Travel writing Books
Sort of Books The Last Days of the Bus Club
Book SynopsisIt's two decades since Chris Stewart moved to his farm on the wrong side of a river in the mountains of southern Spain and his daughter Chlöe is preparing to fly the nest for university. In this latest, typically hilarious dispatch from El Valero we find Chris, now a local literary celebrity, using his fame to help his old sheep-shearing partner find work on a raucous road trip; cooking a TV lunch for visiting British chef, Rick Stein; discovering the pitfalls of Spanish public speaking; and recalling his own first foray into the adult world of work. Yet it's at El Valero, his beloved sheep farm, that Chris remains in his element as he, his wife Ana and their assorted dogs, cats and sheep weather a near calamitous flood and emerge as newly certified organic farmers. His cash crop? The lemons and oranges he once so blithely drove over, of course.Trade ReviewWhen an author is as modest and humorous as this, his story cannot be told too often * The Times *An affectionate account of living well in the shade and scent of Stewart's beloved organic citrus trees. Happy days -- Iain Finlayson
£9.49
Faber & Faber The Dark Heart of Italy
Book SynopsisAn essential guide to the strange, sometimes sinister culture of contemporary Italy.When Tobias Jones first travelled to Italy, he expected to discover the pastoral bliss described by centuries of foreign visitors and famous writers. Instead, he discovered a very different country, besieged by unfathomable terrorism and deep-seated paranoia, where crime is scarcely ever met with punishment.Now, in this fascinating travelogue, Jones explores not just Italy''s familiar delights (art, climate, cuisine), but the livelier and stranger sides of the bel paese: language, football, Catholicism, cinema, television and terrorism. Why, he wonders, do bombs still explode every time politics start getting serious? Why does everyone urge him to go home as soon as possible, saying that Italy is a ''brothel''? And why do people warn him that ''Clean Hands'' only disguise ''Dirty Feet''?
£11.69
Vintage Publishing Journey Without Maps
Book SynopsisThe iconic writer''s travel log from the uncharted shores of West Africa. Leaving Europe for the first time in his life, Graham Greene set out in 1935 to discover Liberia, then a virtually unmapped republic on the shores of West Africa. This captivating account of his arduous 350-mile journey on foot - a great adventure which took him from the border with Sierra Leone to the Atlantic coast at Grand Bassa - is as much a record of one young man''s self-discovery as it is a striking insight into one of the few areas of Africa untouched by Western colonisation. Journey Without Maps is regarded as a masterclass in travel writing.WITH A FOREWORD BY TIM BUTCHER AND AN INTRODUCTION BY PAUL THEROUX''One of the best travel books this century'' IndependentTrade ReviewOne of the best travel books this century * Independent *No one who reads this book will question the value of Greene's experiment, or emerge unshaken by the penetration, the richness, the integrity of this moving record * Guardian *His originality lay in his gifts as a traveller. He had the foreign ear and eye for the strangeness of ordinary life and its ordinary crisesJourney Without Maps and The Lawless Roads reveal Greene's ravening spiritual hunger, a desperate need to touch rock bottom both within the self and in the humanly created world * Times Higher Education Supplement *
£9.99
Faber & Faber Stones of Aran
Book SynopsisStones of Aran: Pilgrimage is, as Robert Macfarlane says in his introduction, ''one of the most sustained, intensive and imaginative studies of a place that has ever been carried out''. That place is one of the most mysterious and oldest inhabited landscapes in the world, the islands of Aran off the west coast of Ireland. Tim Robinson''s epic exploration of the desolate, storm-lashed, limestone rocks, which have already haunted generations of Irish writers, takes the form of a clockwise journey around the coast. Every cliff, inlet and headland reveals layers of myth and historical memory, and Robinson makes beautifully crafted observations about the habits of birds, plants and the humans who lived there and endured, leaving records in stone - on the walls, cairns and ancient forts - in story and in oral tradition.
£14.24
Little, Brown Book Group Gladys Reunited
Book SynopsisFrom the author of BETWEEN THE STOPS and TOKSVIG''S ALMANACIn the Autumn of 1971, having been thrown out of a rather fancy private school, Sandi Toksvig was sent to the only remaining option - Mamaroneck High School, New York. She was thirteen years old and that year changed her life. Sandi auditioned and was chosen for the lead role in a production of The Skin of our Teeth by Thornton Wilder. Three girls were cast in the part of Gladys Antrobus, playing her at different ages of her life, and Sandi was the youngest. The three actresses soon became known as the Gladys'' and this was the beginning of a friendship with a group of females that still influences her to this day. Soon all the girls in the cast and crew were becoming members of The Gladys Society. In the end there were twelve of them.GLADYS REUNITED records Sandi''s travels in America catching up with her eleven fellows. It is a biography, a travel journal and a portrait of American women today. It''s about friendship but also about Sandi herself, as she explores the origins of her career as a performer and her sense of national identity - where exactly does she fit?Trade ReviewShould not be read while eating, or in public, for fear of becoming helpless with laughter and having concerned passers-by call the men in white coats to cart you away * BOOKS MAGAZINE *Touching and funny account of our favourite Great Dane going back to the America of her childhood and searching for its survivors * THE WEEK *Toksvig slices through absurdity with incisive wit. Her acid comments and quotes on "Dubya" alone are worth the read... Toksvig has learnt to strike pure and true. And if she can be entertaining along the way, so much the better. * IRISH TIMES *
£999.99
Orion Publishing Co The Golden Door
Book SynopsisBritain''s most readable journalist takes on his biggest challenge - America.Where were you when John F. Kennedy was shot? Today the answer more often than not is going to be ''not born''. You have to be some way past 45 to know where you were when Kennedy was shot in Dallas in 1963. A generation later, you could ask the same question about the World Trade Centre. Where were you when the plane hit the twin towers on 11 September 2001? But this book is about what happened between those two moments. The world''s perception of America changed between those two waves.A.A. Gill''s book is about the things he''s always found admirable and optimistic about the United States and its citizens. Two of the happiest times of his life were spent living in New York and the mountains of Kentucky. The contrast between the two couldn''t have been more complicated and different. The America he found was contradictory and elusive, not the simpletons'' place he''d been led to Trade ReviewA.A. Gill sees things very differently, and in this collection of penetrating and abrasive essays he takes issue with any number of lazy cliches. * THE MAIL ON SUNDAY *This immensely entertaining collection of pieces inspired by Gill's love and knowledge of America provides a welcome reminder of his gift for sharp, clever and vigorous prose. In all of them, he shows his skill in fusing cultural and historical knowledge, personal anecdotes and trenchant opinions. * THE SUNDAY TIMES *
£9.99
The Armchair Traveller at the Bookhaus A Journey into Russia
Book SynopsisTen years ago journalist Jens Muhling met Juri, a Russian television producer whose job it was to sell stories to TV stations in Germany but who always maintained that 'The true stories are more unbelievable than anything I could invent.' Ever since, Jens Muhling has been travelling through Russia in search of stories that appear too unbelievable to be true: a hermit from the Taiga who only recently found out that there was a world beyond the woods, a priest who ventures into the exclusion zone around Chernobyl to preach to those that stubbornly remain there, and many more. Jens Muhling shows us a country whose customs, contradictions, absurdities and attractions are still largely unknown beyond its borders.Trade Review'To understand the ambiguities, contradictions, absurdities and complexities of the Russian soul, the advice was always to read Gogol. The advice now would be to read Muhling. There is a shock of discovery and a shot of pleasure on every page.' -The Times; 'A compelling story of an author's journey into deepest Siberia in a quest to meet a woman determined to remain cut off from the outside world ' - Daily Telegraph
£9.99
Eland Publishing Ltd A View of the World Selected Journalism
Book SynopsisThese twenty articles, written during a period of thirty years, include an interview with Castro's executioner; a meeting with a tragic Ernest Hemingway; a farcical trip to the Chocos of Panama; a description of a fishing community in an unspoilt Ibiza; an extraordinary story of bandits in the highlands of Sardinia, and Lewis's famous report on the genocide of South America's Indians.
