In the summer of 1958, jazz and blues historian Samuel Charters traveled with Ann Danberg to Andros, a remote island "on the wrong side of the wind" in the Bahamas. Living within a small local community descended from a handful of Bahamian slaves, they discovered how the unique historical fusion of disparate cultures on Andros, from Africa and Europe, had resulted in a wealth of traditional music that had stubbornly resisted the influx of modern styles. Combining rare travel and musical elements with Danberg's evocative photographs, Char-ters describes their search for a song so rich and startling in its resonance, they had to follow it to its source. "Just about the best 'what-I-did-on-my-summer-vacation' report ever written." --"Booklist "(starred review)

Richard Clubley once again shows his love for the Scottish island of Orkney through this new book, recording the special way of life that exists only on Orkney. With full colour images and illustrations, his ode to the island is formed of articles from Living Orkney magazine and the students of Kirkwall Grammar School.

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

An unforgettable spiritual journey through the Himalayas by renowned writer Peter Matthiessen (1927-2014), the National Book Award-winning author of the new novel "In Paradise"
In 1973, Peter Matthiessen and field biologist George Schaller traveled high into the remote mountains of Nepal to study the Himalayan blue sheep and possibly glimpse the rare and beautiful snow leopard. Matthiessen, a student of Zen Buddhism, was also on a spiritual quest to find the Lama of Shey at the ancient shrine on Crystal Mountain. As the climb proceeds, Matthiessen charts his inner path as well as his outer one, with a deepening Buddhist understanding of reality, suffering, impermanence, and beauty. This Penguin Classics edition features an introduction by acclaimed travel writer and novelist Pico Iyer.

In his beautifully written prose, Dr Jonathan Reisman - physician, adventure traveller and naturalist - allows readers to navigate their insides like an explorer discovering a new world. Through his offbeat adventures in healthcare and travel, Reisman discovers new perspectives on the body: a trip to the Alaskan Arctic reveals that fat is not the enemy, but the hero; a stint in the Himalayas uncovers the boundary where the brain ends and the mind begins; and eating a sheep's head in Iceland offers a lesson in empathy. By relating his experiences in far-flung lands and among unique cultures back to the body's inner workings, he shows how our organs live inextricably intertwined lives in an internal ecosystem that reflects the natural world around us. Reisman's unique perspective on the natural world and his expert wielding of wit ultimately helps us make sense of our lives, our bodies and our world in a way readers have never before imagined. 'An elegant, elegiac, and deeply enjoyable meander through human anatomy . . . the images Reisman conjures will linger long after you've devoured his delightful prose.' - Nicola Twilley, co-author of Until Proven Safe and co-host of Gastropod podcast

The first general nonfiction title in thirty years from a giant of American letters, The Search for the Genuine is a sparkling, definitive collection of Jim Harrison's essays and journalism--some never before published New York Times bestselling author Jim Harrison (1937-2016) was a writer with a poet's economy of style and trencherman's appetites and ribald humor. In The Search for the Genuine, a collection of new and previously published essays, the giant of letters muses on everything from grouse hunting fishing to Zen Buddhism and matters of the spirit, including reported pieces on Yellowstone and shark-tagging in the open ocean, commentary on writers from Bukowski to Neruda to Peter Matthiessen, and a heartbreaking essay on life-- and, for those attempting to cross in the ever-more-dangerous gaps, death--on the US/Mexico border. Written with Harrison's trademark humor, compassion, and full-throated zest for life, this chronicle of a modern bon vivant is a feast for fans who may think they know Harrison's nonfiction, from a true "American original" (San Francisco Chronicle).

