Travel writing Books

Book SynopsisFourteen years after fleeing Kenya with her baby daughter, Corinne returned in the summer of 2004 to meet Lketinga and his family again in their village, Barsaloi. Nervous as she was, and uncertain as to how he would react on seeing her again, she found to her relief that she was welcomed unreservedly by all those who remembered her - by Lketinga, who still thought of her as his 'wife number one', by his brother, James, now a schoolteacher and especially by Lketinga's mother, who had looked after Corinne with such care all those years before. Corinne Hofmann revisits an area of a country which she cares about passionately, describing in her immensely readable style the changes she saw after her time away, and once again bringing to life the atmosphere and characters in the Masai village.Trade Review'Hofmann's publishers are still reeling from the success of her first book, The White Masai, which sold four million copies worldwide. Romantic ... (with) the nobility of African village life and wry reflection on its hardships' - Iain Finlayson, The Times"Her book is a page-turner, an extraordinary tale of love and naivety, folly and determination" - Sun HeraldPraise for The White Masai:'Hofmann is a talented writer, describing with unflinching detail the consequences of a passion that combines the element of a holiday romance with troubling fantasies about the noble savage. Gripping - Joan Smith, Independent'This extraordinary story is a dashing tale of love and adventure in contemporary Kenya' - Mavis Cheek, Daily Mail Critic's Choice'A deliciously readable book - it really is possible to gulp it down in one long sitting' - Mail on Sunday'The White Masai has already sold four million copies in Europe and has now been turned into a big Hollywood film. Theses successes suggest that, in publishing terms at least, Corinne Hofmann has finally struck gold' - Ireland on Sunday'An extraordinary and unputdownable tale' - Bookseller'It's a truly riveting read, better than any reality TV show' - Publishing News

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Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER'Memoir of the year' - Vogue'A wondrous, sensuous memoir of salt-stung survival . . . clear-eyed and poetic prose' Sunday Times'A fascinating memoir' - Daily MailWhen Tamsin Calidas first arrives on a remote island in the Scottish Hebrides, it feels like coming home. Disenchanted by London, she and her husband left the city and high-flying careers to move the 500 miles north, despite having absolutely no experience of crofting, or of island life. It was idyllic, for a while. But as the months wear on, the children she'd longed for fail to materialise, and her marriage breaks down, Tamsin finds herself in ever-increasing isolation.Injured, ill, without money or friend she is pared right back, stripped to becoming simply a raw element of the often harsh landscape. But with that immersion in her surroundings comes the possibility of rebirth and renewal. Tamsin begins the slow journey back from the brink. Startling, raw and extremely moving, I Am An Island is a story about the incredible ability of the natural world to provide when everything else has fallen away - a stunning book about solitude, friendship, resilience and self-discovery.Trade ReviewA wondrous, sensuous memoir of salt-stung survival… clear-eyed and poetic prose. Over and above everything else, I Am an Island is a hymn to the wild, full of fine observation of the natural world. A message that rings true for these testing times. * The Sunday Times *Calidas is a supple, sensuous writer - deeply empathetic... Her account is shot through with moments of intense brightness. * Guardian *This is a startling book, a vivid and terrifying reminder of how an island can seduce, madden - and ultimately sustain those brave enough to endure its confines. -- Madeleine Bunting, author of Love of CountryAn extraordinary book, a wild and redemptive account of reaching rock bottom and swimming back into the light. I’m awed by Tamsin's courage, her resilience and huge heart. Her island will stay with me for a very long time. -- Olivia Laing, author of The Lonely City and To the RiverThe best book I have read in more than a decade. Each page is poetry. Tamsin's story is both heartbreaking and inspiring but ultimately about how the power of nature can heal. The perfect memoir for us all right now. Absolutely stunning. What an incredible woman. -- Susannah ConstantineThe memoir of the year...a lyrical paean to the wild beauty of the Hebrides. * Vogue *An island tale like no other. An unforgettably moving and compulsive read, steeped in anguish and beauty. A book that is unafraid to stare deep into the abyss, and still find a way forward. The story of a woman completely broken by life, and her fifteen-year struggle to find the inner strength to restore herself, through sheer determination, and by immersing herself in solitude. -- Neil Ansell, author of Deep Country and Deer IslandCompletely astonishing. Using language of shimmering beauty, Tamsin Calidas describes the unravelling of a relationship with such exquisitely small stitches that the eventual thread-baring of her physical and emotional safety, her sense of identity and purpose, blows in like a cold slap of Hebridean wind. A Hardyesque, stripped back connection to the landscape emerges. And yet only with the fragmentation of everything that matters is the fragility of life transcended and restored by the triumphant pull of a determination to survive. -- Juliet NicolsonGripping...Tough yet compulsive reading, carried by crisp, vivid prose. -- Amy Liptrot, author of The OutrunRaw, painful, storm-battered writing. Here's what it means to be truly isolated. * Raynor Winn *A meditative breath of fresh air. This book will fill your lungs, sting your eyes and catch in your throat. Soaring prose like birdsong over the harsh lands that compelled Tamsin Calidas to breathe deep. -- Ruth Fitzmaurice, author of I Found My TribeAn extraordinary book of limitless resilience, Calidas' leaping prose is a love song to the natural world. What she achieves with an open heart and a will of iron is nothing short of remarkable. -- Sarah Langford, author of In Your DefenceSo raw, so honest, so intense. I didn't want this book to end. -- Sigri Sandberg, author of An Ode to DarknessCombining intensely beautiful nature writing with the excavation of deep emotion, this brave, startling book examines what it really means to lose yourself in nature, and in doing so find a completely new version of yourself, too. A powerful, unsettling but ultimately redemptive account of one woman’s deep communion with the natural world. -- Clover Stroud, author of My Wild and Sleepless NightsCalidas is a supple, sensuous writer - deeply empathic... Her account is shot through with moments of intense brightness. * Guardian *Any preconceptions you may entertain about 'a Londoner, tiring of the city, moves to a Scottish Island' will be smashed in the first chapter of Tamsin Calidas' astonishing, raw and clear-eyed book. Tamsin charts how she comes to terms with loss, loneliness, hardship and prejudice through immersing herself fully in her island habitat. I am an Island is a powerful, affecting book; glittering and visceral, Tamsin's clear-voiced self-reliance becomes a storm-force of nature in itself. -- Nicola Chester, Nature Writer, RSPB Columnist and Guardian Country DiaristA beautiful book...I urge you to seek it out. -- Jane GarveyA beautifully written, emotionally intense memoir * Sunday Express *The island is a metaphor for anyone who has ever been alone... It is about what happens when everything you are used to falls away, which is something we are all experiencing at the moment. * Daily Mail *An utterly engrossing read. * Saga *

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Book Synopsis‘Could you show me a djinn?’ I asked. ‘Certainly,’ replied the Sufi. ‘But you would run away.’Trade Review‘Delightful … Surely one of the funniest books about India’ Times Literary Supplement ‘Scholarly and marvellously entertaining … a considerable feat’ Dervla Murphy, Spectator ‘Dalrymple has pulled it off again’ Jan Morris, Independent

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Book SynopsisThe charming and joyful follow-up book from the nation's taster in chief,' Felicity Cloake.If there's one thing that truly unites Britain, from Aberdeen to Aberystwyth, St Ives to St Pancras, it's an obsession with breakfast.We all have an opinion on the merits of brown sauce versus ketchup on our morning bacon sarnie. In this eagerly awaited follow-up to One More Croissant for the Road, the nation's favourite taster-in-chief Felicity Cloake sets off on a cycle trip of condimental proportions to investigate and celebrate the legendary Great British Breakfast. Travelling the length and breadth of the UK to establish once and for all what makes a perfect fry-up, she rates them on criteria from the crispness of the bacon to how long they keep her pedalling. But a woman cannot live by All Day Breakfast alone, so as well as recipes for the Savoy''s Omelette Arnold Bennett and proper Scottish porridge, she lavishes her attention on the regional specialities she encounters along the way, fromTrade Review‘As a greedy woman who loves cycling around the country in search of double and even triple breakfasts, I was delighted by this book about a greedy woman, cycling around the countryside, looking for several square meals a day. In an era when too many fully grown adults munch through instant microwave oats, overpackaged biscuits or simply skip eating altogether, Cloake is making the case for a cooked, regional, calorie-packed kick off, both as a treat for your senses and as a way of supporting smaller, traditional food producers…funny, enlightening and evocative.’ Nell Frizzell, The Guardian ‘A bible for breakfast lovers.’ The Scotsman Praise for ‘One More Croissant for the Road’ ‘Joyful, life-affirming, greedy. I loved it.’ Diana Henry ‘Wonderfully written.’ Anna Jones ‘Felicity Cloake’s Tour de France is a triumph. It is full of greed and wit, jam packed with priceless practical information, and peppered with a sense of adventure and wonder. I love it.’ Yotam Ottolenghi ‘From start to finish, this book is a joy: the perfect antidote to a world of diets and bad news.’ Bee Wilson