£17.09
Eland Publishing Ltd The Pharaoh's Shadow: Travels in Ancient and
Book SynopsisIn a ruined temple along the Nile, Anthony Sattin sees a woman praying to the gods of ancient Egypt to bless her with a child. Later that day, a policeman stops his taxi to ask to borrow a mobile phone to call his mother. The ancient rubs up against the modern just as dramatically as when Flaubert wrote, 'Egypt is a wonderful place for contrasts - splendid things gleam in the dust". Anthony Sattin has tracked down extraordinary examples of ancient survivals in the hurly-burly of modern Egypt.
£11.69
i2i Publishing Canned Coffee and Kimonos
Book SynopsisCanned coffee and Kimonos is Tom Fitzmaurice's memoir of the four years he spent living and teaching in Tokyo, Japan, the biggest city on Earth. A young man from England's rural West Country, he was thrust into a new world for which he was completely unprepared and which he found utterly bewildering. Tom gives an insight into the life of an English teacher in this most fascinating of countries and how he found his feet teaching students aged two to ninety-one. From sitting in a robot restaurant watching a giant metal triceratops firing multicoloured laser beams, to the quietude of secluded and ancient mountain-top shrines on remote Japanese islands, this is a story of coming of age in a beguiling metropolis, of culture shock, faux pas, joy, hilarity, horror and the steepest of learning curves. Earthquakes, hedgehog cafes, bathing with the yakuza, love hotels, typhoons, geisha, nuclear fallout, fascists, festivals, temples, bullet trains, karaoke, samurai swords, sushi and sumo. This memoir has it all.
£13.49
Eland Publishing Ltd A Visit to Don Otavio
Book SynopsisMexico, through the eyes of Sybille Bedford is a country of passion and paradox: arid desert and shrieking jungle, harsh sun and deep shadow, violence and sentimentality. In her frank descriptions of the horrors of travel - through bug-infested jungle, trapped in a broiling stationary train, or in a bus with a dead fish slapping against her face - she gains our trust. But it is the charmed world of Don Otavio which steals our imagination. He is, she says, one of the kindest men I ever met. She stays in his crumbling ancestral mansion, living a life of provincial ease and observing with glee the intense life of a Mexican neighbourhood.Trade Review"An absolutely first-class writer at the top of her powers" Mark Amory
£13.49
Penguin Books Ltd The Pillars of Hercules A Grand Tour of the
Book SynopsisAt the gateway to the Mediterranean lie the two Pillars of Hercules: Gibraltar and Ceuta, in Morocco. Paul Theroux decided to travel from one to the other but taking the long way round. His grand tour of the Mediterranean begins in Gibraltar and takes him through Spain, the French Riviera, Italy, Greece, Istanbul and beyond. He travels by any means necessary - including dilapidated taxi, smoke-filled bus, bicycle and even a cruise-liner. And he encounters bullfights, bazaars and British tourists, discovers pockets of humanity in war-torn Slovenia and Croatia, is astounded by the urban developments on the Costa del Sol and marvels at the ancient wonders of Delphi. Told with Theroux''s inimitable wit and style, this lively and eventful tour evokes the essence of Mediterranean life.Table of ContentsThe cable car to the Rock of Gibraltar; the Mare Nostrum express to Alicante; the MV Punta Europa to Majorca; the Virgen de Guadalupe express to Barcelona and beyond; Le Grand Sud to Nice; the ferry Ile de Baute to Corsica; the ferry Ichnusa to Sardinia; the ferry Torres to Sicily; the ferry - Villa to Calabria; the ferry Clodia from Chioggia; the ferry Liburnija to Zadar; the ferry Venezia to Albania; the MV Seabourne Spirit to Istanbul; the MV Akdeniz through the Levant the 7:20 express to Latakia; the ferry Sea Harmony to Greece; the ferry El-Loud III to Kerkennah; to Morocco on the ferry Boughaz.
£12.34
Little, Brown Book Group A Thousand Days In Tuscany: A Bittersweet Romance
Book SynopsisContinuing from A Thousand Days in Venice, this is the story of Marlena and her Venetian husband, Fernando, as they make a life for themselves in rural Tuscany. Amongst the many people they befriend is Barluzzo, an old sage who takes the couple under his wing and initiates them in the age-old traditions of Tuscan life: since their house lacks electricity, he helps them build a traditional brick oven in the garden; in autumn he wakes them at dawn to gather chestnuts and porcini mushrooms, and at the onset of winter he takes them to pull grapes from the vines and beat olives from the trees. Beautifully written and richly seasoned with mouth-watering recipes of the region, this book is filled with the carpe diem attitude that so captivated readers of A Thousand Days in Venice.Trade ReviewDe Blasi's glittering descriptions and mouthwatering recipes take you directly into the heart of Italy and into the souls of the Italian people * Adriana Trigiani, New York Times bestselling author of Lucia, Lucia *Filled with warmth and the rich and simple drama of a beautiful life. The evocation of country dishes is mouthwatering, the lyrical beauty irresistible * Susan Herrmann Loomis, author of On Rue Tatin: Living and Cooking in a French Town *A love poem to de Blasi's professional life as a chef' USA Today * 'This memoir of the seasons in a small Tuscan village is rich with food, weather, romance, and, above all, life . . . [de Blasi] immerses her readers in life's poignancy, brevity, and wonder' Publishers Weekly *
£10.44
Ebury Publishing Sweet Honey Bitter Lemons
Book SynopsisMatthew Fort has worked on the food pages of the Guardian for more than ten years. He also writes for the Observer, Esquire, Country Living, Decanter and Waitrose Food Illustrated and appears as a judge on BBC2's Great British Menu. One of Matthew's greatest passions is Italy, which he visits every year. Sweet Honey, Bitter Lemons is his fifth book.Trade ReviewWitty and romantic * Metro *An accomplished piece of travel writing that makes you want to explore the island all for yourself * Sunday Express *Perfect summer holiday reading * The Bookseller *Matthew has an infectious delight in proper food * Rick Stein *The finest book on this fascinating cuisine since Peter Robb's Midnight in Sicily -- Christopher Hirst * The Independent *
£14.39
The Armchair Traveller at the Bookhaus In Byron′s Footsteps
Book SynopsisWhen Tessa de Loo saw Albania for the first time, no foreigners were allowed to enter. Filled with a great curiosity, longing, and a sense of wonderment by this isolated land, de Loo gazed toward the mountains that stood like 'the backs of patiently waiting elephants' across the water from Corfu. Inspired by the famous Thomas Phillips portrait of Lord Byron in Albanian national costume, and enthralled by the image of Lord Byron since her teenage years, she sets about exploring not only his physical journey, but attempts to understand his inner one as well. de Loo stole her way in and found a country suffering the hardships of post-communist reality and the constant and sometimes fractious clash between tradition and modernity. In the tradition of Bruce Chatwin, de Loo, the award-winning author of "The Twins," has written a fascinating travelogue and a very personal reassessment of the a formative chapter in Lord Byron's short life.Trade Review'[One notes] the seriousness and humour with which De Loo laces her contribution to superior travel literature... She gives her report in the form of letters to Byron (My dear friend, My dearest George) alternated with chapters where she recounts Byron's journey. However euphoric De Loo's report is not too affected, it stays lively and informative... is a book of contrasts, surprises and disappointments, written cheerfully and with eye for details.' Vrij Nederland
£9.49
Eland Publishing Ltd Travels into Bokhara
Book SynopsisAlexander Burnes travelled up the Indus to Lahore and to the Khanates of Afghanistan and Central Asia in the 1830s, spying on behalf of the British Government in what was to become known as the 'Great Game'. His account of these travels was a bestseller in its day and this brand new edition brings the heady sense of excitement, risk and zeal bursting from the pages.
