Travel writing Books
Troubador Publishing Ltd Harbours and Heroes
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£13.49
Burro Books Peacocks In Paradise
Book Synopsis
£9.49
Signal Books Ltd Beirut: Scarred City, Walks through Beauty and
Book SynopsisOn 4 August 2020 a massive explosion in the port area obliterated parts of Beirut and damaged many others, bringing fresh international attention to a city already recovering from civil war and weakened by economic instability. This book contributes to the rediscovery of Beirut by inviting the visitor and reader to explore a city that is unique in the region for its multicultural heritage, where antiquity jostles with Ottoman and French colonial influence as well as with striking expressions of modernity. The history of Beirut, as with so many other cities, is multi-layered; but this is exceptionally conspicuous in the cultural, denominational and economic diversity of its neighbourhoods. These are best investigated slowly and on foot, a strategy both practicable and pleasurable despite a tyrannical car culture. Between 2019 and 2021, in the aftermath of the explosion, Beatrice Teissier walked through the city’s streets and recorded her impressions as a record of Beirut’s architectural fabric and turbulent recent history. Beirut: Scarred City offers twelve itineraries in parts of west, central and east Beirut, with a foray south, which take the reader to easily accessible areas of the city. From crumbling mansions to brutalist high-rises, from seascapes to inner-city parks and cemeteries, from ancient ruins to the latest reconstruction, from graffiti to international street art and contemporary art galleries, each area tells its story. The present crisis is not avoided, and the author discusses Lebanon’s economic crisis, the political problems that have beset the city since the civil war and the controversies surrounding reconstruction. References to contemporary Arab literature on Beirut and, more personally, private insights and conversations give voice to the spirit of the city and to the resilience and creativity of its citizens.
£11.69
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Etruscan Places: Travels Through Forgotten Italy
Book SynopsisThe last of Lawrence's travel books, Etruscan Places is an ephemeral and vivid account, replete with hauntingly evocative descriptions of the way of life of this once great civilisation. The Etruscan civilisation, which flourished from the 8th until the 5th century BC in what is now Tuscany, is one of the most fascinating and mysterious in history. An uninhibited, elemental people, the Etruscans enthralled D.H. Lawrence, who craved their 'old wisdom', the secret of their vivacity and love of life. To him they represented the antithesis of everything he despised in the modern world, perhaps because their spontaneity and naturalness struck a chord with his own quest for personal and artistic freedom - so often censured or repressed. Lawrence approaches the enigmatic Etruscans as a poet, passionately and searchingly, and so the reader is swept up in his luminous descriptions of a utopian world where dancing and feasting, art and music were everything. The exhilaration of Lawrence in his Etruscan adventures stands in stark contrast to his intimations of the darkness of Mussolini's Italy - at a time when Europe was beginning its inexorable drift towards tragedy.Trade ReviewHe wrote something like three dozen books, of which even the worst page dances with life that could be mistaken for no other man’s, while the best are admitted, even by those who hate him, to be unsurpassed. * Time and Tide *He is an extraordinarily acute noticer of the world, human and natural. And it is not just the natural world that beckons Lawrence to flood it with beautiful language . . . he can be as precise and compact an observer of human interaction as Flaubert or Forster. * The Guardian *Table of ContentsForeword by Michael Squires 1. Cerveteri 2. Tarquinia 3. The Painted Tombs of Tarquinia 4. The Painted Tombs of Tarquinia 5. Vulci 6. Volterra
£14.24
Bradt Travel Guides Leopard's Tale: featuring Half-Tail and Zawadi,
Book SynopsisAlmost everyone on safari hopes for a glimpse of the charismatic and elusive leopard. Chui was the first of a new generation of leopards Jonathan Scott watched and photographed in Kenya's Masai Mara Game Reserve in the 1970s and 1980s. He spent every available moment watching and photographing Chui and her cubs, Light and Dark, aware that he was only privileged to do so for as long as they chose to remain visible. His classic account tells the story of the mother leopard as a solitary hunter providing for herself and her offspring. He records encounters with baboon, hyaena and man, hazards facing the cubs as they learn to fend for themselves and periods of play and relaxation. Some years after Chui disappeared, a young female appeared, Half-Tail. Jonathan and Angela have followed her and her daughter Zawadi, stars of the BBC's Big Cat Diary, for the past twenty years, bringing the story up to date. Nobody has studied leopards more closely or known them more intimately Jonathan says: 'The update is based on our work with Half-Tail and Zawadi from both the pictures and text perspective - Angie worked with us on Big Cat Diary as the stills photographer from 1996 and before that we both worked with Half-Tail from the time she first appeared around Leopard Gorge and Fig Tree Ridge - our kids grew up on safari with Half-Tail and Zawadi as stars of their own Mara adventures.'Trade Review'In wonderful photographs and prose, here is an account that, because of new challenges to leopard populations as much as the observational difficulties, few are likely to replicate.' Conde Nast Traveller 'The authors certainly convey inexhaustible enthusiasm and an undimmed sense of wonder at the natural world.' Good Book Guide 'The new final third of the book, which whisks through the leopard dynasty chronicled by Big Cat Diary, is compelling' BBC Wildlife MagazineTable of ContentsForeword by Simon King vii Preface to the 2013 Edition ix Map xii Introduction 1 1 The Birth of the Cubs 10 2 The Predators' Kingdom 30 3 Chui's Competitors 54 4 Waiting for the Rains 67 5 The Leopard Family 86 6 Instinct and Experience 108 7 Struggling for Food 132 8 Growing Independence 156 9 The Leopard's Future 175 10 Epilogue 1: The Paradise Female 185 11 Epilogue 2: Half-Tail's Legacy 201 Authors' and Photographers' Note 219 Acknowledgements 224 Bibliography 227
£9.49
Vintage Publishing A Journey In Ladakh
Book SynopsisHigh up in the remote mountain passes on the Indian border with Tibet, China and Pakistan, Ladakh has been a centre for Buddhist meditation since three centuries before Christ and is one of the last places on earth where a Tibetan Buddhist community still survives. Arriving by rickety bus, Andrew Harvey was unprepared for the breathtaking splendour, colour and silence of the landscape, and was entranced by the simple way of life of its people, for whom the sacred and everyday merge into one. Frustrated by the spiritual poverty of his sophisticated, western, intellectual lifestyle, Andrew Harvey finds peace, hope and freedom in the Buddhist teachings of Thuksey Rinpoche at Shey monastery, and discovers spiritual strength.
