Travel writing Books

Book SynopsisAs read on BBC Radio 4 'Book of the Week'Shortlisted for the Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year AwardLonglisted for the RSL Ondaatje Prize'Sherman’s is a special book. Every sentence, every thought she has, every question she asks, every detail she notices, offers something. The Bells of Old Tokyo is a gift . . . It is a masterpiece.' - The SpectatorA hauntingly original book about Tokyo and the Japanese relationship to time, memory and history.For over 300 years, Japan closed itself to outsiders, developing a remarkable and unique culture. During its period of isolation, the inhabitants of the city of Edo, later known as Tokyo, relied on its public bells to tell the time.In her remarkable book, Anna Sherman tells of her search for the bells of Edo, exploring the city of Tokyo and its inhabitants and the individual and particular relationship of Japanese culture - and the Japanese language - to time, tradition, memory, impermanence and history.Through Sherman’s journeys around the city, The Bells of Old Tokyo presents a series of hauntingly memorable voices in the labyrinth of the Japanese capital: An aristocrat plays in the sea of ashes left by the Allied firebombing of 1945. A scientist builds the most accurate clock in the world, a clock that will not lose a second in five billion years. A sculptor eats his father’s ashes while the head of the house of Tokugawa reflects on the destruction of his grandfather’s city.'This mesmerising cultural history explores the neighbourhoods where Tokyo's bells once rang . . . As our own locked-down days squeeze and elongate, Tokyo time feels strangely familiar.’ - Daily TelegraphTrade ReviewSherman’s is a special book. Every sentence, every thought she has, every question she asks, every detail she notices, offers something. The Bells of Old Tokyo is a gift . . . It is a masterpiece. * Spectator *[Sherman's] perambulations around the bells yield fascinating, frequently moving narratives . . . In Tokyo's every nook and cranny, she finds the possibility of something profound, something elevating. * New Statesman *A subtle, beautifully written meditation . . . Profoundly moving . . . The bells of old Tokyo are no longer heard, but this lyrical yet serious work deserves ringing endorsement. * Literary Review *A completely extraordinary book, unlike anything I have read before. At once modest in tone and vast in scale and ambition . . . Delicately wrought, precise, lucid and strange as a dream. -- Olivia LaingBeautifully written, surprising, original and humane . . . A truly stunning debut. -- Joanna KavennaThe Bells of Old Tokyo is part personal memoir, part cultural history, but wholly unique . . . It is the best book I have read about Tokyo written this century, and deserves to take its place alongside the works of Donald Richie, Edward Seidensticker and Paul Waley as one of the great interpretations of this great city. -- David PeaceDelightful . . . Bells is unknowable, but brilliantly so. * Japan Times *Good travel writing is often hard to come by - it’s a delicate balance of bringing a destination to life while also informing of its noteworthy aspects, but Anna Sherman does so flawlessly. * Japan Today *In her haunting, beautiful debut travel narrative, Anna Sherman takes the reader along on her quest to find the bells of old Tokyo, illuminating a lost world hidden in plain sight . . . The Bells of Old Tokyo paints an intricate, rich portrait of this labyrinthine city . . . as much a history of Japan as it is a travelogue. * South China Morning Post *Only a handful could match Sherman for respectful curiosity, detailed knowledge and sensitivity to her surroundings. * Canberra Times *It is very possible – refreshingly, exhilaratingly, possible – for a great book to exist that is all at once a memoir, a travelogue, a history book, and an examination of what defines a culture and its people: their customs, arts, architecture, habits, and priorities. That is what The Bells of Old Tokyo is. It is also a masterwork. * Books and Bao *A staggering reassembling of an ancient city turned neon metropolis . . . An exceptional and exceptionally original piece of writing. * The Big Smoke *A fascinating portrait of a city and its people, epic and intimate at the same time * The Weekly Times *A reading treasure . . . A work of literary art . . . Magnificent both in its content and in the exquisite, lyrical writing of its author. * Cape Times *Sherman’s writing is elegant and accessible, and the story of Tokyo quickly becomes the story of time itself. -- Best Books of Summer 2019 * Uproxx *A beautifully written evocation of a place and a philosophical inquiry into the nature of time itself. An astonishing gift. * Shelf Awareness *A tour-de-force mapping, in four dimensions, of the amazing place we call “Tokyo.” I realized I barely know the city . . . So much is dealt with so beautifully – Mishima, the 1945 firebombs, the tangle that is Shinjuku . . . Wonderful . . . -- Liza DalbyAn enchanting read, drawing you into Sherman’s Tokyo world in a way that makes you wonder why you shouldn’t fly there right this minute, with her book as the only guide you’ll ever need. -- Xu Xi

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Book SynopsisAm I giving the impression that I don''t like the Veneto? It''s not true. I love it. But like any place that''s become home I hate it too.How does an Englishman cope when he moves to Italy - not the tourist idyll but the real Italy? When Tim Parks first moved to Verona he found it irresistible and infuriating in equal measure; this book is the story of his love affair with it. Infused with an objective passion, he unpicks the idiosyncrasies and nuances of Italian culture with wit and affection. Italian Neighbours is travel writing at its best.Trade ReviewA clever, entertaining book...charged with a sense of purpose * Sunday Times *Gradually he comes to accept what the locals take for granted: everybody likes the Pope, racism thrives, the barber is a faith healer, the bank manager asks what interest rate you want to pay and the devoted church-going pharmacist upholds Catholicism on a Sunday but shows commercial flair the rest of the week by selling cut-price condoms... A rich treat from start to finish * Sunday Express *Tough, funny and sceptical * Tatler *

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Book SynopsisSetting off in his hometown, and ending up ''almost at the end of the world'', Paul Theroux''s The Old Patagonian Express is a travel writing tour de force from one of the masters of the genre contains a new preface by the author in Penguin Modern Classics.''The journey, not the arrival, matters''The Old Patagonian Expresstells of Paul Theroux''s train journey down the length of North and South America. Beginning on Boston''s subway, he depicts a voyage from ice-bound Massachusetts to the arid plateau of Argentina''s most southerly tip, via pretty Central American towns and the ancient Incan city of Macchu Pichu. Shivering and sweating by turns as the temperature and altitude rise and plummet, he describes the people he encountered - thrown in with the tedious, and unavoidable, Mr Thornberry in Limón and reading to the legendary blind writer, Jorge Luis Borges, in Buenos Aires. Witty, sharply observed and beautifully written, this is a richly evocative account of travelling to ''the end of the line''.Paul Edward Theroux (b. 1941) is an American travel writer and novelist, born in Medford, Massachusetts. Among his best known works of travel-writing are The Great Railway Bazaar (1975), The Old Patagonian Express (1979), and Riding the Iron Rooster (1985). Theroux has published numerous works of fiction, some of which have been adapted into films, including The Mosquito Coast (1981), a 1986 film directed by Peter Weir and starring Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren. Theroux is the father of British documentary filmmaker Louis Theroux, and the uncle of American actor and screenwriter Justin Theroux.If you enjoyed The Old Patagonian Express, you might like Antoine de Saint-Exupéry''s Wind, Sand and Stars, also available in Penguin Modern Classics.''One of the most entrancing travel books written in our time''Financial Times''Travel writing at its most accomplished''Sunday Telegraph

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Book SynopsisJeremy Clarkson shares his opinions on just about everything in The World According to Clarkson.Jeremy Clarkson has seen rather more of the world than most. He has, as they say, been around a bit. And as a result, he''s got one or two things to tell us about how it all works; and being Jeremy Clarkson he''s not about to voice them quietly, humbly and without great dollops of humour.In The World According to Clarkson, he reveals why it is that:Too much science is bad for our health''70s rock music is nothing to be ashamed ofHunting foxes while drunk and wearing night-sights is neither big nor cleverWe must work harder to get rid of cricketHe likes the Germans (well, sometimes)With a strong dose of common sense that is rarely, if ever, found inside the M25, Clarkson hilariously attacks the pompous, the ridiculous, the absurd and the downright idiotic, whilst also celebrating the eccentric, the clever Trade ReviewClarkson humorously gives his views on everything from the M25 to Rock Music -- DRIVETRIBEPraise for Clarkson: * - *Brilliant...laugh-out-loud * Daily Telegraph *Very funny...I cracked up laughing on the tube * Evening Standard *Outrageously funny...will have you in stitches * Time Out *

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Book Synopsis''Delves into the very essence of being a fan, while seamlessly exploring Italian history, politics, culture and society,'' GuardianIs Italy a united country, or a loose affiliation of warring states? Is Italian football a sport, or an ill-disguised protraction of ancient enmities?Tim Parks goes on the road to follow the fortunes of Hellas Verona football club, to pay a different kind of visit to some of the world''s most beautiful cities. This is a highly personal account of one man''s relationship with a country, its people and its national sport. A book that combines the pleasures of travel writing with a profound analysis of one country''s mad, mad way of keeping itself entertained.Trade ReviewAddictive reading...each chapter is a short story, the whole book an epic * Observer *Parks knows his football, and he knows Italy still better. His adopted country, in all its enduring and exasperating strengths and weaknesses, comes vividly to life * Sunday Times *A fascinating emotional journey... His descriptions of Italian football are descriptions of Italy itself, its regional differences, its squabbles, its distinctive temper * Daily Telegraph *An enthralling, insightful account of the real Italy * Independent *