£13.49
Garnet Publishing Steak: One Man's Search for the World's Tastiest
Book Synopsis
£9.49
The Armchair Traveller at the Bookhaus An Armchair Traveller's History of Apulia
Book Synopsis"An Armchair Traveller's History of Apulia" is the story of the heel of Italy - Puglia - as told by past and present day travellers. It has beautiful landscapes, cave towns and frescoed grotto churches, wonderful old cities with Romanesque cathedrals, Gothic castles and a wealth of Baroque architecture. And yet, while far from inaccessible, until quite recently it was seldom visited by tourists. This portrait of Apulia concentrates on the Apulian people down the ages. Conquerors, whether Messapians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Lombards, Byzantines, Normans, Angevins, Germans or Spaniards, have all left their mark on the region in a cultural palimpsest that at first sight bewilders, but which hugely repays investigation. This title is arranged in short chapters, the narrative travels from north to south, making it an ideal companion for exploring Apulia by car. The Gazetteer, which is cross-referenced to the main text, highlights cities, churches, cathedrals, castles and sites of historical importance to the visitor. For travellers on the ground or students at their desks, this elegant, cloth-bound book will prove invaluable.
£999.99
Octopus Publishing Group Tales from the Fast Trains: Around Europe at
Book SynopsisTired of airport security queues, delays and all those extra taxes and charges, Tom Chesshyre embarks on a series of high-speed adventures across the Continent on its fast trains instead. From shiny London St Pancras, Tom travels to places that wouldn't feature on a standard holiday wish-list, and discovers the hidden delights of mysterious Luxembourg, super-trendy Rotterdam, much-maligned Frankfurt and lovely lakeside Lausanne, via a pop concert in Lille. It's 186 mph all the way - well, apart from a power cut in the Channel Tunnel on the way to Antwerp. Is our idea of 'Europe' changing as its destinations become easier to reach? And what fun can you have at the ends of the lines? Jump on board and find out!Trade ReviewMake a note to buy this... If you're tired of the endless delays and extra costs at airports, this book will inspire you to hop on a train. Discover hidden delights of Europe with no hidden charges or taxes. It's a fun-packed read, as well as being very informative. * Prima *Featured on BBC Radio 4 - Excess Baggage * BBC Radio 4 - Excess Baggage *
£10.44
Little, Brown Book Group Crazy River
Book Synopsis* A thrilling story of three months in the most remote spot Tanzania, the Malagarasi river, the 'river of bad spiritsTrade ReviewGrant is a fearless, literary-minded travel writer. In his latest escapade he makes a maiden descent down the unexplored East African river, the Malagarasi -- Richard Fitzpatrick * Irish Examiner *A high-energy book -- Iain Finlayson * The Times *Grant has the makings of a first-class travel writer. He's wide-eyed without being too trusting, good at ferreting out unlikely people and possessed of ample reserves of both masochism and self-pity -- John Preston * Spectator *
£10.79
Penguin Random House Children's UK Notes From A Small Island
Book SynopsisAfter nearly two decades in Britain, Bill Bryson took the decision to move Mrs Bryson, little Jimmy et al back to the States for a while. But before leaving his much-loved Yorkshire Bryson insisted on taking one last trip around old Blighty, a sort of valedictory tour of the green and kindly island that had for so long been his home. The resulting book was a eulogy to the country that produced Marmite, George Formby, by-elections, milky tea, places names like Farleigh Wallop, Titsey and Shellow Bowells, Gardeners'' Question Time and people who say ''Mustn''t grumble''. Britain would never seem the same again.Since it was first published in 1995, NOTES FROM A SMALL ISLAND has never been far from the top of the bestseller lists, and has sold over one and a half million copies. This special hardcover eidtion is published to mark the book''s unique place in the hearts of readers around the world and to celebrate Bill Bryson''s standing as the best-loved travel writer and humorisTrade ReviewNot a book that should be read in public, for fear of emitting loud snorts * The Times *Laugh-out-loud funny * The Good Book Guide *Splendid... What's enjoyable is that there's as much of Bryson in here as there is of Britain * Sunday Telegraph *Bryson is funny because he is not afraid to give completely of himself * Daily Express *Astute and funny...a tribute to [Britain's] enchantments by an unabashed anglophile. * New York Times *
£16.52
HarperCollins Publishers Four Mums in a Boat Friends who rowed 3000 miles
Book SynopsisA TOP 10 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERSHORTLISTED FOR THE 2018 SPORTS BOOK AWARDSLONGLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2017The incredible true story of four ordinary working mums from Yorkshire who took on an extraordinary challenge and broke a world record along the way.Janette, Frances, Helen and Niki, though all from Yorkshire, were four very different women, all juggling full time jobs alongside being mothers to each of their 2 children. They could never be described as athletes, but they were determined to be busy and the local Saturday morning rowing club was the perfect place to go to have a laugh and a gossip, get the blood pumping in the open air, and feel invigorated.Brought together by their love of rowing, they quickly became firm friends, and it wasn't long before they cooked up a crazy idea over a few glasses of wine: together, they were going to do something that fewer people than had gone into space or climbed Everest had succeeded in doing. They were going to cross 3,000 miles of treacherous ocean in the toughest row in the world, The Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge.Yes, they had children and husbands that they would be leaving behind for two months, yes they had businesses to run, mortgages to pay, responsibilities. And there was that little thing of them all being in their 40s and 50s.But two years of planning, preparation, fundraising, training and difficult conversations later, and they found themselves standing on the edge of the San Sebastian harbour in the Canary Islands, petrified, exhilarated and ready to head up the race of their lives.This is the story of how four friends together had the audacity to go on a wild, terrifying and beautiful adventure, not to escape life, but for life not to escape them.Trade Review‘We’re so impressed, what an incredible experience and a great achievement.’ITV This Morning ‘They raced into the record books, and the hearts of many people inspired by the story of four ordinary women who proved that anything is possible.'BBC Breakfast ‘The legacy of their adventure will be felt by thousands of people across Yorkshire in years to come.’Yorkshire Post
£11.07
Penguin Books Ltd The London Compendium
Book SynopsisEd Glinert was born in Dalston. In addition to The London Compendium, he is the author of Literary London, East End Chronicles, West End Chronicles and The Manchester Compendium, among other titles. He founded Manchester's City Life magazine, has written for Private Eye and and leads walking tours in both London and Manchester.
