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Books > Sport & Leisure > Travel & holiday > Travel writing > General
ONES COMPANY- A Journey to China By PETER FLEMING. Originally
published in 1934. FOREWORD: THIS book is a superficial account of
an unsensational journey. My Warning to the Reader justifies, I
think, its superficiality. It is easy to be dogmatic at a distance,
and I dare say 1 could have made my half-baked conclusions on the
major issues of the Far Eastern situation sound con vincing But it
is one thing to bore your readers, another to mislead themj I did
not like to run the risk of doing both. I have therefore kept the
major Issues in the back ground The book describes in some detail
what I saw and what I did, and in considerably less detail what
most other travellers have also seen and done. If it has any value
at all, it is the light which it throws on the processes of travel
amateur travel - in parts of the interior which, though not remote,
are seldom visited, On two occasions, I admit, I have attempted
seriously to assess a politico-military situation, but only a
because I thought 1 knew more about those particular situations
than anyone else, and because if they had not been explained
certain sections of the book would have made nonsense. For the
rest, I make no claim to be directly instructive. One cannot, it is
true, travel through a country without finding out something about
it and the reader, following vicariously In my footsteps, may
perhaps learn a little. But not much I owe debts of gratitude to
more people than can con veniently be named, people of all degrees
and many nation alities. He who befriends a traveller is not easily
forgotten, and I am very grateful indeed to everyone who helped me
on a long journey. PETER FLEMING . London, 1934. Contents include:
PART I MANCHUKUO FACE I BOYS WILL BE BOYS 19 i j II INTO RUSSIA 24
r III THE MIRAGE OF MOSCOW 29 1 IV DRAMA 37 J V TRANS-SIBERIAN
EXPRESS 44 P VI FLOREAT MONGOLIA 2 VII CRASH 59 VJIII HARBIN 67 IX
PXJ YI 72 f X WINGS OVER MUKDEN 82 to XI GEISHA PARTY 92 XII JEHOL
102 XIII PRAYERS 108 XIV AN AFTERNOON WITH THE GODS 114 Q XV
GARRISON TOWN I2O T XVI REUNION IN CHINCHOW 125 XVII PAX JAPONICA
129 XVIII FLYING COLUMNJ 134 XEB THE FIRST DAY S MARCH 140 XX
GETTING WARMER 146
Shantyboat is the story of a leisurely journey down the Ohio and
Mississippi rivers to New Orleans. For most people such a journey
is the stuff that dreams are made of, but for Harlan and Anna
Hubbard it became a cherished reality. In the fall of 1944 they
built a houseboat, small but neatly accommodated to their needs, on
the bank of the Ohio near Cincinnati, and in it after a pause of
two years they set out to drift down the river. In their small
craft, the Hubbards became one with the flow of the river and its
changing weathers. An artist by profession, Harlan Hubbard records
with graceful ease the many facets of their life on the river-the
panorama of fields and woods, summer gardening, foraging
expeditions for nuts and berries, dangers from storms and
treacherous currents, the quiet solitude of the mists of early
morning. Their life is sustained by the provender of bank and
stream, useful things made and found, and mutual aid and wisdom
from people met along the journey. It is a life marked by
simplicity and independence, strenuous at times, but joyous, with
leisure for painting and music, for observation and contemplation.
All over the world there are places that became famous forever
because something extraordinary happened there by chance.
Beautifully illustrated and carefully researched Fame By Chance
covers 380 such places with new insights and facts that are
amusing, surprising and sometimes controversial. Foreword by Peter
Ackroyd. All over the world there are places that became famous
forever by chance - battles briefly waged, scenes of triumph and
disater, sites of murder and intrigue, centres of influential
creativity and noted mythical places from books and film. How and
why did; Angora, Tabasco, Duffel and Fray Bentos give us products
good and bad; Kohima's tennis court save India; Storyville's 269
brothels helped it to create jaz; Botany Bay never saw any British
convicts; Tay Bridge was a disaster avoided by Marx and Engels;
'OK' stands for a farmhouse; Ferrari chose the 'Prancing Horse of
Maranello'; Kyoto was saved from Hiroshoma's terrible fate; The
British built the Great Hedge of India; With 432 pages beautifully
illustrated and carefully researched Fame By Chance covers 380 such
places with new insights and facts that are amusing, surprising and
sometimes controversial.