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Book Synopsis'Superb... Beautifully written and thoroughly researched' - Guardian A beautifully illustrated travelogue, chronicling the life and work of one of the world greatest poets. Du Fu (712-70) is one of China’s greatest poets. His career coincided with periods of famine, war and huge upheaval, yet his secular philosophical vision, combined with his empathy for the common folk of his nation, ensured that he soon became revered. Like Shakespeare or Dante, his poetry resonates in a timeless manner that ensures it is always relevant and offers something new to the modern generation. Now, in this beautifully illustrated book, broadcaster and historian Michael Wood follows in his footsteps to try to understand the places that inspired Du Fu to write some of the most famous and best-loved poetry the world has known. The themes he wrote about – friendship, family, human suffering – are universal and in our troubled times areTrade Review'Superb... Beautifully written and thoroughly researched.' * Guardian *

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Book Synopsis''A rich meditation: on separation, on possession, on Renaissance artists, and, inevitably, on the transformative nature of travel.'' The Times''Written in prose that constantly reminds us what language can do.'' Times Literary Supplement''A writer of almost electrifying intensity ... This book is a ray of intricate sunlight.'' Irish TimesWhen Rachel Cusk decides to travel to Italy for a summer with her husband and two young children, she has no idea of the trials and wonders that lie in store. Their journey leads them to both the expected and the surprising, all seen through Cusk's sharp and humane perspective.

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Book Synopsis''One of the finest books about contemporary Russia'' ObserverThis is the account of Thubron''s 15,000-mile journey through an astonishing country - one twelfth of the land surface of the whole earth. He journeyed by train, river and truck among the people most damaged by the breakup of the Soviet Union, traveling among Buddhists and animists, radical Christian sects, reactionary Communists and the remnants of a so-call Jewish state; from the site of the last Czar''s murder and Rasputin''s village, to the ice-bound graves of ancient Sythians, to Baikal, deepest and oldest of the world''s lakes. It is the story of a people moving through the ruins of Communism into more private, diverse and often stranger worlds.''If there were a Nobel Prize for travel writing, Thubron should win it'' Daily MailTrade ReviewI have never made it as far as Siberia, but reading this book makes me feel as if I have actually been there. Thubron weaves his own observations beautifully with the history of this part of the world -- Lorraine Kelly * Sunday Express *Colin Thubron is in a class of his own in [having] a literary talent for reportage which is both crisp and lyrical * Scotsman *Captivating: a passionately engaged portrait of one of the earth's most mysterious regions...confirms Thubron's place in the pantheon of the writing greats * Sunday Times *There are currently few writers and fewer books capable of transporting a reader to another place as beautifully as Thubron does in this work. It is simply superb * Observer *A profound meditation on how some of the great upheavals of this century touched ordinary lives -- Kazuo Ishiguro * Observer, Books of the Year *

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Book SynopsisA vivid and human glimpse into Europe''s borderlands as they emerged from Soviet rule - back in print after nearly 20 years''In this superb book, in which one senses the spirit of Franz Kafka and Bruno Schulz, the dramatic world of the Eastern borderlands comes to life'' Ryszard KapuscinskiAs Europe''s borderlands emerged from Soviet rule, Anne Applebaum travelled from the Baltic to the Black Sea, through Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine and the Carpathian mountains. Rich in vivid characters and stories of tragedy and survival, Between East and West illuminates the soul of a place, and the secret history of its people. ''A beautifully written and thought-provoking account of a journey along Europe''s forgotten edge'' Timothy Garton Ash''A vivid and penetrating assessment of the lands between the Baltic and the Black Sea in all their drama and desolation . . . a wise and useful book'' Robert Conquest''Combines the excitement Trade ReviewIn this superb book, in which one senses the spirit of Franz Kafka and Bruno Schulz, the dramatic world of the Eastern borderlands comes to life -- Ryszard KapuscinskiA vivid and penetrating assessment of the lands between the Baltic and the Black Sea in all their drama and desolation . . . A wise and useful book -- Robert ConquestBetween East and West combines the excitement of a well-written and adventurous travelogue with sophisticated reportage about one of Europe's least-known regions -- Norman DaviesA beautifully written and thought-provoking account of a journey along Europe's forgotten edge -- Timothy Garton Ash

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Book SynopsisIain Sinclair explores modern London through a day''s hike around the London Overground route.The completion of the full circle of London Overground provides Iain Sinclair with a new path to walk the shifting territory of the capital. With thirty-three stations and thirty-five miles to tramp - plus inevitable and unforeseen detours and false steps - he embarks on a marathon circumnavigation at street level, tracking the necklace of garages, fish farms, bakeries, convenience cafés, cycle repair shops and Minder lock-ups which enclose inner London. ''He is incapable of writing a dull paragraph'' Scotland on Sunday''Sinclair breathes wondrous life into monstrous man-made landscapes'' Times Literary Supplement''If you are drawn to English that doesn''t just sing, but sings the blues and does scat and rocks the joint, try Sinclair. His sentences deliver a rush like no one else''s'' Washington PostTrade ReviewPublisher's description. From London's master psychogeographer and the author of Hackney, That Rose-Red Empire, comes a new adventure into the city's ancient and modern secrets. This is a living history of the edgelands and forgotten spaces surrounding London Overground: a portrait of the shifting, changing metropolis as seen from the 'Ginger Line'. * Penguin *Sometimes dark, sometimes wry... For the aficionado, London Overground will deliver all the delights of Sinclair's edgy and hard-edged prose; for those who do not know his work it is an accessible starting point for one of the most rewarding oeuvres in 21st century literature * Scotsman *He is incapable of writing a dull paragraph * Scotland on Sunday *Sinclair breathes wondrous life into monstrous, man-made landscapes * Times Literary Supplement *If you are drawn to English that doesn't just sing, but sings the blues and does scat and rocks the joint, try Sinclair. His sentences deliver a rush like no one else's * Washington Post *Sinclair [is a] peerless London literary wanderer and street-level cultural archaeologist... delirious, often hilarious urban palimpsest where pin-sharp observation, cultural hauntings and offbeat memoir fuse in sentences that catch your breath like a lurid toxic sunset over Hackney Marshs * Independent *For my money the most crucial and most bar-adjusting voice currently resonating in the English language.... Those who aspire to understand what is happening in modern writing should start here -- Alan Moore

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Book SynopsisUsing the art, food and the books of Brazils nineteenth-century writer, Machado de Assis, this work is about its history of slavery and the multicultural but disturbed society that was left in its wake when the practice was abolished in the late nineteenth century.Trade Review'Robb is a superb stylist, and this brilliant dissection of modern Brazil is unputdownable' Sunday Times 'Outstanding a heady and fascinating picture of an extraordinary country' Daily Telegraph 'Fascinating and revealing It is the Brazil that Robb sees beyond the sensations that gives his book its great travelling dimension' New York Times 'It is compellingly readable and elegant. In fact, anyone planning a trip to Brazil should read this book' Daily Mail

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Book SynopsisIn the summer of 1957, rebelling against her family and anxious to impress an admirer who had moved to Paris, Gill Johnson, aged twenty-five, gave up her comfortable job at the National Gallery in London and travelled to Venice to take up a job teaching English to an aristocratic Italian family. Love from Venice is her vivid evocation of that summer, the last hurrah of the European Grand Tour, when the international jet set lit upon the city for their fun. Drawing on letters that she wrote to David Ross, her admirer and correspondent, and to her parents in London, Johnson describes her life as she flits from palazzo to Lido to palazzo. Absorbed into the social whirl of the super-rich, how do her feelings for her love begin to change?This is a moving and witty memoir of a young woman coming to terms with her own feelings and destiny, and learning about different aspects of love from the people she meets, all set in high-season Venice in a halcyon age.

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Book Synopsis''The Sahara embodies scale and mystery, the thin line between survival and destruction, the power to take life or to transform it . . .''Of all Michael Palin''s epic voyages, this may be his greatest ever challenge: crossing the vast and unforgiving Sahara Desert. From the westernmost point of Senegal to Libya''s Mediterranean beaches, Sahara is a journey full of beauty, excitement, danger - and plenty of camel stew.