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Book Synopsis''A volume in which rich and unexpected seams of precious materials await discovery'' GuardianThree hundred years of wanderlust are captured in this collection as women travel for peril or pleasure, whether to gaze into Persian gardens or imbibe the French countryside, to challenge the fierce Sahara or climb an impossible mountain. The extraordinary women in this collection are observers of the world in which they wander; their prose rich in description, remarkable in detail. Mary McCarthy conveys the vitality of Florence while Willa Cather''s essay on Lavandou foreshadows her descriptions of the French countryside in later novels. Others are more active participants in the culture they are visiting, such as Leila Philip, as she harvests rice with Japanese women. Whether it is curiosity about the world, a thirst for adventure or escape from personal tragedy, all of these women are united in that they approached their journeys with wit, intelligence, compassion and empathy for the lives of those they encountered along the way. Also includes writing by Willa Cather, Joan Didion, Vita Sackville-West, M. F. K Fisher, Christina Dodwell and more. Trade ReviewThis classic celebrates 300 years of female wanderlust and the theme of escape - whether the women are running away or towards something. With writing by 47 intrepid travellers including Mary Wollstonecraft on Scandinavia, Edith Wharton on Marrakech and Willa Cather on Le Lavandou, it's a meditation on the eternal allure of travel * BA High Life *

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Book SynopsisFRANCES MAYES is the author of four books about Tuscany. The now-classic UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN - which was a NEW YORK TIMES bestseller for more than two and a half years and became a Touchstone movie starring Diane Lane - was followed by BELLA TUSCANY and two illustrated books, IN TUSCANY and BRINGING TUSCANY HOME. Mayes is also the author of the novel SWAN, six books of poetry, THE DISCOVERY OF POETRY and A YEAR IN THE WORLD. She lives in Cortona, Italy, and the San Francisco Bay Area.Trade ReviewLyrically written and beguiling... What makes it special is the sustained note of joy in it; joy in the beauty of the Tuscan countryside, the sights and sounds of daily life, the physical labour involved in the restoration of this 200-year-old villa and the five acres of land that go with it * Sunday Times *Like many delightful books, this account of restoring a Tuscan farmhouse and its land is hard to classify. The author is a poet, good at evoking atmosphere and describing place; a cook who collects appetizing winter and summer recipes; an academic who sets her new home in its Roman and Etruscan context. Above all, Mayes is an enthusiast for starting over. After the dissolution of a long marriage, she celebrates Christmas in Italy with her grown-up daughter and her new partner. 'Is this much happiness allowed?' she asks. You bet * Mail on Sunday *Frances Mayes is a wonderful writer. She captures with exceptional poetry and vivacity the extraordinary beauty of Tuscany. She understands Tuscany like a person who was born and has lived here all her life -- Lorenza De'MediciA wonderfully languid and evocative diary * Independent *Stone by stone, Frances Mayes builds the story of what is not so much a love affair as an all-consuming passion. A glorious book - seductive, sensuous, beautifully crafted... ' * Elisabet Luard *

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**THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER**'As a chronicle of an extraordinary friendship between man and animal, and its unexpected consequences, it's entirely delightful' DAILY MAIL'This uplifting retelling of their adventures together proves a welcome tonic' THE SUN'Heartwarming and utterly charming' GUARDIAN'A heart-warming and captivating travelogue' THE i'A gorgeous book about their adventures, complete with photos that will melt your heart' Lorraine Kelly, ITV***Instagram phenomenon @1bike1world Dean Nicholson reveals the full story of his life-changing friendship with rescue cat Nala and their inspiring adventures together on a bike journey around the world.When 30-year-old Dean Nicholson set off from Scotland to cycle around the world, his aim was to learn as much as he could about our troubled planet. But he hadn't bargained on the lessons he'd learn from his unlikely companion.Three months after leaving home, on a remote road in the mountains between Montenegro and Bosnia, he came across an abandoned kitten. Something about the piercing eyes and plaintive meowing of the bedraggled little cat proved irresistible. He couldn't leave her to her fate, so he put her on his bike and then, with the help of local vets, nursed her back to health.Soon on his travels with the cat he named Nala, they forged an unbreakable bond - both curious, independent, resilient and adventurous. The video of how they met has had 20 million views and their Instagram has grown to almost 750k followers - and still counting!Experiencing the kindness of strangers, visiting refugee camps, rescuing animals through Europe and Asia, Dean and Nala have already learned that the unexpected can be pretty amazing. Together with Garry Jenkins, writer with James Bowen of the bestselling A Street Cat Named Bob, Dean shares the extraordinary tale of his and Nala's inspiring and heart-warming adventure together.

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Book SynopsisAS HEARD ON THE CHRIS EVANS BREAKFAST SHOW - "It's not just for runners. It's for life! It's a great story." When Chris McDougall stumbled across the story of Churchill's 'dirty tricksters', a motley crew of English poets and academics who helped resist the Nazi invasion of Crete, he knew he was on the track of something special. To beat the odds, the tricksters-starving, aging, outnumbered-tapped into an ancient style of fitness: the lost art of heroism. They listened to their instincts, replaced calories with stored bodily fat and used their fascia, the network of tissue which criss-crosses the body, to catapult themselves to superhuman strength and endurance. Soon McDougall was in the middle of a modern fitness revolution taking place everywhere from Parisian parkour routes to state-of-the-art laboratories, and based on the know-how of Shanghai street-fighters and Wild West gunslingers. Just as Born to Run got runners off the treadmill and into nature, Natural Born Heroes will inspire casual athletes to dump the gym membership for cross-training, mud runs and free-running.Trade Review'A fascinating edifice of ideas ... But the pleasures of the book are as much to do with the fascinating panoply of characters, war heroes all, British, Commonwealth and Cretan, whose exploits contributed so much to Hitler's downfall. * Independent *An undeniably ripping yarn. One for sofa surfers and adventurers alike. * Independent on Sunday *A marvellously eclectic book ... the perfect tonic for the paunchy, jaded He-Man in your life and comatose inner heroes everywhere * The Times *Praise for Born to Run: Part how-to manual, part scientific treatise but throughout a ripping yarn, this book will inspire everyone who reads it to think on their feet. * Independent *A fascinating and true adventure story, destined to become a classic * Ranulph Fiennes *Not just a book for runners, but for anyone who has dreamed of venturing beyond their comfort zone * Tim Butcher *A really phenomenal book * Jon Stewart *

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Book Synopsis"Whenever I was asked: 'Why did you go to Santiago?', I had a hard time answering. How could I explain to those who had not done it that the way has the effect - if not the virtue - to make you forget all reasons that led you to become involved in it in the first place."Each year, tens of thousands of backpackers (Christian pilgrims and many others) set out from either their front doorstep or from popular starting points across Europe, to Santiago de Compostela. Most travel by foot, others ride a bicycle, and a few of them travel as did some of their medieval counterparts, on horseback or with a donkey. In addition to those who undertake a religious pilgrimage, the majority are hikers who walk the way for non-religious reasons: travel, sport, or simply the challenge of spending weeks walking in a foreign land. Also, many consider the experience as a spiritual adventure, with a view to removing themselves from the bustle of modern life. Jean-Christophe Rufin followed this "Northern Way" to Santiago de Compostela by foot, on over eight hundred kilometers. Much less crowded than the usual pilgrimage route, this one runs along the Basque and Cantabrian coasts in Spain and through the wild mountains of Asturias and Galicia.Translated from the French by Malcolm Imrie and Martina DervisTrade ReviewThis is an unmissable book . . . a lively story, full of clarity and amusing anecdotes -- Étienne de Montety * Le Figaro *A real delight. Rufin is at his very best, blending together the things he saw, the people and anecdotes, juggling self-mockery and solemnity in equal measure -- Marie-Françoise Leclère * Le Point *The Académie Française member has produced a fascinating account of his journey to Santiago de Compostela -- Tristan Savin * Lire *Walking in Rufin's company is a joy. There is not a second of boredom to be had throughout these 900km and 270 pages, during which we witness his transformation from Académie member and ambassador to celestial tramp -- Marianne Payot * L’Express *Friendly and beguiling ... a masterstroke -- Christopher Howse * Spectator *A wonderful piece of writing, full of perception - of landscapes, people, self - about a journey based on solitude and physical endeavour into an interior world. There's a good dose of chatty demystification and anecdotes that make you laugh aloud. But Rufin can also write in fine lyrical mode, though he never goes on too long about anything -- Adam Hopkins * Literary Review *

