Expeditions: popular accounts Books

Book Synopsis'Conjures the rasp of the ski runner, the scent of burning blubber and the rippling iridescence of the Northern Lights' Sara Wheeler '[An] astonishing, haunting memoir' Isabella Tree The rediscovered classic memoir - the mesmerizingly beautiful account of one woman's year spent living in a remote hut in the Arctic In 1934, the painter Christiane Ritter leaves her comfortable home for a year with her husband on the Arctic island of Spitsbergen. On arrival she is shocked to realise that they are to live in a tiny ramshackle hut on the shores of a lonely fjord, hundreds of miles from the nearest settlement. At first, Christiane is horrified by the freezing cold, the bleak landscape and the lack of supplies... But after encounters with bears and seals, long treks over the ice and months of perpetual night, she finds herself falling in love with the Arctic's harsh, otherworldly beauty. This luminous classic memoir tells of her inspiring journey to freedom and fulfilment in the adventure of a lifetime. Part of the Pushkin Press Classics series: timeless storytelling by icons of literature, hand-picked from around the globe Translated by Jane Degras With a foreword by Sara Wheeler Born in 1897, CHRISTIANE RITTER was an Austrian artist and author. She wrote A Woman in the Polar Night on her return to Austria from Spitsbergen in 1934. It has since become a classic of travel writing, never going out of print in German and being translated into seven other languages. 'A year in the Arctic should be compulsory to everyone,' she would say in her later years. 'Then you will come to realise what's important in life and what isn't.' Ritter died in Vienna in 2000 at the age of 103.Trade Review“An epic story, elegantly told and full of mystery. Even though I could never hope to match her bravery and aplomb, Ritter made me long to decamp at once for the harshest and wildest corners of the earth.” — Maggie Shipstead, author of Great Circle

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Book SynopsisThe age of exploration was drawing to a close, yet the mystery of the North Pole remained. Contemporaries described the pole as the ‘unattainable object of our dreams’, and the urge to fill in this last great blank space on the map grew irresistible.In 1879 the USS Jeannette set sail from San Francisco to cheering crowds and amid a frenzy of publicity. The ship and its crew, captained by the heroic George De Long, were destined for the uncharted waters of the Arctic. But it wasn’t long before the Jeannette was trapped in crushing pack ice. Amid the rush of water and the shrieks of breaking wooden boards, the crew found themselves marooned a thousand miles north of Siberia with only the barest supplies, facing a seemingly impossible trek across endless ice. Battling everything from snow blindness and polar bears to ferocious storms and frosty labyrinths, the expedition fought madness and starvation as they desperately strove for survival. Trade Review‘Tells the extraordinary story of this little known expedition in Hampton Sides’ well-honed style – meticulous research shoring up a fast-paced narrative’. * Financial Times *‘A stirring story… a brilliant exposition of narrative non-fiction: moving, harrowing, as gripping as any well-paced thriller but a lore more interesting because it is also true’ * The Times *'A splendid book in every way... a marvelous nonfiction thriller.' * Wall Street Journal *‘[Sides] is a scrupulous researcher who has mined all the primary material, including extensive journals and medical logs carried home by survivors, and he quotes judiously, interleaving the narrative with heartbreaking extracts from letters written by De Long’s young wife’ * Spectator *'A vivid tale of exploration set in a howling, deadly wilderness.' -- T.J. Stiles, Pulitzer Prize winning author of The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt'An astonishingly good story.' -- Candice Millard, New York Times bestselling author of The Destiny of the Republic and The River of Doubt'Harrowing and impeccably paced.' * New Yorker *‘Hampton Sides is a master storyteller, and here he has delivered a stunningly vivid account of perhaps the most dramatic polar mission you never heard of. Once you start, you won't stop.’ -- Mark Bowden, author of Black Hawk Down'Reads like a first-class epic thriller.' -- Lev Grossman * Time *‘Unforgettable…a pulse-racing epic of endurance set against an exceedingly bizarre Arctic backdrop… a masterful work of history and storytelling.’ * Los Angeles Times *‘Phenomenally gripping… Sides works story-telling magic.' * Boston Globe *'Sides spins a propulsive narrative from obscure documents, journals and his own firsthand visits to the Arctic regions visited by the Jeannette and its crew.' * USA Today *‘First-rate polar history and adventure narrative... a harrowing story, well told.’ * New York Times Book Review *'The history of polar exploration sets a high bar for extreme physical ordeal — think John Franklin, Ernest Shackleton, Robert Falcon Scott — and the tribulations of De Long and his crew stack up with the worst of them.' * Washington Post *'A dazzling page-turner.' * Nathaniel Philbrick, author of In the Heart of the Sea *'Masterful storytelling... The reader is drawn into the ice from the first page and will not want to leave until the fate of every man is known.' * Caroline Alexander, author of The Endurance and The Bounty *'An Arctic thriller, an authentic narrative masterpiece.' * S.C. Gwynne, author of Empire of the Summer Moon *'One of the greatest and most harrowing adventures of all time. Spellbinding.' * David Grann, author of The Lost City of Z *'Sides has brought together an absolutely marvelous cast of characters… All works of history should be half this much fun.' -- Scott Anderson, author of Lawrence in Arabia

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE EDWARD STANFORD TRAVEL BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2023* NOW A MAJOR DOCUMENTARY SERIES ON ALL 4 *‘This is a fabulous adventure – reckless, insanely ambitious and filled with sweat, tears and laughter ... irresistible reading.’ Joanna Lumley‘Alex Bescoby weaves travel, adventure, history and the contemporary together like no one else. His great gift is to take us on a journey through past and present.' Dan Snow_______________________________________________________________‘A journey that I don’t think could be made again today’. It was this comment by Sir David Attenborough on the fiftieth anniversary of the iconic First Overland expedition that became an irresistible challenge for filmmaker and adventurer Alex Bescoby.In 1955, Attenborough, then a young TV producer, was approached by six recent university graduates determined to drive the entire length of ‘Eurasia’, from London to Singapore. It was the unclimbed Everest of motoring – many had tried, none had succeeded. Sensing this time might be different, Attenborough gave the expedition enough film reel to cover their attempt. The 19,000-mile journey completed by Tim Slessor and the team captivated a nation emerging from postwar austerity. Tim’s book, The First Overland, soon became the bible of the overlanding religion. Inspired by the First Overland, Alex made contact with now eighty-six-year-old Tim and together they planned an epic recreation of the original trip, this time from Singapore to London. Their goal was to complete the legendary journey started more than sixty years ago in the original Land Rover. In awe of the unstoppable Tim, and haunted by his own grandfather’s declining health, Alex and his team soon find themselves battling rough roads, breakdowns and Oxford’s constantly leaky roof to discover a world changed for the better – and worse – since the first expedition.Trade ReviewBescoby is a terrific travelling companion, full of insight, sharp observation and enviable sangfroid. -- Michael WoodElegant, wry, indomitable, self-deprecating – a splendid, sparkling addition to expeditions and to travel writing. -- Rory StewartThe Last Overland is an epic overland journey, epitomising the spirit of the great modern adventure. -- Levison WoodAlex Bescoby weaves travel, adventure, history and the contemporary together like no one else. His great gift is to take us on a journey through past and present. By its end we have learned more about the world and ourselves -- Dan SnowThe First Overland was an amazing journey, underlining the fact that adventure is always out there for anybody who seeks it. This epic recreation of that trip shows us that whether you’re the first or the thousandth, the view from the mountaintop is just as incredible. I know that Alex’s Last Overland expedition will inspire other intrepid explorers to ensure that this is definitely not the last – there is always more to see and explore -- Tony Wheeler, co-founder of Lonely PlanetThis is a fabulous adventure – reckless, insanely ambitious and filled with sweat, tears and laughter ... irresistible reading. An immense challenge and a thrilling true story -- Joanna LumleyA proper adventure story – a journey halfway around the world with all the scrapes, hiccups, wonderment and exhilaration to be expected from an epic journey in an old Land Rover with a leaky roof. Told with an infectious enthusiasm, passion and compelling verve, this is the story of an overland journey that says much about our ongoing relationship with the planet on which we live, but also the passage of time and an undimmed thirst for adventure. -- James HollandNot content to just pay homage to a legendary journey, Alex Bescoby must drive the very Land Rover, complete with GIN and TONIC Jerry cans, that made the trip in 1955. Spoiler alert: nothing goes to plan. The Last Overland is steered by an indomitable spirit through time, friendships, obsession, doubt and perpetual motion. A book not only for adventurous hearts who want to seize life, but for those who want to interrogate what it is to be human. -- Keggie Carew

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Book SynopsisTom is an Asian puppy, destined to be dinner. Instead, an Irish couple rescue him from a street vendor and take him into their care. Together they embark on a whirlwind tour through Vietnam, Nepal and Cambodia, thwarting street dogs and customs officials along the way. But can the three of them truly become a family?