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Book SynopsisA landmark journey along the full length of the old Iron Curtain - from the Arctic Circle to Turkey's eastern border - tracing the history of the Cold War and meeting the people who live with its legacy. The Iron Curtain divided the continent of Europe, north to south, with the Berlin Wall as its most visible, infamous manifestation. Since the Cold War ended and these borders came down, Europe has transformed itself. New generations have grown up, freed from the tensions and restrictions of the past. But what do the Curtain and the Wall mean today? What has happened to the people and places they divided? What have they left in their wake? In a major new book, Timothy Phillips travels the route of the Iron Curtain from deep inside the Arctic Circle to the meeting point of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey. He explores the borderlands where the clash of civilisations was at its most intense between 1945 and 1989, and where the world's most powerful ideologies became tangible in reinforced concrete and barbed wire. He looks at the new Europe that emerged from the ruins. The people he meets bear vivid witness to times of change. There are those who look back on the Cold War with nostalgia and affection. Others despise it, unable to forgive the hard and sometimes lost decades that their families, friends and nations endured. These old fault lines have much to tell us about Europe now and about our societies' current disputes - over borders, and about belonging and the meaning of progress. The Curtain and the Wall transports the reader across 5,000 kilometres of Europe and through eight decades to show how one of the defining stories of the 20th century continues to shape our world today.Trade ReviewAn account not only of how the Cold War frontiers were drawn, guarded or penetrated by brave escapers, but - more importantly - of how often they were rendered discreetly porous by all kinds of compromise ... fascinating -- Neal AschersonA brilliant book, not only based on an inspired idea, but also written with a keen eye for human hopes, fears and tragedies. ... full of surprises -- William Hague[Phillips] visited strange places that very few people have ever heard of but which, nevertheless, were vitally important in the east-west divide... [He] can be very funny... Yet Phillips can also be sombre... Excellent * Sunday Times *Phillips has a good ear for historical anecdotes and writes with empathy and acuity about the people and places he encounters... These individual stories are narrated with energy and aplomb * TLS *At a time when we seem to be entering a new Cold War, here's a book on the hangover from the original one... [Phillips] travels from the Arctic Circle to Turkey's eastern border, tracing the history of the Iron Curtain and meeting the people who live with its legacy * Deskbound Traveller *An engaging blend of travel, history and politics, with much resonance for today * Bookseller *A first class analysis of cold war history... well researched * Sunday Independent *

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Book SynopsisAn epic journey across 5,000 kilometres and through eight decades, to tell a new story about the old Cold War faultlines With the fall of the Berlin Wall, it seemed that the old divisions between East and West had been consigned to history. But with tensions once again rising, the past has much to tell us about our present. Here Timothy Phillips undertakes a fascinating journey along the full length of the former Iron Curtain, from the Arctic Circle to Turkey's eastern border, to meet the people who bore witness to this tumultuous era and those who continue to live in its shadow. 'A first class analysis of Cold War history' Sunday Independent '[Phillips] visited strange places that very few people have ever heard of but which were vitally important in the east-west divide... Phillips is a good observer... [with] excellent powers of narrative' Sunday Times 'Narrated with energy and aplomb... Phillips has a good ear for historical anecdotes and writes with empathy and acuity about the people and places he encounters' Times Literary SupplementTrade ReviewAn account not only of how the Cold War frontiers were drawn, guarded or penetrated by brave escapers, but - more importantly - of how often they were rendered discreetly porous by all kinds of compromise ... fascinating -- Neal AschersonA brilliant book, not only based on an inspired idea, but also written with a keen eye for human hopes, fears and tragedies. ... full of surprises -- William Hague[Phillips] visited strange places that very few people have ever heard of but which, nevertheless, were vitally important in the east-west divide... [He] can be very funny... Yet Phillips can also be sombre... Excellent * Sunday Times *Phillips has a good ear for historical anecdotes and writes with empathy and acuity about the people and places he encounters... These individual stories are narrated with energy and aplomb * TLS *At a time when we seem to be entering a new Cold War, here's a book on the hangover from the original one... [Phillips] travels from the Arctic Circle to Turkey's eastern border, tracing the history of the Iron Curtain and meeting the people who live with its legacy * Deskbound Traveller *An engaging blend of travel, history and politics, with much resonance for today * Bookseller *A first class analysis of cold war history... well researched * Sunday Independent *

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Book SynopsisThere are still wild places out there on our crowded planet. Through a series of personal journeys, Dan Richards explores the appeal of far-flung outposts in mountains, tundra, forests, oceans and deserts. Following a route from the Cairngorms of Scotland to the fire-watch lookouts of Washington State; from Iceland's 'Houses of Joy' to the Utah desert; frozen ghost towns in Svalbard to shrines in Japan; Roald Dahl's writing hut to a lighthouse in the North Atlantic, Richards explores landscapes which have inspired writers, artists and musicians, and asks: why are we drawn to wilderness? What can we do to protect them? And what does the future hold for outposts on the edge?Trade ReviewThere's a special magic in Richards' luminous descriptions of nature and place, but also in the stories he tells . . . Richards has penned a thoughtful and beautifully written meditation on our quest to find spaces in which we can find something unexpected in ourselves and forge a new relationship with the natural world * * Guardian * *Richards' prose is by turns beautiful, funny, evocative and learned, the pages illuminated by lovely, warming footnotes . . . [Richards' voice is] vivid, self-deprecating, literary and very, very funny * * Observer * *Dan Richards is a wonderful storyteller, wise, wry and open-hearted, the perfect travelling companion. Outpost tells stories of emptiness, but is bursting with gorgeous life and language. It is a joy to read -- MAX PORTERVivid, funny and moving - a wonderful stylist -- SARAH PERRYFascinating and funny * * Financial Times * *Dan Richards is brave, bold, pure of spirit and, on occasion, foolish. In Outpost Dan follows both his father's footsteps and his own heart to explore the furthest possibilities of human habitation, and our interface with a changing wilderness. Intelligent, surreal and always generous, Dan Richards is a Jerome K. Jerome for our set-upon times who bequeaths us that rarest gift - laughter -- KATHARINE NORBURY, author of The Fish LadderThis book will be equally at home in the library of the armchair traveller and the kitbag of the weather-beaten nomad - Dan Richards has created an atlas of adventure for every reader possessed of an intrepid imagination -- NANCY CAMPBELL, author of The Library of IceDan Richards is that rare thing, a writer whose way of looking at the world is utterly unique . . . Outpost is shot through with a sense of wonder, an infectious enthusiasm and a surreal wit. Pure joy -- RUPERT THOMSONAn incredible book, beautifully written, wild and wickedly funny -- PHILIP HOAREJust my kind of book, stuffed full of telling oddities, strange encounters and lyricism. Richards brings to us the supreme joy, glory and terror of what it is to be truly isolated in the wild -- BENEDICT ALLEN

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Book Synopsis‘Everything about Venice,’ observed Lord Byron, ‘is, or was, extraordinary – her aspect is like a dream, and her history is like a romance.’ Dream and romance have conditioned myriad encounters with Venice across the centuries, but the city’s story embodies the hard reality of an independent state built on conquest, profit and entitlement and on the toughness and resilience of a free people. In this new study of key moments in Venice’s history, from its half-legendary founding amid the collapse of the Roman empire to its modern survival as a fragile city of the arts menaced by saturation tourism and rising sea levels, Jonathan Keates shows us just how much this remarkable place has contributed to world culture and explains how it endures as an object of desire and inspiration for so many.Trade Review[A] sumptuous and authoritative history of Venice * The Art Newspaper *..his love of the city radiates from every page * The Economist *Celebrating its peerless contributions to world culture, it's a complex history, but ultimately inspiring * Italia! *PRAISE FOR JONATHAN KEATES: 'Keates is an enthusiastic, serious and careful writer, and this delightful book, though designed up to the hilt, contains a lot to muse over' Guardian. 'As well as having magisterial critical judgements, this is a book rich in dry humour and telling anecdote' Spectator. 'Keates appraises his works with passionate scrutiny' Sunday Times. 'A beautifully paced and meticulously detailed narrative' Literary Review. 'Admirably concise and evocative' * The Times *

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Book SynopsisThe first volume in Tim Robinson's phenomenal Connemara Trilogy - which Robert Macfarlane has called 'One of the most remarkable non-fiction projects undertaken in English'. In its landscape, history and folklore, Connemara is a singular region: ill-defined geographically, and yet unmistakably a place apart from the rest of Ireland. Tim Robinson, who established himself as Ireland's most brilliant living non-fiction writer with the two-volume Stones of Aran, moved from Aran to Connemara nearly twenty years ago. This book is the result of his extraordinary engagement with the mountains, bogs and shorelines of the region, and with its folklore and its often terrible history: a work as beautiful and surprising as the place it attempts to describe.Chosen as a book of the year by Iain Sinclair, Robert Macfarlane and Colm Tóibín'One of the greatest writers of lands ... No one has disentangled the tales the stones of Ireland have to tell so deftly and retold them so beautifully' Fintan O'Toole 'Dazzling ... an indubitable classic' Giles Foden, Condé Nast Traveller'He is that rarest of phenomena, a scientist and an artist, and his method is to combine scientific rigour with artistic reverie in a seamless blend that both informs and delights' John Banville'One of contemporary Ireland's finest literary stylists' Joseph O'Connor, GuardianTrade ReviewMany landscape writers have striven to give their prose the characteristics of the terrain they are describing. Few have succeeded as fully as Robinson. -- Robert Macfarlane * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisIn Ponty is it? Daryl Leeworthy journeys from the isolation of Llanwonno to the unmarked border between the true metropolis of Wales and that southern pretender, Cardiff, and on the way learns what brings him back to his hometown every time he tries to leave and what now really keeps him there.