The imperial road to Italy goes from Munich across the Tyrol,
through Innsbruck and Bozen to Verona, over the mountains. Here the
great processions passed as the emperors went South, or came home
again from rosy Italy to their own Germany. And how much has that
old imperial vanity clung to the German soul? Did not the German
kings inherit the empire of bygone Rome? It was not a very real
empire, perhaps, but the sound was high and splendid. Maybe a
certain Grossenwahn is inherent in the German nature. If only
nations would realize that they have certain natural
characteristics, if only they could understand and agree to each
other's particular nature, how much simpler it would all be. The
imperial procession no longer crosses the mountains, going South.
That is almost forgotten, the road has almost passed out of mind.
But still it is there, and its signs are standing. The crucifixes
are there, not mere attributes of the road, yet still having
something to do with it. The imperial processions, blessed by the
Pope and accompanied by the great bishops, must have planted the
holy idol like a new plant among the mountains, there where it
multiplied and grew according to the soil, and the race that
received it. . . .
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Across the Plains
(Hardcover)
Robert Louis Stevenson, R. L Stevenson; Edited by 1stworld Library
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R610
Discovery Miles 6 100
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Ships in 10 - 15 working days
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Purchase one of 1st World Library's Classic Books and help support
our free internet library of downloadable eBooks. Visit us online
at www.1stWorldLibrary.ORG - - MONDAY. - It was, if I remember
rightly, five o'clock when we were all signalled to be present at
the Ferry Depot of the railroad. An emigrant ship had arrived at
New York on the Saturday night, another on the Sunday morning, our
own on Sunday afternoon, a fourth early on Monday; and as there is
no emigrant train on Sunday a great part of the passengers from
these four ships was concentrated on the train by which I was to
travel. There was a babel of bewildered men, women, and children.
The wretched little booking-office, and the baggage-room, which was
not much larger, were crowded thick with emigrants, and were heavy
and rank with the atmosphere of dripping clothes. Open carts full
of bedding stood by the half-hour in the rain. The officials loaded
each other with recriminations. A bearded, mildewed little man,
whom I take to have been an emigrant agent, was all over the place,
his mouth full of brimstone, blustering and interfering. It was
plain that the whole system, if system there was, had utterly
broken down under the strain of so many passengers.
The chilling tome that launched an entire genre of books about the
sometimes gruesome but always tragic ways people have died in our
national parks, this updated edition of a classic includes
calamities in Yellowstone from the past sixteen years, including
the infamous grizzly bear attacks in the summer of 2011, as well as
a fatal hot springs accident in 2000 in which the Park Service was
sued for negligence.
Presently in Yellowstone there are almost 200 active research
permits that involve over 500 investigators, but only a small
fraction of this scientific work is reported in the popular press.
Furthermore, the results are mixed and frequently confusing to the
general public. The intent of this book is to explain both the
general issues associated with the region and how science is done
to understand those issues, from wolf and grizzly bear research to
thermal activity. It further describes how science informs policy
in the Greater Yellowstone Region, how scientists from an array of
disciplines do their work, and finally, how the nature of that work
enables or limits future plans for managing the park and
surrounding lands.
Paul Theroux, the author of the train travel classics The Great
Railway Bazaar and The Old Patagonian Express, takes to the rails
once again in this account of his epic journey through China. He
hops aboard as part of a tour group in London and sets out for
China's border. He then spends a year traversing the country, where
he pieces together a fascinating snapshot of a unique moment in
history. From the barren deserts of Xinjiang to the ice forests of
Manchuria, from the dense metropolises of Shanghai, Beijing, and
Canton to the dry hills of Tibet, Theroux offers an unforgettable
portrait of a magnificent land and an extraordinary people.
For those who believe that the best way to understand someone is
to walk a mile in his or her shoes, Florida's rich history features
those whose footwear ranged from Native American moccasins to
astronauts' boots. And there are plenty of opportunities to
"actually "walk in those shoes. You can join in all sorts of
historical reenactments--in full costume if you like. You have the
unique opportunity to relive a part of Florida's long and
fascinating past.
You can also travel forward into the future. The Florida
peninsula has been like a springboard from which human beings can
rocket into space or dive beneath the surfaces of its nearly
surrounding waters.
This unique guidebook offers you time travel. The day has
arrived for this new kind of travelogue, which reveals not only
places to visit but also time periods to experience. This is a book
for today's explorers of place and space, past and future. This is
"The Time Traveler's Guide to Florida."