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Book SynopsisLauren Elkin is the author of several books, including Flâneuse: Women Walk the City, a Radio 4 Book of the Week, a New York Times Notable Book of 2017, and a finalist for the PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel award for the art of the essay. Her essays on art, literature, and culture have appeared in the London Review of Books, the New York Times, Granta, Harper's, Le Monde, Les Inrockuptibles, and Frieze, among others. She is also an award-winning translator, most recently of Simone de Beauvoir's previously unpublished novel The Inseparables. After twenty years in Paris, she now lives in London.Trade ReviewAn uplifting, gender-bending critique of how women negotiate public space -- Deborah Levy * Guardian, Book of the Year *Deliciously spiky and seditious, she takes her readers on a rich, intelligent and lively meander through cultural history, biography, literary criticism, urban topography and memoir… I defy anyone to read this celebratory study and not feel inspired to take to the streets in one way or another. -- Lucy Scholes * Observer *Well researched and larded with examples, this picaresque account of a picaresque longing successfully paints women back into the city... Elkin reboots the appetite to go walking and thinking in the city, which can only be a good thing. * Evening Standard *Flâneuse is not simply a reclaiming of space, but also of a suppressed intellectual and cultural history. Finding ways to reframe images of women walking and to reverse male gazes, Flâneuse builds on recent work by Rebecca Solnit and the artist Laura Oldfield Ford, among others, with striking intellectual vigour and clear, enrapturing prose. * Financial Times *The thoughtful urban stroller Lauren Elkin is a self-appointed heir to Woolf's 'street haunter'. A memoir, a travelogue and an eminently likeable work of literary criticism, Flaneuse is more like a song sung under Elkin’s breath. [...] At its best, her book evokes reading aloud... reading your own life through the novels that form part of it. -- Gaby Wood * Daily Telegraph *Wonderful… a joyful genealogy of the female urban walker. The book’s narrative meanders brilliantly and appropriately across several times periods at once… Elkin’s Flaneuse does not simply wander aimlessly, any more than Elkin does herself in this elegant book: she uses her reflection to question, challenge and create anew the life that she observes. -- Lara Feigel * Guardian *An intense meditation on what it means to be a women and walk out in the world. Flaneuse encourages its readers to lace up their shoes and go for a walk. Elkin lets the reader become a companion to many women who have thought seriously about the relationship between a woman and the path she chooses to tread. -- Erica Wagner * New Statesman *I've been waiting for years to see the history of women walkers in the city added to the critical literature of the flaneur--and here, in Lauren Elkin's really smart and lovely book -- Vivian GornickEngaging, inspiring and vigorous... The persuasiveness with which she urges us to rethink and expand our understanding of the art of flânerie, together with the force of her insights and the strength and weight of her voice, leaves us with a contribution to the field that feels singular. Buy it, read it, talk about it. And carry it with you in your mind when you next go walking in the city. -- Matthew Adams * The National *Flâneuse offers a rich engagement with the “psychogeography” of 20th-century literature and the contemporary city… A rich, rewarding pedalogue -- Martin Doyle and Sara Keating * Irish Times *In her richly evocative and absorbing debut, cultural critic Elkin homes in on the female version of the flaneur . . . In this insightful mix of cultural history and memoir, Elkin emerges at the protagonist as she mines her personal journey from the suburbs of Long Island to her current home in Paris * Publishers Weekly *Marvellously eclectic and erudite * Bookseller *An appealing blend of memoir, scholarship, and cultural criticism . . . Elkin's own story runs through the text like a luminous thread. She tells us the woman-in-the-street stories of Jean Rhys, Virginia Woolf, George Sand, Sophie Calle, Agnès Varda, and Martha Gellhorn, but all sorts of other cultural figures appear, including Barthes, Rilke, Baudelaire, Hemingway, Derrida, Dickens, and numerous others . . . Enlightening walks through cities, cultural history, and a writer's heart and soul * Kirkus *This is a book about wandering women, the author included, who build relationships with their cities by walking through them . . . Women can and do make feminist statements simply by strolling through their stomping grounds; Elkin creates an interesting and inarguable case for this. She, too, is a wanderer and provides compelling anecdotes about her own journeys, interspersed with those of literary heavy-hitters George Sand, Jean Rhys, Virginia Woolf, and others . . . This is ultimately a celebration of women. You'll want to take a stroll by the end * Library Journal *Inspiring * Psychologies *

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Book SynopsisOne of the finest mountaineering books. A phenomenal tale of strength and valour. WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY JOE SIMPSON In 1950, no mountain higher than 8,000 meters had ever been climbed. Maurice Herzog and other members of the French Alpine Club resolved to try. This is the enthralling story of the first conquest of Annapurna and the harrowing descent. With breathtaking courage and grit manifest on every page, Annapurna is one of the greatest adventure stories ever told. As well as an introduction by Joe Simpson, this new edition includes 16 pages of photographs, which provide a remarkable visual record of this legendary expedition. The distinguished French mountaineer Maurice Herzog was leader of the 1950 expedition to Annapurna. He was one of the two climbers to reach the summit.Trade Review'A classic of its kind... His vivid, high powered but never overdramatised account of the ascent still reads splendidly' * The Irish Times *After being swept off his feet by an avalanche and left dangling by a rope around his neck, Herzog 'began to pass water, violently and uncontrollably'. Your reaction may be only slightly less extreme as you move from one nail-biting moment to the next in this wonderful 1952 tale of triumph and frostbite. * Outside *Quite simply the greatest mountaineering book ever written. * Joe Simpson, from the Introduction *The climb took place before the Himalayas were a tourist attraction and before Gore-Tex cold-weather gear was available in Marks & Spencer. They had no oxygen, little food and on the descent Herzog lost his gloves, got trapped in a storm, was buried in an avalanche and became frostbitten. His descriptions don't stint on the details of maggot-ridden flesh and amputations without anaesthesia -- Richard EyreThose who have never seen the Himalayas...will know that they have been a companion of greatness * New York Times Book Review *

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Book SynopsisAn elegant, densely textured work, like a tapestry A welcome contribution to polar studies.' Sara Wheeler, Spectator [MacInness] handles the whole thing with masterly skilltakes us to the heart of the hope, love, anguish and grief' The TimesTrade Review‘A captivating, heartrending, emotionally exhausting, beautifully crafted bloody brilliant book’ Ben Tarring ‘I am reading it with fascination. It’s magnificent. [MacInnes has] an almost supernatural ability to conjure up the past.’ Sue Limb: co-author of Captain Oates: Soldier and Explorer 'The story of the five women waiting at home for Captain Scott and his doomed polar party is naturally occluded in tragedy. In this engaging book Katherine MacInnes for the first time presents them – two mothers at the outset, and three wives – as distinct individuals, separated one from the other by class, education, faith and temperament …An elegant, densely textured work, like a tapestry … A welcome contribution to polar studies.’ Sara Wheeler, Spectator ‘[MacInness] handles the whole thing with masterly skill…takes us to the heart of the hope, love, anguish and grief’ Ysenda Maxtone Graham, The Times ‘A breathless parallel narrative, flipping from the Antarctic horrors to the worried women keeping calm and carrying on … Mesmerising … Movingly done’ Kate Green, Country Life '[MacInnes] relies … deftly on photographs, from which she derives many of her descriptions of precise moments. It is fascinating and impressive to have her prose bring these images to life, as she plausibly recaptures the moments they depict … She show[s] that history in the making is not only experienced but felt, poignantly and painfully.' Stephanie Barczewski, TLS ‘Combining historical research, including access to family archives, with a vivid storytelling style, author Katherine MacInnes presents … the public and private fallout of the tragedy, which reveals much about society at the time. In doing so she presents a fresh and fascinating perspective on a well-worn story, as well as a window onto a lost world.’ This England magazine 'A truly gripping, original and refreshing angle on the history of polar exploration' The Bay magazine ‘Superb’ Bute Museum

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Book SynopsisThe long-awaited final volume of the trilogy by Patrick Leigh Fermor. A Time of Gifts and Between the Woods and the Water were the first two volumes in a projected trilogy that would describe the walk that Patrick Leigh Fermor undertook at the age of eighteen from the Hook of Holland to Constantinople. 'When are you going to finish Vol. III?' was the cry from his fans; but although he wished he could, the words refused to come. The curious thing was that he had not only written an early draft of the last part of the walk, but that it predated the other two. It remains unfinished but The Broken Road - edited and introduced by Colin Thubron and Artemis Cooper - completes an extraordinary journey.Trade ReviewNobody could do the job better than the book's editors. Colin Thubron is a travel writer of Leigh Fermor's calibre, Artemis Cooper is his masterly biographer . . . It contains wonderful passages of purest Leigh Fermor . . . Time and again he gives us vivid glimpses of encounters along the way - priests and peasants, the squalors of the back country, high life in Bucharest - and this virtuoso display is embedded as always in his astonishing range of learning . . . full of fun, kindness, easy learning, sophistication and innocence . . . a gently fitting conclusion to his tumultuous masterpiece -- Jan Morris * Mail on Sunday *This is a major work. It confirms that Leigh Fermor was, along with Robert Byron, the greatest travel writer of his generation, and this final volume assures the place of the trilogy as one of the masterpieces of the genre, indeed one of the masterworks of post-war English non-fiction -- William Dalrymple * Guardian *Colin Thubron and Artemis Cooper have put this book to bed with skill and sensitivity . . . Friends and fans, acolytes, devotees and disciples can all rest easy. It was worth the wait -- Justin Marozzi * Spectator *The editors have done a fine job * Literary Review *It is magnificent. Cooper and Thubron have done an immense service in bringing the book to publication, for it unmistakably stands comparison with its remarkable siblings. The prose has the glorious turbulence and boil of the first two books, and the youthful magic of his 'dream-odyssey' is still potent * Robert MacFarlane, The Times *A fitting conclusion to his masterpiece . . . This book is momentous * Mail on Sunday *The pages are filled with brilliant evocations of his life on the road, none richer than the time he spent in a Romanian broth . . . It is a fitting epilogue to 20th-century travel-writing and essential reading for devotees of Sir Patrick's other works * The Economist *I set off along The Broken Road laden with expectations that I would have to make allowances. Yet almost from the off, I realised that I would have no use for these. Here was a wealth of descriptions that only Leigh Fermor could have conjured up . . . In a stroke of brilliance, Thubron and Cooper have included the separate diary that Leigh Fermor kept of the month he spent exploring Mount Athos in Greece immediately after leaving Istanbul. So, the Athos diary, aglow with rich experience, finally brings the journey to its rightful end in the spiritual heart of the country that was to prove, though the young author did not yet know it, Leigh Fermor's "real love and destination" * New Statesman *This is a picaresque essay, a virtuoso tapestry of anecdote in the author's best tradition * Country Life *The first two volumes were a joy to read, not least for Leigh Fermor's ability to recapture in later life the intense excitement of being a young man lighting out. The latest book offers similar joys . . . Also evident are another of the joys of the earlier books - the pyrotechnics of his writing. Exuberance is expressed in heightened suggestions . . . it captures the joy of the open road, the fresh view he gives of Europe as it began to show the stresses that led to world war, and the glimpses of a long-lost life and innocence * Observer *The Mount Athos diary - untampered with by his older self - reminds us what an extraordinary young man he was . . . This early style is more immediate, more youthful; a pleasure to read in a wholly different way from the later magnificence * Financial Times *A road trip that is as illuminating as it is incomplete made by a traveller, warrior and jewelled stylist * Independent *There is plenty to enjoy, so much so that the reader often forgets to wonder how much is true, and how much the revisionist work of an inventive and poetic mind . . . the pleasure lies in its combination of erudition, exuberant speculation, lively anecdote and meticulous, picture-painting language . . . Gorgeous imagery, granted, yet it is in Leigh Fermor's disarming cameos that The Broken Road excels * Sunday Times *His literary executors have topped, tailed and polished with such sympathy and skill that their interventions cannot be detected. This is pure Paddy: these are his feelings, perceptions and responses, his the observations, his the descriptions, consummate in a phrase, acute and intense when extended to paragraph or page; this is his style yet it is in many ways a youthful text, its core the adventure of a very young man, its embellishments the experience, curiosity and wisdom of his older self * Evening Standard *What a poignant and somehow fitting finale for a legendary procrastinator. It was certainly worth the wait * National *This final leg, through Romania and Bulgaria rounds off a classic trilogy * i *For readers of the other two books, to see the odyssey at last (almost) concluded, will naturally be irresistible. For everyone else there is the discovery of a unique writer * Sunday Express *The final volume confirms the trilogy as one of the 'masterpieces' of English travel writing * Week *A scintillating continuation of the prodigious walk that took the young Leigh Fermor right into the heart of magically different pre-war Europe and beyond . . . his journey is complete, his world task accomplished, with the whole undertaking as thick in marvels as Aladdin's cave * Irish Times *The perfect present for anyone with wanderlust * Good Housekeeping *The third unfinished volume of Leigh Fermor's enchanted journey through Mitteleuropa is here at last * TLS Books of the Year *Glorious . . . Artemis Cooper and Colin Thubron created THE BROKEN ROAD from a rejected essay on walking (15 times the size requested of Paddy), some failed drafts and a pair of flimsy travel journals. But the author is arguably more present in their loving editorial hands . . . than in any of his other books. There is also that infectious enthusiasm for the road and the lived experience, for spoken language, oral knowledge and for everything Byzantine and Greek * Daily Telegraph, Best Books of the Year *His epic journey's erudite conclusion will not disappoint his many fans * Saga *Offers a fascinating glimpse of a lost time and talent * Financial Times, Books of the Year *My favourite book this year was the final, unfinished and posthumous volume of Patrick Leigh Fermor's walking trilogy . . . it is every bit as masterly as Between the Woods and the Water * Observer, Books of the Year *Glorious . . . Artemis Cooper and Colin Thubron created The Broken Road . . . but the author is arguably more present in their loving editorial hands . . . than in any of his other books. There is also that infectious enthusiasm for the road and the lived experience, for spoken language, oral knowledge and for everything Byzantine and Greek * Daily Telegraph, Books of the Year *Offers a fascinating glimpse of a lost time and talent * Financial Times, Books of the Year *Its rich depictions and liquid language make this a masterpiece to savour * Sunday Express *In magnificent prose [Patrick Leigh Fermor] describes liaisons with countesses in crumbling castles, changing landscapes, now lost forever, and the delight of a young man with nothing but himself and his quest for adventure. Travel writing at its most sublime * Daily Express *His award-winning biographer Artemis Cooper and travel writer Colin Thubron have painstakingly and sensitively worked on Paddy's draft of the final leg of his epic journey and ghosted a wonderful account of his swashbuckling journey . . . It conjures up a life that's unimaginable in more cautious modern times and is beautifully written * Daily Mail *Like many really good things, it's hard to say why The Broken Road, the final volume of Patrick Leigh Fermor's account of his walk from Holland to Constantinople, is so satisfying. But it is * Mail on Sunday *