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Book SynopsisStep away from the obvious and discover unexpected treasures such as secret gardens, hidden memorials to the past and unusual modes of transport. If you know where to look, Bristol will unravel its secrets in front of your eyes. Fully revised and updated edition.

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Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERWith a foreword by Diana Gabaldon. Two men. One country. And a lot of whisky.As stars of Outlander, Sam and Graham eat, sleep and breathe the Highlands on this epic road trip around their homeland. They discover that the real thing is even greater than fiction. Clanlands is the story of their journey. Armed with their trusty campervan and a sturdy friendship, these two Scotsmen are on the adventure of a lifetime to explore the majesty of Scotland. A wild ride by boat, kayak, bicycle and motorbike, they travel from coast to loch and peak to valley and delve into Scotland's history and culture, from timeless poetry to bloody warfare. With near-death experiences, many weeks in a confined space together, and a cast of unforgettable characters, Graham and Sam's friendship matures like a fine Scotch. They reflect on their acting careers in film and theatre, find a new awestruck respect for their native country and, as with any good road trip, they even find themselves. Hold onto your kilts... this is Scotland as you've never seen it before.Trade Review'A breath of fresh Scottish air in lockdown, it's one to stick in your sporran and consult when compiling your wishlist of places to escape to once restrictions are lifted.' * Scotsman Magazine *The "Outlandish" tour of Scotland with Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish is the armchair adventure we all need right now. * BBC Scotland *This book is full of anecdotes, history and hilarious interactions between the pair as they travel around Scotland in their trusty campervan. * Express *A breezy roadtrip full of banter between the chalk-and-cheese friends. * Sunday Post *For anyone who wants to know more about Scotland's past or hear the inner monologues of two fine gentlemen, this provides a warm and wicked adventure in a magical land. * Magic Radio Book Club *Their odyssey is self-deprecatingly styled as "the story of two men who know nothing". In fact, Heughan and particularly McTavish are keen students of Highland history * Scotland on Sunday *A joyously eclectic mix of historical trivia, travel diary and journey of self-discovery. * Scottish Field *The actors have a lovely dynamic, which is as enjoyable in the book as it promises to be in the upcoming TV series. * The People's Friend *Clanlands is a must for anyone who loves Scotland... a riotous, engaging and dynamic journey. * Dumfries & Galloway Life *'It all comes across as fun-loving and tongue-in-cheek and that's what raises this book above the usual Scottish history/travel books that have become so prominent.' -- Cameron McNeish * Scots Magazine *

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Book SynopsisDark Star Safari is Paul Theroux''s now classic account of a journey from Cairo to Cape Town.Travelling across bush and desert, down rivers and across lakes, and through country after country, Theroux visits some of the most beautiful landscapes on earth, and some of the most dangerous. It is a journey of discovery and of rediscovery -- of the unknown and the unexpected, but also of people and places he knew as a young and optimistic teacher forty years before.Safari in Swahili simply means journey, and this is the ultimate safari. It is Theroux in his element -- a trip where chance encounter is everything, where departure and arrival times are an irrelevance, and where contentment can be found balancing on the top of a truck in the middle of nowhere.Praise for Paul Theroux:''Theroux''s work remains the standard by which other travel writing must be judged'' Observer''One needs energy to keep up with the extraordinary,

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Book SynopsisRanulph Fiennes has entered the public imagination as the intrepid explorer par excellance. Taunted by his wife over the challenge of the never-before attempted circumpolar navigation of the globe, he set off in 1979 on a gruelling 52,000 mile adventure. Together with fellow members of 21 SAS regiment, Fiennes left from Greenwich, travelling over land, passing through both ends of the polar axis. Completed over three years later, it was the first circumpolar navigation of the globe, and justifiably entered Fiennes into the record books. TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH is the record of that journey. It captures the natural beauty of the landscapes they passed through, and the cameraderie that necessarily grows between men who had served in the British forces'' elite regiment and were now throwing themselves into danger of a different sort. Time and again, the expedition found themselves in life-threatening situations, weaving through the pack ice of the Arctic Ocean or sharing a single

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Book SynopsisTony Anderson set out in the summer of 1998 to walk through Georgia. He wanted particularly to visit the Georgian mountain tribes - Tush, Khevsurs, Ratchuelians and Svans - to discover if they shared a common mountain culture, and to test the old idea of the Caucasus as an impenetrable barrier from sea to sea. From Azerbaijan to Svaneti, Anderson found communities where the old customs and beliefs still triumphantly survive, despite years of Communist oppression and the terrible uncertainties since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Throughout his journey Anderson refers back to many other visits to Georgia, to the politics of independence, to the war in Abkhazia and Ossetia, to the civil war and Shevardnadze''s accession to power, to the history of these people at one of the great crossroads of the world. It remains an abiding mystery that Georgia has managed to survive at all, devastated time and again by the vagabond hordes from the steppes and torn between the mighty emTrade ReviewAnderson's unusually reflective and observant narrative allows the reader to appreciate far more than the grandeur of nature... Full of knowledge lovingly amassed over years of other travels... His sheer joy at being in Georgia warms the reader's heart * Times Literary Supplement *When I finished Bread and Ashes - hanging on every word - I could have wished it twice as long * Independent *

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Book SynopsisThe book opens on the day Hemingway''s close friend Pop, a legendary hunter, leaves him in charge of the camp. Tensions have heightened among the various tribes and news arrives of a potential attack on the hunters, forcing Hemingway not only to take on his new role of leader but, equally important, to assist his wife Mary in pursuing the great lion she is determined to kill before Christmas. Passionately detailing the African landscape, the excitement of the chase, and the heartfelt relationships with his African neighbours, Hemingway, a master of dramatic fiction, weaves a tale that is rich in laughter, beauty and insight.Written when Hemingway returned from his 1953 safari, and edited by his son Patrick, True At First Light is a rich blend of autobiography and fiction, a breathtaking final work from one of this century''s most beloved and important writers.Trade ReviewCaptures the beauty of the African landscape and the thrill of the hunt, in true Hemingway style * Red *This is writing of a high order; sympathetic, luminous, hypnotic, humane * Caledonia *

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Book SynopsisSqueezed in between a vast ocean and the longest mountain range on earth, Chile is 2,600 miles long and never more than 110 miles wide - not a country which lends itself to maps, as Sara Wheeler found out when she travelled alone with two carpetbags from the top to the bottom, form the driest desert in the world to the sepulchral wastes of Antarctica.This is Sara Wheeler''s account of a six-month odyssey which included Christmas Day at 13,000 feet with a llama sandwich, a sex hotel in Santiago and a trip round Cape Horn delivering a coffin. Eloquent, astute and amusing, CHILE: TRAVELS IN A THIN COUNTRY confirms Sara Wheeler''s place in the front rank of today''s travel writers.Trade Reviewlively and sympathetic...Sara Wheeler is very well worth reading. * DAILY TELEGRAPH *a perceptive and entertaining account. * NEW STATESMAN AND SOCIETY *a thorougly enjoyable book with plenty of humour. * TODAY *Chance meetings and planned visits are described with enough imagery and dialogue to make you pack your rucksack before finishing the book. * NORTHERN ECHO *

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Book SynopsisGrowing is a portrait of a young man sent straight out from university to help govern Ceylon. It is doubtful that any Empire at any time has been served by such an intelligent, dutiful, hardworking and incorruptible civil servant as the young Leonard Woolf. He was determined to do what was good but discovered for himself that colonial rule, be it ever so high-minded, is fated to do wrong. Growing is also a deeply affectionate account of the mystery, magic and savage beauty of Ceylon at the turn of the century, an island whose diverse beliefs and cultures Woolf had the time and wit to explore in detail.

