This utterly authentic and exciting memoir is presented without embellishment. Between 1971 and 1974, English born Julian Hamer traveled for three years in West Africa, catching and exporting reptiles and amphibians back to Europe. This involved living in the bush sometimes far from civilization and for months at a time. During the course of these extraordinary adventures, he and his colleague, Karl Bishop, an Austrian, experienced Africa at a time when many new countries had only recently come into being after a long colonial history. The cultures of the many peoples as well as the fauna are beautifully and intimately described through a direct experience of life in the bush lived as the rural Africans themselves experienced it.

In Historic Columbus Crimes, the father-daughter team of David Meyers and Elise Meyers Walker looks back at sixteen tales of murder, mystery and mayhem culled from city history. Take the rock star slain by a troubled fan or the drag queen slashed to death by a would-be ninja. Then there's the writer who died acting out the plot of his next book, the minister's wife incinerated in the parsonage furnace and a couple of serial killers who outdid the Son of Sam. Not to mention a gunfight at Broad and High, grave-robbing medical students, the bloodiest day in FBI history and other fascinating stories of crime and tragedy. They're all here, and they're all true

"Turning Tuscan" is a story about what it's like to fall in love with Tuscany in your mid-life years, to buy a home there, to change around your work, and, finally, to leave the San Francisco Bay Area and move with your wife and children to a tiny Tuscan village. That's the first part. The second part tries to share what it's like living here once you've made the move: learning the language, becoming part of a village community, running a tour company, understanding the political scene, getting an internet connection, enjoying Renaissance art, spending time in the hospital, appreciating the bureaucracy, and enduring customer service at The Phone Company. It has been written in a way that will make you feel like an honored guest invited into the cockpit as we transfer from America to Tuscany and set up shop. And, in case you are wondering what kind of crazy person does such a thing, and whether you might be one, I try to share enough personal history and detail about our lives on both sides of the ocean to satisfy your curiosity. As a foreigner who enters into another culture, there is a limited window of time available to you to see these things and to try to record them in some way. You have to become Italian enough to play the game, but not so Italian yet that it all becomes invisible. If you wait too long, you are no longer in a position to reflect or comment on cultural differences because what people are doing seems totally normal to you. Ripeness is all, as the poet said, and hopefully I've managed to capture for you some of the subtler aspects of living here that travel photos, even high resolution ones, can never reveal.

Colonel Percy Harrison Fawcett, the inspiration behind Conan Doyle's novel The Lost World, was among the last of a legendary breed of British explorers. For years he explored the Amazon and came to believe that its jungle concealed a large, complex civilization, like El Dorado. Obsessed with its discovery, he christened it the City of Z. In 1925, Fawcett headed into the wilderness with his son Jack, vowing to make history. They vanished without a trace. For the next eighty years, hordes of explorers plunged into the jungle, trying to find evidence of Fawcett's party or Z. Some died from disease and starvation; others simply disappeared. In this spellbinding true tale of lethal obsession, David Grann retraces the footsteps of Fawcett and his followers as he unravels one of the greatest mysteries of exploration.

The story of Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, one of the world's best-loved hotels, is also the tale of a region rich in cultural and natural history.

As the lodge celebrates its 30th anniversary we tell the story of the hotel, the people and the region - a chronicle of a journey 180 million years in the making.

A tribute to France with beautiful photos, delicious recipes, vintage postcards and posters, stories from the authors' childhood and interesting facts on French places and traditions.
A must for anyone wanting to learn more about France or who is learning French, as it is entirely written in both English and French. In chapter 1, discover life in the French Alps at every season, and meet "the little queen" who loves to ride on mountain roads In chapter 2, enjoy some delicious recipes from the land of good food and wine and find out the three meanings of Chartreuse - Bon Appetit In chapter 3, as you join the authors strolling leisurely in beautiful villages and playing petanque, you will see why Provence is synonymous with joie de vivre, but watch out for the cacti Chapter 4 is about the many occasions to celebrate in France. The authors present the stories behind their favourites and explain why French bells have wings at Easter Chapter 5 is on the the fascinating city of Paris, and warns you that when there's a revolution, it's better to watch it from a distance and enjoy everything else it has to offer

