Before the emergence of anthropology around the middle of the nineteenth century, there was no ethnography as such. But the discipline owes its formation to certain strands that go back into the remoter past of the ancient world, as far back as Homeric epic, and range over such themes as the Greek views of non-Greeks and indeed of the boundaries of what it is to be human. These classical structural polarities have provided an enduring interpretative framework for configuring the 'other' in very different societies and places. Reaching across a remarkable time span, Mason's approach does not attempt a unified narrative, but uses case studies from the ancient world, the early modern era and the Enlightenment, many of them related to the difficulties of comprehending the cultures of the New World, to pinpoint startling continuities and changes. In this way, Mason reveals 'embedded ethnographies' in the works of a diverse set of writers, from giants of their age such as Sextus Empiricus, Columbus, Montaigne, the Marquis de Sade and Goethe, to little-known authors of the sixteenth century such as Jan Huygen van Linschoten (tales of sex and drugs in Goa) and Adriaen Coenen (encountering Eskimos in The Hague). Drawing his conclusions from a wealth of sources, the author deftly moves from travellers' accounts, encyclopaedias, cosmographies and natural history compilations, to literary works of fiction, translating them from seven languages. Many are presented here to English readers for the first time. Whether non-European peoples are demonized or idealized, the author asks, can any trace of a native voice still be found in these European texts? An outstanding work by a scholar with an eye for extraordinary case studies and unexpected cultural connections, which contribute to opening up new paths of research and reinvigorate the field. Francisco Bethencourt - Charles Boxer Professor of History, King's College London The Ways of the World is an elegant, lucid, exemplary piece of intellectual history by an author who is as much at home in philosophy and literary criticism as he is in anthropology and history. Peter Burke - Emeritus Professor of Cultural History, Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge

In Cold Water immerses the reader in the challenges, sights, sounds, triumphs and disappointments of swimming the English Channel--and one man's fixation on the feat. First conquered in 1875 by Matthew Webb, the choppy, 22-mile Channel presents one of the supreme endurance challenges in all of sports. With nothing but a basic swimsuit, pair of goggles, a swim cap, and a goal, swimmers leave Dover Harbor in England and battle their way through frigid waters, mercurial weather, jellyfish, and unrelenting ship traffic. They swim through sunrises and sunsets powered by sheer will and specially formulated energy feeds. And if physical and mental conditions go their way, they walk out of the water in France. Mike Humphreys has swum the swim several times--and though he's yet to achieve his goal, he's amassed a fascinating book full of personal experiences, history, stories of other Channel swimmers, and lore surrounding the sport. For sports active adherents, armchair swimmers and athletes of every stripe, or even just those fascinated by the challenge of English Channel swimming, In Cold Water makes fascinating and inspiring reading.

Although much has been written about Columbus's life in Italy and Spain, little has been written about his formative years in Portugal. This work is the first book-length analysis of Columbus's stay in Portugal and Madeira from 1476 to 1485 and his later experiences in the Portuguese islands of the Azores and the Madeiras. The work stresses the influence the Portuguese had in educating Columbus about the sea, and it depicts his famous voyage to the New World as a logical sequence of the pioneering voyages of the Portuguese in the North Atlantic and along the West Coast of Africa. The work attempts to sort legend from fact and debunks the many myths about Columbus's stays on the island of Madeira.

In this work, Buschmann incorporates neglected Spanish visions into the European perceptions of the emerging Pacific world. The book argues that Spanish diplomats and intellectuals attempted to create an intellectual link between the Americas and the Pacific Ocean.

Shambles paints a vivid portrait of the beauty and grandeur of Antarctica. Through a journey resplendent with sheer joy and heart-breaking loss, one man must wage a war against nature. The consequences of that battle will echo throughout a lifetime. In 1981, Stephen Tait was part of a four-man traveling party in Antarctica. After several equipment problems and fierce weather conditions, the team found themselves in a very dangerous position. They must battle the brutal climate and bleak terrain in order to make it back to the comforts of civilization. As both the temperature and morale severely plummet, the men struggle to survive. Will they be able to find their way out of the inhospitable wilderness of Antarctica and if they do, will they be able to live with the horrors they faced during their fateful trip?

This is a study of the manner in which certain mythical notions of the world become accepted as fact. Dathorne shows how particular European concepts such as El Dorado, the Fountain of Youth, a race of Amazons, and monster (including cannibal) images were first associated with the Orient. After the New World encounter they were repositioned to North and South America. The book examines the way in which Arabs and Africans are conscripted into the view of the world and takes an unusual, non-Eurocentric viewpoint of how Africans journeyed to the New World and Europe, participating in, what may be considered, an early stage of world exploration and discovery. The study concludes by looking at European travel literature from the early journeys of St. Brendan, through the Viking voyages and up to Marco Polo and Sir John Mandeville. In all these instances, the encounters seem to justify mythical belief. Dathorne's interest in the subject is both intellectual and passionate since, coming from Guyana, he was very much part of this malformed Weltschmerz.