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Book SynopsisDolman Travel Book of the Year 2012 Between the Orinoco and the Amazon lies a fabulous forested land, barely explored. Much of Guiana seldom sees sunlight, and new species are often tumbling out of the dark trees. Shunned by the conquistadors, it was left to others to carve into colonies. Guyana, Suriname and Guyane Française are what remain of their contest, and the 400 years of struggle that followed. Now, award-winning author John Gimlette sets off along this coast, gathering up its astonishing story. His journey takes him deep into the jungle, from the hideouts of runaway slaves to penal colonies, outlandish forts, remote Amerindian villages, a 'Little Paris' and a space port. He meets rebels, outlaws and sorcerers; follows the trail of a vicious Georgian revolt, and ponders a love-affair that changed the face of slavery. Here too is Jonestown, where, in 1978, over 900 Americans, members of Reverend Jones's cult, committed suicide. The last traces are almost gone now, as the forest closes in. Beautiful, bizarre and occasionally brutal, this is one of the great forgotten corners of the Earth: the Wild Coast.Trade ReviewA completely fascinating book. It opens up a forgotten corner of the world with tremendous flair and shrewd observation -- William BoydWild Coast is funny, intelligent, revelatory * Joseph O’Neill, author of Netherland *A moving, often humorous, and thoroughly enjoyable account that works as both a wartime recollection and travelogue * Booklist *Great for those interested in Guyanese history, or those looking to explore a South America far from the well-trodden Gringo trail -- Ianthe Butt * Real Travel *Gimlette has an eye for a juicy story, a willingness to embark on harebrained journeys and a gleeful way with similes, all of which makes this an entertaining introduction to a forgotten corner of the globe. -- Siobhan Murphy * Metro *Gimlette is an old-school traveller, very British, very cheery. A barrister by trade, the author has an uncanny ability to nail down his characters with a few well-chosen words... Gimlette brings history to life. He artfully merges assiduous research with a storyteller's gift. -- Oliver Balch * Guardian *A fascinating journey... Gimlette's extensive research has given him access to an intoxicating level of detail. -- Tom Hawker * Wanderlust *John Gimlette is sure to secure a name for himself as both a talented writer and a rare traveller who, as documented in the dark chronicles of his book, has visited South America's wild coast and returned apparently unscathed. Fortunately, his writing sculpts an interesting narrative too, and he conveys the region's horror stories with a healthy dose of humour, knowledge, sincerity and poetry... As with all good travel books, the pace of Gimlette's investigations and the idiosyncratic nature of his discoveries, no matter how small, are infectious enough to ensure his account holds its own against these literary greats. * Traveller *Remarkable... Gimlette is, refreshingly, an unfailing enthusiast... Wild Coast is driven by extraordinary dedication, an insatiable curiosity in everything and an enormous empathy for other people. Gimlette's descriptions of landscapes are often hauntingly beautiful, his sense of humour is engagingly dead-pan... His book is characterised by a thoroughness of research that puts most travel writers to shame... a lucid and lively account of a multi-cultural history... A reminder... of the way in which travel literature can still fulfil its role of bringing to life some of the world's unjustly neglected corners. -- Michael Jacobs * Spectator *Writing that races you through faster than you can turn the pages, a story that transports you to a place you barely knew about before, and all done with a relaxed nonchalance which totally disregards the tough travels John Gimlette's Dolman Award winner clearly involved. Before reading Wild Coast my Guianas knowledge could be summarised as 'don't drink the Kool-Aid, don't end up on Devil's Island, but do go there for an Ariane space launch.' I'm way better informed today. -- Chairman of the judges * Tony Wheeler *Fabulously vivid and absorbing -- John Walsh * Independent on Sunday *

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Book SynopsisBritain''s best-loved comic genius Stephen Fry turns his celebrated wit and insight to unearthing the real America as he travels across the continent in his black taxicab. Stephen''s account of his adventures is filled with his unique humour, insight and warmth in the fascinating book that orginally accompanied his journey for the BBC1 series.''Stephen Fry is a treasure of the British Empire.'' The GuardianStephen Fry has always loved America, in fact he came very close to being born there. Here, his fascination for the country and its people sees him embarking on an epic journey across America, visiting each of its 50 states to discover how such a huge diversity of people, cultures, languages, beliefs and landscapes combine to create such a remarkable nation.Starting on the eastern seaboard, Stephen zig-zags across the country in his London taxicab, talking to its hospitable citizens, listening to its music, visiting its landmarks, viewing small-town life and America''s breath-takingTrade Review'A fascinating look at one of the world's most complex and confusing countries, this is a story told with the wit and warmth we expect from Fry.' Stoke on Trent Sentinel ‘A very funny take on life across the pond.’BAA Emporium

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Book SynopsisDanny Wallace is a writer and television presenter, who wears glasses and used to have a cat. His first solo book, Join Me, was described as a 'word-of-mouth phenomenon' by The Bookseller and 'one of the funniest stories you will ever read' by the Daily Mail. His second book, Yes Man - in which he decided to say 'Yes' to everything has been made into a film starring Jim Carrey. It was described as 'hilarious' by more than four national newspapers, and Richard Madeley. Both books were Sunday Times bestsellers. Danny Wallace is PPA's Columnist of the Year 2011. Find out more about Danny at www.dannywallace.com.Trade ReviewThe poster boy for positive thinking * The Guardian *The man's a genius * Davina McCall *Danny Wallace does things few other people would and writes about them in ways that few people could. He's as funny as Bill Bryson used to be -- Nicholas Barber * Independent on Sunday *Funny, engaging read * FHM *Hilarious...wickedly funny...This is a great summer holiday read! * Star Magazine *

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Book SynopsisMike Carter grew up in Birmingham and now lives in south-west London, from where he commutes to his freelance shifts at the Guardian and Observer on a bicycle. Although still married to his motorbike, the capital's traffic jams, speed cameras and bendy buses have somewhat cooled the relationship.Trade Review[Carter is] a likeable and self-deprecating guide, the gentle comedy of his endeavours conceal[s] a vivid portrait of a Britain rarely seen by many city dwellers * Financial Times *A breath of fresh air * Nicholas Crane *A lively road trip round the periphery of Britain that goes to its heart. Wonderful -- William Fotheringham

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Book Synopsis**THE NUMBER ONE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER**A compulsively readable account of an African country now virtually inaccessible to the outside world and one journalist''s daring and adventurous journey.When war correspondent Tim Butcher was sent to cover Africa in 2000 he quickly became obsessed with the idea of recreating H.M. Stanley''s famous nineteenth century trans-Africa expedition - but travelling alone. Despite warnings that his plan was ''suicidal'', Butcher set out for the Congo''s eastern border with just a rucksack and a few thousand dollars hidden in his boots. Making his way in an assortment of vessels including a motorbike and a dugout canoe, helped along by a cast of unlikely characters, he followed in the footsteps of the great Victorian adventurers. Butcher''s journey was a remarkable feat, but the story of the Congo, told expertly and vividly in this book, is more remarkable still.A masterpiece' JoTrade ReviewA remarkable, fascinating book by a courageous and perceptive writer. One of the most exciting books to emerge from Africa in recent years -- Alexander McCall SmithAn intrepid adventure. In making and describing this journey, Tim Butcher has followed in the footsteps of Stanley and Conrad. It takes a lot of guts to yomp through the Congo and he obviously has plenty of those. But it is the wit and passion of the writing which keeps you engrossed -- Giles FodenThis is a terrific book, an adventure story about a journey of great bravery in one of the world's most dangerous places. It keeps the heart beating and the attention fixed from beginning to end -- Fergal KeaneA masterpiece -- John le CarreTim Butcher deserves a medal for this crazy feat. I marvel at his courage and his empathy -- Thomas Pakenham

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Book SynopsisGeert Mak spent the year 1999 criss-crossing the continent, tracing the history of Europe from Verdun to Berlin, St Petersburg to Auschwitz, Kiev to Srebrenica. He set off in search of evidence and witnesses, looking to define the condition of Europe at the verge of a new millennium. The result is mesmerising: Mak''s rare double talent as a sharp-eyed journalist and a hugely imaginative historian makes In Europe a dazzling account of that journey, full of diaries, newspaper reports and memoirs, and the voices of prominent figures and unknown players; from the grandson of Kaiser Wilhelm II to Adriana Warno in Poland, with her holiday job at the gates of the camp at Birkenau.But Mak is above all an observer. He describes what he sees at places that have become Europe''s well-springs of memory, where history is written into the landscape. At Ypres he hears the blast of munitions from the Great War that are still detonated twice a day. In Warsaw he finds the pointTrade ReviewFascinating, informative, sometimes exhilarating, often painful, and quite impossible to summarise... This is a splendidly panoramic picture of our common European home, a book to read through and then to dip into frequently... I thoroughly recommend his book -- Allan Massie * Literary Review *A broader travelling history of the whole of Europe's 20th century. As befits a journalist with an eye for bad news, he also has much more to say on its calamitous first half than on its more successful second half... Mr Mak tells this part of the story vividly and in great, gory detail, moving from grim fields of battle (Verdun, Stalingrad) to places of revolution (Petrograd, Berlin), and on to ghastly charnel-houses of death and destruction (Auschwitz, Dresden) * Economist *An ingenious geographical-chronological structure... It's impossible not to get drawn into this book -- Noel Malcolm * Sunday Telegraph *The pace rarely slackens and every page sparkles with insight * Herald *In Europe is not so much a work of history, nor is it strictly a travelogue of the present; it is part of a growing genre that is sometimes referred to as the 'history of the present', but might just as well be the 'presence of the past'. It is undoubtedly a spectacular and beautifully crafted piece of such writing -- Isabella Thomas * Sunday Times *