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Book SynopsisThe Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition was perhaps the most ambitious, elaborate and confident of all the British attempts to master the South Pole. Like the others it ended in disaster, with the Endeavour first trapped and then crushed to pieces in the ice and its crew trapped in the Antarctic, seemingly doomed to a slow and horrible death. In the face of extraordinary odds, Shackleton, the expedition''s leader, decided on the only course that might just save them: a 700 nautical mile voyage in a small boat across the ferocious Southern Ocean in the forelorn hope of reaching the only human habitation within range: a small whaling station on the rugged, ice-sheeted island of South Georgia.South tells the story both of the whole astonishing expedition and of Shackleton''s journey to rescue his men - one of the greatest feats of navigation ever recorded.

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Book SynopsisIn the 18th and 19th centuries, treasure-hunting became a professional occupation. Presenting a story of a national obsession, this work features a history of a peculiarly English phenomenon - of outstanding bravery, of exceptional recklessness, and above all, of dreams of treasure.Trade Review"* 'His scholarship is solid, and his telling if this complex story is lucid and well-paced.' Noel Malcolm, Sunday Telegraph * 'A thoroughly entertaining read that dispels a number of myths and spins many a good yarn' Daily Mail * 'Masterful...a much needed reappraisal' The Sunday Times, Best Summer Books * 'Peter Earle's distinguished and thorough study... puts all kinds of preconceptions about piracy to the sword... a fascinating and timely reminder that no outlaw ever exists outside the society he opposes' Scotland on Sunday"

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Book SynopsisJoshua Slocum''s epic solo voyage around the world in 1895 in the thirty-seven-foot sloop Spray stands as one of the greatest sea adventures of all time. It remains one of the major feats of single-handed voyaging and has since been the inspiration for the many who have gone to sea in small boats. Starting from Boston in 1895 and dropping anchor in Newport, Rhode Island, over three years after his journey began, Slocum cruised some forty-six thousand miles entirely by sail and entirely alone. Slocum''s account of his voyage is a classic of sailing literature, acclaimed as an unequaled masterpiece of vital yet disciplined prose--here in a new edition for all admirers of his legendary achievement.Trade ReviewYes, Slocum's journey was 'epic' but it was also eccentric, unlikely and his unsurpassable action elegiac...The unaffected and quirky intimacy with which he writes will never be matched. You cannot do what he did any more. * Matthew Parris *Boys who do not like this book ought to be drowned at once. * Arthur Ransome *One of the best sea-themed reads. * Daily Telegraph *It is riveting stuff... A great read. * The Nautical Magazine *One of the all-time classic sailing narratives. * Classic Boat *

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Book SynopsisVivid, powerful and absorbing, this is a first-person account of one of the most startling military episodes in history: the overthrow of Montezuma''s doomed Aztec Empire by the ruthless Hernan Cortes and his band of adventurers. Bernal Díaz del Castillo, himself a soldier under Cortes, presents a fascinatingly detailed description of the Spanish landing in Mexico in 1520 and their amazement at the city, the exploitation of the natives for gold and other treasures, the expulsion and flight of the Spaniards, their regrouping and eventual capture of the Aztec capital.Table of ContentsThe expedition of Francisco Hernandex de Cordoba; the expedition of Juan de Grijalva; the expedition of Hernando Cortes - preparations; the voyage; Dona Marina's story; a pause on the coast; the stay at Cempoala; the foundation of Vera Cruz; the march to Cingapacinga and return of Cempoala; events at Vera Cruz - the destruction of the ships; the Tlascalan campaign; peace with Tlascala - embassies from Mexico; the march to Mexico; the entrance into Mexico; the stay in Mexico; Montezuma's captivity; Cortes in difficulties; the flight from Mexico; Cortes collects fresh strength; expeditions around the lake; the siege and capture of Mexico.

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Book SynopsisIn the breaststrokes of Roger Deakin's Waterlog, this is the story of one man's search for himself across the breadth of Britain's wild waters.Trade Review'Lovely, lively, passionate... a celebration of nature's ability to inspire healing and joy' Robert MacFarlane‘Minihane writes with refreshing candour... a transformative emotional journey’ Observer 'Roger Deakin’s Waterlog journey, rebooted for the 21st century, Floating is a delicious slice of nature writing with a truly human heart' Alexandra Heminsley, author of Leap In ‘Minihane writes cleanly and with honesty, and never misses a factual or stylistic stroke’ TLS'A gem... so thoughtful. Prose as clean and beautiful as a good swim' Jessica Lee, author of Turning‘An ode to the joys of wild swimming in Britain’ Lonely Planet‘I love this book... this has to sit next to Waterlog in every swimmer’s library’ Jenny Landreth, author of Swell: A Waterbiography'Minihane finds in swimming a rare moment of being free from anxiety and learns that it can be integral in overcoming depression' Wanderlust ‘A string of immersive green dreams, from still, pollen-dusted ponds of warm days to the cold churning power of the sea... this is an effortless, absorbing read. Floating highlights the beautiful variety of outdoor swims possible in Britain and the great positive impact they can have’ Caught by the River ‘Minihane writes with a compulsive honesty and clarity that draws you into its stream as beguiling as any river Deakin ever swam – a wonderful read. Highly recommended!’ Kate Rew founder of the Outdoor Swimming Society‘Engaging and enjoyable... as much a commentary on the changing nature of Britain as a celebration of wild swimming’ The Idler‘A wonderful book: a love letter to wild swimming, a hate letter to anxiety and a story of how we can learn to live with ourselves, our overclocked minds, even after we climb out of the water’ Joe Dunthorne, author of Submarine

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Book SynopsisOf all the extraordinary Victorian travelogues, The Malay Archipelago has a fair claim to be the greatest - both as a beautiful, alarming, vivid and gripping account of some eight years'' travel across the entire Malay world - from Singapore to the western edges of New Guinea - and as the record of a great mind. As Wallace, often under conditions of terrible hardship and sickness, battles through jungles, lives with headhunters, and collects beetles, butterflies and birds-of-paradise, he makes discoveries about the workings of biology that have shaped our view of the world ever since.Trade ReviewOne of the most adventurous, observant and honourable scientists of his time -- Sir David Attenborough