A sample of the times you can visit:
12,000 B.C.: Stone Age and Primitive Arts Festival "Ochlockonee
"
1565: The Menendez Landing Event "St. Augustine"
1586: Drake's Raid "St. Augustine"
1650-1725: The Pirates of Fort Taylor "Key West"
1690s: Military Muster at Castillo San Luis "Tallahassee"
Late 1700s: The Living Village of Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki "Big Cypress
Seminole Reservation"
1835: The Dade Battle "Bushnell"
1864: The Battle of Olustee "Baker County"
1870: A Cane Boil at Morningside Farm "Gainesville"
1898: A Spanish-American War Event "Fernandina Beach"
1945: VE Day in Florida "The Villages"
2025: The Zero-G Flights "Cape Kennedy "
est. 2050: Jules Undersea Lodge "Key Largo"
The saga of the Barefoot Sisters continues with this sequel to
"Barefoot Sisters Southbound". Lucy and Susan Letcher begin their
journey home, hiking barefoot on the Appalachian Trail from Georgia
to Maine. Along the way, they must face the pleasures and perils of
a northbound hike, from bluegrass festivals and trail angel feasts
to encounters with bears and venomous snakes. Readers will share in
the story of the Letcher sisters as they bond with fellow hikers,
brave the unpredictable wilderness, and test the boundaries of
their friendship during their 2,175-mile-trip home.
British-Australian university dropout Michael Smith built a
multimillion-dollar business fitting out movie theatres around the
world, before restoring Melbourne's Sun Theatre and becoming one of
the last independent cinema operators. After a business deal went
bad, and shaken by how close he had come to being wiped out, Smith
took an even bigger risk: to become the first person to fly solo
around the world in an amphibious plane, retracing the 1938 Qantas,
Imperial and Pan Am flying boat routes between Sydney, Southampton
and New York. With limited flying experience, no support team and
only basic instruments in his tiny single-engine flying boat, the
Southern Sun, Smith risked his life to make modern aviation
history. His adventures include an unexpected greeting by Special
Branch on his arrival in the UK, a near-death experience while
leaving Greenland, and a journey up the Mississippi - Huck
Finn-style - landing on the river and sleeping on sandbanks at
night. He made eighty stops on his flight around the globe,
exploring cities and communities, as well as visiting some seventy
cinemas. All along the way Smith was updating his online journal,
cheered on by more than 50,000 followers. Smith's historic flight
lasted seven months, and took him from Australia to East Timor,
Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Bangladesh, India,
Pakistan, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Crete, Croatia,
Italy, France, England, Ireland, Scotland, Iceland, Greenland,
Canada, the United States, Japan and the Philippines, before
finally returning to Australia. This is the incredible true story
of his journey.
Buz Donahoo is a larger than life character. From boyhood Miami to
the beaches of exotic islands, the high mountain peaks of the Andes
and Himalayas to the jungles of the Amazon, his life is painted
upon a broad canvas. From a promising career as an architect to
starting his own adventure tour company and guiding people to
remote corners of the earth, Buz traces the contours of his life in
A Ticket, A Pack and A Chart. Within the pages of this book we
learn of the unique places he has traveled to and the equally
unique people who have traveled there with him. While Buz Donahoo
can paint in broad strokes with his words, he is at his best
filling in the fine detail of the lives of the people he meets and
the places he visits. He reminds us that it is often the little
things we encounter in life and travel that leave a lasting
impression. Whether studying at Taliesin, the Frank Lloyd Wright
Foundation, serving as a lieutenant in Watts during the 1965 riots,
dining on the small, sun-drenched patio of an isolated restaurant
in the Greek Isles, or scaling the heights of Aconcagua, South
America's highest peak, we feel as though we're right there beside
Buz, taking in each moment and each detail with him. Living
according to his own set of rules, Buz's view of the world is
refreshing and entertaining. The contents of his book truly capture
episodes from the life of a man who lives a borderless life. Once
you have traveled with him through these pages, you may find
yourself yearning to travel to some far-flung, exotic location for
an adventure of your own.
Old Wires and New Waves- The History of the Telegraph, Telephone
and Wireless By Alvin F. Harlow. Originally published in 1936.