Zenas Leonard was a wilderness explorer who journeyed across and charted the perilous Rocky Mountains in the early 19th century, keeping this diary as he went. Embarking on his spectacular journey with a company of seventy like-minded fellows, Leonard chronicles the many perils and trials the group encountered through their lengthy voyage deep into unknown territory. The band of explorers are beset with difficulties; the harsh, craggy lay of the land, ferocious creatures, and the various Native American tribes put the men through the greatest physical and mental tests. Many members of the group were fur traders by profession; in scouting the vast landscape of the Rockies, they hoped to discover new and prized game to catch. However their ambitions are sorely tested by hunger and thirst, while dangerous creatures such as the grizzly bear strike terror in their hearts.

Between 1982 and 2012, I took 95 major trips to foreign and domestic destinations as tour designer and leader. My tours were tailored to include experiences not enjoyed by the average traveler. Bet you didn't see what we did This book is about: Traveling off the beaten path to see the beauty and unusual details that others miss Cultural and historical facts and trivia that add interest to the traveler's experience Humorous events that occurred on our journeys The importance of seeing everything there was to see where we went, knowing that we may not be back Entertaining episodes, unique people, fresh perspectives, and "close calls" encountered along the way. With the daring of "Indiana Jones" and the enthusiasm of "Auntie Mame" you will be tempted to follow your heart and see the world.

Before he published his first novel in 1895, Joseph Conrad spent twenty years in the merchant navy, eventually obtaining his master's ticket and commanding the barque Otago, in which he sailed a notable passage from Sydney to Mauritius. This book traces his sea-career, and shows how Captain Jozef Konrad Korzeniowski, master mariner, became Joseph Conrad, master novelist. Conrad was injured on the Highland Forest, burned out of the Palestine, falsely censured for professional misconduct by the master of the Riversdale, survived a brief and dangerous posting as a river-boat captain on the Congo???and finally served as first officer on the famous Torrens, a passenger ship sailing between Adelaide and Great Britain.

Frank Thomas Morano's search for holy men and women has taken him around the world. In his memoirs, The Secret Cycle, he shares the wisdom he has found.

Despite earlier naval expeditions undertaken for reasons of diplomacy or trade, it wasn't until the early 1400s that European maritime explorers established sea routes through most of the globe's inhabited regions, uniting a divided earth into a single system of navigation. From the early Portuguese and Spanish quests for gold and glory, to later scientific explorations of land and culture, this new understanding of the world's geography created global trade, built empires, defined taste and alliances of power, and began the journey toward the cultural, political, and economic globalization in which we live today. Ronald Love's engaging narrative chapters guide the reader from Marco Polo's exploration of the Mongol empire to Ferdinand Magellan's circumnavigation of the globe, the search for a Northern Passage, Henry Hudson's voyage to Greenland, the discovery of Tahiti, the perils of scurvy, mutiny, and warring empires, and the eventual extension of Western influence into almost every corner of the globe. Biographies and primary documents round out the work.

In the annals of seafaring and exploration, there is one name that immediately evokes visions of the open ocean, billowing sails, visiting strange, exotic lands previously uncharted, and civilizations never before encountered -- Captain James Cook.

This is the true story of a legendary man and explorer. Noted modern-day adventurer Martin Dugard, using James Cook's personal journals, strips away the myths surrounding Cook's life and portrays his tremendous ambition, intellect, and sheer hardheadedness to rise through the ranks of the Royal Navy -- and by his courageous exploits become one of the most enduring figures in naval history.

Full or realistic action, lush descriptions of places and events, and fascinating historical characters such as King George III and the soon-to-be-notorious Master William Bligh, Dugard's gripping account of the life and death of Captain James Cook is a thrilling story of a discoverer hell-bent on going farther than any man.

2014 bronze medal winner eLit Awards, 2013 gold medal winner Living Now Awards, March 2014 #1 book of the month Stevo's Internet Reviews, June 2013 book of the month Pacific Book Review. Wild Among Us: true adventures of a female photographer who stalks bears, wolves, mountain lions, wild horses and other elusive wildlife is a fascinating series of autobiographical stories by Pat Toth-Smith. The story telling pulls you into her perilous world, where you share the strange and sometimes dangerous situations she navigates as she travels the highways and wilderness areas of North America. In the end it all seems worth it when we see the results of her labors, the stunning wildlife photos, the vivid observations of the animal s behavior and the hard earned knowledge gleaned from learning on the job. Wild Among Us is unique in that it has the aesthetic beauty of a fine art photo book combined with the powerful stories of pursuit, danger and life-threatening wildlife encounters, that push the author to face her fears and rely on her intuition to survive and become stronger for it."

Colonial Transformations covers early modern English poetry and plays, Gaelic poetry, and a wide range of English colonial propaganda. In the book, Bach contends that England’s colonial ambitions surface in all of its literary texts. Those texts played multiple roles in England’s colonial expansions and emerging imperialism. Those roles included publicizing colonial efforts, defining some people as white and some as barbarians, constituting enduring stereotypes of native people, and resisting official versions of colonial encounters.

The controversial memoir 'Brigham's Destroying Angel' caused a huge rift in the Mormon Church upon its release in 1872 and had a powerful effect on the church's reputation. 'Wild' Bill Hickman's book chronicles his life as a member of the Mormon church and his reputed position as Brigham Young's hatchet-man. Accused at the time of mass-murder, Hickman shares the details of the horrific crimes he committed, which he controversially claims were ordered by Brigham Young. This new 2017 edition of 'Brigham's Destroying Angel' includes an introduction and appendix.