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Book Synopsis**Sunday Times Bestseller****Book of the Week on Radio 4**''A beautiful book about a part of the modern world which remains genuinely magical' Mark Haddon''One of the most constantly fascinating, but consistently under-appreciated aspects of modern life is the business of flying. Mark Vanhoenacker has written the ideal book on the subject: a description of what it's like to fly by a commercial pilot who is also a master prose stylist and a deeply sensitive human being. This is a man who is at once a technical expert he flies 747s across continents and a poet of the skies. This couldn't be more highly recommended.'' Alain de BottonThink back to when you first flew. When you first left the Earth, and travelled high and fast above its turning arc. When you looked down on a new world, captured simply and perfectly through a window fringed with ice. When you descended towards a city, and arrived from the sky as effortlessly as daybreak.Trade ReviewVanhoenacker is a remarkable writer. In Skyfaring he reveals his passion for flight, the mechanics of planes, the weightless, meaningful geography of the skies and the scent of the cities he flies to. He creates a still, almost poetic point in the turning, travelling world. This mesmerising book will make you view the world differently. All aboard! -- Helen Davies * Sunday Times *[An] ode to the wonder of flight in the tradition of the great pioneer pilot-author Antoine de Saint Exupéry and Charles Lindbergh... flying remains a magical business -- Charles Bremner * The Times *Mr Vanhoenacker, fortunately for his readers, has lost none of his sense of wonder at the miracle of flight itself... a beautifully observed collection of details, scenes, emotions and facts from the world above the world * The Economist *Mr Vanhoenacker, fortunately for his readers, has lost none of his sense of wonder at the miracle of flight itself... a beautifully observed collection of details, scenes, emotions and facts from the world above the world * The Economist *A description of what it’s like to fly by a commercial pilot who is also a master prose stylist… This is a man who is at once a technical expert – he flies 747s across continents – and a poet of the skies. This couldn’t be more highly recommended -- Alain de BottonA beauty. For so many flying has become humdrum: a bus journey to be endured then forgotten, not enjoyed and recalled. Vanhoenacker makes it wondrous again. -- David Sexton * Evening Standard *Beautifully... simply put. Vanhoenacker's prose has a functional eloquence that carries the reader along for the ride. -- Geoff Dyer * The Guardian *Reminds us of the magic of aviation... full of information that is wonderful in its simplicity -- Erica Wagner * The New Statesman *[An] endlessly surprising, strikingly original book... combines intelligence and sensitivity with an "outward-looking introspection" * Intelligent Life *Not since Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s classic Vol de Nuit…has there been such a fantastic book about flying… Skyfaring takes the genre to a whole new level. I found myself turning over the corners of almost every page with excitement and admiration -- Giles Foden * Condé Nast Traveller *

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Book SynopsisBetween 1929 and 1935 Evelyn Waugh travelled widely and wrote four books about his experiences. In this collection he writes, with his customary wit and perception, about a cruise around the Mediterranean; a train trip from Djibouti to Abyssinia to attend Emperor Haile Selassie''s coronation in 1930; his travels in Aden, Zanzibar, Kenya and the Congo, coping with unbearable heat and plagued by mosquitoes; a journey to Guyana and Brazil; and his return to Addis Ababa in 1935 to report on the war between Abyssinia and Italy. Waugh''s adventures on his travels gave him the ideas for such classic novels as Scoop and Black Mischief.Trade Review[a] humorous account of an agreeable young man's peregrinations in picturesque lands * The New York Times *

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Book SynopsisThe Great Railway Bazaar is Paul Theroux's account of his epic journey by rail through Asia. Filled with evocative names of legendary train routes the Direct-Orient Express, the Khyber Pass Local, the Delhi Mail from Jaipur, the Golden Arrow to Kuala Lumpur, the Hikari Super Express to Kyoto and the Trans-Siberian Express it describes the many places, cultures, sights and sounds he experienced and the fascinating people he met. Here he overhears snippets of chat and occasional monologues, and is drawn into conversation with fellow passengers, from Molesworth, a British theatrical agent, and Sadik, a shabby Turkish tycoon, while avoiding the forceful approaches of pimps and drug dealers. This wonderfully entertaining travelogue pays loving tribute to the romantic joys of railways and train travel.

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Book SynopsisWhat makes a nation happy? Is one country''s sense of happiness the same as another''s? In the last two decades, psychologists and economists have learned a lot about who''s happy and who isn''t. The Dutch are, the Romanians aren''t, and Americans are somewhere in between...After years of going to the world''s least happy countries, Eric Weiner, a veteran foreign correspondent, decided to travel and evaluate each country''s different sense of happiness and discover the nation that seemed happiest of all. He discovers the relationship between money and happiness in tiny and extremely wealthy Qatar (and it''s not a good one)He goes to Thailand, and finds that not thinking is a contented way of life. He goes to the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, and discovers they have an official policy of Gross National Happiness!He asks himself why the British don''t do happiness?In Weiner''s quest to find the world''s happiest places, he eTrade ReviewPart travelogue, part personal-discovery memoir and all sustained delight, this wise, witty ramble reads like Paul Theroux channeling David Sedaris on a particularly good day...Fresh and beguiling." * Kirkus Reviews *

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Book SynopsisExpectation meets Julie and Julia, The Yellow Kitchen is a brilliant exploration of food, belonging and friendship. London, 2019. A yellow kitchen stands as a metaphor for the lifelong friendship between three women: Claude, the baker, goal-orientated Sophie and political Giulia. They chase love and careers; dreaming and consuming in the city, but always returning to the yellow kitchen to share a meal. That is, until a trip to Lisbon unravels unexplored desires between Claude and Sophie. Having sex is one thing, waking up the day after is the beginning of something new. Exploring the complexities of female friendship, The Yellow Kitchen is a hymn to the last year of London as we knew it and a celebration of the culture, the food and the rhythms we live by.Praise for The Yellow Kitchen: ‘Rich and thoroughly intoxicating, The Yellow Kitchen is Trade Review'Mixing female friendship, romance, loss, redemption, and memorable meals, The Yellow Kitchen is the perfect recipe for a flavorful literary feast. With subtle dashes of wit and generous sprinklings of honesty, Margaux Vialleron has crafted a brave and tender tale' -- Kim Fay, author of Love & Saffron'Set in 2019, at a time of intense political change in the UK, this is a rich novel that explores the complexities of female friendship and sexuality, love and politics' * Daily Mail *'Vialleron’s debut weaves the complexities of female friendships in with attractions, desire, politics and food' * Stylist *

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Book Synopsis'Everything you would expect of a James Naughtie book - droll, absorbing and wonderfully perceptive.' Bill Bryson'A revealing and at times spellbinding tapestry of a nation...It is thought-provoking, constantly surprising and hugely entertaining. Sublime stuff.’ Michael Simkins, Mail on Sunday'An insightful account of living through momentous times...much to enjoy in Naughtie's astute memoir.' Martin Chilton, Independent James Naughtie, the acclaimed author and BBC broadcaster, now brings his unique and inquisitive eye to the country that has fascinated him and drawn him across the Atlantic for half a century. In looking at America, from Presidents Nixon through to Biden, he tells the story of a country that is grappling with a dream. What has it come to mean in the new century, and who do Americans now think they are?   Drawing on his travels

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Book Synopsis''It was a journey of dazzling extremes. Beauty and ugliness, sophistication and squalor, unceasing urban noise and monastic tranquillity . . . This is a record of a year of wonder''Full Circle is the diary of Michael Palin''s epic 245-day, 50,000-mile adventure around the rim of the Pacific Ocean. It''s a journey that takes him through eighteen different countries - including some of the most politically volatile and physically demanding places on Earth. Told with Michael''s trademark warmth and good humour, this is a spectacular story of high contrasts, intense drama and unmissable beauty.