£14.39
Peepal Tree Press Ltd Glory Dead
Book SynopsisIn 1938, Arthur Calder-Marshall, a young British novelist and communist visited Trinidad, just a year after the ‘Butler Riots’ had rocked the oil-belt in the south of the island and demonstrated that the British colonial hold over the island could not be sustained for long. Calder-Marshall’s account of his stay, first published in 1939, is insightful, unsparing in its exposure of appalling social conditions, and sometimes just humanly entertaining in its satirical description of, for instance, the hypocrisy of those of the middle-class who thought of themselves as radicals but would not perform in a play with actors who were too black. It is highly readable, with a novelist’s eye for characters and situations, adding to the slim body of writing about 1930’s Trinidad by C.L.R. James, A.H. Mendes and Ralph de Boissiere. It documents just how stifling was the hand of Crown Colony government in reinforcing white privilege in Trinidad, and it shows the huge gulf between the Trinidad being promoted as a destination for tourists, and the abysmal quality of housing and health-care that inflicted premature death on the urban poor. If Calder-Marshall does not have enough to say about the lives of rural Indo-Trinidadians, he is acute on the growth of race and revolutionary political consciousness amongst the most advanced sections of the Afro-Trinidadian working class. One valuable chapter records his interview with the then trade union leader, Adrian Cola Rienzi, on the global nature of radical anti-colonialism, connecting Rienzi’s work with Sinn Fein in Ireland and the workers’ struggle in Trinidad. Calder-Marshall’s was a sadly rare voice amongst the white British left as a critic of empire, in comparison to the covertly racist paternalism of the mainstream of the Labour Party.
£11.69
Gwasg Carreg Gwalch Welsh Learner's Ramble Along the Llŷn Coastal
Book SynopsisMost travel guides suggest that the Llyn Coastal Path can be completed in 10 simple walks, perhaps over a week or two. Jean and her husband Jim, who have been visiting Llyn regularly since 1991, took a more leisurely approach, dividing the journey into 42 return walks and completing their ramble in August 2021 after just over three years!
£11.13
Ebury Publishing Pathlands: 21 Tranquil Walks Among the Villages
Book Synopsis'When we walk, we walk through two landscapes: an exterior land of trees, seas, cities, mountains and fields but we also follow the paths that lead into our own interior world.'This thoughtful, and beautifully written, book offers 21 circular walks. They span the length and breadth of the British Isles: Suffolk, Northamptonshire, Wiltshire, Wales, Staffordshire, Scotland, Sussex and Cornwall are just a few of the varied landscapes that they cover.As one of the prime 'walks correspondents' of The Sunday Times, Peter Owen Jones already has a loyal following. This book will only increase his audience, and will be both for those who love walking in the countryside and those who enjoy reading, and musing on it, in their armchair at home.Trade ReviewPerceptive...brilliant -- Robin Page * The Daily Telegraph *A beautiful book, lucid and inspiring -- Satish Kumar * Resurgence *
£9.49
Ebury Publishing Field Notes from the Edge
Book Synopsis‘A profoundly satisfying read’ Financial TimesIn Field Notes from the Edge, the acclaimed writer of the Guardian's 'Country Diary', Paul Evans, takes us on a journey through the in-between spaces of Nature – such as strandlines, mudflats, cliff tops and caves – where one wilderness is on the verge of becoming another and all things are possible. Here, Evans searches out wildlife and plants to reveal a Nature that is inspiring yet intimidating; miraculous yet mundane; part sacred space, part wasteland. It is here that we tread the edge between a fear of Nature’s dangers and a love of Nature’s beauty.Combining a naturalist’s eye for observation with a poet’s ear for the lyrical, Field Notes from the Edge confirms Paul Evans's place among our leading nature writers today.Trade ReviewField Notes from the Edge's magic lies partly in the sheer quality of the prose, partly in Evans’ ability to loop together disparate threads[...] a profoundly satisfying read. -- Melissa Harrison * Financial Times *A wonderfully original book…Evans has a superb eye, a fine ear for all kinds of speech, a love of droll reality and a lyrical sense of all life...a joy. -- Richard Kerridge, author of Cold BloodThe best account I know of how it goes with our wilds...[a] deeply loveable book -- Tim Dee, author of Four FieldsThis lyrical prose makes the reader itch to get out into nature...Ultimately, Evans draws on the past to confront our present and ask what kind of future might be possible * Independent *Paul Evans’s important new book is the first indisputable classic of twenty-first-century nature writing…A masterpiece -- Jim Perrin, author of West
£11.69
Ebury Publishing Russia: A Journey to the Heart of a Land and its
Book SynopsisWinston Churchill famously described Russia as 'a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma' and even today it remains a country little understood by the West. In this revealing portrait, Jonathan Dimbleby crosses eight time zones and covers 10,000 miles in an attempt to get to the beating heart of the new Russia.His epic journey takes him from the Arctic city of Murmansk in the west to the Asian port of Vladivostok in the east, and he encounters an extraordinary range of people: urban intellectuals and entrepreneurs, war veterans and migrant labourers, spiritual leaders and aging rock stars, bootleg vendors and fish poachers, loggers in the forests of Siberia and fellow journalists under siege in an increasingly autocratic society. Russia is both a deeply personal odyssey and a mesmerizing account of a country undergoing profound economic, cultural and political change.Trade ReviewA spirited and in many cases brave attempt to describe one of the world's most important civilisations.' * Peter Hitchens, Mail on Sunday *The ugly authoritarianism of Vladimir Putin's Kremlin and Russia's hydrocarbon fuelled diplomatic bolshiness are now well documented.There are fewer worthwhile accounts of ordinary life across the vast, eccentric Russian continent in the Putin era. Mr Dimbleby's perceptive travelogue is one of them. * The Ecomonist *Dimbley's book is a splendid achievement....He constitutes the essence of a good traveller - companionable, thoughtful, sceptical and sometimes wide-eyed with wonder. * Daily Express *All the major issues facing contemporary Russia are raised and dealt with... [Russia] engages the brilliant analytical journalist in Jonathan Dimbleby. * Guardian *
£16.99
Granta Books Portrait With Keys: The City Of Johannesburg
Book SynopsisIn the wake of apartheid, the flotsam of the divided past flows over Johannesburg and settles, once the tides recede, around Ivan Vladislavic, who, patrolling his patch, surveys the changed cityscape and tries to convey for us the nature and significance of those changes. He roams over grassy mine-dumps, sifting memories, picking up the odd glittering item here and there, before everything of value gets razed or locked away behind one or other of the city's fortifications. For this is now a city of alarms, locks and security guards, a frontier place whose boundaries are perpetually contested, whose inhabitants are 'a tribe of turnkeys'. Vladislavic, this clerk of mementoes, stands still, watches and writes - and his astonishing city comes within our reach. This is for readers who want to put their faith in a writer who knows - and loves - his city from the inside out, bearing comparison with Suketu Mehta's Maximum City, Orhan Pamuk's Istanbul and Joseph Brodsky's Watermark.