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Book Synopsis“An extraordinary tale of derring-do told in a mesmerising new book via fascinating archive pictures – and worthy of a Hollywood movie too.” — Daily Mail "A new book showcasing them all is a fascinating read… The care and dedication that has gone into The Nansen Photographs is obvious." — Amateur Photographer "This epic tome, lovingly and painstakingly put together by Geir O Klover, director of the Fram Museum in Oslo, recounts this expedition using original photos and diary entries." — Black and White Photography In the late 19th century, the Norwegian Artic explorer Fridtjof Nansen undertook a pioneering expedition: he wanted to reach the North Pole with the specially designed ship Fram. The Nansen Photographs recounts this expedition, from the launch in 1890 through to the end of Nansen’s international lecture tour in 1897, using original photographs alongside personal diary entries from Nansen and seven of his crew members. Together, they illustrate in a poignant and sometimes disconcerting way how the expedition members went about their daily lives and conducted their research, the conflicts they faced, and how they ultimately brought their daring undertaking to its successful conclusion. This book brings new life to previously known facts and introduces the reader to hundreds of previously unknown photographs from the expedition. The large format of the book brings the smaller details in the photographs to the forefront, providing new insight into the work and life on board, the equipment and the clothing. Opposing diary entries from Nansen and the men about the same situations show that life on board was not always easy and tell a gripping story of survival and the human condition. Nansen’s lack of empathy and practical skills caused frustration among the men, and several of them resorted to fists to sort out their differences, but nonetheless they all pulled through and set a new standard for arctic expeditions to come. When Nansen leaves the ship for his legendary 18 month journey with Hjalmar Johansen towards the North Pole, we follow both Nansen and Johansen and the crew left on board through their photographs and diaries. The return to Norway and the spectacular celebration is told in detail through photographs, newspaper reports, speeches, menus and ephemera. This stunning 712-page book comes with an illustrated dustjacket and contains 850 photographs and illustrations, 35 ship drawings and 25 maps.Trade Review“An extraordinary tale of derring-do told in a mesmerising new book via fascinating archive pictures – and worthy of a Hollywood movie too.” - Daily Mail"A new book showcasing them all is a fascinating read… The care and dedication that has gone into The Nansen Photographs is obvious." - Amateur Photographer"This epic tome, lovingly and painstakingly put together by Geir O Klover, director of the Fram Museum in Oslo, recounts this expedition using original photos and diary entries." - Black and White Photography

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Book SynopsisIn an exquisite personal pilgrimage, Corinne Hofmann delves into the slums of Nairobi to uncover the heart-warming and heart-breaking stories of unforgettable people and places, then treks 500 miles across the Namibian desert to discover the lives of the nomadic Himba people. Joined by her half-Kenyan daughter, Napirai, they travel to Nairobi together for the first time to discover Napirai s roots and finally meet her father and half-siblings. Africa, My Passion is a poignant, touching and exciting story about one woman's love affair with a unique man, which led to a lifelong obsession with Africa. Moving, vividly recounted, eye-opening and, above all, filled with passionate hope and unparalleled detail, this is an extraordinary sequel to a bestselling series of memoirs.

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Book SynopsisA riveting account of a landmark expedition that left only one survivor, now back in print for the first time in decades.Arabia Felix is the spellbinding true story of a scientific expedition gone disastrously awry. On a winter morning in 1761 six men leave Copenhagen by sea—a botanist, a philologist, an astronomer, a doctor, an artist, and their manservant—an ill-assorted band of men who dislike and distrust one another from the start. These are the members of the Danish expedition to Arabia Felix, as Yemen was then known, the first organized foray into a corner of the world unknown to Europeans. The expedition made its way to Turkey and Egypt, by which time its members were already actively seeking to undercut and even kill one another, before disappearing into the harsh desert that was their destination. Nearly seven years later a single survivor returned to Denmark to find himself forgotten and all the specimens that had been sent back ruined by neglect. Based on diaries, notebooks, and sketches that lay unread in Danish archives until the twentieth century, Arabia Felix is a tale of intellectual rivalry and a comedy of very bad manners, as well as an utterly absorbing adventure.Arabia Felix includes 33 line drawings and maps.

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Book SynopsisA journey – both historical and contemporary – among the fantastical landscapes, resourceful inhabitants and isolated tribes of the world's fourth-largest island of enduring fascination for its rich biodiversity: Madagascar. 'A beautifully written depiction of the history of this beguiling island' Literary Review 'Courageous, exploratory, humane and with a wry sense of humour' Spectator 'A feat of journalism, observation and determination' Dr Alyson Hitch 'Wonderfully witty and wry' Benedict Allen We think we know Madagascar but it's too big, too eccentric, and too impenetrable to be truly understood. As well as visiting every corner of the island, John Gimlette journeys deep into Madagascar's past. Along the way, he meets politicians, sorcerers, gem prospectors, militiamen, rioters, lepers and the descendants of seventeenth-century pirates. Insightful and wryly humorous, here's an encounter with the people, landscapes, politics and history of one of the most remarkable places on Earth.Trade ReviewFew writers have delved into [Madagascar's] history and none as thoroughly and mercilessly as Gimlette... His descriptions of the everyday sights of Madagascar are wonderful... Enjoy the book as an evocation of this extraordinary island, in all its complexity and all its contradictions' * Literary Review *A beautifully written depiction of the people and history of this beguiling and perplexing island -- Edward PaiceCourageous, exploratory, humane and with a wry sense of humour * Spectator *Destined to scoop whatever travel book awards are still in existence these days * The Bay (Swansea) *The best English-language travel writer out there * Travel Mag *A fabulous new book * Timeless Travels *John Gimlette's latest thoughtful study sees him explore the relatively recent human history of the world's fourth largest island * Wanderlust *This is classic Gimlette – an utter delight. Here is the tale of an enchanted island, one enlivened by its spirited inhabitants and mysterious past. But what makes the book so readable is the author's unfailing eye for the quirky and unexpected. It's a wonderfully witty and wry book, the author's wanderings through Madagascar lit all along the way by his telling eye for detail and accustomed panache -- Benedict AllenIn this chronicle of the fascinating strangeness of Madagascar [...] incredulity, horror and amusement coalesce in Gimlette's customarily talented narration of the weird * Irish Times *Gimlette's 'walk-through history' is a tour de force, taking in slavery, Welsh missionaries, ancestor worship, French conquest, and forts whose ramparts are rendered in millions of egg whites * Telegraph *[Gimlette] takes us to the beautiful but extremely weird tropical island where everything – especially its history and fauna – is larger than life -- Andrew Roberts, Engelsberg Ideas

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewPraise for The Evolution of Charles Darwin:Named a Best Book of the Year by Kirkus Reviews (Nonfiction)“Fascinating . . . A beautifully told coming-of-age story focused on Darwin’s psychological transmutation from a diffident specimen collector expecting to become a country parson to a novice scientist climbing the career ladder in London’s private and prestigious clubs and societies . . . Offer[s] new and exciting ideas that will likely beat out the competition.”—Robert M. Thorson, Wall Street Journal “[Preston’s] books are always entertaining . . . This book fits that mould; it’s an adventure story . . . The author has chosen the perfect topic. It’s nearly impossible to write a dull book about Darwin . . . The real attraction of this book lies in the way it turns the development of evolutionary theory into a personal story.”—Gerald DeGroot, Times (UK) “[A] meticulously researched compelling narrative . . . Diana Preston’s vibrant reconstruction of Darwin’s extraordinary journey, world-changing work and the consequences he experienced makes it all accessible and new in her telling.”—Janet Somerville, Toronto Star“An exciting biography of the immortal naturalist’s legendary journey . . . It was well into the 20th century before essentially all scientists agreed that Darwin was on the right track. Since then, biographies have poured off the presses, but readers cannot go wrong with this expert account. An irresistible scientific biography and adventure story with a happy ending.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)“While much has been written about Darwin’s revolutionary scientific achievements on this journey, historian Preston sheds light on the voyage itself, its captain and crew, and the Native populations they encountered.”—Booklist (starred review)“A brisk and accessible account of how Charles Darwin developed his theory of natural selection . . . A rewarding look at the development of an earth-shattering idea.”—Publishers Weekly“Darwin was only 22 when he boarded the HMS Beagle in 1830 under the command of Robert FitzRoy as a ‘gentleman naturalist,’ unaware his name would one day grace an award honouring humans who remove themselves from the gene pool through misadventure. Drawing on the naturalist’s diaries, Preston’s biography reveals a man who, in his chauvinism and blind patriotism, was typical of his time—but in his liberal- and abolition-mindedness, atypical as well.”—Globe and MailPraise for Eight Days at Yalta:“A colorful chronicle of high-stakes negotiations and a study in human frailties, missteps, and ideological blunders.”—Washington Post“Ms. Preston’s conference narrative abjures authorial hindsight judgments, placing the spotlight instead on the characters’ natural blind spots and biases. She also devotes a full third of the book to the summit’s historical context and personalities, the latter of which are nicely developed.”—Wall Street Journal“A highly readable, highly detailed account of the historic meetings and often difficult and contentious negotiations between Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin, and their staffs, and a vivid description of the once ornate Tsarist palaces and their much deteriorated wartime condition that served as the setting for meetings, dinners, and private talks.”—New York Journal of Books“Lively and nuanced . . . Shrewd on the main personalities . . . Preston goes beyond the horse-trading of three old men, with vivid scene-setting of the tsarist palaces where the conference took place.”—Times (UK)“In this well-written and absorbing book, Diana Preston provides a chronological narrative of these crucial eight days.”—Airmail“On the Yalta conference’s 75th anniversary, this insightful history recounts its enormous, if teeth-gnashing, accomplishments . . . Impressively researched . . . An expert account of an unedifying milestone at the dawn of the Cold War.”—Kirkus Reviews“[A] spirited, behind-the-scenes account of the February 1945 Yalta Conference. Preston mixes foreign policy critique . . . with vibrant descriptions of backstage activities . . . Colorful personalities, piquant details, and a diverse array of perspectives make this a satisfying introduction to the subject.”—Publishers WeeklyPraise for Diana Preston:“A treasure map of a book.”—San Diego Union-Tribune, on A Pirate of Exquisite Mind“A superbly rendered popular history.”—Booklist (starred review), on A Pirate of Exquisite Mind“Unforgettable . . . The definitive account of the Lusitania.”—Philadelphia Inquirer, on Lusitania: An Epic Tragedy“As majestic as its subject . . . Extraordinarily readable.”—Chicago Sun-Times, on Lusitania: An Epic Tragedy“An engaging narrative . . . Rich in detail and texture.”—San Diego Union Tribune, on Before the Fallout: From Marie Curie to Hiroshima“Ultimately this book is about survival, and the author engagingly recounts the nearly impossible task of trying to establish a penal colony with few supplies and poor agricultural conditions. Preston shines in her description of the true nature of Captain Bligh . . . A wonderful look into the beginnings of Australia and the remarkable strength of the survivors of these dangerous voyages.”—Kirkus Reviews, on Paradise in Chains

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Book SynopsisThe Polar Book created as a facsimile of a now very scarce publication for the British Polar Exhibition of 1930 that celebrated the history of Polar discoveries and expeditions of the day. This is the first edition as a case bound hardback, complete with two coloured maps designed by John Bartholomew. This book celebrates Polar discoveries and expeditions, with chapters on the history of Polar discoveries, geophysics, geology, flora and fauna along with equipment needed and used at the time. Contributors: G T Atkinson and H R Mil. The Foreword is by L.C. Bernacchi.

