Search results for ""author dean king""

The western Sahara is a baking hot and desolate place, home only to nomads and their camels, and to locusts, snails and thorny scrub. On 28 August 1815 the US brig Commerce was dashed against Mauritania's Cape Bojador and lost, although through bravery and quick thinking the ship's captain, James Riley, managed to lead all of his crew to safety. What followed was an extraordinary and desperate battle for survival in the face of human hostility, hunger, dehydration and despair, as the crew were captured, robbed and enslaved. They were reduced to drinking urine (their own and the camels'), flayed by the sun, crippled by walking miles across burning stones and sand. Over time James Riley and Sidi Hamet, slave and captor, came to recognise in each other men worthy of respect... Soon the ransom not only of Riley himself but also of a handful of his crew suddenly seemed possible. But Sidi Hamet had enemies of his own, and to reach safety the sailors had to overcome not only the desert but also the greed and anger of those who would keep them in captivity. Skeletons on the Zahara is a thrilling true story of shipwreck, adventure, and the limits of man.

Read more less

A new edition of the classic companion to Patrick O'Brian's sea loving novels, updated to include the final novel in the series. This comprehensive lexicon provides definitions of nautical terms, historical entries describing the people and political events that shaped the period, and detailed explanations of the scientific, medical, and biblical references that appear in the novels.

Read more less

In October 1934, the Chinese Communist Army found itself facing complete annihilation, surrounded by hundreds of thousands of Nationalist soldiers. Rather than surrender, 86,000 Communists embarked on an epic journey, the likes of which had never been seen before. Their trek would eventually cover 6,000 miles over 370 days. But that's not even the most incredible part of the story: of those 86,000 who began what would become known as "The Long March," only 30 were women. Often under enemy fire, they crossed highland swamps that claimed dozens of lives; climbed treacherous Tibetan peaks; scrambled over bridges made of nothing more than chains, and trudged through the hot sands of the western deserts. Fewer than 10,000 of the original group would survive, but remarkably most of the women would live to tell the tale.Dean King's UNBOUND tells the amazing story of these thirty women: their love, friendship, and survival. This is truly a journey like none other, told by a master of adventure narrative.

Read more less

A new edition of the classic companion to Patrick O'Brian's seafaring novels, updated to include the final novel in the series. This indispensable guide to navigating the well-loved Aubrey-Maturin novels has been updated, with new chapters devoted to the final books in the series. HARBORS AND HIGH SEAS includes maps created exclusively for each of the novels in this world-renowned series.

Read more less