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Book SynopsisA take-no-prisoners approach to life has seen Paul Carter heading to some of the world's most remote, wild and dangerous places as a contractor in the oil business. Amazingly, he's survived (so far) to tell these stories from the edge of civilization. He has been shot at, hijacked and held hostage; almost died of dysentery in Asia and toothache in Russia; watched a Texan lose his mind in the jungles of Asia; lost a lot of money backing a scorpion against a mouse in a fight to the death, and been served cocktails by an orangutan on an ocean freighter. And that's just his day job. Taking postings in some of the world's wildest and most remote regions, not to mention some of the roughest rigs on the planet, Paul has worked, got into trouble, and been given serious talkings to, in locations as far-flung as the North Sea, Middle East, Borneo and Tunisia, as exotic as Sumatra, Vietnam and Thailand, and as flat-out dangerous as Columbia, Nigeria and Russia, with some of the maddest, baddest and strangest people you could ever hope not to meet.Trade ReviewA romper-stomper of the world's oil rigs. Highly enjoyable * Herald *Full of colourful stories and anecdotes accumulated over almost two decades working the oil rigs. * TNT Magazine *A Boy's Own yarn from the front line of the oil industry. * Men's Style *Not so much a thriller as a driller, Don't Tell Mum is our tip for Bloke's Book of the Year * Sunday Telegraph *Madness and Mayhem -- Tony Wheeler, founder of Lonely PlanetA kind of modern-day Indiana Jones * Sunday Tasmanian *Great two-fisted writing from the far side of hell. -- John BirminghamA unique look at a gritty game. Relentlessly funny and obsessively readable. -- Philip Noyce

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Book SynopsisRichard Clubley once again shows his love for the Scottish island of Orkney through this new book, recording the special way of life that exists only on Orkney. With full colour images and illustrations, his ode to the island is formed of articles from Living Orkney magazine and the students of Kirkwall Grammar School.Trade ReviewHe has a beautiful written style that allows him to convey his enthusiasm in a truly inspiring way. UNDISCOVERED SCOTLAND For Richard Clubley there is no better place on Earth than Orkney In this magnificent book Clubley gathers anecdotes from locals and visitors, conveying character and unearthing stories which are not widely known. SCOTTISH FIELD

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Book SynopsisFrom one of Germany’s most beloved celebrities, a cross between Bill Bryson and Paulo Coelho.     It has sold over 3 million copies and been translated into eleven different languages. Pilgrims have increased along the Camino by 20 percent since the book was published. Hape Kerkeling’s spiritual epiphany has struck a nerve     Overweight, overworked, and physically unfit, Kerkeling was an unlikely candidate to make the arduous pilgrimage across the French Alps to the Spanish Shrine of St. James, a 1,200-year-old journey undertaken by nearly 100,000 people every year. But that didn’t stop him from getting off the couch and walking. Along the way, he began the journal that turned into this utterly frank, engaging book. Simply by struggling with his physical limitations and the rigors of long-distance walking, he discovered a deep sense of peace that transformed his life and allowed him to forgive himself, and others, more readily. He

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Book SynopsisLaurens van der Post was fascinated and appalled at the fate of this remarkable people. Ostracised by all the changing face of African cultural life they retreated deep into the Kalahari desert. His fascinating attempt to capture their way of life and the secrets of their ancient heritage provide captivating reading and a unique insight into a forgotten way of life.Trade ReviewThe Lost World of the Kalahari (1958) and The Heart of the Hunter (1961)...are loathed by San scholars and serious ethnologists. But they matter. Van der Post gave a face and a story to a discarded people before anyone else thought to do so. * Guardian *A master storyteller, he had the knack of identifying the significant, poetical image * Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisAfter their fantastic trip round the world in 2004, fellow actors and bike fanatics Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman couldn''t shake the travel bug. And after an inspirational UNICEF visit to Africa, they knew they had to go back and experience this extraordinary continent in more depth. And so they set off on their 15,000-mile journey with two new BMWs loaded up for the trip. Joining up with producer/directors Russ Malkin and David Alexanian and the Long Way Round team, their route took them from John O''Groats at the northernmost tip of Scotland to Cape Agulhas on the southernmost tip of South Africa. Riding through spectacular scenery, often in extreme temperatures, Ewan and Charley faced their hardest challenges yet. With their trademark humour and honesty they tell their story - the drama, the dangers and the sheer exhilaration of riding together again, through a continent filled with magic and wonder.Trade ReviewA great book BELLA

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Book SynopsisTravel is the only thing you can buy that makes you richerTravel opens our minds to the world; it helps us to embrace risk and uncertainty, overcome challenges and understand the people we meet and the places we visit. But what happens when we arrive home? How do our experiences shape us?The Kindness of Strangers explores what it means to be vulnerable and to be helped by someone we've never met before. Someone who could have walked past, but chose not to.This is a collection of stories by accomplished travellers and adventurous souls like Sarah Outen, Benedict Allen, Ed Stafford and Al Humphreys, who have completed daring journeys through challenging terrain, adventuring from the Calais Jungle to the Amazon, from Land's End to the Gobi Desert, from New Guinea to Iran and many other places in between. Each has a story to tell of a time when they were vulnerable, when they were in need and a kind stranger came to their rescue.These are stories that make our hearts grow, stories that will restore our faith in the world and remind us that, despite what the media says, the world isn't a scary place - rather, it is filled with Kind Strangers just like us.All royalties go directly to fund Oxfam's work with refugees.Trade ReviewAs well as being a fantastic read, this is the book to restore your faith in humanity. * Adventure Travel *

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Book SynopsisThe author of the instant fishing classic The Optimist shares new wisdom, humor, and experience in seven extraordinary fly-fishing expeditionsan engaging personal journey about finding what you need to find and keeping it in your heart (Kirkus Reviews). In The Optimist, David Coggins tackled the techniques of fly-fishing and meditated on its virtues, recounting his triumphs and failures. Now, in The Believer, he deftly mixes travel, local cultures, further fishing challenges (some knee-buckling in their disappointment), and details his own experience as life and love crowd his time to fish. Self-consciouslyand self-deprecatinglyCoggins embarks on seven far-flung fishing voyages, away from screens and social media, not answering his phone, and reveling in humanity's undying yearning for a quest, for the rituals and rites of passage that mark transition. For Coggins, these journeysto Norway, Scotland, Spain, Cuba, and Argentina, as well as road trips to Wyoming, Tennessee, and the Catskillsnot only showcase his skill as an angler but also signal the end of his fly-fishing youth. But that doesn't mean that Coggins will sell all his rods and hang up his hat; rather, his relationship with his fly-fishing obsession will evolveespecially if he can catch an elusive salmon or a ferociously strong tarpon or the mercurial permit. The Believer is a humble, humorous call for the journey that is as enriching as the destination, where the search for greater self-awareness leads to patience, observation, and endurance. And, since this is fly-fishing, after all, there's always the possibility of abject failure and leaping, glorious reward. Wry, entertaining, thoughtful, and relatable, The Believer is a wonderful example of how well angling can weave us into the world (Gray's Sporting Journal) and will hook both anglers and non-anglers alike.

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Book SynopsisA portrait of Istanbul that guides us across the Bosphorus, through Istanbul's historical monuments and lost paradises, its dilapidated Ottoman villas, back streets and waterways. It also introduces us to the city's writers, artists and murderers.Trade Review"'This evocative book succeeds at both its tasks. It is one of the most touching childhood memoirs I have read in a very long time; and it makes me yearn - more than any glossy tourist brochure could possibly do - to be once again in Istanbul.' Noel Malcom, Sunday Telegraph 'An extraordinary and transcendentally beautiful book... It is a long time since I have read a book of such crystalline originality, or one that moved me so much.' Katie Hickman"

