisurely approach to adventure takes in towns and villages along the way and brings to life the great variety of culture and cuisine on our small island… It’s wonderful, warm and well worth a read.” (Sailing Today) An unusual travel guide by an unusual companion.” (Yachting Life)Table of ContentsPreface; PART ONE: SWAPPING THE LONDON UNDERGROUND FOR THE BRITISH SEAS: Cruise Philosophy, My Sailing Experience, Hobo the Yacht, Safety for a Sailor; PART TWO: GREENWICH TO GREENWICH AROUND THE BRITISH ISLES: East: Greenwich to Inverness, North: Inverness to Bangor NI, West: Bangor NI to Newlyn, South: Newlyn to Greenwich; Epilogue; Glossary; Appendix.
£11.39
Reach plc Not My Fault
Book SynopsisWhat mattered was that someone listened to me. Someone believed me, after 25 years. That means everything. A mum of three who was abused and raped as a child by her own father has revealed her ordeal drove her into the clutches of middle-aged paedophiles.
£9.49
Whitefox Publishing Ltd Mentor and Monitor
Book SynopsisWhat is the role of the judge? To simply mete out Justice, moving on to the next case, or something more profound and productive? What role can (and should) a judge play in the repair of a dysfunctional life?After a long career at the Bar and on the Bench, John Samuels discovered that the mentoring role he unexpectedly undertook for his pupils could also apply to those sentenced by a judge. Such a role is arguably invaluable to a society seeking to curb the expansion of its prison system by properly rehabilitating its offenders.Interwoven with a personal history and journey of discovery, Mentor and Monitor identifies a positive route for rehabilitation, while offering fascinating insights into the inner workings of the English Justice system and a broad and distinguished legal career.
£18.00
Candy Jar Books Outside the Box The Doctor Who Art of Jeff
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£13.50
Wilkinson Publishing A Simple Twist of Fate
£19.12
Wilkinson Publishing Olivia Grace and Gratitude
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£19.12
Random House USA Inc The Rivers Daughter
Book SynopsisRecalling memoirs like Wild and Educated, an internationally renowned whitewater rafting guide offers a gripping and inspiring memoir about overcoming hardship and coming into her own through her relationship with the rivers she has known.After Bridget Crocker’s parents split in a vicious divorce, she moved with her mother from California to Wyoming, to a trailer park on the banks of the Snake River. Her childhood was nearly idyllic, with a stepfather she loved and a new baby brother, and with the river as her companion. When her mother underwent a drastic personality change seemingly overnight and left her stepfather for an eco-warrior and radical new lifestyle, Bridget’s world upended. She returned to California to live with her explosive father—until his violence sent her back to Wyoming.The river was the most constant and nurturing influence in Bridget’s life; it helped instill in her the resilience she needed to overcome sexual assault and betrayals by those close to her and taught her to trust her intuition and embrace her strength as a woman. She became a world-class whitewater rafting guide, leading expeditions on the Snake, the Kern, the Salmon, and Zambia’s Zambezi rivers. Ultimately, her relationship with the rivers she came to know led her to reunite with her family and work with them to transform multi-generational cycles of poverty, trauma, and abuse.In this propulsive story of finding hope and belonging in a life outdoors, Bridget Crocker not only takes us on exhilarating, and at times terrifying, adventures on the water but opens up a new way of experiencing the world—through its rivers, which can guide us, just as we can navigate them—and introduces a bold and vibrant new voice in adventure writing.
£21.60
Row House Publishing The Mourners Bestiary
Book SynopsisA critically-acclaimed literary memoir braiding together environmental research and the personal journey of generational healing, grief, and chronic illness.Author Eiren Caffall is the inheritor of a family legacy of two hundred years of genetic kidney disease and the mother of a child who may inherit that legacy. A literary memoir on loss, chronic illness, and generational healing, Caffall’s The Mourner’s Bestiary is also a meditation on grief and survival told through the stories of animals in two collapsing marine ecosystems—the Gulf of Maine and the Long Island Sound—and the lives of a family facing a life-threatening illness on their shores. The Gulf of Maine is the world’s fastest-warming marine ecosystem, and the Long Island Sound has been the site of conservation battles that predict the fights ahead for the Gulf. Beguiling, idiosyncratic [...] Caffall writes with plangent intensity about our responsibi
£24.30
Roli Books Pvt Ltd Param Vir Chakra
Book SynopsisThe Indo-Pak War 1947-48 Operations in Tithwal-Battle of Darapari after the threat to Srinagar was removed, the Indian forces concentrated in the URI Sector and prepared to launch operations to evict the Pakistani aggressors from the valley.