£9.49
Granta Books White Fever: A Journey to the Frozen Heart of
Book SynopsisThis is the story of a journey like no other, as Jacek Hugo-Bader makes his way across Siberia, from Moscow to Vladivostok, in the middle of winter. Travelling alone in a modified Russian jeep, he traverses a continent that is two-and-a-half times bigger than America, awash with bandits and not always fully equipped with roads. Along the way, Hugo-Bader discovers a great deal of tragedy, but also plenty of dark humour among the reindeer shepherds, nomadic tribes, the former hippies, the shamans, and the followers of some of the many arcane religions that flourish in this isolated, impossible region.
£9.49
Vintage Publishing Bali, Java in My Dreams
Book SynopsisRelying on atmosphere and sensation over fact and statistic, Christine Jordis has written a deeply personal, vividly impressionistic account of several journeys to the Indonesian islands of Bali and Java. Dazzled, wide-eyed, but always astute, Jordis describes famous monuments, native dances, encounters with locals. She conjures up the various literary and artistic figures who sought refuge and inspiration in Indonesia - Arthur Rimbaud, Herman Melville, Joseph Conrad - and brings ancient legends to life. From the heart of the lush tropical forests, Jordis guides her readers through the technicolor paradise that makes Paris seem grey in comparison. Ultimately, it is these very colours that infuse her life - and her readers' lives - with new meaning.
£14.39
Granta Books Looking for Transwonderland: Travels in Nigeria
Book SynopsisNoo Saro-Wiwa was brought up in England but spent her childhood summers in Nigeria - a country she considered an unglamorous parallel universe, devoid of all creature comforts. After her father, activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, was murdered there in 1995, Noo rarely returned to the land of her birth. More than a decade later, she decided to come to terms with Nigeria. From the exuberant chaos of Lagos, to the calm beauty of the eastern mountains; the eccentricity of a Nigerian dog show to the empty Transwonderland Amusement Park, Noo combines travelogue with an exploration of corruption, identity and religion. Looking for Transwonderland is the first major non-fiction narrative of modern Nigeria; an engaging portrait of a country whose beauty and variety few of us will experience, depicted with wit and insight by a refreshing new voice in contemporary travel writing.
£10.44
Cornerstone All At Sea: One man. One bathtub. One very bad
Book SynopsisAll At Sea is a celebration of the epic absurd, an attempt to explain just how out of hand things can become from a very simple starting point. The book follows the author's death-defying 200-mile journey in his antique Thomas Crapper bath - not just across the Channel, but around Kent - right up to the tremendous reception and huge media attention which awaited him under Tower Bridge. Tim met the Queen, and his bath now resides in the National Maritime Museum of Great Britain.Trade ReviewTim FitzHigham is unhinged. He is completely without hinges. -- Eddie IzzardIt is a very, very brave man who takes to the wild seas in a copper bath with only a rubber duck for support ... This is a very difficult challenge, so well done for keeping the art of British eccentricity well and truly alive. -- Sir Ranulph FiennesI think it's fair to say that though I'm fairly well connected in the boating world, I only know one person who has crossed the Channel in a bath! Tim is one of those special people you meet rarely in life ... I respect him very much for being who he is, and not at all afraid of it! -- Ellen MacArthurTim FitzHigham only exists because P. G. Wodehouse didn't invent him first. -- Dave GormanTim FitzHigham, I salute you ... Thank you for making this epic and hilarious voyage. -- Richard Hammond
£9.49
Octopus Publishing Group Grey Skies, Green Waves: A Surfer's Journey
Book SynopsisSo this is surfing in Britain, I told myself as I grumpily walked up a slope of wet rocks and wispy beach grass, trying to keep a foothold as rain and wind both tried their utmost to send me skidding back down to the freezing beach below. Tom Anderson has always loved surfing – anywhere except the UK. But a chance encounter leads him to a series of adventures on home surf… As he visits the popular haunts and secret gems of British surfing he meets the Christians who pray for waves (and get them), loses a competition to a non-existent surfer, is nearly drowned in the River Severn and has a watery encounter with a pedigree sheep. All this rekindles his love affair with the freezing fun that is surfing the North Atlantic.Trade ReviewFunny and Sharp, it's a great insight into what makes surfers in the UK so dedicated. * Surf Girl *Funny, humbling and actually pretty inspiring. * Cooler *The vivid descriptions of grey skies and green waves, the freedom and the attitude of living life to the full combine to deliver a travel book with a twist and one that may have inspired a non-surfer to don a wetsuit and have a go, * Offshore *Tom Anderson learns to love the freezing fun [Britain's] waters offer... this book records his adventures around country's chilly coast. * Waterstone's Books Quarterly *Featured on BBC Radio 4 - Excess Baggage * BBC Radio 4 - Excess Baggage *
£9.89
Cicerone Press The Pennine Way - the Path, the People, the