£13.49
Orion Publishing Co Looking for Adventure
Book SynopsisA Childhood Dream. A Lost Land. The Journey of a Lifetime.How do you become an explorer? It''s a question every child has asked. And, Steve Backshall was no different. But after a rainy-day visit to an exhibition of artefacts from Papua New Guinea, it was a question that began to obsess the seven-year old Backshall. Due to this childhood interest, the vast, untamed wildness of Papua New Guinea was where Backshall forged his unlikely path. From crushing lows of early failures to the extraordinary highs of the BBC''s Lost Land of the Volcano expedition, it was this dark island which gave Backshall his opportunity. Full of incredible wildlife, extraordinary wilderness, jungles, cannibals, pitfalls, triumph, danger and excitement, Looking for Adventure is the irresistible, inspiring story of a little boy who let his heart rule his head.
£10.44
Ebury Publishing Walking the Amazon
Book SynopsisIn April 2008, Ed Stafford began his attempt to become the first man ever to walk the entire length of the River Amazon. Nearly two and a half years later, he had crossed the whole of South America to reach the mouth of the colossal river.With danger a constant companion - outwitting alligators, jaguars, pit vipers and electric eels, not to mention overcoming the hurdles of injuries and relentless tropical storms - Ed''s journey demanded extreme physical and mental strength. Often warned by natives that he would die, Ed even found himself pursued by machete-wielding tribesmen and detained for murder.However, Ed''s journey was an adventure with a purpose: to help raise people''s awareness of environmental issues. Ed had unprecedented access to indigenous communities and witnessed the devastating effects of the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest first-hand. His story of disappearing tribes and loss of habitats concerns us all.Ultimately though, Walking the Trade ReviewWalking from the Pacific, over the Andes and along the entire length of the Amazon to the Atlantic is truly extraordinary ... To do all this in more than 800 continuous days with just a backpack puts Stafford's endeavour in the top league of expeditions past and present. -- Sir Ranulph Fiennes OBEIs this Britain's most intrepid explorer since Scott of the Antarctic? * The Daily Mail *All generations need heroes; it's lovely to have a real one for a change. -- Antonia Senior * The Times *Ed Stafford is the real deal. * The Times *
£12.34
Vintage Publishing The Meaning of Rice: A Culinary Tour of Japan
**Shortlisted for the 2017 André Simon Food and Drink Book Awards****Shortlisted for the 2018 Fortnum & Mason Food Book Award**'The next Bill Bryson.’ New York TimesFood and travel writer Michael Booth and his family embark on an epic journey the length of Japan to explore its dazzling food culture. They find a country much altered since their previous visit ten years earlier (which resulted in the award-winning international bestseller Sushi and Beyond). Over the last decade the country’s restaurants have won a record number of Michelin stars and its cuisine was awarded United Nations heritage status. The world’s top chefs now flock to learn more about the extraordinary dedication of Japan’s food artisans, while the country’s fast foods – ramen, sushi and yakitori – have conquered the world. As well as the plaudits, Japan is also facing enormous challenges. Ironically, as Booth discovers, the future of Japan’s culinary heritage is under threat.Often venturing far off the beaten track, the author and his family discover intriguing future food trends and meet a fascinating cast of food heroes, from a couple lavishing love on rotten fish, to a chef who literally sacrificed a limb in pursuit of the ultimate bowl of ramen, and a farmer who has dedicated his life to growing the finest rice in the world… in the shadow of Fukushima.
£9.99
Eland Publishing Ltd A Reed Shaken by the Wind Travels Among the Marsh
Book SynopsisThe Marsh Arabs of southern Iraq were one of the most isolated communities in the world. Few outsiders, let alone Europeans, had been permitted to travel through their homeland, a mass of tiny islands lost in a wilderness of reeds and swamps in southern Iraq. One of the few trusted outsiders was the legendary explorer, Wilfred Thesiger, who was Gavin Maxwell's guide to the intricate landscape, tribal customs and distinctive architecture of the Marsh Arabs. Thesiger's skill with a medicine chest and rifle assured them a welcome in every hamlet, and Maxwell's training as a naturalist and writer has left an invaluable record of a unique community and a vanished way of life.
£11.69
Eland Publishing Ltd Old Glory: An American Voyage
Book Synopsis'Jonathan Raban is one of the world's greatest living travel writers.' William Dalrymple 'The best book of travel ever written by an Englishman about the United States' Jan Morris, IndependentNavigating the Mississippi River from Minneapolis to New Orleans, Raban opens himself to experience the river in all her turbulent and unpredictable old glory. Going wherever the current takes him, he joins a coon-hunt in Savana, falls for a girl in St Louis, worships with black Baptists in Memphis, hangs out with the housewives of Pemiscot and the hog-king of Dubuque. Through tears of laughter, we are led into the heartland of America – with its hunger and hospitality, its inventive energy and its charming lethargy – and come to know something of its soul. The journey is as much the story of Raban as it is of the Mississippi. Navigating the dangerous, ever-changing waters in an unsuitably fragile aluminium skiff, he immerses himself with an irresistible emotional intensity as he tries to give shape to the river and the story – finding himself by turns vulnerable, curious, angry and, like all of us, sometimes foolishly in love.
£13.49
Eland Publishing Ltd Arabia through the Looking Glass
Book Synopsis'Of all his generation's travellers, Jonathan Raban is the most sophisticated, writing with a subtle and imaginative brilliance.' Colin Thubron 'One of the most humane and visionary of all travel writers.' Jeremy SealInto Jonathan Raban's familiar Earls Court neighbourhood after the 1970s oil boom came new visitors from the Arab world, dressed in floor-length robes and yashmaks. A people apart, little known, Raban wanted to get behind the myth and the rumour to discover the reality of their lives and world. His journey took him through Bahrain, Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Yemen, Egypt and Jordan. What he discovered was a far cry from the camel, tent and sand dune archetypes of early European explorers. Oil wealth had seeped into almost every corner, and Bedouin encampments had been replaced by cosmopolitan boomtowns, camels by Range Rovers. The sons of Bedouin nomads were now studying medicine in Europe and engineering in New York. Yet in this fast-moving world, old certainties remained – and cultural innovation lagged miles behind economic change.Raban's gift for friendship introduces us to a series of memorable individuals – rich and poor – set against the feel, the smells, the sounds and the nuances of Arabia.