£10.25
Juggernaut Publication A Maverick in Politics
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£29.92
Palmetto Publishing Mama Nonne
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£16.14
Bloomsbury Academic Libertys Prison
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£29.33
Austin Macauley Publishers LLC A Boy and His Comet Dancing Through the Rain
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£14.39
Austin Macauley Publishers LLC A Boy and His Comet Dancing Through the Rain
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£19.79
Post Hill Press Behind Closed Doors
Book SynopsisA compelling insider’s account by the trusted adviser and confidante to America’s presidential giants and political legends as he draws the curtains back on his most private moments with Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon during revolutionary changes in our economy, politics, communications, foreign policy, and culture.Ken Khachigian has written the most lucid, most important work about the postwar period. For an inside look at how ugly politics can be--and how noble--you cannot miss this book. I still love Ken after fifty years and you will, too, when you read this jewel of a memoir. —Ben Stein, Economist, law professor, multi Emmy awarded actor, speechwriter for Presidents Nixon and Ford, novelist, and screenwriter This is essential reading for anyone wanting to know how Ronald Reagan shaped his crusading message of economic growth through tax cuts and limited government. Khachigian’s is a fascinating account by one who takes you in
£21.25
Austin Macauley Publishers LLC DAMN An Emotional and Physical Journey Through
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£12.34
Austin Macauley Publishers LLC Our Forgotten Cultures
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£11.39
Austin Macauley Publishers LLC The Man Who Watered His Lawn
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£9.49
Austin Macauley Publishers LLC Raised by Children
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£7.99
Austin Macauley Publishers LLC Married to the Foreign Service
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£9.49
Austin Macauley Publishers LLC Memoirs of a Fun Life
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£9.49
Little, Brown Book Group HappyGoLucky
Book Synopsis''It''s hard to think of a better living practitioner of hilarious honesty than David Sedaris'' The Times''David Sedaris is funny - invariably. That''s his gift'' Los Angeles TimesBack when restaurant menus were still printed on paper, and wearing a mask-or not-was a decision made mostly on Halloween, David Sedaris spent his time doing normal things. As Happy-Go-Lucky opens, he is learning to shoot guns with his sister, visiting muddy flea markets in Serbia, buying gummy worms to feed to ants, and telling his nonagenarian father wheelchair jokes. But then the pandemic hits, and like so many others, he''s stuck in lockdown, unable to tour and read for audiences, the part of his work he loves most. To cope, he walks for miles through a nearly deserted city, smelling only his own breath. He vacuums his apartment twice a day, fails to hoard anything, and contemplates how sex workers and acupuncturists might be getting by during Trade ReviewIt's hard to think of a better living practitioner of hilarious honesty than David Sedaris * The Times *In this latest collection of anecdotes, the American humorist David Sedaris riffs on Covid, death and family . . . No longer elfin, Sedaris has matured into a devilish imp who scourges human folly and filth -- Peter Conrad * Observer *Sedaris' signature wit has always thrived on the macabre, so perhaps it should come as no surprise that Happy-Go-Lucky is some of his darkest - and most astute - writing yet... No topic is out of bounds for Sedaris' acerbic humor and sharp observations * Time *Sedaris is funny - invariably. That's his gift... Even amid the overwhelming gloom of the pandemic, a summer of unrest and the death of a father toward whom he still has complicated feelings, Sedaris never loses his wit or his crack timing * Los Angeles Times *Sedaris is one of the writers whose discovery you wish on friends, because it means they have a wealth of brilliant writing to discover . . . David Sedaris still delivering his killer lines * Irish Examiner *The writer's affable misanthropy and self-deprecation are on display in a new set of reflections on life and death -- Houman Barekat * Guardian *Sedaris gazes unflinchingly [...] at his family, including himself, in a way that is laugh-out-loud funny yet somehow avoids being cruel -- Books of the Year * TLS *There's a reason why David Sedaris has his own Radio 4 series and sells out Carnegie Hall in New York: as a performer of his own prose he's unmatched... The best way to enjoy Sedaris's waspish and funny essay collection is to hear it read by its author... [delivered] with impeccable comic timing -- Fiona Sturges * Guardian *
£14.24
Little, Brown Book Group Turning Over the Pebbles