Book SynopsisThis book presents a portrait of the Pennine Way, Britain's oldest and best known long-distance footpath, tracing its remarkable history through the experiences of walkers past and present. As Andrew McCloy walks the 268-mile route from the Derbyshire Peak District to the Scottish borders, he discovers how the Pennine Way set a benchmark for personal challenge and adventure and how reconnecting with wild places and the unhurried rhythm of the long walk continue to provide a much-needed antidote to our busy modern age. The resilience of the long distance walker is mirrored in the path's fascinating history: the initial struggle for access, battles to tame the bogs, later challenges of path erosion and the fluctuating circumstances of the rural hostel. Above all else however this is a book about Pennine Way people - from crusading ramblers to resourceful B&B landladies, hard working rangers to fanatical trail walkers. Their conversations and memories are woven into the narrative to give an account of the changing fortunes of the path and its special significance. Personal, thoughtful and often humorous, The Pennine Way - the Path, the People, the Journey is an exploration of our desire for challenge and adventure, the stimulation of wild places and how a long journey on foot through our own country still resonates today. It will appeal to people who have walked or are preparing to walk the Pennine Way, as well as to those with an interest in the history and legacy of this iconic path.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Overview map Introduction 1. Edale - Crowden: 'The cockpit of the battle for access' 2. Crowden - Hebden Bridge: 'Repairing the green trail' 3. Hebden Bridge - Malham: 'Tom Stephenson's big idea' 4. Malham - Horton-in-Ribblesdale: 'We have waited long enough' 5. Horton-in-Ribblesdale - Hawes: 'Racing and relaxation in the open hills' 6. Hawes - Keld: 'A tale of two trails' 7. Keld - Middleton-in-Teesdale: 'The Pennine Way's eccentric side' 8. Middleton-in-Teesdale - Dufton: 'Waterfalls, wildflowers and wilderness' 9. Dufton - Alston: 'Close to the sky: overcoming Cross Fell' 10. Alston - Once Brewed: 'In the footsteps of history along the Roman Wall' 11. Once Brewed - Byrness: 'A question of motivation in Northumberland's woods' 12. Byrness - Kirk Yetholm: 'The testing home stretch through the Cheviots' Afterword Bibliography and sources Index
£11.66
Cicerone Press The Mountain Hut Book
Book SynopsisThis book is a celebration of mountain huts, showcasing the the sheer variety and sometimes quirky nature of these buildings that allow walkers, trekkers and climbers to access remote corners of the mountains. Packed with entertaining stories that bring the places and people to life, it contains descriptions of the author's favourite huts in the Alps, along with suggestions for hut-to-hut tours of 3-13 days duration, including the Tour of Mont Blanc. It also traces the history of huts and how they have evolved from the most primitive of shelters to the often purpose-built, eco-friendly buildings of today. For the uninitiated, it unravels some of the mystery of huts and explains how to use them and what facilities to expect. Above all, it illustrates the way in which mountain huts can be truly sociable places, where like-minded people can spend a night or two in the most magical of locations and share a love of wild places.Table of ContentsContents Introduction 1 Rooms with a view Huts for all Huts for trekkers Huts for climbers Huts for watching wildlife Huts for walkers 2 Hut life House rules Sleeping and eating The hut guardian Paying for the privilege Not huts - Berghotels and gîtes d'#xe9;tape 3 Top ten huts Cabane d'Arpitettaz Refuge des Bans Refuge de Bellachat Rifugio Bolzano/Schlernhaus Burg Hut Cabane des Dix Refuge Entre Deux Eaux Grutten Hut Rifugio Longoni Totalp Hut 4 Hut to hut Tour of the Vanoise Rätikon Höhenweg Tour of the Jungfrau Region Stubai High Level Route Tour of the Bernina Tour of Mont Blanc Tour of Val de Bagnes Tour of the Oisans: GR54 Alta Via 2 Tour of the Wilder Kaiser 5 Hovels to hotels Bivouacs, boulders and caves Loathsome dens The age of the mountain hut The overcrowded Alps Between the wars The future has arrived Alpine Clubs and their huts 6 Beyond the Alps - bothies, huts and lodges Andes Appalachians Atlas Mountains Canadian Rockies Caucasus Corsica Himalaya Picos de Europa Pyrenees Southern Alps Tatras Appendix A Useful contacts Appendix B Directory of alpine huts Appendix C Glossary for alpine trekkers Appendix D Further reading Index
£13.46
John Murray Press Almost French: A New Life in Paris
Almost French takes readers on a tour fraught with culture clashes but rife with insight and deadpan humour - a charming true story of what happens when a strong-willed Aussie girl meets a very French Frenchman.Backpacking around Europe, twenty-something Sarah Turnbull meets Frederic and impulsively accepts his invitation to visit him for a week in Paris. Eight years later, she is still there - and married to him. The feisty journalist swaps vegemite for vichyssoise and all things French, but commits the fatal errors of bowling up to strangers at classy receptions, helping herself to champagne, laughing too loudly and (quelle horreur!) rushing out for a baguette in her 'pantalons de jogging'. But Paris' maddening, mysterious charm proves irresistible and Sarah makes spectacular progress. She finds work as a freelance journalist, learns to survive Parisian dinner parties and how to deal with grim-faced officialdom.As she navigates the highs and lows of Parisian life, covering the haute couture fashions shows and discovering the hard way the paradoxes of France today, Sarah succeeds in becoming 'almost French'.
£10.44
Granta Books Eurydice Street: A Place In Athens
Book SynopsisSofka Zinovieff had fallen in love with Greece as a student, but little suspected that years later she would return for good with an expatriate Greek husband and two young daughters. This book is a wonderfully fresh, funny and inquiring account of her first year as an Athenian. The whole family have to get to grips with their new life and identities: the children start school and tackle a new language, and Sofka's husband, Vassilis, comes home after half a lifetime away. Meanwhile, Sofka resolves to get to know her new city and become a Greek citizen, which turns out to be a process of Byzantine complexity. As the months go by, Sofka's discovers how memories of Athens' past haunt its present in its music, poetry and history. She also learns about the difficult art of catching a taxi, the importance of smoking, the unimportance of time-keeping, and how to get your Christmas piglet cooked at the baker's.
£8.99
The Dovecote Press Shipwrecks
Book Synopsis
£8.16
Bene Factum Publishing Ltd In the Dolphins Wake
Book Synopsis
£7.59
Blue Guides Blue Guide Literary Companion London
Perfect for taking on vacation or as preparatory reading before a visit - or as entertainment for lovers of London and literature. Compiled by Robin Saikia, a London-based writer and journalist.