£11.69
Little, Brown Book Group Glowing Still
Book SynopsisBritain's foremost woman travel writer Sara Wheeler records her life of adventure, from the Antarctic to Zanzibar'Funny, furious writing from the queen of intrepid travel' Daily Telegraph'Intrepid and sparky, full of canny quips and lightly poetic observations' Mail on Sunday'Magnificent and unusual' Viv Groskop, Spectator Sara Wheeler is Britain's foremost woman travel writer. Glowing Still is the story of her travelling life - what is 'important, revealing or funny' - in a notoriously testosterone-laden field. Growing up among blue-collar Conservatives in Bristol where 'we didn't know anyone who wasn't like us', Wheeler knew she needed to get away. In her twenties she began a dramatic escape: Pole to Pole, via Poland. Glowing Still recalls happy days on India's Puri Express; an Antarctic lavatory through which a seal po
£11.69
Greystone Books,Canada Couchsurfing in Iran: Revealing a Hidden World
Book SynopsisIncluded in the 2018 summer reading list by New York Times BooksA modern-day glimpse into the surprising reality of life in Iran.Iran: A destination that is seldom seen by westerners yet often misunderstood. A country that simultaneously “enchants and enrages” those who visit it. A place where leading a double life has become the norm.In Couchsurfing in Iran, award-winning author Stephan Orth spends sixty-two days on the road in this mysterious Islamic republic to provide a revealing, behind-the-scenes look at life in one of the world’s most closed societies. Through the unsurpassed hospitality of twenty-two hosts, he skips the guidebooks and tourist attractions and travels from Persian carpet to bed to cot, covering more than 8,400 kilometers to recount “this world’s hidden doings.” Experiencing daily what he calls the “two Irans” that coexist side by side—the “theocracy, where people mourn their martyrs” in mausoleums, and the “hide-and-seek-ocracy, where people hold secret parties and seek worldly thrills instead of spiritual bliss”—he learns that Iranians have become experts in navigating around their country’s strict laws.Though couchsurfing is officially prohibited in Iran—the state fears spies would be able to travel undetected through the country—more than a hundred thousand Iranians are registered with online couchsurfing portals. And thanks to these hospitable, English-speaking strangers, Orth gets up close and personal with locals, peering behind closed doors and blank windows to uncover the inner workings of a country where public show and private reality are strikingly opposed.Trade Review"Orth used the internet to launch himself into a fantastical realm that happens to be real."—Liesl Schillinger, New York Times"A breezy narrative that offers a couch-level view of Iran that you won't find in travel guides."—Kirkus Reviews[Orth"] revels in the small details of Iranian life.—Morley Walker, Winnipeg Free Press
£999.99
Eland Publishing Ltd Time Among the Maya: Travels in Belize, Guatemala
Book SynopsisThe Maya of Central America created one of the most dazzling civilizations on this earth, which is often compared to Ancient Greece. The Maya had a delight in creation, expressed in art, architecture, pottery, astronomy, mathematics and mythology, all combined with a deep, metaphysical fascination with time. This civilization seems to have collapsed in the ninth century, some five hundred years before the Spanish conquest of America. Ronald Wright travelled through the old territories of the Maya (the jungles and mountains of Guatemala, Belize and Mexico) to explore the ancient roots of their culture and to map out what has survived. Despite civil wars and centuries of oppression by first an Hispanic, then Mestizo culture, he discovers a region where seven million people still speak Mayan languages and struggle to maintain their resilient, indigenous culture. It is at once a riveting journey, written with wit and wisdom, but also a study of a civilization. It is travel writing at its broadest and its best.
£13.49
Eland Publishing Ltd On Fiji Islands
Book SynopsisIn little more than a century, Fiji islanders have made the transition from cannibalism to Christianity, from colony to flourishing self-government, without losing their own culture. As Ronald Wright observes, societies that do not eat people are fascinated by those that did, and often used this fact as an excuse to conquer, kill and enslave. Touring cities bustling with Indian merchants, quiet Fijian villages and taking part in communal ceremonies, he attributes the remarkable independence of Fiji to the fact that the indigenous social structure remains intact and eighty-three per cent of the land remains in local hands. Wright tells their story with wit and evident pleasure.
£11.69
Crescent House When Men & Mountains Meet Paperback: Like the
Book Synopsis
£11.40
Eland Publishing Ltd The Island that Dared: Journeys in Cuba
Book Synopsis"The Island That Dared" is a passionate book from the pen of Dervla Murphy, which begins with a three-generational family holiday in Cuba. Led by their redoubtable hard-walking grandmother, the trio of young girls and their mother soon find themselves camping out on empty beaches beneath the stars with only crabs and mosquitoes for company. This pure Swallows and Amazons experience confirms Dervla in her quest to understand the unique society that has been created by the Cuban Revolution. She returns again and again to explore the island, investigating the experience of modern Cuba with her particular, candid curiosity. Through her own research and through conversations with Fidelistas and their critics alike, "The Island That Dared" builds a complex picture of a people struggling to retain their identity in the face of insistent hostility, and to stand against the all-but-overwhelming fire-power of capitalism. Whatever the fate of Cuba, "The Island That Dared" beautifully fulfils the role of a great travel book, 'to catch the moment on the wing, and stop it in Time' - Colin Thubron.
£13.49
Eland Publishing Ltd The Waiting Land
Book SynopsisIn "The Waiting Land" (first published in 1967) Dervla Murphy affectionately portrays the people of Nepal's different tribes, the customs of an ancient, complex civilization and the country's natural grandeur and beauty. This is the third of Dervla Murphy's early travel books: an exploration of Nepal by a feisty, generous-hearted young Irish woman. Yet it can also be seen as the completion of a trilogy of books concerned with her experience of self- sufficient mountain cultures, first tasted in crossing Persia and Afghanistan in "Full Tilt", and deepened with her experience of working with Tibetan refugees in the frontiers of Northern India, as told in "Tibetan Foothold". Having settled in a village in the Pokhara Valley to work at a Tibetan refugee camp, she makes her home in a tiny, vermin-infested room over a stall in the bazaar. In diary form, she describes her various journeys by air, by bicycle and on foot into the remote and mountainous Lantang region on the border of Tibet. Murphy's charm and sensitivity as a writer and traveller reveal not only the vitality of an age-old civilization facing the challenge of Westernisation, but the wonder and excitement of her own remarkable adventures.
£11.69
Lonely Planet Global Limited Lonely Planet Tales from Nowhere
Book SynopsisLonely Planet: The world's leading travel guide publisher*Unexpected stories from unexpected places.Many places can feel like nowhere: a desert, an isolated village, even the middle of a bustling, impersonal city. And then something happens: an adventure, a revelation, an experience that changes the whole landscape. The discovery that every place is the centre of the world to somebody and has its own riches and wonders. The authors of these 30 real-life tales find passion, surprise and illumination in the middle of Borneo or Beijing, in a Mayan mountain village, along a timeworn trail in Tuscany, on an isolated South Pacific island, or under a desert moon in Mali.These richly varied stories all celebrate and illuminate one simple truth: if we embark on each adventure with an open heart and an open mind, travel will take us places we never planned to go, and enrich and enlighten us in ways we never otherwise would have known.Featuring stories by: Anthony Sattin, Danny Wallace, Jason Elliot, Pam Houston, Ralph Potts, Pico Iyer, Tim Cahill, Simon WinchesterAbout Lonely Planet: Started in 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel guide publisher with guidebooks to every destination on the planet, as well as an award-winning website, a suite of mobile and digital travel products, and a dedicated traveller community. Lonely Planet's mission is to enable curious travellers to experience the world and to truly get to the heart of the places where they travel.TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Awards 2012 and 2013 winner in Favorite Travel Guide category'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' - New York Times'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves, it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' - Fairfax Media (Australia) *#1 in the world market share - source: Nielsen Bookscan. Australia, UK and USA. March 2012-January 2013
£8.54
Eland Publishing Ltd The Station
Book SynopsisThe Station follows three high-spirited young men as they visit twenty monasteries on Mount Athos in 1927.