Book Synopsis''If you carry on like this, you''ll do nothing but play football and cricket all your life.''These were the exasperated words of Mike Brearley''s mother, as he once again trod mud into the family home after a long day playing outdoors. They were also an unwitting but half-accurate prediction, for Brearley would become one of the most successful sportsmen of his generation by playing cricket for Cambridge, Middlesex and then becoming one of England''s finest captains. But for Brearley, cricket wasn''t just a physical activity, it was also an intellectual game, offering the chance to bring closer together body and mind. When his cricketing career came to end - during his playing days he had had a hiatus as a philosophy lecturer - he eschewed sporting commentary for a career as a psychoanalyst.In Turning Over the Pebbles, which he calls a ''memoir of the mind'', Brearley reviews his life with its attendant emotions, tensions and moves. It is also a book oTrade ReviewSunday Times 'Book of the Week'A superb book - much more than a traditional memoir . . . this is a sharp, witty and unashamedly learned meditation on art and music, literature and the Classics, philosophy, psychoanalysis, childhood and old age, families and feelings, illness and the imminence of death . . . And of course cricket. It is unlike any book you will read this year . . . This book is an inspiration, showing us how to live our best lives * Sunday Times *A Masterclass . . . [A] stimulating memoir . . . It is hard to think of any other sportsman - or come to it, any other philosopher or analyst - who makes for such agreeable, such stimulating , such warm, company * Daily Telegraph *Absolutely riveting -- Amol Rajan * BBC Radio 4 Today *Unexpected rewards to the reader on every page -- Simon Barnes * The Cricketer *Whether discussing philosophy, psychoanalysis, literature or cricket . . . Brearley is compelling company * Guardian *Turning Over the Pebbles sparkles with erudition and culture . . . rewarding and eye-opening * TLS *An enthralling memoir from the cricketing great * i Newspaper *This sharp memoir glides across [Brearley's] interests, featuring musings on ageing, music and strategy in sport. It's the ideal accompaniment to the Ashes. * The Times *Peppered with reflections on music, literature, philosophy and exchanges with legendary thinkers, it is as much if not more a book on the mind and a manual on the essence of a good life - and a good death; it will make readers pause * Financial Times *Brearley's prose is abundantly stylish * Tablet *A thoughtful and intriguing book * Methodist Recorder *Exceptionally carefully thought-through and most intriguingly written . . . This is a truly lovely book * Oldie *A beautifully crafted journey into the mind of a genius - both cricketing and otherwise * City AM *
£16.50
Orion Publishing Co A Field Full of Butterflies
Book SynopsisGypsy tales from the SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author...Trade Review'An enchanting story of a lost world, related with charm and good humour.' -- Alan TitchmarshPenfold's warm-hearted story of growing up in a gypsy wagon is rich with the small daily details - shelling peas, soda-soaking tea towels and lighting the tilley lamp - that made up this tight-knit community. * SAINSBURYS MAGAZINE *There are no dramatic climaxes in this beautifully written memoir, just a gentle journey through Penfold's childhood that I looked forward to picking up each night ... the most enjoyable thing about this read is that it's a classic coming-of-age story * COSMOPOLITAN.CO.UK *
£8.99
Little, Brown Book Group Guidance from the Greatest
Book Synopsis''We will overcome it [and] I hope in the years to come, everyone will be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge, and those who come after us will say the Britons of this generation were as strong as any'' Her Majesty The QueenThe Coronavirus pandemic forced the great British people to dig to the very depths of their resolve. It was during this crisis, the gravest crisis the country has faced since the Second World War, that members of the Greatest Generation - Tom Moore, Dame Vera Lynn, the Queen - proved vital reminders of the self-effacing stoicism required in times of emergency; to summon our ''Blitz spirit'' and to ''Keep Calm and Carry On''.Taking twelve qualities of the wartime generation, including fellowship, courage and integrity, and drawing on personal interviews with over two hundred Second World War veterans - from SAS officers to London firewomen to Dame Vera herself - Guidance from the Greatest shows us how we can impTrade ReviewInspiring * Daily Mail *
£11.24
Little, Brown & Company No Going Back
Book SynopsisA NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY BESTSELLER! The New York Times bestselling author, governor of South Dakota, and former congresswoman tells eye-opening stories of DC dysfunction, shares lessons from leading her state through unprecedented challenge, and explains how we seize this moment to move America forward. Any elected official can talk about how broken our government is. But their solutions always seem to involve more money, new programs—and reelection to another term. Few offer an unfiltered glimpse into how government actually works, empowering citizens with the knowledge to be part of the solution. Governor Kristi Noem never planned on being in politics. But her concern for our nation compelled her, on a local, national, and global level. Because she took a different path into public service, as a concerned mom and rancher, her insights help every citizen understand how positive change rea