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Book SynopsisA Spectator and Prospect Book of the YearWinner of the American Library in Paris Book Award'Ceaselessly interesting, knowledgeable and evocative' - Spectator'A fresh way to write history' - Alan Johnson'An amused, erudite homage to France . . . ambitious and original' - The Times_____Original, knowledgeable and endlessly entertaining, France: An Adventure History is an unforgettable journey through France from the first century BC to the present day.Drawn from countless new discoveries and thirty years of exploring France on foot, in the library and across 30,000 miles on the author’s beloved bike, it begins with Gaulish and Roman times and ends in the age of #MeToo, Black Lives Matter, the Gilets Jaunes and Covid-19.From the plains of Provence to the slums and boulevards of Paris, events and themes of French history may be familiar – Louis XIV, the French Revolution, the French Resistance, the Tour de France – but all are presented in a shining new light by Graham Robb.Frequently hilarious, always surprising, this is a a vivid, living history of one of the world’s most fascinating nations, it will make even seasoned Francophiles wonder if they really know that terra incognita which is currently referred to as ‘France’._____‘Packed full of discoveries’ - The Sunday Times'A gorgeous tapestry of insights, stories and surprises' - Fintan O'Toole'A rich and vibrant narrative . . . clear-eyed but imaginative storytelling' - Financial Times'Full of life' - ProspectTrade ReviewA stunning history of France... Graham Robb deserves to be a national treasure. * Spectator *A quirky chronicle of our neighbour . . . a witty, free-ranging homage to the French people. * The Times *Robb's concise and fast-paced writing pedals along with never a dull paragraph . . . a dazzling and moving contribution to a long tradition. * Sunday Times *Traverses the ages from Gaul to the gilets jaunes and the pandemic . . . a compelling guide. * Times Literary Supplement *History on two wheels and in four dimensions. * Wall Street Journal *A rich and vibrant narrative. * Financial Times *Some books seem to spring from a whole lifetime and Graham Robb's France is one of those special creations... Robb's sparkling prose, sly wit and intellectual exuberance make for a gorgeous tapestry of insights, stories and surprises. * Fintan O'Toole *With joy, curiosity and more than a dash of ambition, Robb brings 2,000 years of French history to life. * Washington Post *

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Book SynopsisTravel writing matters Explore the world through this beautiful collection of the finest travel writing published in British media in the 21st century – as judged by some of the most respected travel writers in the world: Levison Wood, Monisha Rajesh, Jessica Vincent and Simon Willmore The world has changed, but our desire to explore new places remains as strong as ever. The Best British Travel Writing of the 21st Century includes 30 outstanding travel stories published in British media over the last two decades, as chosen by some of the top names in travel writing today. Through travel’s most talented storytellers, you’ll face adversity along the Congo’s raging River Lulua, make new friends aboard Iraq’s night train, and embark on life-changing pilgrimages from India to Saudi Arabia. This book is an ode to travel and all that it offers, but it’s also a celebration of a genre that brings the world closer to us. At its best, travel writing encourages empathy and inspires change. Join our award-winning writers in marvelling at the power and beauty of travel, and let them inspire you to fall in love with the world all over again.Trade ReviewI greatly enjoyed journeying vicariously through this marvellous collection of travel pieces. * Source Paul Theroux *

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Book SynopsisBetween soaring mountains, across arid deserts, parched plains and valleys of fruit orchards and olive groves, down glittering coastlines and along viaducts towering above plunging ravines... there is no better way to see Spain than by train.Rail enthusiast Tom Chesshyre, author of Slow Trains to Venice, Ticket to Ride and Tales from the Fast Trains, hits the tracks once again to take in the country through carriage windows on a series of clattering rides beyond the popular image of "holiday Spain" (although he stops by in Benidorm and Torremolinos too).From hidden spots in Catalonia, through the plains of Aragon and across the north coast to Santiago de Compostela, Chesshyre continues his journey via Madrid, the wilds of Extremadura, dusty mining towns, the cathedrals and palaces of Valencia and Granada, and finally to Seville, Andalusia's beguiling (and hot) capital.Encounters? Plenty. Mishaps? A lot. Happy Spanish days? All the way.Trade ReviewIf you ever need convincing that it's better to take the train than to fly, this is the book that makes a persuasive case. Follow Tom Chesshyre as he meanders through rural Spain on local and regional train services, stopping off here and there in small communities that are normally by-passed by tourists. A fine read, and a book that will be valued as much by armchair travellers as by those actually planning on visiting Spain. * Nicky Gardner, hidden europe *A book for our time... It's a lovely read, take it with you on a long, slow train journey; you'll be entertained and inspired. * Richard Hammond, Green Traveller *By turns humorous and sharply insightful, he affectionately paints a vivid portrait of a deeply divided and contrasting country, bringing to life its characters and landscapes like few other travel writers can. Always curious, witty and intelligent, his writing style and subject matter are deeply rewarding - even cathartic - especially at times when we can't travel ourselves. This is armchair travel at its satisfying best. * Francisca Kellett, travel writer *In the spirit of Laurie Lee in As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning and in the manner of Philip Larkin chronicling his slow southward journey in The Whitsun Weddings, Chesshyre takes us on a wondrously hypnotic meander across Spain. His attention to detail and unwillingness to be rushed, either as passenger or author, make this a highly relaxing and subtly addictive read. * Glen Mutel, National Geographic Traveller *

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Book SynopsisEncountering an eccentric cast of characters along the way, Sebald confronts the frailty of human existence as he voyages along the Suffolk coast on foot. What begins as the record of a journey on foot through coastal East Anglia becomes the great, constellated story of people and cultures past and present: of Chateaubriand, Thomas Browne, Swinburne and Conrad, of fishing fleets, skulls and silkworms. A rich meditation on the past via a melancholy trip along the Suffolk coast, The Rings of Saturn is an intricately patterned and haunting book on the transience of all things human.VINTAGE VOYAGES: A world of journeys, from the tallest mountains to the depths of the mindTrade ReviewA great, strange and moving work * James Wood, Guardian *The finest book of long-distance mental travel that I've ever read * Jonathan Raban, Times Literary Supplement *A desperate intensity of feeling is thrillingly counterpoised by the workings of a wonderfully learned and rigorous mind * Sunday Times *Sebald is surely a major European author...he reaches the heights of epiphanic beauty only encountered normally in the likes of Proust * Independent on Sunday *A highly original work...part memoir, part fiction, part meditative essay writing, and finally an essay for the dispossessed * Sunday Telegraph *

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Book Synopsis''A magnificent achievement'' Nikolai Tolstoy, The TimesAmong the Russians is a marvellous account of a solitary journey by car from St. Petersburg and the Baltic States south to Georgia and Armenia. A gifted writer and intrepid traveller, Thubron grapples with the complexities of Russian identity and relays his extraordinary journey in characteristically lyrical style. This is an enthralling and revealing account of the habits and idiosyncrasies of a fascinating nation along with a sharp and insightful social commentary of Russian life.''Superb... one of the best books on Russia to appear in years'' New York TimesTrade ReviewThe Soviet Union is seen through a glass brightly... What makes the book so readable is Thubron's combination of an artist's aesthetic sensitivity with the literary craftsmanship to convey it. He sees things with the freshness of an innocent and the erudition of a scholar * Daily Telegraph *Superb... one of the best books on Russia to appear in years * New York Times *Travel writing has never been more provocative, profound or poetic * Time Out *The Thubron approach to travelling has an integrity that belongs to another age. And this author's way with words gives his books a value far transcending their topical interest; it is safe to predict they will be read a century hence * Irish Times *The perfect guide to one of the world’s most enigmatic cultures -- Christie Hickman * Sunday Express *

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Book SynopsisThis is Hemingway''s East African safari journal.''All I wanted to do was get back to Africa''Green Hills of Africa is Ernest Hemingway''s lyrical journal of a month on safari in the great game country of East Africa, where he and his wife Pauline journeyed in December 1933. Hemingway''s well-known interest in - and fascination with - big-game hunting is magnificently captured in this evocative account of his trip. It is an examination of the lure of the hunt and an impassioned portrait of the glory of the African landscape and of the beauty of a wilderness that was, even then, being threatened by the incursions of man.''In a class by itself - the country at all hours shines bright and clear in these pages'' Daily Telegraph''The best-written story of big-game hunting anywhere'' New York TimesTrade ReviewA fine book on death in the African afternoon. . .The writing is the thing; that way he has of getting down with beautiful precision the exact way things look, smell, taste, feel, sound * New York Times *If he were never to write again, his name would live as long as the English language, for Green Hills of Africa takes its place beside his other works on that small shelf in our libraries which we reserve for the classics * Observer *This book is an expression of a deep enjoyment and appreciation of being alive - in Africa. There is more to it than hunting; it is the feeling of the dew on the grass in the morning, the shape and colour and smell of the country, the companionship of friends ... and the feeling that time has ceased to matter * TLS *