The Guide to the World's Most Iconic Road Known as America's Main Street, or the Mother Road, Historic Route 66 is more than just a road, it is the artery that connects America's heart with its head, a road-worthy metaphor of the nation's post-war rebirth of innovation and industrialism along the way, as well as a representation of freedom (and loss) for many of the nation's peoples. Route 66 is the place to get your kicks, don't forget too. A stretch of road with so many stunning stories and secrets to share and roadside attractions, and billboards, to see, all of which were built along its path to glory through its hundred-year tenure, a past that is now celebrated as a pilgrimage for millions of drivers and dreamers, truckers and tourists, yearning to reconnect with the country's golden age. So, come and get your kicks with The Little Book of Route 66. Full of facts, stats, quotes and quips - the perfect driving companion for those long family road-trips. If the road is a metaphor for life, then Route 66 is the road. Buckle up, because this is going to be a road-trip of a lifetime... and a journey to remember. SAMPLE TEXT: For the first twelve years of its existence, only 800 of its 2,400 miles were paved. The rest were dust and dirt tracks making for very bumpy riding. The highway was not finished being laid with tarmac until 1938.

Pre-order now and discover the incredible story of one woman's solo journey across the Bay of Biscay, into the Mediterranean, and the unexpected joy of solitude, self-discovery and resilience __________ 'We have no idea how much resilience there is inside us until we have to draw on it. We learn that we grow through adversity only as we go through it. That we crave happiness like plants leaning toward the light' When Susan quit her job in London and set sail off the south coast of England on her beloved sailboat, Isean, she was unaware this spontaneous departure would lead to a three-year journey spanning several countries across the continent. With only the very basics on board, resourcefulness becomes an unexpected source of joy and contentment. The highs and lows of living in such an extreme way awakens a newfound appreciation for the beauty of her surroundings, for being safe - for just being alive. For all the physical and navigational challenges of her journey, the other side of her story reveals a more important change - an inner journey - that took place along the way. This wasn't merely a challenge, a mid-life adventure or gap-year career break; it was much gentler than that, but much greater too. She was seeking nothing less than an entirely different life, having left the land far behind to call the wild, unbiddable sea home. __________

Marrakesh is perhaps the most fashionable, talked about, photographed city in Africa. This volume explores the city's mystique through the researches, speculations and scholarship of 40 travel writers who have succumbed to the enhancement of the city.

The first of its kind: an exploration of one of the most mysterious countries in the world, as told by one of the first outsiders to access the country in its entirety

For almost fifty years Burma was ruled by a paranoid military dictatorship and isolated from the outside world. A historic 2015 election swept an Aung San Suu Kyi-led civilian government to power and was supposed to usher in a new golden era of democracy and progress, but Burma remains unstable and undeveloped, a little-understood country.

Nothing is straightforward in this captivating land that is home to a combustible mix of races, religions and resources. A Savage Dreamland: Journeys in Burma reveals a country where temples take priority over infrastructure, fortune tellers thrive and golf courses are carved out of war zones. Setting out from Yangon, the old capital, David Eimer travels throughout this enigmatic nation, from the tropical south to the Burmese Himalayas in the far north, via the Buddhist-centric heartland and the jungles and mountains where rebel armies fight for autonomy in the longest-running civil wars in recent history. The story of modern Burma is told through the voices of the people Eimer encounters along the way: former political exiles, the squatters in Yangon's shanty towns, radical monks, Rohingya refugees, princesses and warlords, and the ethnic minorities clustered along the country's frontiers.

In his vivid and revelatory account of life, history, culture and politics, David Eimer chronicles the awakening of a country as it returns to the global fold and explores a fractured nation, closed to foreigners for decades. Authoritative and ground-breaking, A Savage Dreamland: Journeys in Burma is set to be a modern classic of travel writing.

The English Channel is the busiest waterway in the world. Ferries steam back and forth, trains thunder through the tunnel. The narrow sea has been crucial to our development and prosperity. It helps define our notion of Englishness, as an island people, a nation of seafarers. It is also our nearest, dearest playground where people have sought sun, sin and bracing breezes. Tom Fort takes us on a fascinating, discursive journey from east to west, to find out what this stretch of water means to us and what is so special about the English seaside, that edge between land and seawater. He dips his toe into Sandgate's waters, takes the air in Hastings and Bexhill, chews whelks in Brighton, builds a sandcastle in Sandbanks, sunbathes in sunny Sidmouth, catches prawns off the slipway at Salcombe and hunts a shark off Looe. Stories of smugglers and shipwreck robbers, of beachcombers and samphire gatherers, gold diggers and fossil hunters abound.