£9.34
Eland Publishing Ltd The Japanese Chronicles
Book SynopsisNicolas Bouvier was an image merchant and photographer as well as a writer. The Eland edition of "Japanese Chronicles" will be accompanied by many of his startling images of Japan. "The Japanese Chronicles" is a distillation of Bouvier's lifelong quest for Japan and his many travels, so that the reader is able to discover the country through the eyes of both a passionate young man, the sensual appeciation of a middle-aged artist and the serenity of an experience writer. 'Like other great literature, [Bouvier's] Chronicles pulls the reader into a timeless dimension where all is transformed and there is no separation between the reader and the work' - "San Francisco Review of Books". 'Some of the most resonant and perceptive travel writing in recent years'. - "Kirkus Reviews". 'Bouvier's distinguished accomplishments have culminated here in a book that succeeds in transforming personal experiences into a series of epiphanies for the reader'. - "Booklist".
£11.69
Eland Publishing Ltd Turkish Coast
Book SynopsisThe Turkish Coast from Izmir to Antalya is an area of incredible natural drama, rich in the ruins of antiquity. It is a prime focus for many cultured holiday makers visiting the region by land, yacht and gulet. It has been at the centre of Mediterranean culture and history for thousands of years, with a rich and varied literature. With accounts ranging from the excitement of archaeological discovery, or the route march of Alexander's army, to the pleasures of the hammam and Turkish cooking, this latest addition to the "Through Writers' Eyes" series will satisfy the appetites of travellers real and armchair. Sources range from the classical to the contemporary: from The Odyssey and Plutarch to Freya Stark, Jeremy Seal and Louis de Berniere. 'Eland has hit a goldmine with its "Through Writers' Eyes" series...like buying a best of compilation...you don't have to listen to the 'B' sides and you don't have to wade through the boring bits' - "The Tablet".
£11.69
The Armchair Traveller at the Bookhaus Along the Ganges
Book SynopsisThe River Ganges has a thousand names. Hindu priests regard it as a sin to call her a river at all. She is a goddess, the source of the world, her waters holy and healing and still sold to Hindus all over the world. Ilija Trojanow travelled along the Ganges, from the source, where it breaks free from the eternal ice in the Himalayas, to the great cities, by boat, by bus, on overcrowded trains. He visited the great Hindu festivals and talked to those who warn of ecological disasters. His colourful report describes a country between ancient traditions and astonishing modernity and the holy river that crosses it for hundreds of miles.Trade Review'A lyrical homage to India's holiest, moodiest, foulest river... Trojanow is the perfect mix of insider and outsider. A Hindi speaker,he can also stand back and see what makes India tick... It is a treasure of a book, a must-have for anyone spending time on the Ganges and wanting to get to know her better.' -- Susan Elderkin Financial Times
£9.49
Lodestar Books The Sea and the Snow
Book SynopsisHEARD ISLAND, an improbably remote speck in the far Southern Ocean, lies four thousand kilometres to the south-west of Australia - with Antarctica its nearest continent. By 1964 it had been the object of a number of expeditions, but none reaching the summit of its 9000-foot volcanic peak "Big Ben'. In that year Warwick Deacock resolved to rectify this omission, and assembled a party of nine with impressive credentials embracing mountaineering, exploration, science and medicine, plus his own organisation and leadership skills as a former Major in the British Army. But first they had to get there. Heard had no airstrip and was on no steamer route; the only way was by sea in their own vessel. Approached from Australia, the island lay in the teeth of the 'Roaring Forties'and 'Furious Fifties'. One name, only, came to mind as the skipper to navigate them safely to their destination, and safely home - the veteran mountaineer turned high-latitude sailor H. W. 'Bill' Tilman, already renowned for his 'sailing to climb' expeditions to Patagonia, Greenland and Arctic Canada, and the sub-Antarctic archipelagos of Crozet and Kerguelen, to the north-west of Heard Island. He readily 'signed on' to Warwick Deacock's team of proven individuals and their well-found sailing vessel Patanela. In this first-hand account, as fresh today as on its first publication fifty years ago, Philip Temple invites us all on this superbly conducted, happy and successful expedition, aided by many previously unpublished photographs by Warwick Deacock. 'The Skipper' - a man not free with his praise - described the enterprise as 'a complete thing'. photographs, maps, drawings
£9.50
Lodestar Books Staithes: A Place Apart
Book SynopsisIn photographs, artworks, and words Gloria Wilson celebrates the rugged fishing village where she was brought up, and from which she set her course to a career recording, both visually and verbally, the North Sea fishery she loves. She writes: In this intriguing place I have found a heady mix of seafaring activities, shorelines, inimitable fisher people, stalwart boats, notable marine artists, cats, dark seas and dashing spray, thick sepulchral fogs, the clutter of translucent fishing paraphernalia, folklore and local custom, and many architectural specialities, together with touches of joy, humour, absurdity, and melancholy, all set within a townscape and topography of distinctive and outstanding quality. Staithes has always been a working village, rugged and unpretentious, without attitude. Things have an elegance which results from useful function.
£18.00
The Armchair Traveller at the Bookhaus Hidden Bhutan: Entering the Kingdom of the
Book SynopsisIn 2006, "Time magazine" listed the King of Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuk, as one of the 100 'leaders and revolutionaries' who are changing our world today. Yet it was only in the 1960s that the first road linking "The Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon" with India was opened, and since 1974 only a strictly limited number of tourists have been allowed to visit each year. Martin Uitz, a renowned expert on Bhutan, describes how the Bhutanese, in pursuit of the principle of 'Gross National Happiness', are carefully moving towards a more modern future, including a constitution and democracy, whilst preserving their traditional society and attempting to conserve the environment. Uitz made many fascinating discoveries in this enigmatic Kingdom. He was able to explain why the only traffic light was taken out of service, why six men are not allowed to go on a journey together, and what the subtle eroticism of a traditional hot-stone bath is all about. Along the way he also discovered that the Bhutanese hills are more alive with Edelweiss than the hills around his native Salzburg.