FOREWORD: THERE may be those who will think that a disproportionate
amount of space is given in this book to the early history of the
telegraph, as against the remarkable technical develop ments of the
past quarter or half century. May it be suggested that the birth
and infancy of ideas are intrinsically more note worthy, more
important, than their middle age The centuries of groping for a
method of quick communication, the one long century of mans
striving to make electricity his servant, the pioneer days of the
telegraph, when not only it but all America was simple and crude
these are to most folk to-day so exotic, the last-named phase is to
the student so significant a picture of the youth of American
society and the nation, that, in the judgment of the author, they
should be dealt with in detail for the benefit of a generation
which knows them not. On the other hand, the rapid developments in
telegraph, tele phone, and wireless in recent days are described at
length in newspapers and magazines as they appear and they come so
swiftly and we are so inured to them that the astounding inven tion
of yesterday has to-day become a commonplace, and to morrow is
superseded by something still more miraculous. It is therefore
scarcely worth while for so slowly built and so final a publication
as a book to attempt chronicling all the - minor de tails of recent
progress in communication, especially since these matters become so
complex and so abstruse that full explanation of their development
and functioning would be too complicated for non-technically minded
readers.Nevertheless, these modern developments have not been
neglected, but are treated as fully as space limitations and the
need for clarity seem to dictate. As usual, I have leaned heavily
in my research upon the original documents and other materials in
the collections of the New York Public Library and the New York
Historical So ciety. The latters Henry ORielly Collection is one of
the most valuable telegraph sources in existence. The great
communications companies have all been very help ful. Through the
good offices of Mr. William P. Banning, Assis tant Vice-President
of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, I spent many hours
in personally conducted tours through that companys three huge
operating buildings in New York City, any one of which is worth a
trip to New York to see I was overwhelmed with pamphlets, reports,
documents, magazine articles, and books and any and all photographs
I desired for illustrations were at my disposal. Mr. Langdon, the
librarian Miss Winburg, keeper of the photographs Messrs. Fowler
and Mills of the Bell Telephone Laboratories, Rood and Lea of the
Long Lines Building Carl and Sedgwick of the New York Telephone
Company, all gave their assistance with the courtesy characteristic
of the organization. Mr. E. W. Goode, of the publicity department
of the Inter national Telephone and Telegraph Corporation, supplied
all the data at his command, loaned books not to be found
elsewhere, procured permission for me to see the companys operating
rooms, gave me whatever photographs I desired, and searched the
country over for older ones which were not in his files. The Radio
Corporation of America, through Messrs. Galvin, Wright, and Weaver,
was also veryhelpful. I was conducted through its operating
building and was supplied with photographs and technical
information as needed...
Longlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award 2021
Running away from your problems doesn't solve anything - but
sometimes it's more fun than dealing with them Elise was spending a
lot of time crying on buses. She had just graduated from
university; she had a shiny new flat, her first proper job and a
budding relationship - and they were all making her utterly
miserable. Sitting at work one day, she hit upon the obvious
solution: Run 5,000 miles around the coast of Britain, carrying her
kit on her back. Six months later Elise set off, with absolutely no
ultra-running experience, unable to read a map and having never
pitched a tent alone before. Over the 301 days that followed she
developed a debilitating fear of farmyard animals, cried on a lot
of beaches and saw Britain at its most wild and wonderful. Coasting
is about putting one foot in front of the other, even when it feels
impossible, and trying to enjoy it too. With heart and humour,
Elise explores the thrill of taking risks and putting your trust in
total strangers, and learns some home truths along the way. 'A true
Great British Adventure, with humour and heart.' Sir Ranulph
Fiennes 'Elise Downing has achieved the impossible - leaving you in
awe at her superhuman achievements, but also convincing you that
you could probably do the same.' Emily Chappell 'A hugely enjoyable
jaunt around Britain, that proves that you can find adventure right
on your doorstep.' Alastair Humphreys 'Elise Downing has reminded
us all of the most crucial aspects of adventure: 1) You don't have
to be an expert. 2) It's all about the people. 3) However hard,
tough, excruciating and doubt-driven a challenge might be, at heart
it's a funny, funny story.' Dave Cornthwaite 'Reading Coasting is
like listening to a friend tell a tale down the pub that you can't
quite believe. Elise's storytelling is hilarious, warm-hearted and
wonderfully down-to-earth. It's the kind of book that makes you
want to lace up your trainers and start running towards that mad
idea you once had. There's no doubt that Elise's gung-ho attitude
is her superpower. Her kryptonite? Cows.' Anna McNuff, author and
adventurer 'Elise's irresistibly readable adventures are both
ordinary and extraordinary at the same time. She's an inspiration.'
