London is divided and united by its river; one of the few cities in the world to find its essence in two profoundly different, yet nearly touching, urban characters. So the Thames provides the perfect vantage point for telling the most comprehensive story of this complex city. Arriving with little previous knowledge of London, Matteo Pericoli made an intensive twenty-mile journey along the river, from Hammersmith Bridge to the Millennium Dome and back again. Over two years later, he leaves behind the most astonishing document of his journey: two thirty-seven-foot-long pen-and-ink drawings depicting the city's north and south banks. Each drawing - presented on one side of this beautiful single-sheet accordion-style book - is rendered with loving and essay-like detail, revealing a distinct profile of London in all of its diversity: a dozen boroughs, nineteen bridges and hundreds of buildings, including the Houses of Parliament, Tate Modern, Battersea Power Station and the Millennium Wheel. Matteo Pericoli's inimitable drawings, constantly complementing and questioning each other, brought him to a better understanding of London - and whether you've lived there all your life, or have never been at all, this breathtaking work of art is certain to deepen your thoughts and renew your fascination with one of the world's most brilliant cities.

Extensively revised, a host of local landmarks are shown as they once looked, alongside the same viewpoint photographed today Originally known as Nashborough, Nashville was named as the capital of Tennessee in 1843. The city's economic recovery after the Civil War was slow, hampered by two major cholera epidemics. However, the Centennial Exposition of 1897, for which a reproduction of the Greek Parthenon was built, led to the city's gradual establishment as one of the finest cities in the South. Although Nashville was known as the home of the Maxwell House Coffee empire in the early 20th century, it was the Grand Ole Opry, established in 1925, that turned the city into a major country music venue. Using some extraordinary images from the city's past, paired with the same views today, this book shows how the city has evolved into a bright, modern city that is synonymous with country music. Locations include State Capitol, Hotel Hermitage, Maxwell House Hotel, Ryman Auditorium, Union Street, James K. Polk Home, Germantown, Watson House, Woodland Street Bridge, Broad Street, Union Street, Market Street, Customs House, Union Station, Fisk University, Country Music Hall of Fame, the Parthenon, Tennessee Centennial, Vanderbilt University, Hillsboro Turnpike, Fort Negley, and East Bank.

Finally, a book that takes you beyond the beautiful Art Deco buildings of Miami's South Beach to the glamorous twenty-first century people who build them, work in them, love and live in them. These beautiful people come to South Florida from all over the world, yet they share a surprisingly consistent vision of what is so special about this small shimmering slice of the state. From Cuban-born diva Gloria Estefan to the late Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace and a flock of rock-star hoteliers and real estate developers, their take on "SoBe" is all about the sun, the sea... and, of course, the other beautiful people who inhabit their neighborhood. Meet over forty of South Beach's most influential residents and immerse yourself in the fabulous exteriors and interiors of classic old hotels, world-famous restaurants, and soaring contemporary structures that abound in this subtropical paradise. Take a photographic tour of Casa Tua restaurant, the Eden Roc, National, and Raleigh hotels, Mellon Bank, the Wolfsonian Museum, and many more. The beauty here is exceptional, and the people and places of South Beach -- its faces and facades -- are part of what makes this alluring area so special.

Hand Luggage Only: Great Britain is a travel guide to the amazing places to be found throughout England, Scotland and Wales. Actually, scratch that - it's about so much more than a celebration of Britain's finest travel destinations! This book will actually help get you out there to explore the country yourself. There's so much about the UK that even Brits don't know, so Yaya and Lloyd of the successful travel blog Hand Luggage Only are here to share all of their insider tips. Featuring stunning photos, their book covers everything from incredible hikes, amazing castles, beautiful road trips and even surprising spots in the UK, all based on Yaya and Lloyd's own tried-and-tested experiences. You'll find both old-school favourites and hidden gems that'll help you make the most of our stunning islands. Did you know there's a part of Great Britain that's warm enough to actually have palm trees? Or that there are beaches in Britain that look and feel like you're enjoying a tropical island vacation? Whether you keep this book at home or take it with you on the road, Yaya and Lloyd will help you see Great Britain in a new light and ensure you make the most of the many places awaiting discovery in this incredible part of the world.

Although the topic of travel and travel writing by Chinese and Japanese writers has recently begun to attract more interest among scholars in the West, it remains largely virgin terrain with vast tracts awaiting scholarly examination. This book offers insights into how East Asians traveled in the early modern and modern periods, what they looked for, what they felt comfortable finding, and the ways in which they wrote up their impressions of these experiences.

Introduction by Jonathan MontaldoForeword by Brother Patrick Hart, OCSO

For twenty-seven years, renowned and beloved monk Thomas Merton (1915-1968) belonged to Our Lady of Gethsemani, a Trappist monastery established in 1848 amid the hills and valleys near Bardstown, Kentucky. In Thomas Merton's Gethsemani, dramatic black-and-white photographs by Harry L. Hinkle and artful text by Merton scholar Monica Weis converge in a unique experience for lovers of Merton.

Hinkle was allowed unprecedented access to many areas inside the monastery and on its grounds that are generally restricted. His photographs invite the reader to experience the various knobs, lakes, woods, and hermitages Merton sought out for times of solitude and contemplation and for reading and writing. These unique images, each accompanied by a passage from Merton's writings, evoke personal reflection and a deeper understanding of how and why Merton came to recognize himself as a part of his Kentucky landscape.

Woven throughout the book, Weis's text explores Merton's fascination with nature not only at Gethsemani, but during his early childhood, throughout his spiritual conversion to Roman Catholicism, and while a member of the Trappist community. She examines how Merton's lifelong interaction with nature subtly revealed and informed his profound spiritual experiences and his writing about contemplation. Thomas Merton's Gethsemani replicates Merton's path on his solitary hikes in the woods and conveys the wonder of the landscapes that inspired him.

Peter Goullart spent nine years in the all-but-forgotten Nakhi Kingdom of south west China. He had a job entirely suited to his inquiring, gossipy temperament: to get to know the local traders, merchants, inn-keepers and artisans to decide which to back with a loan from the cooperative movement. A Russian by birth, due to his extraordinary skill in language and dialects, Goullart made himself totally at home in Likiang, which had been ruled by Mandarin officials descended from ancient dynasties, and was visited by caravans of Tibetan and Burmese travelling merchants, and such mysterious local highland peoples as the Lobos. In his company we get to hear about the love affairs and social rivalries of his neighbours, to attend magnificent banquets, meet ancient dowagers and handsome warriors as well as to catch the sound of the swiftly running mountain streams, the coarse ribaldry of the market ladies and the happy laughter emerging from the wine shops. Through him we are able to travel back to this complex society, which believed simultaneously and sincerely in Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism, in addition to their ancient Animism and Shamanism.

From the festival founder's boast at a party in 1971 that he could fly his newly bought balloon, to an annual celebration that now draws more than half a million people to New Mexico, the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is a story of good times and friendships formed over decades of ballooning. An average of 700 balloonists from scores of nations participate in the October event, lifting off with the rising sun in the crisp Albuquerque air and floating against the turquoise skies and salmon-pink Sandia Mountains. Traditional balloons mix with specially designed balloons such as shade-wearing suns and Darth Vader to thrill the tens of thousands of spectators below. The excitement continues into the nights with balloon glows and fireworks. More than 150 images capture the colors, crowds, and camaraderie that have made Albuquerque the ballooning capital of the world."