£18.75
Right Book Press From Crime Scenes to Cruise Ships
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£13.49
HarperCollins God Is a Black Woman
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£15.29
HarperCollins Publishers Inc That Bird Has My Wings
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£16.19
Yale University Press Notes to a Black Woman
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£15.00
New American Library No Hero
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£14.44
Orion Publishing Co The Harold Nicolson Diaries 19071964 19191968
Book SynopsisOne of the great 20th century political diaries''A tremendous read'' SPECTATOR''One stops to marvel at the achievement. Honesty, decency, modesty, magnanimity, are stamped on every page, as evident as the wit'' EVENING STANDARDHarold Nicolson was one of the three great political diarists of the 20th century (along with Chips Channon and Alan Clark). Nicolson was an MP (Conservative, 1935-45, who also flirted with Labour after WWII). He had previously been in the Foreign Office and attended the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, and material from his period is included in this new edition for the first time. Nicolson never achieved high office, but rarely a day went by when he didn''t record what was going on at Westminster. He socialised widely, was married to the poet and author Vita Sackville-West, and together they created the famous garden at Sissinghurst. Both were bi-sexuals and had affairs outside their marriage. This new ediTrade ReviewA tremendous read * SPECTATOR *Beautifully written, witty and wise. His son Nigel has edited them brilliantly -- Noel CowardNicolson's great gift as a diarist is that he does not simply record events: he brings those events and the characters in them brilliantly to life. His diary entries are astonishingly rich min-portraits of people and places, with a telling eye for detail... Brilliant, riveting stuff * TRIBUNE *The book as a historical document has so many merits that it is hard to know where to begin * GUARDIAN *One stops to marvel at the achievement. Honesty, decency, modesty, magnanimity, are stamped on every page, as evident as the wit * EVENING STANDARD *He remains completely unaware that he is tapping out a masterpiece. As lively as Creevey or the de Goncourts * THE TIMES *Not only a brilliant portrait of English society, but a touching self-portrait of a highly intelligent and civilised man driven by conscience and curiosity to enter politics -- Kenneth ClarkBeautifully written, witty and wise. His son Nigel has edited them brilliantly -- Noel CowardHe was clever and highly observant and a little absurd, and right at the centre of things. No two pages pass without something to alight on with pleasure . . . A tremendous read * Spectator *Nicolson's great gift as a diarist is that he does not simply recoprd events: he brings those events and the characters in them brilliantly to life. His diary entries are astonishingly rich min-portraits of people and places, with a telling eye for detail... Brilliant, riveting stuff. * TRIBUNE *
£999.99
Little, Brown Book Group A Warning
Book SynopsisAn unprecedented behind-the-scenes portrait of the Trump presidency from the anonymous senior official whose first words of warning about the president rocked the nation''s capital.On September 5, 2018, the New York Times published a bombshell essay and took the rare step of granting its writer anonymity. Described only as a senior official in the Trump administration, the author provided eyewitness insight into White House chaos, administration instability, and the people working to keep Donald Trump''s reckless impulses in check.With the 2020 election on the horizon, Anonymous is speaking out once again. In this book, the original author pulls back the curtain even further, offering a first-of-its-kind look at the president and his record -- a must-read before Election Day. It will surprise and challenge both Democrats and Republicans, motivate them to consider how we judge our nation''s leaders, and illuminate the consequences of re-electing a comman
£17.00
Vertebrate Publishing Ltd Nine Lives: Expeditions to Everest
Book SynopsisRobert Mads Anderson is an elite mountaineer with a solitary goal: to conquer Everest. After nearly getting killed on his first expedition, he led a team up a new route on the Kangshung Face without oxygen or Sherpa support, climbed solo on the remote North Face, and finally guided a team to the top of the world.Incorporating a who’s who of internationally recognised climbers, including Stephen Venables, Reinhold Messner and Chris Bonington, Nine Lives traces the story of Everest, from the big, nationally supported expeditions of the 1980s; through the small teams forging new routes and climbing solo; to the commercially guided expeditions of today.Set against the majestic backdrop of the world’s tallest peak, Anderson’s nine Everest expeditions over eighteen years define what truly drives a human being to the greatest of heights. With a foreword by Peter Hillary and 32 pages of colour photography, in Nine Lives Robert Mads Anderson offers his personal account of the world’s highest mountain.Trade Review‘An amazing story capturing the essence of life’s moments climbing on Everest.’ (Chris Bonington)‘Robert’s story of climbing on all three sides of Everest is full of narrow escapes. But what really shines out is the canny wisdom, courage, determination and sheer fun-loving chutzpah of a defiant optimist.’ (Stephen Venables)‘I must say this was some of the best writing I have enjoyed – ever! And not just mountaineering literature. Bravo!’ (Dr Peter Hackett, world-renowned high-altitude expert)‘I could not have climbed with any better team while being led by the best. Thank you for sharing your ninth life with me on the slopes and the summit of Mount Everest.’ (Sibusiso Vilane, first black African to summit Everest)‘Robert loves the environment of mountains, the challenge of mountains, the camaraderie built upon their flanks and the uncertainty that mountains toss into our lives.’ (Peter Hillary)
£13.46
Vertebrate Publishing Ltd High Risk: Climbing to extinction
Book SynopsisThe golden age of Himalayan mountaineering, from the mid-1970s to the 1980s, brought forth a generation of radical young climbers. With tiny budgets and high ambitions they pioneered fast and light, alpine-style expeditions on mountains such as Jannu, Nuptse, Everest and K2. In High Risk, Brian Hall recalls the outrageous adventures of eleven of his climbing friends who risked – and often lost – their lives to stand on some of the world’s highest peaks during a legendary period in mountaineering history.Trade Review‘An absolutely spellbinding read.’ -- Adele Pennington‘Big characters who loved life close to the edge.’ -- Ed Douglas‘A riveting insight into the legendary characters of a remarkable climbing era.’ -- Mick Fowler‘Dazzling adventures recalled with wisdom and affection.’ -- Stephen Venables'High Risk captures the spirit of an era ... Ascents not bettered and hardly equalled since.' -- Leo Houlding‘Full of humour, affection and respect, High Risk takes the reader to the heart and soul of the golden age of UK climbing.’ * Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature *'A major milestone in alpine literature.' John Porter – mountaineer, author and former Alpine Club President'Entertaining, revealing, breathtaking, heartbreaking and confessional.' Stephen Goodwin – Kekoo Naoroji Book Award for Mountain Literature'A poignant tale of friendships, lofty climbing goals, and, ultimately, tremendous loss.' Cameron M. Burns – American Alpine Journal * American Alpine Journal *
£13.46
Vertebrate Publishing Ltd Troll Wall: The untold story of the British first
Book SynopsisNorway, 1965. A team of young climbers from the north of England camp at the bottom of the tallest vertical rock face in Europe - the Troll Wall. No one has dared attempt this gigantic challenge before. Some say it will never be climbed. This will be the adventure of a lifetime. Rain and snow soak them as they climb. Avalanches and loose rock threaten their lives. A Norwegian team arrives to compete for the glory as the world's media look on. Pushed to the limits of exhaustion, the team spends days on the wall, refusing to given in, even when failure seems certain. "Troll Wall" tells the gripping story of one of the most dramatic first ascents in British climbing history. Written days after their success, almost half a century ago, and newly rediscovered, Tony Howard's account is a fascinating insight into the challenges of climbing a big mountain wall.Trade ReviewThe book is a real page-turner as bit by bit Howard, John Amatt and Bill Tweedale push and push and push for the top, forever driven, forever barred by some new obstacle, the story always moving, devoid of any ego or bullshit. – Andy Kirkpatrick, The Alpine JournalIf you’ve not already done so, get hold and read – you’ll not find a more plainly exciting narrative in its genre. The midnight push for the top up the summit gully had me open-mouthed and breathless. Nothing written by Andy Cave, Andy Kirkpatrick, Mick Fowler or any other recent exponents of mountain writing – excellent though many of them are – comes close to the sheer edgy thrill of it. – Jim Perrin, Climber MagazineTroll Wall is a treasure for its close descriptions. Every uptake of slack and every piton pounded receive equal attention. Howard’s depictions of the strenuous toils of big-wall climbing are straightforward and honest, and more decorative for the times when the sun is shining and spirits are high. This finally released alpine epic is a chance to take in a tale from long ago and appreciate a true pioneer. – Nick Chambers, Rock & Ice MagazineWe can also recommend Troll Wall, Tony Howard’s gripping and previously untold story of the Rimmon Mountaineering Club’s 1965 ascent of Europe’s tallest vertical rock face. For Tony Howard the Troll Wall was to be the beginning of a life of adventure that, though touched upon in the last chapter, would merit a book of its own. – Barry Imeson, Boardman-Tasker Prize 2011A simple story well told, and a classic boys own adventure. A real page turner. – Andy Kirkpatrick, Climb MagazineRichly entertaining and well written ... a raw page-turning tale that brilliantly captures the now historic realities of big-wall climbing of the mid-1960s. – Lynn Martel, Rocky Mountain Outlook (Canada)A truly inspiring tale of one of the greatest achievements in British rock climbing history. – Andy McCue, Climber MagazineA great book, destined for classic status. – Matt Heason, Heason.netA fine fine work by a quite unique individual who has packed more into his lifespan than most of us could manage in ten. Inspirational stuff indeed! – John Appleby, To Hatch a CrowOne of the greatest ever achievements by British rock climbers. – Joe Brown CBE
