From comical misunderstandings and hilarious mishaps to the sheer terror of a near-death experience, these are the true-life global adventures and keen observations of one American traveler.

During his forty years of international travel, Edward Gray journeyed through the old Communist regimes of the USSR, Western Europe, the Americas, and the Far East. He lived through coup attempts in Portugal, Peru, and France; skyjacking incidents in the Middle East and the United States; and his family's extended stay at the JFK Airport in the blizzard of 1993.

At once a personal memoir, an intriguing international travelogue, and a fascinating blend of history and sociology, "Call a Bomb a Rifle" includes Gray's most entertaining, lively, and insightful anecdotes about life among strangers. Whether he's witnessing the purchase of a bushel of cherries in Istanbul, skiing in the Italian Alps, or watching the pilot and his fellow passengers perish in a major airplane crash, Gray is forever changed by his worldly excursions.

This remarkable memoir chronicles a lifetime of exploration into the various cultures, languages, and idiosyncrasies that divide us as a species-and the underlying humanity that unites us.

The stories in The Vanishing Point are both exotic and domestic, their settings ranging from Hawaii to Africa and New England. Each focuses on life’s vanishing points—a moment when seemingly all lines running through one’s life converge, and one can see no farther, yet must deal with the implications. With the insight, subtlety, and empathy that has long characterized his work, Theroux has written deeply moving stories about memory, longing, and the passing of time, reclaiming his status, once again, as a master of the form.

In 2013, three friends set off on a journey that they had been told was impossible: the north-south crossing of the Congo River Basin, from Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, to Juba, in South Sudan.Traversing two and a half thousand miles of the toughest terrain on the planet in a twenty-five year old Land Rover, they faced repeated challenges, from kleptocracy and fire ants to non-existent roads and intense suspicion from local people. Through imagination and teamwork - including building rafts and bridges to cross rivers, conducting makeshift surgery in the jungle and playing tribal politics - they got through. But the Congo is raw, and the journey took an unexpected psychological toll on them all.Crossing the Congo is a story of friendship, what it takes to complete a great journey against tremendous odds, and an intimate look into one of the world's least-developed and most fragile states.

A Visit to Wazan, the Sacred City of Morocco Originally published in 1880, this book offers a fascinating insight into a Morocco that, at that time, was untouched by western influence. Contetns Include: Introduction, Langifr, The Great Cherif and the Cherifa, Preparation, On the Road, Druidical Remains at Majorah-Arjila, By the Way, Al Kasar, The Way to Wazan, Wazan, Asigen, Rest, Across Country, Toward Tetuan, Tetuan, Return to Tangier, Tangier Again. Also includes appendix and maps and illustrations. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Obscure Press are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

The Silver Invicta is a stream of impressions from a fishing life, in its varying moods, coloured with plenty of whisky and eccentric company. Join Tom Harland on his light-hearted journeys with his fly rod; take part in his triumphs and disasters on rough, wild camping trips and share his encounters with the wildlife of Scotland's rivers and lochs. The 'Silver Invicta' was the traditional fly which was taken by Tom's first salmon and is also a nod to the spirit of Scotland's embattled migratory fish. Tom has fished throughout his local Scottish Borders, England, the Western Isles and New Zealand (a country he lived and worked in for two years), but his real passion is for the brown trout of the hill lochs of Assynt in the North-west Highlands. Open this treasure trove of a book to share the pleasure the author finds through fishing respectfully in magical, wild, and seldom-visited places.

The explorations of 18th-century travellers to the "European frontiers" were often geared to define the cultural, political and historical boundaries of "European civilization". In an age when political revolutions shocked nations into reassessing what separated the civilized from the barbaric, how did literary travellers contemplate the characteristics of their continental neighbours? Focusing on the writings of British travellers, we see how a new view of Europe was created, one that juxtaposed the customs and living conditions of populations in an attempt to define "modern" Europe against a "yet unenlightened" Europe.

"Jungle Rudy" moves between biography, history, anthropology and travel. Rudy Truffino was a legendary figure who established a civilization in the heart of the jungle, performed opera, and became one of the natives. When in 1956 he became lost in the rainforest of the Orinocco in Venezuela, the Pemon Indians saved him from death by starvation and he became immersed in their culture. He helped establish a National Park in the area and led many expeditions to the Auyan Tepi. Jan Brokken follows in his footsteps to discover the real Rudy Truffino.

Jan Brokken is one of Holland's most highly regarded writers with a passion for travel. He has published novels as well as travel narratives and literary journalism.

This book (hardcover) is part of the TREDITION CLASSICS. It contains classical literature works from over two thousand years. Most of these titles have been out of print and off the bookstore shelves for decades. The book series is intended to preserve the cultural legacy and to promote the timeless works of classical literature. Readers of a TREDITION CLASSICS book support the mission to save many of the amazing works of world literature from oblivion. With this series, tredition intends to make thousands of international literature classics available in printed format again - worldwide.