£10.44
Penned in the Margins Feral Borough
Book SynopsisSet in the urban pastoral of an East London postcode, Feral Borough asks what it means to call a place home, and how best to share that home with its non-human inhabitants. Meryl Pugh reimagines the wild as 'feral', recording the fauna and flora of Leytonstone in prose as incisive as it is lyrical. Here, on the edge of the city, red kite and parakeets thrive alongside bluebell and yarrow, a muntjac deer is glimpsed in the undergrowth, and an escaped boa constrictor appears on the High Road. In this subtle, captivating book - part herbarium, part bestiary and part memoir - Pugh explores the effects of loss, and lockdown, on human well-being, conjuring the local urban environment as a site for healing and connection. 'A subtle, heartfelt and affecting book about home, the city and the self -- Pugh reminds us that nowhere, however urban, is without nature; that wherever we go, the intricate web of life continues to shape and change us.' Rebecca TamasTrade Review'A subtle, heartfelt and affecting book about home, the city and the self' Rebecca Tamas; 'Feryl Borough' is original, curious, expansive. Pugh's writing seeks beauty in urban surroundings, with echoes of Jenny Odell's 'How To Do Nothing' by placing value on looking, recording and appreciating our local environment and of Leslie Kern's 'Feminist City' on the joy, frustrations and solidarity of women navigating routes through the city. A brilliant, honest account of London, a place of golden sunlight and strange shadows, written with remarkable emotional clarity. Pugh holds up the city for us to witness in all its tiny, profound detail.' Gemma Seltzer; 'After five chapters, you'll wish you lived in Leytonstone. Five more and you'll begin to wonder about the natural treasures lurking in your own part of town. Another five and you'll be out in the park with your magnifying glass and binoculars. Anyone who reads this terrific book will also want to live it. This is a most democratic bestiary. Skylarks and buzzards enjoy equal billing with hawthorn and common wood pigeons. Bluebells, six-toed cats, an escaped boa constrictor... Each is subject of a mini-essay that revels not only in the joys of urban wildlife, but also the quirks and oddities. Nature, strange in tooth and claw.' Matt Brown; 'An intimate journey into places that are at once familiar and strange, known and unfathomable, Meryl Pugh's writing conjures a wild city full of wonder among the everyday' Kerri Andrews
£11.69
Bene Factum Publishing Ltd Drink Time!
Book Synopsis
£8.54
Signal Books Ltd Travellers in the Great Steppe: From the Papal
Book SynopsisThe Great Steppe stretches from the Volga River and the Caspian Sea in the west to the easternmost limits of Djungaria in Western China. Sometimes referred to as the biggest field in the world, this vast region is as mysterious today as it was a thousand years ago. Despite modern development it remains little visited and little known. This was once a land of nomads, barren and harsh at its centre, but with rich grasslands fed by the many rivers flowing from the surrounding mountains. It was home to a society that kept no records other than the epic poems and songs celebrating the stories of its great batyrs (warriors). Whatever is known of this society survives within local culture - desecrated as it is by years of Soviet cultural vandalism - or in the voices of outsiders who occasionally passed through. Usually they were on their way elsewhere - to India, China, Tibet - but occasionally there were visitors who took more than a passing interest in the lives of the steppe nomads. Their findings and impressions are collected in this book. Edited and told with relish by Nick Fielding, these are the stories of early papal emissaries like Friar William of Rubruck and Jean de Piano Carpini, sent to negotiate with the Mongols, and the merchant adventurers like Andrew Jenkinson and Jonas Hanway who tried to capture the Silk Road trade. Later came the early scientists and geographers associated with Peter Simon Pallas and the Russian explorers exemplified by Chokan Walikhanov and Petr Petrovich Semenov. Thomas and Lucy Atkinson became the earliest British visitors to spend time in the steppe. They were followed by military adventurers such as Captain Fred Burnaby and James Abbott, and journalists including the great Aloysius MacGahan and David Ker, the original purveyor of 'fake news'. Besides Lucy Atkinson there were other determined women travellers including Adéle Hommaire de Hell and the remarkable Marie de Ujfalvy-Bourdon, both of whom documented life in the Great Steppe. Cambridge scientist William Bateson spent 18 months traversing the steppes looking for snail shells in the 1880s, and by the end of the 19th century the first tourists - some, like R L Jefferson, on bicycle - were arriving, to be followed by mining engineers and agricultural merchants. All have a tale to tell.
£15.29
The Armchair Traveller at the Bookhaus Smile of the Midsummer Night: A Picture of Sweden
Book SynopsisLars Gustafsson and Agneta Blomqvist have written a personal guide to their Swedish homeland. Setting off from the south their journey leads them all the way up to Norrland, from the farms of Scania to the Laponian area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But it is the idyllic fjord in Bohuslan, in the Vastmanland region, as well as Lake Malar and Stockholm that they call home. Alive with their varied interests and entertaining suggestions for excursions - from journeys across the forests and moors to collect berries and mushrooms, encountering the odd elk or wolf along the way, to visits to the graves of Kurt Tucholsky and Strindberg, Smile of a Midsummer Night is knowledgeable, loving and poetic. A must-have for all fans of Sweden.
£11.69
The Armchair Traveller at the Bookhaus Morocco: In the Labyrinth of Dreams and Bazaars
Book SynopsisWhile much of the Middle East is now engulfed in conflict and repression, Morocco remains a curious anomaly: peaceful and open to the West, it has provided refuge for artists and writers for generations, and it remains an exotic destination for many curious travelers. The country has been influenced by an incredible variety of peoples Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs, Berbers, Muslims, Jews, and most of Europe s colonizers have played a role and modern Moroccan society is no less rich and varied. In "Morocco," Walter M. Weiss brings extensive knowledge of the region to bear as he travels the breadth and depth of the country s social and geographical contrasts. Berber villagers of the mountains are for the most part still illiterate and consider their king to be divinely chosen, while businessmen in Casablanca s towering offices dream of closer ties to the European Union. Weiss visits the settings of modern legends, such as Tangier, as well as the two medieval "centres Fes" and "Meknes," and sees earthen "kasbahs" and Marrakech s bazaar.On the way, he meets acrobats, Sufi musicians, pilgrims, craftsmen, beatniks, rabbis, and Berber farmers a kaleidoscope of variety and cultural influence. "
£9.50
The Armchair Traveller at the Bookhaus Seeking Provence: Old Myths, New Paths
Book SynopsisA region steeped in fable and myth, Provence is a cultural crossroads of European history. A source of inspiration to artists, poets, and troubadours, it is now an enviable refuge for the wealthy and fashionable. Nicholas Woodsworth, who was born in Ottawa, Canada, married into a Provencal family and has lived in the region for decades. Lovingly recounting vivid details of life in Provence, he provides here a welcome antidote to the typical rose-tinted, romantic view of it being a perennially sunny destination for tourists. The true Provencaux have always lived a hard life close to the land and the rhythms of the seasons. And it is in the revelation and understanding of these lives, of the Provencal people, that the truths of the region are to be found. As much a study of Provencal culture and history as a memoir and travel book, this is a deep and soulful investigation into a way of life that remains very distinct from that of the rest of France."Trade ReviewLike Tuscany, Provence has been trampled over by too many writers in recent years. But Woodsworth, a Provencal by marriage, looks as though he could break the curse of Mayle -New York Times on the hardback edition.