£16.19
Vertebrate Publishing Ltd Hanging on: A life inside British climbing's
Book SynopsisThe start of a love affair: 'I kicked off my shoes and prepared to climb in stocking feet, aware of an enormous sense of occasion as I laid hands on the rock and stepped up on the first rounded hold. It was not a hard climb but that was unimportant. I felt instinctively at home and at the finish experienced such a surge of happy elation that I knew then I was committed to climbing.' Martin Boysen's passion for crags and mountains springs from his deep love of nature and a strong sense of adventure. From his early days on rock as a Kent schoolboy after the war, he was soon among the most gifted climbers of his or any generation, famed for his silky technique.Boysen made a huge contribution to British rock climbing, especially in North Wales; he discovered Gogarth in the 1960s and climbed some of the best new routes of his era: Nexus on Dinas Mot, The Skull on Cyrn Las and the magisterial Capital Punishment on Ogwen's Suicide Wall. For more than two decades, Boysen was also one of Britain's leading mountaineers. A crucial member of Sir Chris Bonington's team that climbed the South Face of Annapurna in 1970, Boysen was also part of Bonington's second summit team on the South West face of Everest. In 1976 he made the first ascent of Trango Tower with Joe Brown.Along the way, Boysen climbed with some of the most important figures in the history of the sport, not just stars like Bonington and Brown, but those who make climbing so rich and intriguing, like Nea Morin and the brilliant but doomed Gary Hemming. He joined Hamish MacInnes hunting gold in Ecuador, doubled for Clint Eastwood on the North Face of the Eiger and worked on director Fred Zinnemann's last movie.Wry, laconic and self-deprecating, Martin Boysen's Hanging On is an insider's account of British climbing's golden age.Table of Contents1 Beginnings; 2 To Learn to Climb; 3 1959; 4 First Ventures in the Alps; 5 The Dolomites; 6 Manchester; 7 The Alpha Club; 8 Hard Climbs, Modern Times; 9 The Walker; 10 Mixed Fortunes; 11 Cerro Torre; 12 Crash; 13 Annapurna; 14 The Eiger Sanction; 15 Changabang; 16 Lost on Everest, Found on Trango; 17 Gold Rush; 18 Endgame; Epilogue - The Rock Climbing Years.
£12.34
Vertebrate Publishing Ltd Quest into the Unknown: My life as a climbing
Book SynopsisHighly Commended, Outdoor Book category, Outdoor Writers and Photographers Guild Awards for Excellence 2019We are all climbing where we are and with the gear we use in no small part due to Tony Howard’s quest for adventure.Tony Howard rose to fame in 1965 as a member of a group of young climbers from northern England who made the first British ascent of Norway’s Troll Wall; a climb described by Joe Brown as, ‘One of the greatest ever achievements by British rock climbers’. Tony went on to design the modern sit harness, now used worldwide by most climbers. He founded the company Troll Climbing Equipment but never stopped exploring. Quest into the Unknown is his story.Tony has dedicated his life to travelling the world in search of unclimbed rock faces and remote trekking adventures. The scale of his travels is vast: he has visited all of the North African countries, much of the Arab land of the Middle East, the mountainous regions of Scandinavia, Canada and the rocky spine of the Americas, the Himalaya, remote Indian provinces, South East Asia, Madagascar, South Georgia and Antarctica. This book, the last word in adventure travel, takes the reader from Tony’s youth spent developing the crags of the English Peak District, via whaling ships in the Southern Ocean, thousand-mile canoe trips in the Canadian Arctic, living amongst the Bedouin in the rocky mountains of Jordan, to the isolated opium tribes of Thailand.Tony Howard’s Quest into the Unknown is the jaw-dropping account of a life of adventure that is the very definition of true exploration.Table of ContentsPrecis; PART ONE; Chapter 1. Early Days -Part One; Chapter 2. Early Days -Part Two; Chapter 3. Early Days -Part Three; Chapter 4. Teenage Kicks -Part One; Chapter 5. Teenage Kicks -Part Two; Chapter 6. The Rimmon; Chapter 7. Whaling Days -South Georgia Bound; Chapter 8. Whaling Days -Antarctic Adventures; Chapter 9. Keep on Rockin’; Chapter 10. Winter Wanderings; Chapter 11. Norway -Arctic Adventures; Chapter 12. Jobs on the Rocks; Chapter 13. Dolomite Days; Chapter 14. Moroccan Mountains; Chapter 15. Norway -The Troll Wall and other escapades; Chapter 16. Life on the Ocean Wave; Chapter 17. Norway -The Romsdal Years; Chapter 