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Book Synopsis"Portugal is not all that far away, or exotic, or dangerous, but it felt like a huge stretch for me to leave my partner, family, job and home and just go off. An overland solo trip lasting months in an ancient little campervan was not the kind of thing I did. But it was something I was about to do."In her debut memoir A Van of One's Own, Biddy Wells tells the story of how, propelled by a thirst for peace and quiet, for a modest adventure and, perhaps, for freedom, she left for Portugal on her own, with only her old campervan, Myfawny, and her GPS, Tanya, for company. Having left just about everything behind, her solo trip forces her to face her fears, her past, and herself. The road provides the perfect canvas to connect the dots between a past breakdown and her present need for freedom, as she reflects on her own life, her relationship, her family and the world around her - to see whether her life still has room for her in it. As she meets wise and not-so- wise people, members of the campervan community and friendly locals, her outlook on life begins to shift, and a chance meeting in a bar leads to the person who will put her on the right track.But will she go back home, to Wales?And what is the meaning of 'home? 'A Van of One's Own is a journey through the breath-taking scenery of France, Spain, and finally Portugal, populated by colourful characters and the roar of the ocean, the taste of fresh fish and the grind of the asphalt; but more importantly, it is a journey through past memories and present conflicts to inner peace.

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Book SynopsisFresh from finishing the Marathon des Sables, Ranulph Fiennes has become the oldest Briton to complete this ultimate endurance test. The world''s greatest living explorer, has travelled to some of the most remote, dangerous parts of the globe. Well-known for his experiences at the poles and climbing Everest, he has also endured some of the hottest conditions on the planet, where temperatures regularly exceed 40 degrees and, without water and shelter, death is inevitable.

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Book SynopsisTim Moore - indefatigable travelling everyman – switches two wheels for four as he journeys across Trumpland in an original Model T Ford.‘Alarmingly full of incident, very funny – even mildly transformative’ Daily MailLacking even the most basic mechanical knowhow, Tim Moore sets out to cross Trumpland USA in an original Model T Ford. Armed only with a fan belt made of cotton, wooden wheels and a trunkload of ‘wise-ass Limey liberal gumption’, his route takes him exclusively through Donald-voting counties, meeting the everyday folks who voted red along the way.He meets a people defined by extraordinary generosity, willing to shift heaven and earth to keep him on the road. And yet, this is clearly a nation in conflict with itself: citizens ‘tooling up’ in reaction to ever-increasing security fears; a healthcare system creaking to support sugar-loaded soda lovers; a disintegrating rust belt all but forgotten by the warring media and political classes.With his trademark blend of slapstick humour, affable insight and butt-clenching peril, Tim Moore invites us on an unforgettable road trip through America. Buckle up!Trade ReviewAn easy and enjoyable read, it’s as much about the roadtrip in a vintage car as it is observations on the current political climate in America * Classic Ford *Moore… [is] very good at soaking up the strangeness of America and relating it to readers with an easy-going observational humour that only threatens to desert him when he contemplates the excesses of the current administration -- Alistair Mabbott * The Herald *Hilarious and scary often in equal measure -- Nat Barnes * Daily Express *This is The Wizard of Oz in reverse – an attempt to uncover the source of what went wrong in America… What lingers is the stories of communities brimming with people who worked like dogs to learn a trade in a country they believed would reward them -- Jane Graham * Big Issue *Alarmingly full of incident, very funny – even mildly transformative -- Jane Shilling * Daily Mail *

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Book Synopsis'Modest, down to earth and full of humour, this is one of the best books about filming I've ever read.' MICHAEL PALIN'Extraordinary: Gavin's easy prose and gasp-making encounters make for a gripping and very funny read. It's a rollercoaster ride with a complete professional. I loved it.' JOANNA LUMLEY'[Gavin is] a great cameraman with infinite patience, but also a writer with great powers of observation and expression. Brilliant!' ALAN TITCHMARSH_________From Gavin Thurston, the award-winning Blue Planet II and Planet Earth II cameraman with a foreword by Sir David Attenborough comes extraordinary and adventurous true stories of what it takes to track down and film our planet's most captivating creatures.Gavin has been a wildlife photographer for over thirty years. Against a backdrop of modern world history, he's lurked in the shadows of some of the world's remotest places in order to capture footage of the animal kingdom's finest: prides of lions, silverback gorillas, capuchin monkeys, brown bears, grey whales, penguins, mosquitoes - you name it he's filmed it.Come behind the camera and discover the hours spent patiently waiting for the protagonists to appear; the inevitable dangers in the wings and the challenges faced and overcome; and the heart-warming, life-affirming moments the cameras miss as well as capture. What other readers are saying about Journeys in the Wild: 'It's touching, it's thought provoking and its emotional...Go pick it up. It's an absolute inspiration of a book.' Goodreads'Full of unbelievable anecdotes from decades of work, some absolutely hilarious, this book left me in complete wonder.' Goodreads'An amazing read and I would heartily recommend it to everyone I know.' GoodreadsTrade ReviewGavin's book is extraordinary: his easy prose and gasp-making encounters make for a gripping and very funny read. It's a rollercoaster ride with a complete professional. I loved it. * Joanna Lumley *Gavin Thurston's book has all sorts of strengths. His camera has captured some of the most eye-catching images of the natural world ever seen on television. And he can write. He brings the process home to us in a style that is modest, down to earth and full of humour. This is one of the best books about filming I've ever read. * Michael Palin *[Gavin is] a great cameraman with infinite patience, but also a writer with great powers of observation and expression. Brilliant! * Alan Titchmarsh *This is an absorbing account of a fascinating career. * BBC WILDLIFE MAGAZINE *His no-holds-barred memoir plunges you into the serendipities and perils of working in the remote wilderness, as he stands stock-still to 'hide' from short-sighted African elephants in Kenya, films demoiselle cranes flying 6 kilometres up above Nepal, or marvels at the hiss of Mauritania's dryland crocodiles. -- Barbara Kiser * NATURE *An enlightening glimpse beyond the lens. * TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT *

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Book SynopsisThis stunning and powerfully relevant book tells the history of Antarctica through 100 varied and fascinating objects drawn from collections around the world. Retracing the history of Antarctica through 100 varied and fascinating objects drawn from collections across the world, this beautiful and absorbing book is published to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the first crossing into the Antarctic Circle by James Cook aboard Resolution, on 17th January 1773. It presents a gloriously visual history of Antarctica, from Terra Incognita to the legendary expeditions of Shackleton and Scott, to the frontline of climate change. One of the wildest and most beautiful places on the planet, Antarctica has no indigenous population or proprietor. Its awe-inspiring landscapes – unknown until just two centuries ago – have been the backdrop to feats of human endurance and tragedy, scientific discovery, and environmental research. Sourced from polar institutions and collections around the world, the objects that tell the story of this remarkable continent range from the iconic to the exotic, from the refreshingly mundane to the indispensable: - snow goggles adopted from Inuit technology by Amundsen - the lifeboat used by Shackleton and his crew - a bust of Lenin installed by the 3rd Soviet Antarctic Expedition - the Polar Star aircraft used in the first trans-Antarctic flight - a sealing club made from the penis bone of an elephant seal - the frozen beard as a symbol of Antarctic heroism and masculinity - ice cores containing up to 800,000 years of climate history This stunning book is both endlessly fascinating and a powerful demonstration of the extent to which Antarctic history is human history, and human future too.Trade ReviewLike Antarctica itself, this ‘History in 100 Objects’ is unpredictable and compelling. Generous - yet partial, skidding over vast surfaces, digging into detail. Read it all at once: or select at leisure. * Meredith Hooper *From the Aurora Australis to the weather balloon, authors Daniella McCahey and Jean de Pomereu have assembled a beautifully curated collection of objects pertaining to Antarctica. As they note, so poignantly, Antarctica is not one thing. * Klaus Dodds *Reading this book is like being in a very large polar museum with two expert and amusing companions as your guides. Compiled by a historian and an artist, Antarctica: A History in 100 Objects takes its reader on a tour of human engagement with the far south that is by turns educative, playful, poignant, ridiculous and disturbing, but always knowledgeably explained and illustrated. While some objects might be readily anticipated (sledges, diaries, maps), others will likely be a surprise (a canary, a wedding dress, a nuclear reactor). Ranging in scale from ships to krill-oil capsules, encompassing both the other-worldly (a meteorite) and the mundane (soap, a T-shirt), the objects demonstrate the national and cultural diversity of human encounter with the ice continent. While the book skips with delightful eclecticism between different periods, put together the object descriptions comprise a well-rounded introduction to the issues and events that have shaped human encounter with the far south. Readers who know little about the place will find it an excellent way into the continent, and 'Antarctic tragics' will enjoy the unexpected and sometimes surreal details that accompany every object. * Elizabeth Leane *Jean de Pomereu and Daniellie McCahey's handsome survey takes in the world's most remote region...illustrating in colour not just the selected objects, but accompanying painting, photographs and further examples. * The Telegraph *Tells the story of Antarctica through 100 objects from collections around the world...fascinating. * Daily Mirror *De Pomereu and McCahey's handsomely illustrated work examines the history of Antarctic expedition through famous and lesser-known objects. From crevasse detectors...to the whale skeleton assembled by conservationist Jacques Cousteau...it's filled with fascinating snapshots. -- Hannah Beckerman * The Observer *a gloriously visual history of the White Continent * Wanderlust *This stunning and powerfully relevant book tells the history of Antarctica through 100 varied and fascinating objects drawn from collections around the world. * Smithsonian Magazine *Jean de Pomereu and Daniella McCahey captured a marvelous overview of the history and environment of one of the world’s most unique locations in Antarctica: A History in 100 Objects. This captivating book is filled with fascinating images, each with its own unique story to tell about this engaging subject. * The Culture Buzz *a novel approach at showcasing Antarctica’s history * People's Friend *The 250th anniversary of the first documented crossing of the Antarctic circle is being marked with a new book that traces the continent's history via 100 artefacts from around the world. * New Scientist *Great photos and fascinating text make this a wonderful book for those who’ve been there and for those who still have Antarctica on their bucket list. -- Penny A Parrish * The Free-Lance Star *Become a polar explorer from the comfort of your own home with this fascinating book. Drawing together arresting photographs of 100 objects connected to the icy continent, it tells the story of the power of human endeavour. * BBC History Magazine *Broadens not only the diversity of people included in Antarctic history but also the interests of its readers, by providing the expected stories and then challenging them with new and different objects, contexts, and narratives. It makes specialist subjects accessible, but also pushes readers to think more deeply and more broadly about this continent. In their conclusion, de Pomereu and McCahey write, “One of our specific aims has been to break some of the clichés that often constrain Antarctic history,” and there is no doubt that they have succeeded. -- Henrietta Hammant * H-Water, H-Net Reviews *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. World Map 2. Taoka 3. Chronometer 4. Commemorative Medal 5. Logbook 6. Fur Seal Clothing 7. Wood Block 8. Burial Monument 9. Magnetic Dip Circle 10. Sealing Club 11. Fish Specimen 12. Hut 13. Primus Stove 14. Harness 15. Gas Balloon 16. Rifle 17. Champagne 18. Aurora Australis 19. Anemometer 20. Canary 21. Eye Protection 22. Skis 23. Sponsorship Solicitation 24. Penguin Eggs 25. Camera 26. Pony Snowshoe 27. Black Flag 28. Fern Fossil 29. Diary 30. Half Sledge 31. Page from the Encyclopaedia Britannica 32. Banjo 33. James Caird 34. Memorial Cross 35. Radio Transmitter 36. Post Office Safe 37. Pemmican 38. Polar Star 39. Soap 40. Swastika Stake 41. Mittens 42. Suit 43. Sledge Wheel 44. Haori 45. Tractor 46. Dynamite 47. Statue 48. Kharkovchanka 49. Crevasse Detector 50. Treaty 51. Dog Fur Boots 52. Fuel Drums 53. Projection Reels 54. Radio Echo Sounder 55. Frozen Beard 56. Nuclear Reactor 57. Dog Cards 58. MS Lindblad Explorer 59. Meteorite 60. Pyramid Tent 61. Whale Skeleton 62. Board Game 63. Passport 64. Aeroplane Wreckage 65. Skidoo 66. Telephone 67. Dobson Spectrophotometer 68. Dinosaur Fossil 69. T-Shirt 70. JOIDES Resolution 71. Red Apple Hut 72. Penguin Taxidermy 73. Sledge 74. Geolocator 75. Shipping Container 76. South Pole Marker 77. Ice Core 78. Stellar Axis 79. ICESat 80. Hydroponic Vegetables 81. Telescope 82. Chapel 83. Optical Module 84. Patches 85. S.A. Agulhas II 86. Krill Oil Capsules 87. Pee Flag 88. Aquatic Rover 89. Weather Balloon 90, Swimsuit 91. Tide Gauge 92. Wedding Dress 93. Microplastic 94. Douglas DC-3 95. Autonomous Underwater Vehicle 96. D-Air Lab Antarctic Suit 97. Shipwreck 98. Trowel 99. Notebook 100. Pier Conclusion 100 Antarctica Books Acknowledgements Index