£13.49
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Granite Kingdom: A Cornish Journey
Book SynopsisShortlisted for the Edward Stanford Travel Book of the Year Award A fascinating, lyrical account of an east-west walk across Britain's westernmost and most mysterious region. A distant and exotic Celtic land, domain of tin-miners, pirates, smugglers and evocatively named saints, somehow separate from the rest of our island... Few regions of Britain are as holidayed in, as well-loved or as mythologized as Cornwall. From the woodlands of the Tamar Valley to the remote peninsula of Penwith – via the wilderness of Bodmin Moor and coastal villages where tourism and fishing find an uneasy coexistence – Tim Hannigan undertakes a zigzagging journey on foot across Britain's westernmost region to discover how the real Cornwall, its landscapes, histories, communities and sense of identity, intersect with the many projections and tropes that writers, artists and others have placed upon it. Combining landscape and nature writing with deep cultural inquiry, The Granite Kingdom is a probing but highly accessible tour of one of Britain's most popular regions, juxtaposing history, myth, folklore and literary representation with the geographical and social reality of contemporary Cornwall.Trade ReviewA magnificent work of travel and historical deconstruction – deeply personal, meticulously researched and hugely enjoyable. * Philip Marsden *Tim Hannigan writes with an authentic Cornish voice and a true internationalist’s breadth of understanding. * Patrick Gale *Anyone – tourist or resident – who has been seduced by the beauty and strangeness of Cornwall will find Tim Hannigan a congenial guide and companion. * Tom Fort, author of A303: Highway to the Sun *Beautifully researched and written with care. * Wyl Menmuir, author of The Draw of the Sea *Hannigan roams the country on foot, stitching together not only its geography but its histories and communities, while disentangling fact from myth, folk from folklore' * BBC Countryfile *Absorbing and insightful... skilfully interweaves geography, geology, travel memoir and history with an overview of the ways in which Cornwall has been portrayed in art and literature. There’s a lot to explore. * The TLS *The best kind of traveller, Hannigan is brimful of boundless curiosity... a beguiling book that throbs with passion, Hannigan has captured a portrait of a hidden and often mysterious Cornwall, conveying it with style, ternderness and passion * The Irish Times *PRAISE FOR TIM HANNIGAN: 'An excellent and thought-provoking book... What could have been a scholarly theoretical discourse is thoroughly enlivened by Tim Hannigan's decision to turn it into a travel odyssey' TLS. 'Travel writing used to be dominated by Old Etonians with colonialist tendencies; but [Tim Hannigan's] well-researched critique shows that the "travellees" are writing back' Guardian. 'A highly readable and entertaining narrative' Lonely Planet. 'A deft piece of genre-hopping' Telegraph. 'A timely look at the genre – why we travel, and why and how we write about it' * Irish Independent *
£23.79
Icon Books Across a Waking Land: A 1,000-Mile Walk Through a
Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE RICHARD JEFFERIES AWARD 2023'Roger Morgan-Grenville, one of Britain's leading conservationists' - The HeraldA veteran nature writer walks the length of Britain in pursuit of spring, and of hopeFed up with bleak headlines of biodiversity loss, acclaimed nature writer Roger Morgan-Grenville sets out on a 1,000-mile walk through a British spring to see whether there are reasons to be hopeful about the natural world. His aim is to match the pace at which the oak leaves emerge, roughly 20 miles north each day.Fighting illness, blizzards and his own ageing body, he visits every main habitat between Lymington and Cape Wrath in an epic eight-week adventure, encountering, over and over again, the kindness of strangers and the inspiring efforts of those fighting heroically for nature. With surprising conclusions throughout, what unfolds is both life-affirming and life-changing.Trade ReviewPrescient, perceptive and powerful: an articulate and thoughtful account of nature's increasingly fragile state experienced through an advancing spring. -- Tim Birkhead * author of Birds and Us *a good read ... I enjoyed it very much. -- Dr Mark Avery, wildlife campaigner * Mark Avery *
£17.09
Cultureshock Media Ltd The Power of Culture
Book SynopsisAlthough one of the world's smallest countries, Qatar punches well above its weight in terms of art and culture. It is home to innovative and striking pieces of public art as well as art-filled museums designed by world-famous architects. This is all part of a far-reaching plan to focus on becoming a culture-based, rather than carbon-based, economy a plan which Sheikha Mayassa has spearheaded on every level. It is this which makes The Power of Culture so informative and readable. Sheikha Mayassa's personality shines through every page, whether discussing the delights to be found in museums and galleries, or commenting on her favourite place to see wild life and where to find the best abayas. Part easy-to-read guide and part memoir, The Power of Culture offers a completely original insight into the Qatar of today,enhanced with in-depth interviews by Sheikha Mayassa with some of the leading architects and artists who have contribute
£18.00
Skyhorse Publishing Back to Istanbul: On Foot across Europe to the
Book SynopsisAfter trekking nearly 7,500 miles, from Istanbul, Turkey to Xi’an, China, French travel writer Bernard Ollivier thought he had put the Silk Road behind him—enough for a retiree to rest on his laurels! But that was before meeting his now-partner-in-life Bénédicte Flatet. Why, she asked, hadn’t he set out from France? After all, the city of Lyon was once Europe’s silk capital. Now, at seventy-five years old, Ollivier decides to lace up his walking boots and head out to complete his Silk-Road journey, once and for all: 1,900 miles, from Lyon to Istanbul. Only this time, he won’t be alone. Flatet has long yearned to hike side-by-side with Ollivier, so the couple sets out together . . . This unexpected fourth volume in Ollivier’s Silk Road series (Out of Istanbul, Walking to Samarkand, and Winds of the Steppe) is a wonderful bonus for the author’s fans: not only is it the enthralling continuation of his long walk across Asia, it’s a new journey unto itself, across Europe, full of delightful firsts, such as the inclusion of short chronicles by Flatet. Through ten countries—from familiar France and Italy to the more mysterious Balkans—the intrepid pair invites us to discover the sometimes happy, sometimes tragic history of those they encounter, and to share in their daily lives. Back to Istanbul is both a fervent appeal for greater understanding among peoples, and a magnificent declaration of love.Trade ReviewPraise for Bernard Ollivier “A journey with heart.”— The New York Times “Ollivier takes us on an absorbing walking tour of the Silk Road, experiencing many of the same marvels and dangers as the ancient caravans. . . . Though having an episodic feel, Ollivier's account brims with a sojourner's passion and an insatiable hunger for new vistas and peoples.”—Kirkus “Bernard Ollivier is a man eager to learn about the world around him, a writer who opens his readers’ eyes. As a journalist, he knows how to extract life’s real secrets from people’s memories. Truth is, in heading out onto the Silk Road, he wasn’t seeking history, but wisdom. And he finds it in the exceptional openness of nomads. This is the gift he offers to us.”—Dominique Gerbaud, president, Reporters Without Borders “Ollivier is a traveler. He doesn’t consider himself a writer. As a result, his prose is at times better than that of professional travel writers: he writes simply, focused not on fancy phrasings, but on providing a true-to-life account of his experiences. He doesn’t travel in order to write or publish a book. He travels as do so many of Conrad’s protagonists: for self-discovery.”—Le Monde "Though Ollivier's walk in this book comes to an end, it continues to evoke images and prod the reader’s wonderings long after it has been set aside, such is the author’s unrelenting candor and bent for description. In the end, it is not a solitary journey you read about, but one in which the reader is with him every step of the way."—Rick Antonson, author of Full Moon Over Noah’s Ark: An Odyssey to Mount Ararat and Beyond
£17.00
Oxford University Press The Meaning of Travel