In the far northwestern corner of South Africa lies the Richtersveld, recently inscribed towards the end of 2007 as South Africa' 8th World Heritage Site. At first glance, it is a desolate and inhospitable place, with hot sandy plains and startling, jagged mountains of black rock. It is the world' only biodiversity hotspot located in an arid region, where thousands of plant species, many of which are endemic to the area. It is also the home to the last remaining groups of Nama (Khoikhoi) people who still practise their traditional semi-nomadic lifestyle, living in portable reed huts and moving with their flocks of sheep and goats. The Richtersveld travel guide contains all the information you need to explore this stunning region. It covers the geological, botanical and cultural history of the area, and it contains full details of where to stay and what to do. The guide includes the Richtersveld Community Conservancy, the Richtersveld National Park, the nearby towns of Alexander Bay and Port Nolloth, and crosses the border into Namibia, where the Richtersveld is joined with the Ai-Ais hot springs and the Fish River Canyon (second largest in the world) in a spectacular Transfrontier Conservation Area. The Richtersveld is also part of the greater Namaqualand region, which runs south from the Orange River for several hundred kilometers. This beguiling part of the world has won international renown for its annual spring-flower spectacle, when millions of flowers burst forth to mount a staggering display that attracts visitors from all over the world.

Manhattan's past whispers for attention amongst the bustle of the city's ever-changing landscape. At Fraunces Tavern, George Washington's emotional farewell luncheon in 1783 echoes in the Long Room. Gertrude Tredwell's ghost appears to visitors at the Merchant's House Museum. Long since deceased, Olive Thomas shows herself to the men of the New Amsterdam Theatre, and Dorothy Parker still keeps her lunch appointment at the Algonquin Hotel. In other places, it is not the paranormal but the abnormal violent acts by gangsters, bombers, and murderers that linger in the city's memory. Some think Jack the Ripper and the Boston Strangler hunted here. The historic images and true stories in Ghosts and Murders of Manhattan bring to life the people and events that shaped this city and raised the consciousness of its residents.

In 1895, emissaries from the New York Yacht Club traveled to Deer Isle, Maine, to recruit the nation's best sailors, an "All American" crew. This remote island in Penobscot Bay sent nearly thirty of its fishing men to sail "Defender," and under skipper Hank Haff, they beat their opponents in a difficult and controversial series. To the delight of the American public, the charismatic Sir Thomas Lipton sent a surprise challenge in 1899. The New York Yacht Club knew where to turn and again recruited Deer Isle's fisherman sailors. Undefeated in two defense campaigns, they are still considered one of the best American sail-racing teams ever assembled. Read their fascinating story and relive their adventure.

While the Adirondack Mountains are New York's most beautiful region, they have also been plagued by insidious crimes and the nasty escapades of notorious lawbreakers. In 1935, public enemy number one, Dutch Schultz, went on trial and was acquitted in an Adirondack courtroom. Crooks have tried creative methods to sidestep forestry laws that protect the flora of the state park. Members of the infamous Windfall Gang, led by Charles Wadsworth, terrorized towns and hid out in the high mountains until their dramatic 1899 capture. In the 1970s, the Adirondack Serial Killer, Robert Francis Garrow, petrified campers in the hills. Join local author Dennis Webster as he explores the wicked deeds and sinister characters hidden among the Adirondacks' peaks.

Experience southwestern heritage, culture and cuisine while learning to rope and herd cattle, trail ride through the wilderness or make prickly pear syrup. With roots dating back to the mid-1800s, southern Arizona's historic guest ranches and farm stays include Spain's first mission in the continental United States, a former World War II prison camp and boys' boarding school and a Butterfield Stagecoach stop. Intimately connected to Arizona's land and legacy, these unparalleled retreats have hosted countless artists, movie stars and politicians and continue to enrich their present-day communities through food, education and conservation. Pack your bags and join travel writer Lili DeBarbieri for a journey into the rural west south of the Gila River.