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Book SynopsisHubert Sagnières is passionate about history and travel. He has amassed a unique collection of books, travel journals, drawings, and maps relating the adventures of both famous and lesser-known explorers. He published Daring French Expeditions: Trailblazing Adventures around the World, 1714-1854.

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Book Synopsis**SHORTLISTED FOR ADVENTURE TRAVEL BOOK OF THE YEAR, 2018 EDWARD STANFORD AWARD** A thrilling and dangerous adventure through Arunachal Pradesh, one of the world's least explored places. 'A fabulously thrilling journey through a beguiling land' Joanna Lumley  'With tremendous verve and determination Antonia plunges through an extraordinary world. Thank heavens she survived to tell this vivid and thoughtful tale' Ted Simon, author of Jupiter's Travels  'A tale of delight and exuberance - and one I'd thoroughly recommend. Bolingbroke-Kent proves a great travelling companion - compassionate, spirited and with a sharp eye for human oddity' Benedict Allen, author of Edge of Blue Heaven and Into the Abyss  'A transformative journey that gripped me from the very first

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Book Synopsis* NOW A MAJOR DOCUMENTARY SERIES ON ALL 4 *‘This is a fabulous adventure – reckless, insanely ambitious and filled with sweat, tears and laughter ... irresistible reading.’ Joanna Lumley ‘Alex Bescoby weaves travel, adventure, history and the contemporary together like no one else. His great gift is to take us on a journey through past and present. By its end we have learned more about the world and ourselves.’ Dan Snow_______________________________________________________________‘A journey that I don’t think could be made again today’. It was this comment by Sir David Attenborough on the fiftieth anniversary of the iconic First Overland expedition that became an irresistible challenge for filmmaker and adventurer Alex Bescoby.In 1955, Attenborough, then a young TV producer, was approached by six recent university graduates determined to drive the entire length of ‘Eurasia’, from London to Singapore. It was the unclimbed Everest of motoring – many had tried, none had succeeded. Sensing this time might be different, Attenborough gave the expedition enough film reel to cover their attempt. The 19,000-mile journey completed by Tim Slessor and the team captivated a nation emerging from postwar austerity. Tim’s book, The First Overland, soon became the bible of the overlanding religion.Inspired by the First Overland, Alex made contact with now eighty-six-year-old Tim and together they planned an epic recreation of the original trip, this time from Singapore to London. Their goal was to complete the legendary journey started more than sixty years ago in the original ‘Oxford’ Land Rover.In awe of the unstoppable Tim, and haunted by his own grandfather’s declining health, Alex and his team soon find themselves battling rough roads, breakdowns and Oxford’s constantly leaky roof to discover a world changed for the better ­­– and worse – since the first expedition.Trade ReviewTold with verve, passion, and above all a huge amount of fun, this is the real thing ... Bescoby is a terrific travelling companion, full of insight, sharp observation and enviable sangfroid. -- Michael WoodElegant, wry, indomitable, self-deprecating – a splendid, sparkling addition to expeditions and to travel writing. -- Rory StewartA fantastic piece of travel writing set to become a classic of the genre. The Last Overland is an epic overland journey, epitomising the spirit of the great modern adventure. -- Levison WoodAlex Bescoby weaves travel, adventure, history and the contemporary together like no one else. His great gift is to take us on a journey through past and present. By its end we have learned more about the world and ourselves -- Dan SnowThe First Overland was an amazing journey, underlining the fact that adventure is always out there for anybody who seeks it. This epic recreation of that trip shows us that whether you’re the first or the thousandth, the view from the mountaintop is just as incredible. I know that Alex’s Last Overland expedition will inspire other intrepid explorers to ensure that this is definitely not the last – there is always more to see and explore -- Tony Wheeler, co-founder of Lonely Planet‘This is a fabulous adventure – reckless, insanely ambitious and filled with sweat, tears and laughter ... irresistible reading. An immense challenge and a thrilling true story.’ -- Joanna LumleyA proper adventure story – a journey halfway around the world with all the scrapes, hiccups, wonderment and exhilaration to be expected from an epic journey in an old Land Rover with a leaky roof. Told with an infectious enthusiasm, passion and compelling verve, this is the story of an overland journey that says much about our ongoing relationship with the planet on which we live, but also the passage of time and an undimmed thirst for adventure. -- James HollandNot content to just pay homage to a legendary journey, Alex Bescoby must drive the very Land Rover, complete with GIN and TONIC Jerry cans, that made the trip in 1955. Spoiler alert: nothing goes to plan. The Last Overland is steered by an indomitable spirit through time, friendships, obsession, doubt and perpetual motion. A book not only for adventurous hearts who want to seize life, but for those who want to interrogate what it is to be human. -- Keggie CarewThe epitome of an epic expedition. This story speaks to the spirit of adventure. That innately curious part of the human condition that seeks to push boundaries and endure. * Country & Town House magazine *Alex Bescoby recreates a journey originally documented in the mid-1950s, bookending one of the great overland adventures of the last century in buccaneering fashion. * Wanderlust *A poignant meditation on age, health and acknowledging the heroes of the past * Waterstones *

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Book Synopsis**SHORTLISTED FOR THE STANFORD DOLMAN TRAVEL BOOK OF THE YEAR**Alev Scott's odyssey began when she looked beyond Turkey's borders for contemporary traces of the Ottoman Empire. Their 800-year rule ended a century ago - and yet, travelling through twelve countries from Kosovo to Greece to Palestine, she uncovers a legacy that's vital and relevant; where medieval ethnic diversity meets 21st century nationalism, and displaced people seek new identities.It's a story of surprises. An acolyte of Erdogan in Christian-majority Serbia confirms the wide-reaching appeal of his authoritarian leadership. A Druze warlord explains the secretive religious faction in the heart of the Middle East. The palimpsest-like streets of Jerusalem's Old Town hint at the Ottoman co-existence of Muslims and Jews. And in Turkish Cyprus Alev Scott rediscovers a childhood home. In every community, history is present as a dynamic force.Faced by questions of exile, diaspora and collective memory, Alev Scott searches for answers from the cafes of Beirut to the refugee camps of Lesbos. She uncovers in Erdogan's nouveau-Ottoman Turkey a version of the nostalgic utopias sold to disillusioned voters in Europe and the U.S. And yet - as she relates with compassion, insight and humour - diversity is the enduring, endangered heart of this fascinating region.Trade ReviewA lovely, lyrical and always insightful account that is as much about the present as the past. A joy from start to finish * Peter Frankopan, author of The Silk Roads *Beautifully written with clear-eyed judgements and a sharp ear for fascinating anecdote and memorable characters. Exhilarating and often eye-opening, it shows this crucial region of the world from a new perspective. Essential reading for anyone interested in Turkey and its history * Michael Wood *Alev Scott approaches the crisis in the Eastern Mediterranean by side roads and unfrequented channels. Her book is clear, bright, humane and never disheartened. * James Buchan *Brilliantly written with a real feel for character, the book is a pleasure to read and an erudite lesson in a fascinating chapter of Modern History. An indispensable addition to our understanding of the Middle East today. * Roger Scruton *This is a book full of fun, "I never knew that" moments . . . Scott's mission is not to tell the history of the calamitous way the British and French dismantled the empire. Her aim is to find out whether the bits left behind as Ottoman imperialists became Turkish nationalist have common threads . . . She is fascinated by the survival and difference of forgotten, represses and otherwise threatened minorities -- Richard Spencer * The Times *Moving and amusing * Financial Times *Beautifully written - combines history, travel writing and personal discovery . . . Scott's writing is lyrical . . . She writes with a maturity and insight that belies her age, and is surely a rising star of the literary world. Her overall message is one of optimism. -- Saul David * Telegraph *Despite the bloody histories and ugly contemporary realities she seeks to investigate, Scott is always entertaining. She regales her reader with witty pen portraits. -- Alev Adil * Times Literary Supplement *