18. The Times they are a-Changing; Chapter 19. On the Road Again; Chapter 20. Canada -Yukon Yarns; Chapter 21. Canada -‘The Trail of ’98’; Chapter 22. Homeward Bound; Chapter 23. Back Home; Chapter 24. Greenland; Chapter 25. Life at Troll; Chapter 26. Persian Perambulations; Chapter 27. And Then There Were Two; Chapter 28. Atakor Adventures; Chapter 29. Meanwhile, Back at Work …; Chapter 30. Spanish Rock; Chapter 31. Morocco -Here Comes the Sun; Chapter 32. Alpine Adventures; Chapter 33. All Change …; Chapter 34. Hard Rock Days; Chapter 35. Sudan Saga -Kassala Mountains; Chapter 36. Sudan Saga -Ticket to Ride ; PART TWO; Chapter 37. Exploring Jordan -Wadi Rum Discovery; Chapter 38. Exploring Jordan -Rum Rock ; Chapter 39. Exploring Jordan -Petra’s Secret Canyon; Chapter 40. Exploring Jordan -Beyond Petra ; Chapter 41. Exploring Jordan -More Rum Goings On; Chapter 42. Exploring Jordan -Bedouin Rock; Chapter 43. Travels in Thailand; Chapter 44. Oman Odyssey -A Surprise Christmas; Chapter 45. Oman Odyssey -Musandam to Dhofar; Chapter 46. Exploring Egypt -Sinai and the Red Sea Mountains; Chapter 47. Exploring Egypt -Some You Win, and Some You Lose; Chapter 48. Incredible India -The Western Ghats and Beyond; Chapter 49. Incredible India -Ladakh and Beyond; Chapter 50. Exploring Ethiopia -The Roof of Africa; Chapter 51. A Libyan Invitation; Chapter 52. Middle Eastern Meanderings; Chapter 53. Exploring Jordan -The Lowest Adventures on Earth; Chapter 54. Madagascar -Mystical Mountains; Chapter 55. Welcome to Palestine; Chapter 56. Exploring Egypt -If at First You Don’t Succeed …; Chapter 57. Exploring Egypt -Nubian Nemesis; Chapter 58. Incredible India -The North East Frontier; Chapter 59. Incredible India -Saramati Surprise; Chapter 60. Palestine -Is there anybody out there?; Chapter 61. Exploring Jordan -The Knife Canyon; Chapter 62. Mali -Mountains, Magic and Music; Chapter 63. Exploring Jordan -New Discoveries; Chapter 64. Exploring Jordan -The Jordan Trail; Chapter 65. Incredible India -A Walk on the Wild Side; Chapter 66. Exploring Jordan -Back on the Trail; Chapter 67. Memory Lane; Chapter 68. The End of The Trail; Postscript.
£13.46
Vertebrate Publishing Ltd In Some Lost Place: The first ascent of Nanga
Book SynopsisShortlisted for the Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature.In the summer of 2012, a team of six climbers set out to attempt the first ascent of one of the great unclimbed lines of the Himalaya - the giant Mazeno Ridge on Nanga Parbat, the world's ninth highest mountain. At ten kilometres in length, the Mazeno is the longest route to the summit of an 8,000-metre peak. Ten expeditions had tried and failed to climb this enormous ridge. Eleven days later two of the team, Sandy Allan and Rick Allen, both in their late fifties, reached the summit. They had run out of food and water and began hallucinating wildly from the effects of altitude and exhaustion. Heavy snow conditions meant they would need another three days to descend the far side of the 'killer mountain'. 'I began to wonder whether what we were doing was humanly possible. We had climbed the Mazeno and reached the summit, but we both knew we had wasted too much energy. In among the conflicting emotions, the exhaustion and the elation, we knew our bodies could not sustain this amount of time at altitude indefinitely, especially now we had no water. The slow trickle of attrition had turned into a flood; it was simply a matter of time before our bodies stopped functioning. Which one of us would succumb first?' In Some Lost Place is Sandy Allan's epic account of an incredible feat of endurance and commitment at the very limits of survival – and the first ascent of one of the last challenges in the Himalaya.Trade Review'This is a worthy addition to the canon of great British mountaineering literature, and also boasts beautiful colour photos and diagrams that dovetail perfectly with the narrative.' – Press and JournalTable of ContentsPrologue PART 1 – THE MAGIC BUS 01 Team Spirit 02 Mentors 03 The Road to Nanga Parbat PART 2 – MAZENO 04 The Dividing Line 05 Mind the Gap 06 Splitting Up 07 Pushing On PART 3 – THE SUMMIT 08 In Some Lost Place 09 The Edge of Extinction 10 Descent 11 Return Acknowledgements Index
£9.49
Vertebrate Publishing Ltd Seven Climbs: Finding the finest climb on each
Book Synopsis'Even the most casual reader among you will by now have worked out that the whole thing is little more than a delightful ruse for having a very good time.'Experienced climber Charles Sherwood is on a quest to find the best climb on each continent. He eschews the traditional Seven Summits, where height alone is the determining factor, and instead considers mountaineering challenge, natural beauty and historical context, aiming to capture the diverse character of each continent and the sheer variety of climbing in all its forms.The author's ambitious odyssey takes him to the Alps, the Himalaya, Yosemite, the Andes, Kenya, New Zealand and South Georgia. His goal is neither to seek glory nor to complete a box-ticking exercise, but simply to enjoy himself in the company of his fellow climbers, including Mark Seaton, Andy Kirkpatrick and Stephen Venables, and to appreciate the splendour of his