£10.80
The Armchair Traveller at the Bookhaus Umbria: The Heart of Italy
Book SynopsisWhen Patricia Clough bought a house in Umbria, she knew that buying her dream home did not mean that life would become a dream. By the end of this book, in which she describes the journey of making Umbria her home, she is sure that if one has basic requirements for being happy, then Umbria provides some of the best surroundings for happiness. Clough pores over Umbria's enchanting countryside, its tumultuous history, its ancient culture and sumptuous food, and laments that for a long time Umbria was mistaken for its fashionable neighbour, Tuscany. This is not a guide to buying home a in Italy, nor a guidebook for your holiday - though it would be useful as both of these things - but a story in which a woman discovers and marvels at the place she begins to call home.
£9.50
Haus Publishing Dickens's London
Book SynopsisFew novelists have written so intimately about a city in the way that Charles Dickens wrote about London. A near-photographic memory made his contact with the city indelible from a very young age and it remained his constant focus. Virginia Woolf maintained that, `we remodel our psychological geography when we read Dickens,’ as he produces `characters who exist not in detail, not accurately or exactly, but abundantly in a cluster of wild yet extraordinarily revealing remarks.’ But the `character’ he was drawn back to throughout his novels was London itself, all aspects of the capital from the coaching inns of his early years to the taverns and watermen of the Thames; these were the constant cityscapes of his life and work. Based on five walks in central London, Peter Clark illuminates the settings of Dickens’s London, his life, his journalism and his fiction. He also explores `The First Suburbs’ (Camden Town, Chelsea, Greenwich, Hampstead, Highgate and Limehouse) as they feature in Dickens’s writing.Trade Review`This is a small, delightful book, handsomely produced and shaped to fit an overcoat pocket, describing walks around parts of London associated with Dickens’s life and writings.’– The Literary Review; `gives us a splendidly clear and illuminating view, not only of the streets and the architecture, but of the sounds, smells, and intense human activity that both Dickens and Clark enjoy about London.’ – New Horizons
£9.49
Haus Publishing Salzburg: City of Culture
Book SynopsisAs the seat of prince-bishops it found wealth and power, as the birthplace of Mozart it found fame, and as a festival city it found its purpose and destiny. But can today’s Salzburg really be described by anything more than music and majestic baroque architecture? Hubert Nowak, who lived and worked in Salzburg for many years, sets out to find the lesser-known side of the city. Leaving the festival district, he plunges into the atmospheric old quarter and places known only to natives – and often not even to them. Through the stories of those who visited the city over the centuries, he gives the reader a fresh perspective and gives the old city new life. Salzburg: A City of Culture is essential reading for anyone interested in visiting the city.Trade Review"A rich confection of fact and quirky detail, Salzburg is a must for any visitor to this remarkable city." -- John Gimlette, English author of travel literature"This rather splendid and altogether endearing book cannot help but entice the reader into wanting to investigate the city of Salzburg further...a fascinating and beguiling read." * David Marx Book Reviews *
£9.49
Haus Publishing Chaucer’s Italy
Book SynopsisGeoffrey Chaucer might be considered the quintessential English writer, but he drew much of his inspiration and material from Italy. In fact, without the tremendous influence of Francesco Petrarch and Giovanni Boccaccio (among others), the author of The Canterbury Tales might never have assumed his place as the ‘father’ of English literature. Nevertheless, Richard Owen’s Chaucer’s Italy begins in London, where the poet dealt with Italian merchants in his roles as court diplomat and customs official. Next Owen takes us, via Chaucer’s capture at the siege of Rheims, to his involvement in arranging the marriage of King Edward III’s son Lionel in Milan and his missions to Genoa and Florence. By scrutinising his encounters with Petrarch, Boccaccio, and the mercenary knight John Hawkwood – and with vividly evocative descriptions of the Arezzo, Padua, Florence, Certaldo, and Milan that Chaucer would have encountered – Owen reveals the deep influence of Italy’s people and towns on Chaucer’s poems and stories. Much writing on Chaucer depicts a misleadingly parochial figure, but as Owen’s enlightening short study of Chaucer’s Italian years makes clear, the poet’s life was internationally eventful. The consequences have made the English canon what it is today.Trade ReviewVery readable and well-paced covers an amazing amount of ground. Marion Turner, author of Chaucer: A European Life
£11.69
Influx Press Lucifer Over London: A Guide to the Adopted City
Book SynopsisLondon, a city of constant transition, transaction, translation. London does not exist; London is a language without a place and it is the aphasic city; it's the mother of all languages. Lucifer Over London is a new anthology nine narrative essays written by a host of international prize-winning authors including Chloe Aridjis, Viola di Grado, Xiaolu Guo, Joanna Walsh and Zinovy Zinik. First published in Italy by Humboldt Books, Lucifer Over London is now appearing in English for the first time. This is a version of London as seen from the immigrants of recent migrations, of deportations to come, from those who create London even as they contradict it.
£9.49
Graffeg Limited Landscape Wales (Compact Edition)
Book SynopsisA pictorial celebration of the glorious natural treasures and landscapes which make up the country of Wales. Featuring spectacular mountains, dramatic coastlines, gentle lowlands and idyllic river valleys, Landscape Wales also focuses on people and their connection with the natural environment. A pocket-friendly size book.