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Book SynopsisWinner - Edward Stanford Travel Memoir of the Year 2019.Shortlisted - Rathbones Folio Prize, Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize, and Somerset Maugham Award 2019.'An extraordinary travelogue, strange and brilliant' - iIn 2013 Guy Stagg walked from Canterbury to Jerusalem. Though a non-believer, he began the pilgrimage after suffering several years of mental illness, hoping the ritual would heal him. For ten months he hiked alone on ancient paths, crossing ten countries and more than 5,500 kilometres. Travelling without support, he had to rely each night on the charity of strangers.The Crossway is an account of Stagg's extraordinary journey. It describes the dangers he faced on the road, captures the people he met and the landscapes he experienced, offers a unique insight into contemporary faith, and – most movingly – lays bare his struggle to escape the past and walk towards recovery. It was a BBC Radio 4 'Book of the Week' on publication.Trade ReviewGolden prose illuminates this moving account of a pilgrimage taken for the good of the author’s mental health . . . compelling . . . moving and thought-provoking -- Peter Stanford * Observer *Having finished this account, I felt dazed. Dazed at the thought of all that I’d learnt from its pages about 2,000 years of Christianity, dazed at how immediate its author had made so many centuries-old stories feel, and dazed at the strangeness and brilliance of this extraordinary travelogue. -- Rebecca Armstrong * i newspaper *The extraordinary story of a pilgrimage to find out the meaning of pilgrimage. Completely absorbing, personal, often funny, and full of fascinating encounters - an enlightening book from an exciting new writer. -- Sarah Bakewell, author of At The Existentialist CaféThe journey is remarkable – a hike of thousands of miles across Europe, undertaken with rare bravery and stamina. But what is really extraordinary about Guy Stagg’s The Crossway is the writing – acutely sensitive, hyper-alert and unflagging in its exploration of the strange depths and by-ways of human belief -- Philip Marsden, author of Rising GroundCompletely absorbing, personal, often funny, and full of fascinating encounters – an enlightening book from an exciting new writer. -- Sarah Bakewell, author of At The Existentialist CaféThe journey as redemptive recovery is a well-worm trope, but there is no glib ending here. I really enjoyed this book -- Sara Wheeler * Spectator *I loved it. Odd that a journey made to find salvation (a kind of 5,500 kilometre Stations of the Cross taking almost a year to walk) should turn out to be such a page turner. The reason is Stagg himself – an engaging, challenging, endlessly interesting companion who just happens to write formidably well. Travel writing has a bright new star. -- Alexander Frater, author of Chasing the MonsoonGuy Stagg makes a pilgrimage across Europe, into history and, most powerfully, the (troubled) interior of his soul. He takes us on a journey full of wonder and woe, poetry and pain; writing in prose that’s as sure-footed as it is unsettling in its honesty. A brave and beautiful account of a man’s search for meaning -- Rhidian Brook, author of The AftermathA formidable achievement . . . This secular pilgrimage is a lively. * Country Life *A sublime, intense, and intimate account of a journey . . . Beautifully written, filled with strange encounters and extraordinary language -- Philip Hoare, author of LeviathanA gorgeous and moving book -- Jamie Quatro, author of Fire SermonA marvellous book. There’s a lovely plainsongish immediacy to the telling that I found hugely beguiling, and (unusually) Stagg is as effective on people as he is on place. It’s also a generous piece of self-reckoning -- William Atkins, author of The Moor‘Such pitch-perfect prose that he has already attracted comparisons with Patrick Leigh Fermor’s celebrated accounts of his youthful travels’ * The Tablet *‘A gripping pilgrimage through faith and doubt . . . A first-rate writer, and a tough-minded one . . . he writes with a sort of rapturous exactitude about the peoples, climates and landscapes he meets’ -- Boyd Tonkin * TheArtsDesk.com *Guy Stagg has bared his soul and soles in this epic account of walking from England through Italy, the Balkans, Istanbul, Cyprus, Lebanon and on to Jerusalem. His fabulously open hearted account easily bears comparison with the great walking and monastery books of Patrick Leigh Fermor, except he goes further in revealing the damage, and how it might be repaired . . . solvitur ambulando indeed! -- Robert Twigger, author of Red Nile and Angry White Pyjamas‘Stagg takes us on a journey full of wonder and woe, poetry and pain; writing in prose that’s as sure-footed as it is unsettling in its honesty. A brave and beautiful account of a man’s search for meaning.’ -- Rhidian Brook, author of The AftermathThe Crossway is moving and unique, with the sense that no one else can write like this about such places as the abbeys of France, the cities of Rome and Istanbul or the daunting landscape of pilgrimage and the often astonishing people whom Guy Stagg meets. At the book’s heart is his own story; troubled, he seeks redemption and hope. Does he find them? He makes his search into a story that is gripping and uplifting -- Max Egremont, author of Forgotten Land: Journeys Among the Ghosts of East PrussiaAfter suffering years of severe mental illness, Stagg embarks on a journey from Canterbury to Jerusalem, hoping that the 5,500km walk along medieval pilgrim paths will heal him. Travelling alone, and relying on shelter provided by churches, monasteries and nunneries en route, he faces down many demons along the way, getting caught up in violent snowstorms, the demonstrations in Istanbul's Taksim Square, and a terrorist attack. A BBC Radio 4 "Book of the Week" at publication, it's one of the most compelling travel books I've read in a long time, as well as a thought-provoking meditation on what it means to have faith in our turbulent contemporary world * Bookseller *‘I loved it. Stagg is an engaging, challenging, endlessly interesting companion who just happens to write formidably well. Travel writing has a bright new star.’ -- Alexander Frater, author of Chasing the MonsoonBehind the cliché of the most important journey in life being the one taken inside oneself lies a timeless and powerful and vital truth: that the goal of such a quest, with all its anguish and revelation and excruciating realisations, is a place of great and lasting calm. This is the core of Guy Stagg’s necessary and beautiful book. -- Niall Griffiths, author of GritsThe Crossway is a gentle, kind, generous-spirited book, rich in detail, encounter and history. But most importantly, this is the story of a young man, from a secular world, who undertakes a pilgrimage to try and mend himself – a courageous inner journey. -- Neil Griffiths, author of As a God Might BeWhat a privilege it's been to read this compelling and moving book, to travel with a writer who records everything he sees and feels with such care and passion. The writing is beautiful and his voice so engaging, so unflinchingly honest, throughout. I finished The Crossway and just wanted the author to keep walking. -- James Macdonald Lockhart, author of Raptor

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Book SynopsisIn 2020, Christiaan De Beukelaer spent 150 days covering 14,000 nautical miles aboard the schooner Avontuur, a hundred-year-old sailing vessel that transports cargo across the Atlantic Ocean. Embarking in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, he wanted to understand the realities of a little-known alternative to the shipping industry on which our global economy relies, and which contributes more carbon emissions than aviation. What started as a three-week stint of fieldwork aboard the ship turned into a five-month journey, as the COVID-19 pandemic forced all borders shut while crossing the ocean, preventing the crew from stepping ashore for months on end.Trade winds engagingly recounts De Beukelaer's life-changing personal odyssey and the complex journey the shipping industry is on to cut its carbon emissions. The Avontuur’s mission remains crucial as ever: the shipping industry urgently needs to stop using fossil fuels, starting today. If we can’t swiftly decarbonise shipping, we can’t solve the climate crisis.Trade ReviewOne of the Financial Times' Notable new books on climate and environment‘This book is both important and beautiful: important, in that it describes one of the best ways we can move into a post-fossil fuels civilisation, which is to say by sail; and beautiful, because it shows on every page how this bursting out of the cocoon of heavy oil that we have been living in will return us to a life in the real world, with the wind felt in the hands and on one’s face, and every day an adventure. What a joy to read these pages and learn their news.’ Kim Stanley Robinson, author of The Ministry for the Future ‘The story is original – a sailing ship undertaking a quixotic mission to deliver a tiny amount of cargo (in order to demonstrate that it can be done) when the pandemic descends, trapping the narrator – makes for a diverting narrative.’ Horatio Clare, author of Down to the Sea in Ships ‘This is a book that should change the world. Beautifully written and brimming with bold yet careful analysis, Christiaan De Beukelaer has given the world a tremendous gift.’ Deborah Cowen, author of The Deadly Life of Logistics ‘De Beukelaer tackles a subject that’s growing in importance, giving us his perspective from the deck of a sailing cargo boat. No mean achievement.’ Tom Cunliffe, sailor, presenter and author of The Complete Yachtmaster ‘Trade winds is an absorbing account of a voyage that starts off as an effort to prove the continuing viability of sail, but becomes far more challenging than expected when the COVID-19 pandemic shuts off all access to the shore. It is also a thoughtful analysis of practical ways for shrinking the carbon footprint of one of the world’s most polluting industries – shipping.’ Amitav Ghosh, author of The Nutmeg’s Curse ‘A truly fascinating account – of a voyage, but also of an idea that is counter-intuitive in a world based on speed, but revelatory for a planet that is going to have to start taking real care of itself. There’s a bit of romance here, and a lot of reality.’ Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature ‘Simultaneously engaging and scholarly, Trade winds combines sailing memoir and environmental analysis to provide important insights about the environmental effects of global shipping and about what plausible alternatives might be. De Beukelaer brings together personal experience with an impressive command of scholarly literatures across history, economics, philosophy, climate science, among many others, and brings them all together in an interdisciplinary tour de force that is realistic and yet ultimately hopeful.’ Elizabeth R. DeSombre, Camilla Chandler Frost Professor of Environmental Studies, Wellesley College ‘Scientists, scholars, and sailors have long turned to the ocean to conjure futures that lie just beyond reach. In his dive into the quixotic movement to revive shipping by sail, Christiaan De Beukelaer leaves us wondering which is more of a folly: imagining that sail could once again be a viable technology for transporting goods around the world, or imagining that we can continue practicing business as usual.’ Philip Steinberg, UArctic Chair in Political Geography, Durham University ‘Finally a book that delves deeply into the urgent need to decarbonise the shipping industry by connecting political economy and environmental challenges. Christiaan De Beukelaer poignantly describes day-to-day life aboard a twenty-first-century sail cargo vessel in its social and historical context. In doing so, this book raises essential questions about the future of shipping while offering suggestions on how to resolve them. This story of adventure on the high seas sketches a liminal space that will inspire realists and dreamers alike.’ Dr Lucy Gilliam, Senior Shipping Policy Officer, Seas at Risk ‘The decarbonisation of shipping does not need to be a sacrifice. Instead, as Christiaan De Beukelaer eloquently shows, sailing to a sustainable future for shipping can be exciting and full of enriching experiences for both the author and us, the readers. Admittedly, I personally do not share all the views of Christiaan about open registries and the workings of the maritime industry, but I appreciate his sincere and enthusiastic voyage. I recommend reading this thought-provoking book.’ Jan Hoffman, Chief of UNCTAD’s Trade Logistics Branch ‘Trade winds is a riveting book that talks about seafarers’ workers’ rights, sustainable trade that’s fair and equitable, the human struggles of the lockdown and the COVID pandemic, the climate crisis, and the emissions of the shipping industry. It says all this in a beautiful story that emphasizes the need for storytelling and radically imagining the better world that we’re fighting for. It puts practical solutions to take our first steps towards climate justice while simultaneously challenging us to think about how and where we’re going next.’ Mitzi Jonelle Tan, Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines & Fridays for Future ‘This book brings the environmental and social challenges facing the shipping industry to the fore. After five months at sea, Christiaan reveals how the radical changes necessary to decarbonise shipping will rely on the skill, tenacity and sacrifices of seafarers. This book rightly asks the big question, how do we build an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable shipping industry? An important contribution to the challenges facing shipping that exposes the work needed to ensure the fundamental rights of seafarers are protected.’ Stephen Cotton, General Secretary, International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) ‘As the famous quote goes: “If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.” This is a book that does just that! Christiaan’s intense interest and vast knowledge on this subject matter jumps out from every page, whether it is directly recounting his extended sail cargo adventure in lively detail or using those experiences to bring alive the fabric and challenges of maritime transport and trade past and present. A story of sustainability, shipping and a glimpse of a maritime future full of possibilities that will sustain your interest throughout.’ Gavin Allwright, Secretary General of the International Windship Association (IWSA)'I am convinced that the Trade Winds is, indeed, an important addition to literature that might serve as support and guidance for academics and the general public on this very timely and complex topic. Additionally, the book can serve as a reference background for students and young researchers in their initial approach to the topics, providing a good base as well as interdisciplinary and multi-faceted approach to the topic.'Fabio Ballini, WMU Journal of Maritime Affairs (2023)'The book is very well written, and it is interesting to read about the practical details of navigation, work and social life onboard such an unusual vessel.'Nautilus Telegraph 'De Beukelaer's book Trade Winds about his adventure on the Avontuur, [is] an interesting interweaving of travelogue, scientific research and climate activism.'Roel Verrycken, De Tijd'During his search for low-carbon alternatives for international shipping, Christiaan De Beukelaer ended up in the niche of sailing cargo ships. He planned to conduct fieldwork for three weeks on board an old sailing ship, until the Corona crisis suddenly erupted and he was marooned at the sea for months. He documented his personal odyssey in Trade Winds, a book that moves between an in-depth analysis of modern shipping, climate research and a memoir about life at sea.' Gie Goris, MO* Magazine'A plausible, engaging account of the many problems that plague today’s shipping industry.'A. A. Batabyal, CHOICE (Vol. 61 No. 6) -- .Table of ContentsIntroduction: Annus pandemicus 1 Departure2 What is wrong with the shipping industry?3 Crossing the Atlantic4 Coffee, rum, and chocolate5 Point of return6 The eternal frontier7 Ship Earth8 Where are we headed?9 Sailing homeIndex