Damian Hall, author and ultrarunner 'Funny and engaging and
inspiring... an absolute gem.' Vassos Alexander, presenter, author
and runner 'A beautifully observed and blisteringly truthful
account of what happens when you decide to combine adventure and
endurance. Absolutely brilliant.' Jake Tyler, author of A Walk from
the Wild Edge 'An honest and exciting tale of how a dream became an
awesome reality. Definitely worth a read!' Ben Smith, founder of
The 401 Challenge 'I was already laughing at the Dedication and
this continued all the way to the very last page. Elise Downing is
a comedy genius and has a heart of gold!' Danny Bent, author,
runner and founder of Project Awesome 'Elise tells her story with
such good-humoured light-heartedness that you could be forgiven for
forgetting that what she is describing is a feat of real endurance.
Running 5,000 miles is a truly remarkable achievement, and the fact
that Elise emerged from it with a smile on her face and a total
lack of ego speaks wonders to her character. This is an incredible
tale told with total humility. Running around the coast of Great
Britain was a mad thing to do, but not buying this book would be
madder still.' Tim Moss, author, adventurer and founder of The Next
Challenge 'Like any epic journey worth sharing, Elise encountered
the same doubts, setbacks and fears that leave many dreams stuck on
the drawing board. One foot after the other, Elise set out to
achieve the extraordinary many miles over. Coasting shares the
literal highs and lows as she finds her rite of passage to the
world of ultra-running, with an endearing vulnerability and
hilarious flair that brings places to life. In the same way that
countless strangers felt compelled to join her around the UK,
Coasting carries the reader along and inspires us all to ask 'why
not?' in pursuit of our own home-grown adventures.' Alex
Staniforth, adventurer and author 'A wonderfully honest tale of
courage, perseverance and self-discovery.' Dr Juliet McGrattan,
author and runner 'Elise brings so much fun and energy, as well as
raw honesty, to the world of adventure books, and her incredible
journey is an inspiration to young (and old!) adventurers.' Jenny
Tough, author, adventurer and editor of Tough Women Adventure
Stories 'Thoughtful, funny and beautifully written. Just goes to
show that there's a ram-spinning, swashbuckling adventure right
there on your doorstep.' Huw Jack Brassington, writer, presenter
and adventurer
There comes a time in every man's life when he says to himself,
"Holy Sh*t I'm about to be eaten by a bear " Tony James Slater went
to Ecuador, determined to become a man. It never occurred to him
that 'or die trying' might be an option... The trouble with
volunteering in a South American animal refuge is that everything
wants a piece of you. And the trouble with being Tony, is that most
of them got one. Just how do you 'look after' something that's
trying it's damnedest to kill you and eat you? And how do you find
love when you a) don't speak the language, and b) are constantly
covered in excrement and entrails? If only he'd had some relevant
experience. Other than owning a pet rabbit when he was nine. And if
only he'd bought some travel insurance... That Bear Ate My Pants is
the hilarious tale of one man's quest to better himself. Whether
losing a machete fight with a tree, picking dead tarantulas out of
a tank of live ones or sewing the head back on to a partially
decapitated crocodile, Tony's misadventures are ridiculous,
unbelievable and always entertaining. Long before Sky One got
involved, there were already plenty of Idiots Abroad. This is the
story of one of them...
The years Li Xinfeng spent as a Chinese correspondent in South
Africa are evident in the insights he shares in China in Africa:
Following Zheng He's Footsteps – the narrative of his research
into the traces left by the famed navigator during his travels in
and around Africa. Beginning on Kenya's Pate Island, Li's research
led him to travel around much of the southern part of the African
continent, searching for signs that Zheng He's fleet had been there
some six centuries earlier. China in Africa: Following Zheng He's
Footsteps is more than just one person's quest to retrace the
journey of an alluring historical figure, shrouded in legend: Zheng
He has become an important symbol for the Chinese people and the
world of peace-loving cultural exchange in general. Li's
comprehensive research into the African travels of this iconic
figure presents a challenge to the postcolonial world, highlighting
the stark contrast between colonising and fair exchange for mutual
benefit. A consistent thread in the narrative is how best to
respond to the challenge of overturning the exploitation of
colonial relationships with friendly collaboration in modern times.
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