Geoffrey Chaucer might be considered the quintessential English writer, but he drew much of his inspiration and material from Italy. Without the tremendous influences of Francesco Petrarch and Giovanni Boccaccio, the author of The Canterbury Tales might never have assumed his place as the 'father' of English literature. Nevertheless, Richard Owen's Chaucer's Italy begins in London, where the poet dealt with Italian merchants in his roles as court diplomat and customs official, before his involvement in arranging the marriage of King Edward III's son Lionel in Milan and diplomatic missions to Genoa and Florence. Scrutinising his encounters with Petrarch, Boccaccio, and the mercenary knight John Hawkwood, Owen reveals the deep influence of Italy's people and towns on Chaucer's poems and stories. Much writing on Chaucer depicts a misleadingly parochial figure, but, as Owen's enlightening short study of Chaucer's Italian years makes clear, the poet's life was internationally eventful. The consequences have made the English canon what it is today.

From somewhere out in the vast whiteness of the blizzard we hear a cry for help. Instinctively the three of us turn and head across the mountainside. We find two men and a woman, huddled together in the snow, unable to descend the steep icy slope between them and safety. The woman asks if we are experienced in conditions like this. My friends and I have tackled a few winter hills in the Lake District and bumbled up easy rock climbs, but we have never been in a full Scottish winter snowstorm. I laugh and assure her that this is nothing to mountaineers like us. Soon our hills will be empty and one day the last hillwalker will disappear over the horizon. In the 21st century we are losing our connection with the wild, a connection that may never be regained. The Last Hillwalker by bestselling author John D. Burns is a personal story of falling in and out of love with the hills. More than that, it is about rediscovering a deeply felt need in all of us to connect with wild places.

A postmodern romp through the rain forest, "Equatoria" is both travelog and cultural critique. On the right-hand pages, the Prices chronicle their 1990 artefact-collecting expedition up the rivers of French Guiana, and on the left, they feature extracts from the works of Jonathan Swift, Joseph Conrad, Gabriel Garcia-Marquez, Alex Haley, James Clifford, Eric Hobsbawm, Germaine Greer and even the noted anthropologist James Goodfellow (who asks for more sex). Also included are quotes from the nurses, doctors, tourists, convicts and countless others who live in the French penal colony-turned-space center in tropical South America. Charged with acquiring objects for a new museum, the Prices kept a log of their day-to-day adventures and misadventures, constantly confronting their ambivalence about the act of collecting, the very possibility of exhibiting cultures and the future of anthropology.

Kidnapped in the most expensive taxi in Mexico. Living like Frank Sinatra with a UTI in Palm Springs. Avoiding exploding rubbish bins in new Tokyo. Sleeping with man-eating spiders in Guatemala. For better or (usually) worse, major life decisions start as a scribble on the back of a bar napkin for Paul Manser - a writer whose existence is mostly made up of stupid choices and wildly ambitious travel insurance claims. Life Plans on Dive Bar Napkins is a book of experiences Paul always wanted to get into print, but worried that some tut-tutting travel editor would strip of all the best jokes. You could say that the book is an unnecessary act of self-indulgence by an egotist who shirks life's responsibilities, drinks too much and thinks too little. And you'd probably be right. Paul wrote this book for the people who want to experience something different, who drink because they enjoy it, and whose life plans begin as incoherent scrawls on the back of a dive bar napkin.