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Book SynopsisThe Durrell family are immortalised in Gerald Durrell's My Family and Other Animals and its ITV adaptation, The Durrells. But what of the real life Durrells? Why did they go to Corfu in the first place - and what happened to them after they left? The real story of the Durrells is as surprising and fascinating as anything in Gerry's books, and Michael Haag, with his first hand knowledge of the family, is the ideal narrator, drawing on diaries, letters and unpublished autobiographical fragments. The Durrells of Corfu describes the family's upbringing in India and the crisis that brought them to England and then Greece. It recalls the genuine characters they encountered on Corfu - Theodore the biologist, the taxi driver Spiro Halikiopoulos and the prisoner Kosti - as well as the visit of American writer Henry Miller. And Haag has unearthed the story of how the Durrells left Corfu, including Margo's and Larry's last-minute escapes before the War. An extended epilogue looks at the emergence of Larry as a world famous novelist, and Gerry as a naturalist and champion of endangered species, as well as the lives of the rest of the family, their friends and other animals. The book is illustrated with family photos from the Gerald Durrell Archive, many of them reproduced here for the first time.Trade ReviewThis real life story of the Durrell family is fascinating - Haag brilliantly traces their footsteps in pre-war Corfu, England and India -- Simon Nye, Writer, ITV ’s The DurrellsFamily stories are worth telling, and this one is fascinatingly put together by Michael Haag. For few families present such an entertaining patchwork tale as the Durrells. * Daily Mail *A lively and appreciative study. * Times *Given their talent for mythmaking, The Durrells of Corfu is probably as fine an introduction to the real lives of this remarkable family as could be written. * Sydney Morning Herald *Haag vividly evokes the time and the place with sumptuous descriptions ... [he] has written a love letter to an extraordinary family. As families and other animals go, the Durrells are a breed of their own. * Daily Express *Haag adds sadness and depth to a story that is superficially golden and charming, and which never stops being so. There is so much lustre here that nothing can tarnish it; the complications and grievances only make you admire the Durrells more. What a family, and what lives well lived. * Sunday Times *These pages conjure the restorative, redemptive atmosphere of sunlight on stone. * Observer *Praise for The Quest for Mary Magdalene: [A] well-researched and page-turning history ... a narrative as clue-rich as a thriller. * Sunday Times *Praise for The Tragedy of the Templars: 'Haag is a romantic pluralist, with an instinctive taste for the esoteric, the independent and the defeated; and a corresponding distrust of victors and orthodoxies. * TLS *Praise for The Templars: History and Myth: 'Here at long last is a history of the Knights Templar - and their secrets - that you can believe in. * Scotsman *Given that talent for mythmaking, The Durrells of Corfu is probably as fine an introduction to the real lives of this remarkable family as could be written. * Sydney Morning Herald *An absolutely riveting read. * The Mail on Sunday *A brief but rip-roaring biography of the multi-talented Durrell family. -- Marcus Berkman * Daily Mail *

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THE BOOK BEHIND THE HIT DOCUMENTARYA glimpse of life inside the world’s most secretive country, as told by Britain’s best-loved travel writer.In May 2018, former Monty Python stalwart and intrepid globetrotter Michael Palin spent two weeks in the notoriously secretive Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, a cut-off land without internet or phone signal, where the countryside has barely moved beyond a centuries-old peasant economy but where the cities have gleaming skyscrapers and luxurious underground train stations. His resulting documentary for Channel 5 was widely acclaimed.Now he shares his day-by-day diary of his visit, in which he describes not only what he saw – and his fleeting views of what the authorities didn’t want him to see – but recounts the conversations he had with the country’s inhabitants, talks candidly about his encounters with officialdom, and records his musings about a land wholly unlike any other he has ever visited – one that inspires fascination and fear in equal measure.Written with Palin’s trademark warmth and wit, and illustrated with beautiful colour photographs throughout, the journal offers a rare insight into the North Korea behind the headlines.

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Book SynopsisA little over ten years ago, Janine Marsh and her husband Mark gave up their city jobs in London to chase the good life in the countryside of northern France. Having overcome the obstacles of starting to renovate her dream home – an ancient, dilapidated barn – and fitting in with the peculiarities of her new neighbours, Janine is now the go-to expat in the area for those seeking to get to grips with a very different way of life.In the Seven Valleys, each season brings new challenges as well as new delights. Freezing weather in February threaten the lives of some of the four-legged locals; snow in March results in a broken arm, which in turn leads to an etiquette lesson at the local hospital; and a dramatic hailstorm in July destroys cars and houses, ultimately bringing the villagers closer together.With warmth and humour, Janine showcases a uniquely French outlook as two eternally ambitious expats drag a neglected farmhouse to life and stumble across the hidden gems of this very special part of the world________________Praise for Janine Marsh’s My Good Life in France:'Warm, uplifting, and effervescent ... Janine's voice and humor bubble right off the page, making you want to pack your bags and visit her fixer-upper home in rural France' – Samantha Verant, author of Seven Letters from Paris'If you've ever dreamed of discovering "the real France", you won't want to miss this delightful book' – Keith Van Sickle, author of One Sip at a Time: Learning to Live in Provence

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Book Synopsis'Full of smugglers tales, childhood memories and the real-life struggles of living on a remote island.' - Touring Tales ***'In the January dark, a young man walks slowly into the sea. He can't see where he is going, but he knows the island is calling...'Mary and Patrick's dream was to live in London, have 2.4 children, the nice house, the successful jobs. But life had other plans, and in one traumatic year that all came crashing down.Bruised and battered, Mary finds herself pulled towards Cornwall and dreams of St George's Island, where she spent halcyon childhood summers. So, when an opportunity arises to become tenants if they renovate the old Island House, they grab it with both hands.Life on the island is hard, especially in winter, the sea and weather, unforgiving. But the rugged natural beauty, the friendly ghosts of previous inhabitants, and the beautiful isolation of island life bring hope and purpose, as they discover a resilience they never knew they had.

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