surroundings. On classic routes like the North Face of the Eiger and the Nose on El Capitan, it is hard not to be swept away by Sherwood's unfaltering enthusiasm.Also featuring fascinating historical detail about each route, Seven Climbs is a compelling account of Sherwood's efforts to answer a much-debated question: which are the world’s greatest climbs?Table of ContentsThe Challenge1. Europe: 1938 Route, North Face of the Eiger (Switzerland)2. Asia: South-West Ridge of Ama Dablam (Nepal)3. North America: The Nose, El Capitan, Yosemite (USA)4. South America: South-West Face of Alpamayo, Cordillera Blanca (Peru)5. Africa: Traverse of Nelion and Batian, Mount Kenya (Kenya)6. Australasia/Oceania: Linda Glacier Route, Aoraki/Mount Cook (New Zealand)7. Antarctica: Coast-to-Coast Traverse of the Salvesen Range, South Georgia (UK Overseas Territory)Not-So-Final Thoughts
£13.46
Penguin Books Ltd Goodbye to All That
Book Synopsis''There has been a lot of fighting hereabouts. The trenches have made themselves rather than been made, and run inconsequently in and out of the big thirty-foot high stacks of bricks; it is most confusing. The parapet of a trench which we don''t occupy is built up with ammunition boxes and corpses . . .''In one of the most honest and candid self-portraits ever committed to paper, Robert Graves tells the extraordinary story of his experiences as a young officer in the First World War. He describes life in the trenches in vivid, raw detail, how the dehumanizing horrors he witnessed left him shell-shocked. They were to haunt him for the rest of his life.Trade ReviewOne of the classic accounts of the Western Front * The Times *Wonderful -- Jeremy Paxman * Daily Mail *From the moment of its first appearance an established classic * Observer *One of the most candid self-portraits of a poet, warts and all, ever painted * The Times Literary Supplement *
£999.99
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC This Boys Life
Book SynopsisA memoir of a young boy's unusual travels with his mother. The author recreates his boyhood experiences, relating how he and his mother travelled throughout the United States, and tracing his experiences and changes from young boy to manhood against the background of a violent and wildly optimistic America.
£13.49
Penguin Books Ltd The Grass Arena
Book SynopsisJohn Healy''s The Grass Arena describes with unflinching honesty his experiences of addiction, his escape through learning to play chess in prison, and his ongoing search for peace of mind. This Penguin Classics edition includes an afterword by Colin MacCabe.In his searing autobiography Healy describes his fifteen years living rough in London without state aid, when begging carried an automatic three-year prison sentence and vagrant alcoholics prowled the parks and streets in search of drink or prey. When not united in their common aim of acquiring alcohol, winos sometimes murdered one another over prostitutes or a bottle, or the begging of money. Few modern writers have managed to match Healy''s power to refine from the brutal destructive condition of the chronic alcoholic a story so compelling it is beyond comparison.John Healy (b. 1943) was born into an impoverished, Irish immigrant family, in the slums of Kentish Town, North London. Out of school by 14, pr
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd The Diary of Lady Murasaki
Book SynopsisThis is the diary of Lady Murasaki, the Japanese prose writer. It describes the Heian court at its apogee and offers an intimate picture of the author's life as tutor and companion to the timid Empress Shoshi. It reveals the underside of imperial splendour from a female point of view.Table of ContentsPrefaceA Note on Japanese Names and Dates IntroductionCultural background The author The diary THE DIARY OF LADY MURASAKIAppendix I: Ground-plans and MapAppendix II: Additional SourcesA Guide to Further Reading
£8.54
HarperCollins Publishers Just a Little Run Around the World 5 Years 3
Book SynopsisAfter her husband died of cancer, 57-year-old Rosie set off to run around the world, raising money in memory of the man she loved. Followed by wolves, knocked down by a bus, confronted by bears, chased by a naked man with a gun and stranded with severe frostbite, Rosie''s breathtaking 20,000-mile solo journey is as gripping as it is inspiring.Rosie''s solo run around the world started out of sorrow and heartache and a wish to turn something around.Heartbroken when she lost her husband to cancer, Rosie set off from Wales with nothing but a small backpack of food and equipment, and funded by the rent from her little cottage. So began her epic 5-year journey that would take her 20,000 miles around the world, crossing Europe, Russia, Asia, Alaska, North America, Greenland, Iceland, and back into the UK.On a good day she''d run 30 miles, on a bad day she''d only manage 500 yards, digging herself out of the snow at -62 degrees C, moving her cart inches at a time. Every inch, every mile, was Trade Review‘Somewhere between Jilly Cooper and Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Rosie Swale-Pope is an archetypal British survivor, the sort of woman to break both legs, think, “Bugger this”, and carry on marching.’ Sunday Times
£11.69