The eight feet belong to Dervla Murphy, her nine-year-old daughter Rachel and Juana, an elegant mule, who together clambered the length of Peru, from Cajamarca near the border with Ecuador, to Cuzco, the ancient Inca capital, over 1300 miles to the south. With only the most basic necessities to sustain them and spending most of their time above 10,000 feet, their journey was marked by extreme discomfort, occasional danger and even the temporary loss of Juana over a precipice. Yet mother and daughter, a formidable duo, were unflagging in their sympathetic response to the perilous beauty and impoverished people of the Andes. In this extraordinary adventure, Dervla Murphy is at her intrepid best, facing up to the terrors, horrors and joys of her journey along the mountain paths.

From its very first contact with the West, India has been subject to great mystification. India’s long history, the survival of ancient rituals, and its variety of languages and cultures, continues to fascinate.

This narrative is intertwined with a newer one that sees the frenetic change of a society at the forefront of innovation. Success stories coexist alongside stories of daily struggle. A large slice of the population still does not have access to drinking water, and agriculture (still the main source of livelihood for most of the 1.3 billion people who live there) is threatened by climate change. India is a country that does not know how to eradicate one of the most infamous forms of classism/racism: the caste system. From the resistance of the Kashmiri people to that of atheists – hated by all religious communities – from the dances of the ‘hijra’ in Koovagam to the success of the female wrestler Vinesh Phogat, learn about the contradictory, terrible and joyful chaos that lies at the heart of India.

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER With 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.

A BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week Lake Ohrid and Lake Prespa. Two vast lakes joined by underground rivers. Two lakes that have played a central role in Kapka Kassabova's maternal family. As she journeys to her grandmother's place of origin, Kassabova encounters a civilizational crossroads. The Lakes are set within the mountainous borderlands of North Macedonia, Albania and Greece, and crowned by the old Roman road, the via Egnatia. Once a trading and spiritual nexus of the southern Balkans, it remains one of Eurasia's oldest surviving religious melting pots. With their remote rock churches, changeable currents, and large population of migratory birds, the Lakes live in their own time. By exploring the stories of dwellers past and present, Kassabova uncovers the human history shaped by the Lakes. Soon, her journey unfolds to a deeper enquiry into how geography and politics imprint themselves upon families and nations, and confronts her with questions about human suffering and the capacity for change.

After one too many late night discussions, football journalist Paul Watson and his mate Matthew Conrad decide to find the world's worst national team, become naturalised citizens of that country and play for them - achieving their joint boyhood dream of playing international football and winning a 'cap'. They are thrilled when Wikipedia leads them to Pohnpei, a tiny, remote island in the Pacific whose long-defunct football team is described as 'the weakest in the world'. They contact Pohnpei's Football Association and discover what it needs most urgently is leadership. So Paul and Matt travel thousands of miles, leaving behind jobs, families and girlfriends to train a rag-tag bunch of novice footballers who barely understand the rules of the game. Up Pohnpei tells the story of their quest to coach the team and eventually, organise an international fixture - Pohnpei's first since a 16-1 defeat many years ago. With no funding, a population whose obesity rate is 90 percent and toad-infested facilities in one of the world's wettest climates, their journey is beset by obstacles from the outset. Part travelogue, part quest, Up Pohnpei shows how the passion and determination of two young men can change the face of football - and the lives of total strangers - on the other side of the world.