Book SynopsisHow can we think more deeply about travel?This was the thought that inspired Emily Thomas to journey into the philosophy of travel, to explore the places where philosophy and travel intersect. Part philosophical ramble, part memoir, The Meaning of Travel begins in the Age of Discovery in the sixteenth century, when philosophers first began thinking and writing seriously about travel It then meanders forward to encounter the thoughts of Montaigne on otherness, John Locke on cannibals, and Henry Thoreau on wilderness.On our travels with Emily Thomas, we discover the dark side of maps, how the philosophy of space fuelled mountain tourism, and why you should wash underwear in woodland cabins... We also confront profound questions, such as the debate on the ethics of ''doom tourism'' (travel to doomed places such as glaciers or coral reefs), and how space travel might come to affect our understanding of human significance in a leviathan universe.The first ever history of the places where history and philosophy meet, this book will reshape your understanding of travel.Trade ReviewEmily Thomas combines a personal voice with highly informative, well-researched glimpses of particular philosophical travellers... It's accessible and it's entertaining, but also opens up interesting philosophical ideas. It's very original. * Nigel Warburton, Five Books, Best Philosophy Books 2020 *Emily Thomas has used her command of the philosophical canon to extend our understanding of an impulse that many of us share but few examine in such depth. The Meaning of Travel is a manifesto for the virtues that travel can bestow on the traveller not just an increase in knowledge, but a deep humility at the scale and diversity of the world, and an enduring wonder that we live on such a planet. * Philip Marsden, The Spectator *No one could ask for a more congenial companion than Emily Thomas on her 2,000-plus year journey through The Meaning of Travel ... an engaging primer on how travel has transformed both what we know and how we think. * Richard Larschan, The Times Higher Education Supplement, Book of the Week 02/04/2020 *Exceptionally thoughtful. * Sara Wheeler, Literary Review *Given our Covid confinement, "The Meaning of Travel" could not have come at a more poignant and appropriate time this profound little book explores why humans choose to wander from their homes with no ostensible purpose other than to make the excursion in question... Thomas is particularly engaging on the subject of the wilderness, and an account of a trip she made by herself to Alaska runs parallel with her broader inquiry. * Tunka Varadarajan, The Wall Street Journal *Novelty, knowledge and insight can be found in travel. It can make us wiser as well as better-informed ... having read this book, I am now both. * Graham Elliott, Standpoint *Emily Thomas's original and fun book The Meaning of Travel is my top pick in a year when travel is going to be difficult. One of the joys of the book is she's found so many great quotations from philosophers on the topic. * Nigel Warburton, Five Books, Summer Reading 2020: Philosophy Books *The author moves deftly from one aspect of travel and philosophy to the next and her delight in the subject is well conveyed... [The book] is more like an old map, an invitation to adventure which might take the form of travel or philosophy or, preferably, both. I recommend it especially to those with a strong faith in universal common sense, for travel and philosophy can sometimes disturb any such notion. * Stephen Leach, Philosophy Now *A real delight... Treat yourself! * Peter Smith, Logic Matters *Brilliantly researched and detailed, while staying humorous throughout, 'The Meaning of Travel' is a fantastic exploration of how travel can broaden the mind. * Stuart Kenny, Much Better Adventures (13 of the best travel books to read while you self-isolate) *A unique and extraordinary read that is as informed and informative as it is thoughtful and thought-provoking. * The Midwest Book Review *A highly enjoyable and stimulating read - definitely a good book to take with you on your travels. * Paradigm Explorer *An original, engaging book... Emily Thomas has a lightness of touch that never undercuts the seriousness and complexities of the issues discussed. * Julian Baggini, author of How the World Thinks: A Global History of Philosophy *This is the finest kind of travel: not just across continents, but through time, space and our infinite minds. The journey is the joy, and Emily Thomas a terrific guide. * Mike Parker *At last - a book not about where we travel, but why. The Meaning of Travel illuminates the reasons weve been tempted to set out on untrodden paths for centuries. * Dea Birkett, author of Serpent in Paradise *A highly enjoyable and stimulating read - definitely a good book to take with you on your travels. * David Lorimer, Paradigm Explorer *Table of ContentsTravelling well: top 10 vintage trips 1: What is travel? Montaigne and otherness 2: What are maps? Brian Harley on cartographic deception 3: Francis Bacon on exploration and apocalyptic philosophy of science 4: Innate ideas on Descartes, Locke, and Cannibals 5: Why did tourism start? A grand tale of education and sex 6: Travel writing, thought experiments, and Margaret Cavendish's 'Blazing World' 7: Mountain travel and Henry More's philosophy of space 8: Edmund Burke and sublime tourism 9: Wilderness philosophy, Henry Thoreau, and cabin porn 10: Is 'travel' a male concept? 11: The ethics of doom tourism 12: Will space travel show the Earth is insignificant? Returning home: top 10 vintage trips Notes Select Bibliography Index
£11.69
Hodder & Stoughton Clanlands: Whisky, Warfare, and a Scottish
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 *
£17.00
Icon Books Come Fly the World: The Women of Pan Am at War
Book Synopsis** Chosen as a May 2021 pick for The Fearless Book Club by Nobel Peace Prize-Winner, Malala Yousafzai **Travel writer Julia Cooke's exhilarating portrait of Pan Am stewardesses in the Mad Men era.Glamour, danger, liberation: in the Jet Age, Pan Am offered young women the world. Come Fly the World tells the story of the stewardesses who served on the iconic Pan American Airways between 1966 and 1975 - and of the unseen diplomatic role they played on the world stage.Alongside the glamour was real danger, as they flew soldiers to and from Vietnam and staffed Operation Babylift - the dramatic evacuation of 2,000 children during the fall of Saigon. Cooke's storytelling weaves together the true stories of women like Lynne Totten, a science major who decided life in a lab was not for her, to Hazel Bowie, one of the relatively few African American stewardesses of the era, as they embraced the liberation of a jet-set life.In the process, Cooke shows how the sexualized coffee-tea-or-me stereotype was at odds with the importance of what they did, and with the freedom, power and sisterhood they achieved.Trade Review...In confident, clear-eyed, multi-layered prose, Julia Cooke brings to life the true stories of unforgettable Pan-Am stewardesses who defied convention, to seek more from life than they were given. This is a well-researched and fascinating history of air travel, gender equality, and so much more. -- – Rachel Khong, author of GOODBYE VITAMINCome Fly the World is a pop passport to another time. Take a social history flight with the women of Pan Am. -- – Lily Koppel, author of New York Times bestseller THE ASTRONAUT WIVES CLUBBefore second-wave feminism came along to challenge the admissions policies of law, medical, and business schools, there were stewardesses-women every bit as daring and determined as their later counterparts in the professions, and having more fun... [Come Fly the World is] a rollicking, rambunctious ride down the runway of mid-century modern life. -- – Megan Marshall, author of Pulitzer Prize-winning MARGARET FULLER: A New American Life and ELIZABETH BISHOP: A Miracle for BreakfastThis engrossing account, which reads like a novel, offers a combination of riveting personal stories and little-known history, and will draw in readers from the first page. -- - Library Journal'Here's the chance to travel-in time and in the sky-vicariously. Julia Cooke's intimate storytelling weaves together the real-life tales of a memorable cast of Pan Am flight attendants as they embraced the liberation of their new jet-set life. The nonfiction work also unearths little-known stories about how Pan Am flight attendants went above and beyond, including their role in the Vietnam War.' -- Fortune
£999.99
Eland Publishing Ltd On Persephone's Island: A Sicilian Journal
Book SynopsisThis is a year of Sicilian life, its seasons and its sacred festivals, its gorgeous fruits and demanding family life, its casual assassinations and village feasts, its weather and the neighbours. It chronicles a life divided between an apartment in the city of Palermo with the weekends and summer devoted to sustaining life in an old family farm. What makes this journal truly exceptional is that Mary Simeti is both an outsider, (an American who had studied medieval history and worked as a volunteer on a social welfare programme) and an insider. For this journal was written after twenty years of immersion in Sicilian life, as wife to a Sicilian, mother to two Sicilian teenagers, as gardener, cook and carer for a suspicious mother-in- law.