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Book Synopsis''Magnificent'' Robert MacfarlaneWinner of the Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the YearOur lives depend on shipping but it is a world which is largely hidden from us. In every lonely corner of every sea, through every night, every day, and every imaginable weather, tiny crews of seafarers work the giant ships which keep landed life afloat. These ordinary men live extraordinary lives, subject to dangers and difficulties we can only imagine, from hurricanes and pirates to years of confinement in hazardous, if not hellish, environments. Horatio Clare joins two container ships on their epic voyages across the globe and experiences unforgettable journeys. As the ships cross seas of history and incident, seafarers unfold the stories of their lives, and a beautiful and terrifying portrait of the oceans and their human subjects emerges.''Tremendous'' The TimesTrade ReviewWonderful… Clare’s account of his journeys with the officers and crews of container ships is gripping and stomach-churning in equal measure * Daily Telegraph *[A] beautifully written account of seafaring life -- Ian Critchley * Sunday Times *A lyrical, heartfelt but eye-opening chronicle... Both romantic and realistic, written from the heart but crafted with a seafarer’s “passionate precision”, [Clare’s] book will steer you into the new year on a course that may deepen your grasp both of that world, and of ourselves -- Boyd Tonkin * Independent *If you can't run away to sea (though I recommend you do), Clare's book is a warm and captivating companion to it * Guardian *Stupendous and extraordinarily exciting... What Clare demonstrates, even beyond his undoubted gifts as writer, is his basic humanity. I read his wonderful book with gratitude for his insight – but also with increased admiration for the men to whom we owe almost everything in our comfortable and secure lives -- Philip Hoare * Times Higher Education *Rich and dense, full of old sea-dog stories, with barely a word wasted, it’s a triumph of quiet artistry -- Marcus Berkmann * Daily Mail *This is a warm and lyrical book about a tough trade in tough times -- Sara Wheeler * Observer *Wonderful... Clare’s writing is fluid, light and eminently readable, but perhaps his greatest asset is his empathy -- Philip Hoare * Sunday Telegraph *Clare’s powers of plain description are tremendous -- Libby Purves * The Times *A fabulous account... There is Conradian insight in Clare’s portrayal of the crews to which he is supernumerary, from the captain who hums as he negotiates narrow channels to the first mate constantly crunching carrots -- Giles Foden * Condé Nast Traveller *

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Book SynopsisColin Thubron is an acknowledged master of travel writing, and the winner of many prizes and awards. He first visited Syria in 1965 and his portrait of its capital city, Mirror to Damascus, was published to critical acclaim in 1967. He has also written about Lebanon, Cyprus and Russia. From these early experiences developed his classic travel books: Behind the Wall (winner of the Hawthornden Prize and the Thomas Cook Travel Award), The Lost Heart of Asia, In Siberia (Prix Bouvier), Shadow of the Silk Road and To a Mountain in Tibet. Colin Thubron was President of the Royal Society of Literature from 2010 to 2017.Trade ReviewOne of the oldest, most mysterious and fascinating cities in the world has found a worthy biographer: a rare event and one not to be missed * Sunday Times *One of the most subtly beautiful books about a city I have ever read -- Jan MorrisColin Thubron writes in a classical style of grave beauty, with an intense feeling for place and people * New York Times *From the earliest legend to the latest coup, Mirror to Damascus reflects every discoverable facet of the city... a quite exceptional travel writer * Daily Telegraph *One of the great merits of Mr Thubron's admirable book is that he balances this tribute to a place of which he is clearly very fond with the harsh facts of history... he was always moved by the best motives - curiosity and affection * The Times *

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Book Synopsis''The master of a journalistic style long vanished - urbane, lucid, courteous... A masterpiece of observation and storytelling'' Ian McEwanMitchell is the laureate of old New York. The hidden corners of the city and the people who lived there are his subject. He captured the waterfront rooming-houses , nickel-a-drink saloons, all-night restaurants, the ''visionaries, obsessives, imposters, fanatics, lost souls, the end-is-near street preachers, old Gypsy Kings and old Gypsy Queens, and out-and-out freak-show freaks.'' Mitchell''s trademark curiosity, respect and graveyard humour fuel these magical essays. Written between 1943 and 1965, Up in the Old Hotel is the complete collection of Joseph Mitchell ''s New Yorker journalism and includes McSorley''s Wonderful Saloon, Old Mr Flood, The Bottom of the Harbour and Joe Gould''s Secret. ''Joseph Mitchell is buried treasure'' Salman RushdieTrade ReviewThis is a book about New York as it was a long time ago… Mitchell is interested in the texture of the city. He loves the cops and bums and old Italian restaurants. After a while you really feel engrained in the place yourself -- William Leith * Evening Standard *Swift, razor-sharp characterisation, narrative suspense and the sparest, yet most penetrating description * Evening Standard *One of the greatest journalists America has produced * Times Literary Supplement *What James Joyce might have written had he gone into journalism * Newsweek *A poet of the waterfront and a writer of surpassing tales that captured the unsung and unconventional life of New York and its denizens * Independent *

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Book SynopsisFor decades, Colombia was the 'narcostate'. Now it's seen as one of the rising stars of the global economy. Where does the truth lie? How did a land likened to paradise by the first conquistadores become a byword for hell on earth? And how is it rebuilding itself after decades of violence?Trade ReviewBooks of the Year 2012 -- Boyd Tonkin * The Independent *Creates a portrait of Colombia that is perceptive, unsensational, and full of humanity ... Feiling is a brilliant reporter, lucid, unflinching, morally engaged, and with an occasional deadpan sense of humour .. one of the most consistently intelligent and compelling books to have appeared on any South American country in recent years -- Michael Jacobs * Independent *Tom Feiling takes us on an enlightening journey through a changing country that few understand -- Rachel Aspden * Observer *A deeply political account of one man's journey to the violent heart of modern, rural, Colombia ... a must read -- Kevin Howlett * Colombia Politics *Feiling... venture[s] into areas that have been off limits for decades ... the sense of a vibrant nation worth discovering peeks out -- Siobhan Murphy * Metro *The best British travel writers like Norman Lewis or Bruce Chatwin give the reader more than simple travellers' tales. Feiling is of their company ... a brilliant, penetrating and highly readable account -- Robert Carver * Spectator *Some of the best insights in the book come from the people Feiling meets, and memorably portrays ... a well-written, thoughtful book -- David Gallagher * Times Literary Supplement *Dramatic and captivating * Wanderlust *Elegantly written and knowledgeable. Feiling writes with the eye of a seasoned journalist and the style of a travel writer -- Carl Wilkinson * Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisA selection of the very best writing by A. A. Gill, 'by miles the most brilliant journalist of our age' (Lynn Barber).Trade ReviewI can't think of a writer whose style so exactly replicated their conversation as A. A. Gill. Reading his weekly dispatches was just like being with him in person, which is why so many readers took his death late last year very personally. People - even people who had never met him - felt they'd lost their funniest, most outrageous chum. Opening a paper without an article by him is like going to your store cupboard and finding that there's no chilli or salt: everything is blander without him. Two collections which came out this year, Lines in the Sand and The Best of A A. Gill, showcase him at his finest. Adrian showed incredible courage, wit and generosity of heart during his final weeks. Once my husband, always my friend, he is irreplaceable, on and off the page -- Cressida Connolly * The Spectator Books of the Year *Everything by A. A. Gill was dictated down the phone to obliging assistants, who found him "charming and hilarious", according to Celia Hayley, editor of this posthumous collection of articles ... The fact the text was spoken aloud, performed for an audience, gives the prose its distinctive baroque theatrical flourish. Gill was like a fruity actor, preening and posturing in the limelight, or as he'd have put it, "yearning and longing, exclaiming and declaiming, biding and abiding". His brain was like a thesaurus, so Gill didn't so much construct sentences as compose lists ... The spirits always rose when you opened a paper with him in it, as his affectations and provocations were a tonic. How bland everyone else is in comparison ... Gill's peacockery is much missed, much needed. "That's rather good, isn't it?" he'd chortle to his copytaker, modesty never in his armoury. Indeed, much of it was -- Roger Lewis * The Times Book of the Week *Anyone who writes of a restaurant visit that "it was like eating in an underpass at the end of the world", certainly had something and The Best of A. A. Gill is the pick of the late writer's uniformly excellent journalism, ranging across food, television, travel and family * Choice *[Gill] is breathtakingly rude, sharply perceptive and brilliantly funny all at once. But it isn't all frothing invective. Gill's travel writing ... is gripping and moving in equal measure ... Gill's vivid reporting transports you right into the centre of wherever he is and will not let you go ... [A] must-read collection of brilliant writing -- Mernie Gilmore * DAILY EXPRESS *Few writers could compete with the late, great A. A. Gill. Lap up his wonderful wit, merciless excoriationsand lyrical musings in this collection of his very best journalism, covering everything from eatingturtle to Iraq, dyslexia and Good Morning Britain * Evening Standard *

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Book SynopsisPaolo Cognetti (Author) Paolo Cognetti was born in 1978 in Milan. He divides his time between the city and his cabin 6,000 feet up in the Italian Alps. His international bestseller, The Eight Mountains, won Italy's Premio Strega and is now a major film. His other acclaimed titles include Without Ever Reaching the Summit: A Himalayan Journey, and The Lovers.Stash Luczkiw (Translator) Stash Luczkiw is a US-born writer of poetry, fiction and journalism. He has translated various books from Italian and other languages into English.