£9.49
Carn Publishing ltd Arran: Travels, Treasures and Tales
Book Synopsis
£14.25
UEA Publishing Project Hinterland: Winter/Spring: 2020
Book SynopsisHinterland is a quarterly, print and digital magazine dedicated to creative non-fiction. Hinterland's fourth issue celebrates the art of a beautifully turned piece of flash writing, with our Flash Non-Fiction Special: 40 pages of the best bite-sized writing around. Mark Cocker leads with a piece on the army ant, others consider topics as varied as migrant youth, New York through the decades, the troubling life of pets, inter-racial relationships, and the fall of dictators. Inside a stunning cover, created exclusively for Hinterland by artist Mia Hague, is an outstanding line-up of new creative non-fiction plus all our great regular features, including a beautiful photo essay by Lily Bungay and an interview with Tessa McWatt.
£9.50
Medina Publishing Ltd Beyond that Last Blue Mountain
Book SynopsisHarriet's parents hoped that, after leaving boarding school and doing `the Season', she would meet and marry a suitable young man. But she was to disappoint them. Just after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, she set off for Peshawar to see for herself the plight of thousands of displaced Afghan refugees. Determined to do something about their dire situation, Harriet set up a small silk weaving project for illiterate Turkmen refugees, and was sent by UNESCO to Mazar-i-sharif to work with Afghanistan's last remaining silk ikat weavers. During those years she was arrested by the KHAD, narrowly missed being blown up, survived acute bacterial meningitis in a Kabul hospital, and rescued an abandoned pi-dog puppy who became her devoted companion. At the end of the first Gulf War she travelled with the Peshmerga in the newly-liberated Iraqi Kurdistan. Then in 1994 she joined a group of unemployed builders and decorators driving convoys of food and aid from Croydon to the Muslim enclaves in Bosnia Herzegovina. Much has been written about conflicts in these countries, by war correspondents, diplomats and military personnel, but this is a different story. It is about young woman from a sheltered and privileged background travelling and working alone, in and around war zones, frequently with no financial or practical support, at a time of increasing Islamic fundamentalism. Harriet left her traditional, comfortable home and chose to live a life of adventure and danger helping refugees who had nowhere else to turn. She continues to raise money for charity through her business selling oriental textiles and remains friends with the refugees she helped in Afghanistan. However, she is now married, to just the sort of husband her parents always hoped for.
£14.24
Monsoon Books Bandit Saints of Java: How Java’s eccentric
Book SynopsisBandit Saints of Java is a work of nonfiction that delves deep under the surface of modern Indonesia, exploring personalities and stories in the wacky world of local pilgrimage. It paints an astonishing portrait of Islam as it is practised today - largely invisible to journalists, scholars and tourists - by many of the 130 million people of Java.
£8.54
Saraband Overlander
Book SynopsisSeeking a temporary escape from the city and a world gone mad, Alan Brown plots out a personal challenge: an epic coast-to-coast trip through the lonely interior of the Highlands. He traverses paths historic and new, eschewing creature comforts and high-tech gear, trusting his (mostly) serviceable bike and his own skills. Armed with the essentials and a sense of curiosity, he discovers more about nature, people, our country, risk and himself than he ever thought possible. Alan traces a route from Argyllshire’s Loch Etive across remote Rannoch moors, dramatic Grampian terrain and the beautiful glens of Strathspey to reach the Moray Firth at Findhorn. Ready for all weathers and obstacles, he succumbs to the hypnotic daily routine of ride, eat, sleep, repeat. He’s savouring the landscapes, the wildlife and the solitude, and relishing the self-reliance. He is also picking up clues to past lives and discovering how the land has been altered by industry and game sports or, sometimes, conserved for wildlife and trees.Trade Review"An outstanding debut, brimming with charming anecdotes, helpful advice and poignant discussions about Scotland and the UK today, making it a timely read." Chiara Bullen, The Great Outdoors; "The perfect read for cycling and adventure lovers." Kenny Smith, Scottish Field; "Filled with enticing descriptions of extraordinary terrain, basic refuges, wonderful wildlife, colourful characters ... An enjoyable account of an epic journey." Julie Rand, Cycle magazine;"A challenging cycle through near-wilderness ... [Alan Brown] returns with a laudable vision to see the Highlands criss-crossed with cycling paths that would reconnect an increasingly isolated urbanised population with the natural world." Helen Moat, BBC Countryfile magazine; "Cycling and walking are the best ways of truly appreciating a place. In Overlander, Alan Brown has written a hugely readable account of what he hears, sees, smells and thinks of the present and the past in a traverse from west to east coast by bike. His sensitive, personal and culturally informed observations on the landscapes, wildlife and people he encounters is an eloquent reminder of the wonderful country we live in and how much it has to offer our bodies and our souls. Time to get on my bike." Andy Wightman MSP; "If this book convinces me of anything it is this. Riding a bike across Scotland's byways offers endless possibilities for exploration, adventure and fun and most importantly, offers the opportunity to read the small print of our highland landscape. Overlander is a remarkable book, the tale of a strenuous mini-adventure and a clarion call to those who manage our upland areas." Cameron McNeish; "Overlander cheerfully debunks much of the off-putting preciousness of the hardcore cycling fraternity to return cross-country cycling to what it should be ... Alan Brown traces a new/old Scotland through a network of coffin paths, estate tracks, drove roads, military roads, disused railway beds and sheer bog. It's an uplifting account ... A very timely reminder that inactivity and loss of contact with nature are bigger threats than most small accidents." Lesley Riddoch
£9.49
Sandstone Press Ltd Gears for Queers
Book SynopsisKeen to see some of Europe, queer couple Lilith and Abigail get on their old bikes and start pedalling. Along flat fens and up Swiss Alps, they will meet new friends and exorcise old demons as they push their bodies – and their relationship – to the limit.Trade Review'Two refreshing voices in cycling. An essential read.' -Jools Walker; 'Lili and Abi have opened up new space in the existing narratives of long-distance cycling. Their book will inspire many future journeys.' -Emily Chappell; 'Abi and Lili's account shows how you can become part of a landscape on a bike, even when you aren't sure you fit.' -Sarah Strong; 'Abi and Lili speak honestly and insightfully about mental illness, disability, fitness... This book made me laugh, broke my heart and most of all made me want to get back on my bike!' -Eris Young
£8.54