£11.69
Headline Publishing Group Road to Rouen
Book SynopsisBen Hatch is on the road again. Commissioned to write a guidebook about France (despite not speaking any French) he sets off with visions of relaxing chateaux and refined dining. Ten thousand miles later his family''s been attacked by a donkey, had a run-in with a death-cult and, after a near drowning and a calamitous wedding experience involving a British spy, his own marriage is in jeopardy. A combination of obsessions about mosquitoes, French gravel and vegetable theme parks mean it''s a bumpy ride as Ben takes a stand against tyrannical French pool attendants, finds himself running with the bulls in Pamplona and almost starring in a snuff movie after a near fatal decision to climb into a millionaire''s Chevrolet Blazer. Funny and poignant, Road to Rouen asks important questions about life, marriage and whether it''s ever acceptable to tape baguette to your children''s legs to smuggle lunch into Disneyland Paris.Trade ReviewBen Hatch makes me laugh more and more -- John CleeseMagnifique! -- Terry WoganBen Hatch is a very funny writer. His work is fresh and heartfelt -- David JasonA French odyssey to rival the greatest adventures in history - if you like jokes, and a car full of cheese. Funny and touching * Danny Wallace *Highly recommended to anyone holidaying in France this year. Or to anyone holidaying anywhere. Or to anyone holidaying with kids. Or to anyone with kids but no holiday plans. Basically to anyone with a sense of humour * Sunday Express *Although Hatch's writing strength is in absurd comedy, there's a heart-warming spirit underpinning the book, that of the sheer joy of tackling what life throws at you as a united team and spending time together as a family. * Daily Mail *I am going to shout this very loudly. YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK. The funniest travel memoir you will read this year. Ben Hatch is a genius. The funny bits were so funny. The sad bits were so sad * Lisa Jewell *Parents will either roar with laughter or roll their eyes with recognition at this family road-trip memoir * Metro *Goes from one hilarious situation to another. Very entertaining. The author is naturally funny * The Sun *Fantastically funny and touching. I laughed and winced and will never look at baguettes in the same way again * Sophie Kinsella *I loved Ben Hatch's funny, honest, touching memoir * Jenny Colgan *A lovely, funny, scary adventure * Tim Brooke-Taylor *Haven't laughed as much in ages * Mike Gayle *A funny, poignant tale of life and surviving it * Guardian *
£10.44
Canongate Books Island Dreams: Mapping an Obsession
Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE YEARIn Island Dreams, Gavin Francis examines our collective fascination with islands. He blends stories of his own travels with psychology, philosophy and great voyages from literature, shedding new light on the importance of islands and isolation in our collective consciousness.Comparing the life of freedom of thirty years of extraordinary travel from the Faroe Islands to the Aegean, from the Galapagos to the Andaman Islands with a life of responsibility as a doctor, community member and parent approaching middle age, Island Dreams riffs on the twinned poles of rest and motion, independence and attachment, never more relevant than in today's perennially connected world.Illustrated with maps throughout, this is a celebration of human adventures in the world and within our minds.Trade ReviewGavin Francis is a wonderful writer - thoughtful, engaging, immensely knowledgeable and supremely human -- BILL BRYSONFor those who have missed travelling this year, and for anyone who has pondered the meaning of "isolation", there is an ideal present - a beautiful and highly illustrated book called Island Dreams, by Gavin Francis, exploring the place of islands in our psyche - from Lamu to the Lofoten Islands, the Faroes to the Falklands, Avalon to the Azores -- HILARY MANTELHighly absorbing . . . Francis combines memoir from a lifetime of travel and the practice of medicine, observations on the geography and history of islands across the globe, and reflections on how islands illuminate his own life and the human condition * * Guardian * *An intoxicating voyage during which maps become fictions and fictions verifiable facts. Myths of returning and older legends carry us out in a shared fugue of obsession and release. Here is a worthy companion to the dream labyrinths of Borges -- IAIN SINCLAIRA thrilling book - beautiful and spare at once . . . A real achievement -- TIM DEECombines brilliant observation with personal revelation, literary examination and even philosophical contemplation . . . Full of intriguing insights, wonderful description, well-researched detail and interspersed with a large number of historical and contemporary maps, which adds to the immersive reading experience . . . A wonderful, thoughtful and endlessly engaging piece of work -- Doug Johnstone * * Big Issue * *Not just a paean but a meditation. Drawing on psychology, philosophy and literature, Francis examines the appeal of separation and remoteness, and recounts his own trips over the years, to the Antarctic, the Hebrides and beyond . . . Filled with a cartographer's embarrassment of maps, while Francis elegantly and methodically asserts his case . . . He writes in brief, elliptical paragraphs, each as ornately designed as the diagrams that accompany them * * i * *In his elegant, questing book, flavoured by wide learning and deep experience, Francis offers a fresh look at a perennial paradox: whether we live gregariously in a city or remotely on an island, a part of us is always wondering and fantasising about the other -- PHILIP MARSDEN * * Spectator * *An uplifting and nourishing voyage through time, oceans and lands. It will reconnect you with the daring, dreaming side of yourself -- KAPKA KASSABOVAIn this charming and beautifully illustrated book, Gavin Francis asks important questions about isolation and connection, and considers the ways in which islands have been imagined and experienced by travellers through the ages -- MALACHY TALLACK
£15.00