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Book Synopsis'I needed to get to the stopping places, so I needed to get on the road. It was the road where I might at last find out where I belonged.'Damian Le Bas grew up surrounded by Gypsy history. His great-grandmother would tell him stories of her childhood in the ancient Romani language; the places they worked, the ways they lived, the superstitions and lores of their people. In a bid to better understand his heritage, Damian sets out on a journey to discover the stopping places – the old encampment sites known only to Travellers. Through winter frosts and summer dawns, from horse fairs to Gypsy churches, Damian lives on the road, somewhere between the romanticised Gypsies of old, and their much-maligned descendants of today.‘A beautiful writer who seems born to tell this fascinating story’ Amy LiptrotWinner of the Somerset Maugham AwardShortlisted for the Edward Stanford Travel Writing AwardLonglisted for the Wainwright Prize Trade ReviewTender and intensely lyrical ... the prose is pure delight. The author breathes life into everything he sees ... To read The Stopping Places is to better understand the curious history of the Roma and how they have survived into 21st-century Britain -- Jackie Annesley * The Sunday Times *A beautiful writer who seems born to tell this fascinating story. It's brilliantly researched, avoiding stereotype and explaining misconceptions, while showing what is vital and special about modern traveller culture -- Amy LiptrotA fine prose style, vividly conjuring the smell of a hop pillow, the whinnying of a horse fair and the ‘wet-look hairstyles’ of the men, as well as the dead cold of a wagon in winter... An element of memoir clings to this excellent account of folk most of us don’t understand... The end of the book hints at redemption, as Le Bas comes to terms with the conflicts of his dual world. But he is too good a writer to make a meal of it -- Sara Wheeler * The Spectator *An insight into the hidden world and culture of travelling people, written with delicacy and affection -- Ken LoachBeautifully written and deeply affecting… While this is a beautiful, important book about Gypsy culture, it’s also a moving exploration of what it means to belong -- Clover Stroud * Daily Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisA TIMES BESTSELLER'One of the funniest books of the year' - Paul Ross, talkRADIOWARNING: CONTAINS AN UNLIKELY IMMIGRANT, AN UNSUNG COUNTRY, A BUMPY ROMANCE, SEVERAL SHATTERED PRECONCEPTIONS, TRACES OF INSIGHT, A DOZEN NUNS AND A REFERENDUM.Not many Brits move to Poland to work in a fish and chip shop.Fewer still come back wanting to be a Member of the European Parliament.In 2016 Ben Aitken moved to Poland while he still could. It wasn't love that took him but curiosity: he wanted to know what the Poles in the UK had left behind. He flew to a place he'd never heard of and then accepted a job in a chip shop on the minimum wage.When he wasn't peeling potatoes he was on the road scratching the country's surface: he milked cows with a Eurosceptic farmer; missed the bus to Auschwitz; spent Christmas with complete strangers and went to Gdansk to learn how communism got the chop. By the year's end he had a better sense of what the Poles had turned their backs on - southern mountains, northern beaches, dumplings! - and an uncanny ability to bone cod.This is a candid, funny and offbeat tale of a year as an unlikely immigrant.Trade ReviewOne of the funniest books of the year -- Paul Ross, talkRADIOA fascinating insight ... Poland is a zone that has largely been ignored by talented travel writers [and this] is therefore a welcome addition. A captivating and entertaining account. * The First News (Poland) *A clever, critical and witty travel book about Poland * Polish Cultural Institute *A fascinating book [...] We should know more than we do about Poland, a nation with which we have had centuries of interaction. Ben Aitken's excellent book is probably the best place to start. * The New European *Adeptly balances personal ruminations on love, attraction, and friendship, with cultural evaluations that subvert British stereotypes of Polish citizens [...] An engaging romp through Polish culture, with a resonant political message of the importance of interacting with other cultures and preserving our ties with Europe. * The London Magazine *

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Book SynopsisQueen Victoria so liked the Isle of Wight she built a royal residence here. Thousands of people got stoned here at music festivals in the late 1960s. And, in the very un-hippyish Covid summer of 2020, Hunter Davies and his girlfriend escaped locked-down North London for a week’s holiday on the Isle of Wight, fell in love with its sleepy charm – and ended up buying a Grade II-listed love nest in the elegant Victorian seaside resort of Ryde. Love in Old Age tells the story of their first twelve months on the island. It brings together the themes of love in old age; Covid lockdown; rural escape; the anxieties of house-buying; and the history and curiosities of England’s largest and second most populous island – all bound together by Hunter Davies’s inquisitiveness about people and places, and his irrepressible and ironic sense of humour.Trade ReviewHunter's wit and charm and insatiable curiosity about people and places will have you captured * Our Man On The Ground *PRAISE FOR HUNTER DAVIES: 'Affable, curious, unpretentious, never dull, Hunter is one of the most agreeable egomanics I know' Michael Palin. 'Brilliantly funny' Daily Mail. 'Easy-going, humorous and a natural journalist, Hunter Davies comes across as a thoroughly nice man' Sunday Times. 'Our own national treasure' Helena Kennedy. 'Davies is a wonderful companion, leading readers down memory lane with great chumminess' * Daily Express *

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Book SynopsisAn immersive journey through the tumultuous past and fascinating present of the south-western Pacific

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book Synopsis'One of the most enjoyable travel books I've read' The Times Acclaimed novelist Sarah Moss's compelling account of living in Iceland with two small children in the year the volcano erupted At the height of the financial crisis in 2009, Sarah Moss and her husband moved with their two small children to Iceland. From their makeshift home among the half-finished skyscrapers of Reykjavik, Moss travels to hillsides of boiling mud and volcanic craters, and the remote farms and fishing villages of the far north. She watches the northern lights and the comings and goings of migratory birds, and as the weeks and months go by, she and her family find new ways to live. By turns meditative and wickedly observant, Sarah Moss's account of her time in Iceland is the adventure of a lifetime with the baggage of a lifetime too. 'Moss is a wry and a very good companion...and her book is as perceptive of the southern English middle-classes, as it is of Icelanders' Kathleen Jamie, Guardian 'A wry, intimate and beautifully-observed portrait of a culture both alien and familiar. Sarah Moss's account of her Icelandic sojourn is a vicarious treat' Philip MarsdenTrade ReviewOne of the most enjoyable travel books I've read -- Helen Rumbelow * The Times *Beautifully written ... Moss grapples with new foods, customs and landscapes that are both oddly familiar and wildly alien in this absorbing memoir -- Carl Wilkinson * Financial Times *A fascinating and unusual book, a genuine news from nowhere, the gripping account of one person thinking and perceiving for herself -- Joanna Kavenna * Literary Review *Moss is a wry and a very good companion... and her book is as perceptive of the southern English middle-classes, as it is of Icelanders -- Kathleen Jamie * Guardian *A wry, intimate and beautifully-observed portrait of a culture both alien and familiar. Sarah Moss's account of her Icelandic sojourn is a vicarious treat -- Philip MarsdenHolds an uncompromising mirror up to the British life that she has left behind. Honest, funny, frank, and insightful, it is a reassuring guide to the strangeness of being a stranger. An enviable experience beautifully described -- Gavin Francis[Moss] sheds light on the strangeness of the country for an outsider as well as on the Icelanders' ongoing trauma... Absorbing -- Emily Read * Spectator *A thoughtful and moving description of a country -- Giles Foden * Conde Nast Traveller *It is Moss's inquisitive excursions into the real and imagined Icelandic landscapes that enthral the most... engaging [and] expressive -- Rob St John * List *This tale perfectly evokes the country's natural splendours, but it's the colourful cast of friends and hangers-on that is so touching * National Geographic Traveller *Moss writes honestly... She mocks her won cultural assumptions drily -- Nancy Campbell * Times Literary Supplement *This delightful and appealing book is written in a crisp and insightful style... filled with descriptions of the northern landscape which capture it perfectly... Very funny * We Love This Book *Fantastic and perceptive... Moss is so subtle and skilled at what she does, as careful and precise a prose specialist as you will find, that it hangs together seamlessly and brilliantly * Big Issue *An insightful account of a year in a beguiling but often incomprehensible land of fire and ice... this is a delightful tale with a strong sense of place -- Duncan Mills * Traveller *Her wit, like her sensitivity to social matters, is complemented by her astoundingly alert writing about the natural world -- Kevin Canfield * Star Tribune *Always illuminating * Washington Post *Beautiful * Travelers Today *A wry memoir about a family who move to Iceland for a year in the aftermath of the financial crash. Moss discovers as much about herself as she does the Icelanders she writes about. -- Destination books this summer * Elle *A wonderful, meditative and informative introduction to a country that's both progressive and steeped in more myths, legends and sagas than any other... All Icelandic life is here * New European *

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Book Synopsis"Voices of the Old Sea" is Lewis' masterly description of the Costa Brava on the cusp of tourist development in the 1950s, a place where men regulated their lives by the sardine shoals of spring and autumn and the tuna fishing of summer, and where women kept goats and gardens, arranged marriages and made ends meet.