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Book SynopsisEdward Wilson (1872-1912) accompanied Robert Falcon Scott on both his celebrated Antarctic voyages: the Discovery Expedition of 1901-1904 and the Terra Nova Expedition of 1910-1913.Wilson served as Junior Surgeon and Zoologist on Discovery and, on this expedition, with Scott and Ernest Shackleton he set a new Furthest South on 30 December 1902. He was Chief of Scientific Staff on the Terra Nova Expedition and reached the South Pole with Scott, Lawrence Oates, Henry Robertson Bowers and Edgar Evans on 18 January 1912, arriving there four weeks after the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen. Wilson and his four companions died on the return journey. Trained as a physician,Wilson was also a skilled artist. His drawings and paintings lavishly illustrated both expeditions. He was the last major exploration artist; technological developments in the field of photography were soon to make cameras practical as a way of recording journeys into the unknown. This biography, the first full account of the Antarctic hero, traces his life from childhood to his tragic death.

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Book Synopsis'He effectively combines the genre of travel writing with investigative journalism, and brings to light little-known conflicts and events from around the world.' - Perceptive TravelIn Journeys to Impossible Places, best-selling author and presenter Simon Reeve reveals the inside story of his most astonishing adventures and experiences, around the planet and close to home.Journeys to Impossible Places continues the story Simon started in his phenomenal Sunday Times bestseller Step by Step, which traced the first decades of his life from depressed and unemployed teenager through to his early TV programmes.Now Simon takes us on the epic and thrilling adventures that followed, in beautiful, tricky and downright dangerous corners of the world, as he travelled through the Tropics, to remote paradise islands, jungles dripping with heat and life, and on nerve-wracking secret missions. Simon shares what his unique experiences and encounters have taught him, and the deeper lessons he draws from joy and raw grief in his personal life, from desperate struggles with his own fertility and head health, from wise friends, fatherhood, inspiring villagers, brave fighters, his beloved dogs, and a thoughtful Indian sadhu.Journeys to Impossible Places inspires and encourages all of us to battle fear and negativity, and embrace life, risk, opportunities and the glory of our world.Trade ReviewHe effectively combines the genre of travel writing with investigative journalism, and brings to light little-known conflicts and events from around the world * Perceptive Travel *"Not only is Simon good at manoeuvring in and out of precarious situations, but he is also deft at painting those moments on the page." * Scottish Field *

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Book SynopsisFrom the earliest migrations to the dawn of space tourism, experience the excitement of travel throughout the ages in this gloriously illustrated book! The quest for adventure has defined human history since the beginning of time. Whether it be for food, pilgrimages, trade, or scientific curiosity, people have been compelled to set forth into the wild for centuries. Trace their incredible journeys in this beautifully illustrated book! From the first trade networks in ancient Sumer, to the Crusades, the Grand Tour, and the Voyager missions in outer space. This enthralling visual history of travel includes maps, paintings, photographs, and journal entries to fascinate every armchair traveler. Be transported through space and time with the only comprehensive and fully illustrated book on the history of travel. Inside it you''ll find: -Stories of great exploration, migration, and scientific discovery, accompanied by historic maps, paintings and pho

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Book SynopsisStorms, fatigue, equipment failure, intense hunger, and lack of water are just a few of the challenges that ocean rower Mick Dawson endured whilst attempting to complete one of the World''s ''Last Great Firsts''.In this nail-biting true story of man versus nature, former Royal Marine commando Dawson, a Guinness World Record-holder for ocean-rowing and high-seas adventurer takes on the Atlantic and ultimately the North Pacific.It took Dawson three attempts and a back-breaking voyage of over six months to finally cross the mighty North Pacific for the first time. Dawson and his rowing partner Chris Martin spent 189 days, 10 hours and 55 minutes rowing around the clock, facing the destruction of their small boat and near-certain death every mile of the way, before finally reaching the iconic span of San Francisco''s Golden Gate Bridge. Dawson''s thrilling account of his epic adventure details how he and Chris propelled their fragile craft, stroke by stroke for tTrade ReviewMick's account of the gruelling journey is compelling. You'll feel that you're there with them, through the near-death experiences and the equipment failures, battling extreme fatigue, frightening storms and an ocean the consistency of liquid cement * Lifeboat Magazine *A nail-biting story of man versus nature * Globe & Laurel *

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Book SynopsisIn the winter of 1875, a young British officer set out across central Asia on an unofficial mission to investigate the latest Russian moves in the Great Game. His goal was the mysterious Central Asian city of Khiva, closed to all European travellers by the Russians following their seizure of it two years earlier. His aim was to discover whether this remote and dangerous oasis could be used as a springboard for an invasion of India. An immediate bestseller when first published in 1877, Burnaby s delight in a life of risk and adventure still burns through the pages, as does his spontaneous affection for the Cossack troopers and Tartar, Khirgiz and Turkoman tribesmen that he encounters on his way.

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Book Synopsis‘Inspired’, ‘enthralling’ and ‘stylish’ are just some of the words used to describe the first edition of Bearback. Now in paperback, Pat Garrod’s remarkable story is set to be discovered by even more travellers.. Imagine jacking it all in, packing your life into a 41-litre pannier and riding into the sunset. Bearback is the story of two GPs who did just that, downing stethoscopes to take off on their motorcycle, The Bear, to see the world. Across the deserts of Africa, over the mountains of the Andes, deep into the jungles of Indochina, and beyond the Arctic Circle; 100,000 miles through six continents and 64 countries. A circumnavigation of epic proportion and entirely unsupported, it was to become one of the longest journeys ever undertaken by a couple on one motorcycle, a journey destined to change their lives forever.Trade Review‘An inspired travelogue, dispelling the myth that remarkable journeys are out of your grasp’ -- National Geographic TravellerBelts along at a cracking pace. Stylish and good quality’ -- RIDE Magazine

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Book Synopsis''A roaring tale ... remains as vivid and exciting today as it was on publication in 1697'' GuardianThe pirate and adventurer William Dampier circumnavigated the globe three times, and took notes wherever he went. This is his frank, vivid account of his buccaneering sea voyages around the world, from the Caribbean to the Pacific and East Indies. Filled with accounts of raids, escapes, wrecks and storms, it also contains precise observations of people, places, animals and food (including the first English accounts of guacamole, mango chutney and chopsticks). A bestseller on publication, this unique record of the colonial age influenced Robinson Crusoe, Gulliver''s Travels and consequently the whole of English literature.Edited with an Introduction by Nicholas Thomas

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Book SynopsisRobert Whitaker is a science journalist and the author, most recently, of the much-acclaimed Mad in America. He has won the George Polk Award for Medical Writing and a National Association of Science Writers' Award for best magazine article. He was a finalist for the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, considered US journalism's top prize. Robert Whitaker's long fascination with South America began in the late 1970s, when he built and lived in a bamboo hut on the Ecuadorian coast. He now lives and writes in Cambridge, Massachusetts.Trade Review'Gripping...one of the best books I have read this year' * DAILY TELEGRAPH *'An unlikely page-turner...as a testament to frustration, endurance and mutual devotion, this takes some beating' * SUNDAY TIMES *'Enthralling...Full of mystery and danger, bravery and tragedy, with a rapturous love story at its core that transcends both time and continents. A marvellous read' * DENNIS LEHANE *'In the brilliant tradition of Dava Sobel's Longitude...combines powerful storytelling with excellent historical research in a book that reads like a novel' * ALAN LIGHTMAN, author of 'Einstein's Dreams' *'An exemplary narrative history and a fascinating tale of science, love and survival' * MARK HONIGSBAUM, author of 'The Fever Trail' *

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Book SynopsisIn 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton set forth to make history with the first-ever crossing of the Antarctic continent. He sailed into the Weddell Sea aboard the Endurance, while a ship called the Aurora sailed into the Ross Sea to create a lifeline of vital food and fuel depots to supply the epic crossing. Yet all went tragically wrong.Trade Review'Nail-biting ... this previously forgotten part of the expedition at last achieves the recognition it deserves' History Today 'A gripping story embracing both tragedy and triumph and Tyler-Lewis tells it well' New York Times Book Review 'Compelling and compassionately written' The Times 'The Lost Men tells in absorbing detail the story of what happened when the plan's weaknesses were exposed' Magnus Mills, Independent on Sunday