As Andrew McCarthy wrote in The New York Times Book Review, "For more than 20 years, Travelers' Tales has been publishing books that might best be described as the literary equivalent of a group of travelers sitting around a dim cafe, sipping pints or prosecco and trading their best stories." Now, new from Travelers' Tales comes The Best Women's Travel Writing, Volume 12: True Stories from Around the World-the latest collection in the best-selling, award-winning series that invites you to ride shotgun alongside intrepid female nomads as they wander the globe discovering new places, faces, and facets of themselves. "In story after story," McCarthy wrote about the previous volume of The Best Women's Travel Writing, "the refreshing absence of bluster and bravado, coupled with the optimism necessary for bold travel, create a unifying narrative that testifies to the personal value and cultural import of leaving the perceived safety of home and setting out into the wider world." The essays in this volume are as diverse as the destinations, exploring themes of kindness, transformation, nature, friendship, family, strength, and resilience. In The Best Women's Travel Writing, Volume 12, you will... Settle a thirteen-year debt in Cuba Learn to survive in the polar regions of Canada Witness an amateur autopsy in Ireland Get chloroformed, robbed, read to, and propositioned in Italy Summit Kilimanjaro in Tanzania Get lost and found on a dark and rainy morning in northern France Find joy in Azerbaijan while walking across two continents Explain American reality TV to a bewildered bunch in Bolivia Fear for your life on a stormy Adriatic Sea Bear witness at the site of a volcano disaster in Indonesia Contemplate the perils of too much safety in Nepal Get conned and taken for a ride in Colombia Track one of the world's most elusive animals in India Travel the world on stolen plane tickets Outgrow nihilism and embrace friendship at a convent in Spain ...and much more!

Democracy is a living, breathing thing and Erica Benner has spent a lifetime thinking about the role ordinary citizens play in keeping it alive: from her childhood in post-war Japan, where democracy was imposed on a defeated country, to working in post-communist Poland, with its sudden gaps of wealth and security. This book draws on her experiences and the deep history of self-ruling peoples – going back to ancient Greece, the French revolution and Renaissance Florence – to rethink some of the toughest questions that we face today.

What do democratic ideals of equality mean in a world obsessed with competition, wealth, and greatness? How can we hold the powerful to account? Can we find enough common ground to keep sharing democratic power in the future? Challenging well-worn myths of heroic triumph over tyranny, Benner reveals the inescapable vulnerabilities of people power, inviting us to consider why democracy is worth fighting for and the role each of us must play.

A New York Times Bestseller To some people, Florida is a paradise; to others, a punch line. As Oh, Florida! shows, it's both of these and, more important, it's a Petri dish, producing trends that end up influencing the rest of the country. Without Florida there would be no NASCAR, no Bettie Page pinups, no Glenn Beck radio rants, no USA Today, no "Stand Your Ground," ...You get the idea. To outsiders, Florida seems baffling. It's a state where the voters went for Barack Obama twice, yet elected a Tea Party candidate as governor. Florida is touted as a carefree paradise, yet it's also known for its perils--alligators, sinkholes, pythons, hurricanes, and sharks, to name a few. It attracts 90 million visitors a year, some drawn by its impressive natural beauty, others bewitched by its manmade fantasies. Oh, Florida! explores those contradictions and shows how they fit together to make this the most interesting state. It is the first book to explore the reasons why Florida is so wild and weird--and why that's okay. But there is far more to Florida than its sideshow freakiness. Oh, Florida! explains how Florida secretly, subtly influences all the other states in the Union, both for good and for ill.

Norman Lewis was eighty-three years old when in 1991 he embarked on a series of three arduous journeys into the most contentious corners of Indonesia: into the extreme western edge of Sumatra, into East Timor and Irian Jaya. He never drops his guard, reporting only on what he can observe, and using his well-honed tools of irony, humour and restraint to assess the power of the ruling Javanese generals who for better or worse took over the 300-year old dominion of the exploitative Dutch colonial regime. An Empire of the East is the magnificent swan-song of Britain's greatest travel writer: unearthing the decimation of the tropical rain forests in Sumatra, the all but forgotten Balinese massacre of the communists in 1965, the shell-shocked destruction of East Timor, the stone-age hunter-gathering culture of the Yali tribe (in western Papua New Guinea) and perhaps most chilling of all, his visit to the Freeport Copper mine in the sky - which is like a foretaste of the film Avatar - but this time the bad guys, complete with a well-oiled publicity department, triumph. He left us with a brilliant book, that reveals his passion for justice and his delight in every form of human society and still challenges our complacency and indifference.