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Book Synopsis'This is a joy of a book. I know nothing of sweaters and little of Iceland, and this book used pictures and words to open Iceland and its people for me, using Icelandic sweaters and knitting to do it.' - Neil Gaiman In Iceland there’s a piece of knitwear that everybody has but no one has bought: the lopapeysa, or ‘lopi’ for short. This sweater made from unspun Icelandic wool is a treasured piece of the island’s culture passed down from generation to generation, used and cherished. In this guide, Joan of Dark and Kyle Cassidy take you on an 800-mile adventure around Iceland’s breathtaking landscapes to explore and experience the island’s rich knitting tradition and to show you how to make your very own lopi-style knits. By interviewing local experts, wool producers and knitters they trace the history of the patterns and along the way meet rock stars, professors and designers who share their knitting-related stories and reveal some of their country’s hidden gems. From isolated waterfalls, hot springs and iconic movie locations to beautiful Icelandic horses, giant glaciers and erupting volcanos, the book is full of stunning photographs at every turn. The journey inspired 12 beautiful lopi-style knitting patterns all presented here with photographs, charts and detailed instructions to carefully guide you through each project whether you are a complete beginner or an experienced knitter. So pick up your needles and spend some time in the land of ice and fire! Work your way through the projects from the traditional sweater to gloves and hats, a cosy jumper dress and stylish headbands all while finding out why the lopapeysa is so special and so individual to Iceland.Trade ReviewThis is a joy of a book. I know nothing of sweaters and little of Iceland, and this book used pictures and words to open Iceland and its people for me, using Icelandic sweaters and knitting to do it. -- Neil Gaiman, author of 'Norse Mythology'Lopapeysa is a seamless knitting together of the author's travels in contemporary Iceland with one of that splendidly idiosyncratic island's most highly prized and traditional crafts, the art of knitting itself. -- Lawrence Millman, author of 'Last Places: A Journey in the North'Through the story of their travels and the people they met along the way, Joan and Kyle have lovingly captured both the technical and artistic aspects of Icelandic knitting tradition, and the culture that created it. -- Smári McCarth, former member of the Alþingi, Iceland's national parliamentIf you've ever fancied visiting Iceland, or simply admire its timeless knitting pattern styles, then you'll love this book! * The Knitter *Lopapeysa is part travelogue, part pattern collection, making it something you can curl up with and enjoy reading as well as browsing the designs to choose which to knit first. Outstanding photography makes it perfect for your coffee table too… The combination of text and gorgeous photography is enough to get you packing your bags immediately. * Knitting Magazine *It’s an absolute dream to one day travel up there, buy some local wool, and then start knitting one of the dreamy designs from the book. Until then, I’ll enjoy Lopapeysa from my armchair and keep dreaming! * Blackwell's *Table of ContentsIntroduction Our Route Around Iceland’s Ring Road Travel Guide by Kyle Cassidy It’s Easy to Get to Iceland, You Should Go Iceland’s History of Wool About the Lopapeysa Knitting a Lopi in Iceland Getting Started How Is Iceland Even? The Ring Road Getting Around Iceland The Icelandic Handknitting Association The Waterfall at Helgufoss The Hot Springs at Skátalaug Heavy Metal Horses Designer Profile: Rebekka Guðleifsdóttir Knitter Profile: Pálína (Palla) Gunnarsdóttir Reykjavik is a 24-hour Party Fagradalsfjall, an Erupting Volcano Hestaland, a Horse Farm that Lets you Stay Illugastaðir, the Land of Seals and Ghosts Dalvik Camping, Whale Watching Akureyri Grjótagjá Cave, Mývatn's Underground Hot Springs Möðrudalur: The Farm at the Top of the World Námafjall Hverir, the Mývatn Geothermal Area Djúpivogur Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon Skaftafell National Park Black Sand Beaches Vik, Where All the Movies are Filmed Knitter Profiles: Hera, Guðlaug and Anna Halla Knitter Profile: Janina Witzel The Hot River Nauthólsvík Geothermal Beach Designer Profile: Védís Jónsdóttir Back Home Coda Knitting Guide and Patterns by Joan of Dark Knitting the Lopapeysa Recipes versus Patterns Sizing Needles Abbreviations Cardigans and Steeking Yarn Important Skills The Patterns Learn to Chart Headband Hot Springs Hat Executioner’s Capelet Everywhere Sweater Hestaland Horse Sweater Puffin Sweater Lakeside Lopapeysa Hiking Gloves Adventure Sweater Waiting Cape Learned Lopi Vik Dress Endnotes Acknowledgements

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Book Synopsis'A fizzingly entertaining and enlightening book' Daily Telegraph 'Mesmerising' Geographical Magazine 'A fascinating delve into uncharted, forgotten lost places. But it's not just a trivia-tastic anthology of remote destinations but a nifty piece of psycho-geography, explaining our human need for these cartographical conundrums.' Wanderlust In a world of Google Earth, in which it is easy to believe that every discovery has been made and every adventure already had, Off the Map is a stunning testament to how mysterious our planet still is. From forgotten enclaves to floating islands, from hidden villages to New York gutter spaces, Off the Map charts the hidden corners of our planet. And while these are not necessarily places you would choose to visit on holiday - Hobyo, the pirate capital of Somalia, or Zheleznogorsk, a secret military town in Russia - they each carry a story about the strangeness of place and our need for a geography that understands our hunger for the fantastic and the unexpected. But it also shows us that topophilia, the love of place, is a fundamental part of what it is to be human. Whether you are an urban explorer or an armchair traveller, Off the Map will inspire and enchant. You'll never look at a map in quite the same way again. Trade Review'An absorbing book packed with remarkable facts… a joy to read’‘Alastair Bonnett’s high-speed world tour of places and non-places whose stories would bring the most somnolent class to life. Bonnett zooms effortlessly around far-off spots – sometimes in person, more often via the internet – but he does not ignore those closer to home. Fizzingly entertaining and enlightening book.’ "Bonnett dares us to rethink exploration in a world that has been fully charted, taking us from micronation Sealand - a forsaken sea fort claimed by a Brit as his own sovereign nation - to Arne, a Second World War decoy city that saved thousands of lives. Forty-seven fascinating essays prove why "our topophilia can never be extinguished or sated" and how these locations over insights into our history and society." "A fascinating delve into uncharted, forgotten and lost places. But it’ s not just a trivia-tastic anthology of remote destinations but a nifty piece of psycho-geography, explaining our human need for these cartographical conundrums." "Bonnett dares us to rethink exploration in a world that has been fully charted, taking us from micronation Sealand - a forsaken sea fort claimed by a Brit as his own sovereign nation - to Arne, a Second World War decoy city that saved thousands of lives. Forty-seven fascinating essays prove why "our topophilia can never be extinguished or sated" and how these locations over insights into our history and society." ‘ Alastair Bonnett’ s high-speed world tour of places and non-places whose stories would bring the most somnolent class to life. Bonnett zooms effortlessly around far-off spots – sometimes in person, more often via the internet – but he does not ignore those closer to home. Fizzingly entertaining and enlightening book.’ ‘ Fearlessly explores the dark side of humanity while constantly challenging our conceptions of place, borders and boundaries, and how we as humans use locations and geography to define ourselves and the world around us. Importantly, Bonnett’ s careful research and fascinating theories are complemented with passages of wonderfully written prose. A thought provoking triumph.’ ‘ A mesmerising study of ambiguous temporary places.’ 'An absorbing book packed with remarkable facts… a joy to read’

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Book SynopsisHenry Miller (1891-1980) is one of the most important American writers of the 20th century. His best-known novels include Tropic of Cancer (1934), Tropic of Capricorn (1939), and the Rosy Crucifixion trilogy (Sexus, 1949, Plexus, 1953, and Nexus, 1959), all published in France and banned in the US and the UK until 1964. He is widely recognised as an irreverent, risk-taking writer who redefined the novel and made the link between the European avant-garde and the American Beat generation.