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewPraise for The Evolution of Charles Darwin:Named a Best Book of the Year by Kirkus Reviews (Nonfiction)“Fascinating . . . A beautifully told coming-of-age story focused on Darwin’s psychological transmutation from a diffident specimen collector expecting to become a country parson to a novice scientist climbing the career ladder in London’s private and prestigious clubs and societies . . . Offer[s] new and exciting ideas that will likely beat out the competition.”—Robert M. Thorson, Wall Street Journal “[Preston’s] books are always entertaining . . . This book fits that mould; it’s an adventure story . . . The author has chosen the perfect topic. It’s nearly impossible to write a dull book about Darwin . . . The real attraction of this book lies in the way it turns the development of evolutionary theory into a personal story.”—Gerald DeGroot, Times (UK) “[A] meticulously researched compelling narrative . . . Diana Preston’s vibrant reconstruction of Darwin’s extraordinary journey, world-changing work and the consequences he experienced makes it all accessible and new in her telling.”—Janet Somerville, Toronto Star“An exciting biography of the immortal naturalist’s legendary journey . . . It was well into the 20th century before essentially all scientists agreed that Darwin was on the right track. Since then, biographies have poured off the presses, but readers cannot go wrong with this expert account. An irresistible scientific biography and adventure story with a happy ending.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)“While much has been written about Darwin’s revolutionary scientific achievements on this journey, historian Preston sheds light on the voyage itself, its captain and crew, and the Native populations they encountered.”—Booklist (starred review)“A brisk and accessible account of how Charles Darwin developed his theory of natural selection . . . A rewarding look at the development of an earth-shattering idea.”—Publishers Weekly“Darwin was only 22 when he boarded the HMS Beagle in 1830 under the command of Robert FitzRoy as a ‘gentleman naturalist,’ unaware his name would one day grace an award honouring humans who remove themselves from the gene pool through misadventure. Drawing on the naturalist’s diaries, Preston’s biography reveals a man who, in his chauvinism and blind patriotism, was typical of his time—but in his liberal- and abolition-mindedness, atypical as well.”—Globe and MailPraise for Eight Days at Yalta:“A colorful chronicle of high-stakes negotiations and a study in human frailties, missteps, and ideological blunders.”—Washington Post“Ms. Preston’s conference narrative abjures authorial hindsight judgments, placing the spotlight instead on the characters’ natural blind spots and biases. She also devotes a full third of the book to the summit’s historical context and personalities, the latter of which are nicely developed.”—Wall Street Journal“A highly readable, highly detailed account of the historic meetings and often difficult and contentious negotiations between Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin, and their staffs, and a vivid description of the once ornate Tsarist palaces and their much deteriorated wartime condition that served as the setting for meetings, dinners, and private talks.”—New York Journal of Books“Lively and nuanced . . . Shrewd on the main personalities . . . Preston goes beyond the horse-trading of three old men, with vivid scene-setting of the tsarist palaces where the conference took place.”—Times (UK)“In this well-written and absorbing book, Diana Preston provides a chronological narrative of these crucial eight days.”—Airmail“On the Yalta conference’s 75th anniversary, this insightful history recounts its enormous, if teeth-gnashing, accomplishments . . . Impressively researched . . . An expert account of an unedifying milestone at the dawn of the Cold War.”—Kirkus Reviews“[A] spirited, behind-the-scenes account of the February 1945 Yalta Conference. Preston mixes foreign policy critique . . . with vibrant descriptions of backstage activities . . . Colorful personalities, piquant details, and a diverse array of perspectives make this a satisfying introduction to the subject.”—Publishers WeeklyPraise for Diana Preston:“A treasure map of a book.”—San Diego Union-Tribune, on A Pirate of Exquisite Mind“A superbly rendered popular history.”—Booklist (starred review), on A Pirate of Exquisite Mind“Unforgettable . . . The definitive account of the Lusitania.”—Philadelphia Inquirer, on Lusitania: An Epic Tragedy“As majestic as its subject . . . Extraordinarily readable.”—Chicago Sun-Times, on Lusitania: An Epic Tragedy“An engaging narrative . . . Rich in detail and texture.”—San Diego Union Tribune, on Before the Fallout: From Marie Curie to Hiroshima“Ultimately this book is about survival, and the author engagingly recounts the nearly impossible task of trying to establish a penal colony with few supplies and poor agricultural conditions. Preston shines in her description of the true nature of Captain Bligh . . . A wonderful look into the beginnings of Australia and the remarkable strength of the survivors of these dangerous voyages.”—Kirkus Reviews, on Paradise in Chains

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Book SynopsisTwo hundred and fifty years ago Captain James Cook, during his extraordinary voyages of navigation and maritime exploration, searched for Antarctica - the Unknown Southern Continent. During parts of his three voyages in the southern Pacific and Southern Oceans, Cook narrowed the options' for the location of Antarctica. Over three summers, he completed a circumnavigation of portions of the Southern Continent, encountering impenetrable barriers of ice, and he suggested the continent existed, a frozen land not populated by a living soul. Yet his Antarctic voyages are perhaps the least studied of all his remarkable travels. That is why James Hamilton's gripping and scholarly study, which brings together the stories of Cook's Antarctic journeys into a single volume, is such an original and timely addition to the literature on Cook and eighteenth-century exploration. Using Cook's journals and the log books of officers who sailed with him, the book sets his Antarctic explorations within the context of his historic voyages. The main focus is on the Second Voyage (1772-1775), but brief episodes in the First Voyage (during 1769) and the Third Voyage (1776) are part of the story. Throughout the narrative Cook's exceptional seamanship and navigational skills, and that of his crew, are displayed during often-difficult passages in foul weather across uncharted and inhospitable seas. Captain James Cook and the Search for Antarctica offers the reader a fascinating insight into Cook the seaman and explorer, and it will be essential reading for anyone who has a particular interest the history of the Southern Continent.

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Book SynopsisFind strength and motivation for your next outdoor journey with this beautiful book of inspiring quotes and empowering stories of women who indulged in the freedom of being adventurous.Adventurous Soul is for all outdoor enthusiasts, empowering you to get out and explore the world you haven’t yet. In this book, the inspiring team at Happy Earth tell their stories about the wisdom of making room for nature, of people who long to forge a more vital, meaningful connection to the natural world to live a better, more fulfilling life. Happy Earth was founded on the idea of sustainable clothing and making a positive impact on the Earth. It is their goal to protect the planet and put the Earth first. Full of beautiful photography, uplifting quotes, and stories of people who go on incredible and unique adventures, the chapters are organized by empowering themes, including: Walk Your Own Path Balance Brings Beauty Change is the Only Constant Results without the Rush Live and Let Live Adventurous Soul is the perfect gift for anyone looking to unplug, spend more time outdoors, and find wisdom in nature.Table of ContentsIntroduction CHAPTER 1: Walk Your Own Path CHAPTER 2: Balance Brings Beauty CHAPTER 3: Change Is the Only Constant CHAPTER 4: Results without the Rush CHAPTER 5: Brave the Great Unknown CHAPTER 6: In Nature We Trust CHAPTER 7: Breathe the Wild Air CHAPTER 8: Live and Let Live CHAPTER 9: Sleep Under the Stars CHAPTER 10: Craving Wilderness CHAPTER 11: No Bigger Than a Grain of Sand CHAPTER 12: Keep Planting Seeds CHAPTER 13: Wander CHAPTER 14: Get Inspired CHAPTER 15: Say Yes to Adventure CHAPTER 16: Make Waves CHAPTER 17: Find the Calm Within CHAPTER 18: Connect with the Trees CHAPTER 19: Bloom Like a Flower CHAPTER 20: Thank Mother Earth Make a Positive Environmental Impact List of Featured Contributors

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This book tells the tragic true story of the fate of Scott of the Antarctic and his companions on the return trip from the South Pole.It was written anonymously by Sir John Ernest Hodder-Williams, for Scott's son Peter, with the object at the time of raising funds for the child following his father's death.This facsimile has been created from an original 1913 edition, a now scarce work first published in the year of Scott's death during the Terra Nova expedition of 1910-1913.

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Book SynopsisFor Somerville this was a kind of pilgrimage, a journey unlike any he had undertaken in 20 years of travel-writing. It was an expedition where he traded the usual comforts and certainties for a real physical and mental challenge, with no mobile phone or other technological aids. The only plan for his journey was to begin in the East at Easter and finish at Whitsun in the extreme West, at the Monastery of the Golden Step, whose gold step, legend says, can only be seen by those who have purged themselves into purity. During his 300-mile walk, he tackled four mountain ranges, high slopes and the numerous gorges of the West. Speaking only basic Greek and trying to follow a poorly way-marked path, he had to rely on his own instincts when climbing mountain passes and crossing high plateaux, farming and shepherding country, where villages are scarce and each night's accommodation was uncertain. He saw a Crete few ever encounter.

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Book SynopsisWhen Otto Ecroyd embarked on a voyage to sail a broken boat from Norway to France - and failed - he decided to do what any other hapless adventurer would do: cycle from Alaska to Mexico. But, as Otto says, he 'had never ridden further than across town.' So, with no experience, the wrong type of bike and with panniers overflowing with lentils, Otto pedals across vast American landscapes, cowers from juggernaut RVs, and all the while wonders when he will next meet a grizzly bear. En route, Otto's wit and self-deprecating charm ensure he wins many friends, from an array of regional characters, to a cosmopolitan mix of fellow long-distance cyclists, each with their own motivation for riding the hard miles. With some, he cycles leisurely in tandem; with others, in lungbusting sprints; and with others still, in bedraggled pelotons. But then, this is no grand depart from the daily grind to the upper echelons of sport, for Otto is not in it for the competition - just the adventure of a lifetime. Northbound and Down isn't Ranulph Fiennes crossing Antarctica, or 'The Man Who Cycled the World'. It's more entertaining than that. Three months in North America, 100km a day on a bike. The places, the people, the misadventures of the journey. Like a Bill Bryson book if Bill stayed out of the pub once in a while. The local wildlife in the northern frontier. The moose, the bears, the refugees from 'The Lower 48' states. The characters in cowboy country. People who defy any stereotype of heartland America, and those who definitely don't. Down the Pacific Coast, redwood forests, hippie surf towns, mansions and homeless camps. Californian plastic perfection and the weirdness of the American dream. The preparation for cycling 5,000 miles was questionable at best. The furthest Otto had ridden before landing in Anchorage was from London to Brighton. He rode through a golf course and along a motorway, did laps of Gatwick airport and rolled into Brighton two hours late, ready for bed. He learned how to fix a puncture from YouTube and discovered that not all Porsche drivers are dickheads. Otto's touring skills start from a low base. The steep learning curve and daily struggles with reality on the road bring humour to the book. The challenge and the shared experience with people along the way leads to a lasting sense of the rewards of adventure. Otto's motivations for embarking on this adventure were relatable ones. He was bored at work, too old to get wasted in every hostel in Latin America and too poor for a proper mid-life crisis. This is the story of a normal guy breaking out of the daily grind. Cheryl Strayed's 'Wild', but inspired by a struggle against a life on autopilot rather than a life collapsing. A whole middle class, middle career and middle fulfilled generation is in a similar position. They are searching for inspiration. Northbound and Down gives them a taste of this, without having to miss a mortgage payment. Northbound and Down is the everyman's take on breaking the everyday.

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