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Book Synopsis'My favourite book about the wilderness' Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild In this shimmering masterpiece of American nature writing, Edward Abbey ventures alone into the canyonlands of Moab, Utah, to work as a seasonal ranger for the United States National Park Service. Living out of a trailer, Abbey captures in rapt, poetic prose the landscape of the desert; a world of terracotta earth, empty skies, arching rock formations, cliffrose, juniper, pinyon pine and sand sage. His summers become spirit quests, taking him in search of wild horses and Ancient Puebloan petroglyphs, up mountains and across tribal lands, and down the Glen Canyon by river. He experiences both sides of his new home; its incredible beauty and its promise of liberation, but also its isolating, cruel side, at one point discovering a dead tourist at an isolated area of the Grand Canyon. In his own irascible style, Abbey uses his time in the desert to meditate on the tension Trade Review‘His masterpiece. Despite its stated purpose as a eulogy to a lost world, it seems hardly to have aged at all. Part of the book’s staying power resides in the synthesis Abbey created between the American desert — the red-rock canyons, “Abbey’s country” — and the beautiful, hard-chiselled prose, as rough and gorgeous as the land itself, that he used to celebrate its harshness and mystery. None have matched his style’ Salon ‘Like a ride on a bucking bronco . . . rough, tough, combative. The author is a rebel and an eloquent loner. His is a passionately felt, deeply poetic book . . . set down in a lean, racing prose, in a close-knit style of power and beauty’ New York Times ‘An American masterpiece … part memoir, part meditation on nature, part crusty and slightly mad cultural commentary’ New Yorker ‘An uncommonly beautiful love letter to solitude and the spiritual rewards of getting lost. A miraculously beautiful book’ Brain Pickings ‘Edward Abbey is the Thoreau of the American West’ Washington Post ’Abbey’s voice, like that of Thomas Paine in Common Sense, never fades away … President Trump, please read Desert Solitaire’ Douglas Brinkley, New York Times

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Book SynopsisJust after the iron curtain fell on Eastern Europe John Steinbeck and acclaimed war photographer, Robert Capa ventured into the Soviet Union to report for the New York Herald Tribune. This rare opportunity took the famous travellers not only to Moscow and Stalingrad - now Volgograd - but through the countryside of the Ukraine and the Caucasus. A RUSSIAN JOURNAL is the distillation of their journey and remains a remarkable memoir and unique historical document. Steinbeck and Capa recorded the grim realities of factory workers, government clerks, and peasants, as they emerged from the rubble of World War II. This is an intimate glimpse of two artists at the height of their powers, answering their need to document human struggle

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Book Synopsis''4 stars. Attlee, who knows and loves Italy and the Italians, takes the reader through the country''s scented gardens with her sharp descriptions, pertinent stories and quotes and intriguing recipes. I was there with her'' Anna del Conte, Sunday TelegraphA delightful book about Italy''s unexpected history, told through its citrus fruitsThe story of citrus runs through the history of Italy like a golden thread, and by combining travel writing with history, recipes, horticulture and art, Helena Attlee takes the reader on a unique and rich journey through Italy''s cultural, moral, culinary and political past.''Fascinating . . . A distinguished garden writer, Attlee fell under the spell of citrus over ten years ago and the book, like the eleventh labour of Hercules to steal the golden fruit of the Hesperides, is the result. She writes with great lucidity, charm and gentle humour, and wears her considerable learning lightly . . . Helena Attlee''s elTrade ReviewHelena Attlee's writing in The Land Where Lemons Grow is so sharp and evocative that she could have been writing about potatoes in Plymouth: She'd still have had me gripped. Ms. Attlee has that rare gift of being able to know an inordinate amount about a subject and yet wear her knowledge so lightly that the tone is anecdotal, not academic. It's a big thing, to pull off such lightness. Through the citrus groves and scented gardens of Italy, she weaves in and out of history and horticulture, fusing them together with stories and surprises, romance and recipes, tastings and travelogues. I loved it -- Yotam OttolenghiThrillingly sensual, and zesty in every sense, Helena Attlee is the best of companions as she leads us through sundrenched citrus groves and in and out of history. A book full of surprises, with many curiosities, stories and recipes on the way -- Deborah Moggach, author of The Best Exotic Marigold HotelInspired and inspiring, in prose as sharp as the fruit it celebrates -- David Wheeler, editor of HortusThis is the first among my books of the year. Every page of Attlee's subtle fusion of history and horticulture made me feel that it's time to pack the bags again for Italy -- Jonathan Keates * Literary Review *4 stars. Attlee, who knows and loves Italy and the Italians, takes the reader through the country's scented gardens with her sharp descriptions, pertinent stories and quotes and intriguing recipes. I was there with her -- Anna del Conte * Sunday Telegraph *Fascinating . . . A distinguished garden writer, Attlee fell under the spell of citrus over ten years ago and the book, like the eleventh labour of Hercules to steal the golden fruit of the Hesperides, is the result. She writes with great lucidity, charm and gentle humour, and wears her considerable learning lightly . . . Helena Attlee's elegant, absorbing prose and sure-footed ability to combine the academic with the anecdotal, make The Land Where Lemons Grow a welcome addition to the library of citrologists and Italophiles alike * The Times Literary Supplement *A paradise of citrus is how I always think of Italy too: a place where ice-cold limoncello is sipped from tiny glasses on piazzas, and everything from ricotta cake to osso bucco is enlivened with zest. What a joy, therefore, to read Helena Attlee's The Land Where Lemons Grow, which tells the story of Italy through its citrus fruit -- Bee Wilson * Telegraph *Truly fascinating . . . For many years, Attlee has been collecting evidence for a story of citrus trees in Italy. The result, The Land Where Lemons Grow, is remarkable, excellently produced and essential for all lovers of Italy, their summer libraries and out-of-season itineraries . . . Attlee's book is unmissable for anyone intrigued by the relation between humans' travel, greed and ingenuity and the spread of the plants that we eat, smell and drink -- Robin Lane Fox * Financial Times *'It would be a treat to find The Land Where Lemons Grow under the tree' -- Carolyn Hart * Telegraph, Books of the Year *'It turned out to be the book I pressed on friends more than any other this year. If they were bemused, I hope they remained to be charmed. I read it randomly a few pages at a time until there were no pages I hadn't read twice. It was my respite from purposive reading.' -- Tom Stoppard * TLS, Books of the Year *A beautifully written book, infused with the bittersweet scent of citrus fruits and the flavour of Italy * Guardian *No matter how lovely your holiday destination, this book will make you yearn to be in Italy...An absolute joy * Daily Mail *

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Book Synopsis'A thoughtful exploration of humanity ... Fabes is great company and makes riding bicycles seem like the best way to see and understand the world' - Guardian They say that being a good doctor boils down to just four things: Shut up, listen, know something, care. The same could be said for life on the road, too. When Stephen Fabes left his job as a junior doctor and set out to cycle around the world, frontline medicine quickly faded from his mind. Of more pressing concern were the daily challenges of life as an unfit rider on an overloaded bike, helplessly in thrall to pastries. But leaving medicine behind is not as easy as it seems. As he roves continents, he finds people whose health has suffered through exile, stigma or circumstance, and others, whose lives have been saved through kindness and community. After encountering a frozen body of a monk in the Himalayas, he is drawn ever more to healthcare at the margins of the world, to crumbling sanitoriums and refugee camps, to city dumps and war-torn hospital wards. And as he learns the value of listening to lives - not just solving diagnostic puzzles - Stephen challenges us to see care for the sick as a duty born of our humanity, and our compassion.Trade Reviewa thoughtful exploration of humanity ... Fabes is great company and makes riding bicycles seem like the best way to see and understand the world -- Guardiana poignant, funny memoir... Fabes is a winning storyteller * Star Tribune *The pages, and the turns, are a constant surprise and a wonder... Fabes writes beautifully, poetically, transportingly, about his journey * Life in the Fast Lane *an intrepid cyclist and doctor recounts an epic journey... A brisk, panoramic view of peoples and lands. * Kirkus Reviews *Witty and wild, intrepid and inspirational, the book chronicles two parallel journeys: Fabes' physical cycling tour of many countries and his look at health across the globe ... An entertaining and epic chronicle of a journey of extremes. * Booklist *Signs of Life is the kind of book we need right now. It is heart-warming. It is hopeful. It shows us that despite all the guns and guerrillas the world is also full of people who press presents and hospitality on travellers. It is also a very readable travelogue, a thoughtful one. * The BookBag *A dizzying, headlong, hilarious grand tour... deserves to become a classic. -- Gavin FrancisAn inspirational journey of humanity and humility. Fabes has redefined the medical memoir. -- Nathan FilerA clever and entertaining book, never veering too far from either the practicalities of bike-touring or Fabes's work as a medic and often using metaphors that connect the two * TLS *A charming, human story of resilience, adversity and compassion, all told with a good dose of dry British humour -- Lois Pryce author of * Revolutionary Ride *'I absolutely loved this book - a six-year, wheel-spinning, page-turning pedal around the world. Full of rich, vivid descriptions of people and landscapes, interwoven with wisdom, compassion, humanity and a playful Panglossian humour... he allows us to see how everything is connected. If Stephen is half as talented a doctor as he is a writer, then lucky patients I say. A worthy addition to the cycle-touring canon -- Mike Carter

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