For more than a hundred years after Europeans had begun populating the Atlantic shores of North America, the Pacific coast of that continent remained a blank on their maps and in their minds. When Russians from Siberia first sighted the mountains of Alaska in 1741, they called it the Great Land. In fact they were glimpsing part of a 4,000-mile stretch of virgin coastline, reaching from Western Alaska to Oregon to Southern California. As far as Spanish Mexico, all was uncharted and unknown. Its water, its salmon, its sea otters, its sunshine, its trees and its harbours remained the preserve of Native Americans, and were entirely free of international commerce.But time was not standing still. In the second half of the eighteenth century, Europeans were aggressively taking their way of life to every corner of the globe. Northwest America could not remain exempt from this process. Who would be the first to settle the coast that was destined to become the cultural and economic powerhouse of the world? The answer to this question was not obvious. This book is the story of how Western America very nearly came to be a possession of the Empire of Russia." A fascinating and near-forgotten history brought vividly to life."Colin Thubron"What a terrific book - it's incredibly well researched and written and tells a story about which I, for one, knew nothing! I was amazed by the cast of characters that Jeremy uncovered - battling away in those terrible conditions. It makes our lives seem very tame. What a triumph!"Rosie Boycott"The central premise of this wonderful book is, at first sight, scarcely believable: that the world's largest country was on the brink of extending its empire along the entire length of America's Pacific shore, thereby making San Francisco as Russian as St Petersburg and annexing Hawaii as an outpost of Siberia. Yet through meticulous research combined with a natural flair for story-telling, Jeremy Atiyah bestows this astonishing sequence of events with credibility. He weaves a compelling tale of heroism, intrigue and betrayal that begins with Catherine the Great and ends in the twilight of the Russian Empire and the ascendancy of America."Simon Calder"The story of Russia's colony in America is known to very few people in Britain. Not only, however, is it one of history's odder side-paths, packed with strange people and events: it is also a fascinating "might-have-been". Jeremy Atiyah tells this story in an accurate and informative narrative which is also great fun to read".Professor Dominic Lieven, London School of Economics, author of The Russian Empire and its Rivals."What if the Russian Empire had succeeded in colonising North America's Pacific coast? And why did they not succeed? Just how close did they come to doing so - at a time when the Atlantic colonies were struggling to create the United States? Jeremy Atiyah offers intriguing answers to questions that I never knew enough even to ask."Lord Howe of Aberavon"Not many people know that Alaska and the whole north-west coast down to San Francisco almost became Russian. Jeremy Atiyah tells an astonishing story of Russian adventurers, half a world away from St Petersburg, struggling for empire, financed by furs and sea-otter skins. As if a brutal climate and hostile natives were not enough, the Russians had to contend with the growing ambitions of the Spanish, American and British governments. With Europe immersed in the Napoleonic Wars, the area became a giant chess-board of trade, diplomacy, exploration and adventure, played out across the whole North Pacific triangle, with Hawaii a paradise against the cold, damp hell of the northwest coast - at its apex. The Russians came out top. Russia owned Alaska until 'the cold dead hand of St Petersburg' threw away their most distant outpost by selling the whole region to the US in 1867, for a mere $7.2 million. This is surely one of the most astonishing real-estate deals in history. It is a tribute to Atiyah's skill as a historian and story-teller that he balances sources from all nationalities, while bringing these wilderness regions and their cast of extremely odd personalities to vivid life."John Man, writer, author of The Guttenberg Revolution, Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan: Life, Death and Resurrection and Kublai Khan."Jeremy Atiyah's The Great Land is a welcome addition to the literature on Russian presence on the Pacific Rim. Based on his judicious use of sources, the result is a highly readable and instructive analysis of Russian attempts to establish colonial footholds in Alaska, California and Hawaii at the end of the 18th and early 19th centuries. This book belongs in every library and in the collection of every history buff." Basil Dmytryshyn, Professor Emeritus of History, Portland State University.

TV presenter, writer and adventurer Alice Morrison gives her own unique and personal insight into Morocco, the place she's made her home. When Alice Morrison headed out to Morocco, it was to take on one of the most daunting challenges: to run in the famous Marathon des Sables. Little did she expect to end up living there. But once she settled in a flat in Marrakech, she was won over by the people, the spectacular scenery and the ancient alleyways of the souks. Soon she was hiking over the Atlas mountains, joining nomads to sample their timeless way of life as they crossed the Sahara desert, and finding peace in a tranquil oasis. Despite more than 10 million tourists coming to Morocco each year, there are remarkably few books about its people, their customs and the extraordinary range of places to visit, from bustling markets to vast, empty deserts. Alice makes sure she samples it all, and as she does she provides a stunning portrait of a beautiful country. As a lone woman, she often attracts plenty of curiosity, but her willingness to participate - whether thigh deep in pigeon droppings in a tannery or helping out herding goats - ensures that she is welcomed everywhere by a people who are among the most hospitable on the planet. Alice came to fame with her BBC2 series Morocco to Timbuktu, and now she joins the ranks of great travel writers who can bring a country vividly to life and instantly transport the reader to a sunnier place. If you're thinking of going to Morocco, or you want to recall your time there, Adventures in Morocco is the ideal book.

Discover the Weird, Weird West For more than thirty years, journalist and author Martin J. Smith traveled the American West, chasing offbeat stories that were often bizarre, always compelling, and at times profound. His journey through that oft-idealized and misunderstood landscape has made him a witness to some of the West’s most interesting places, people, and events, from his Valentine’s Day at Nevada’s Mustang Ranch brothel to the deathbed of a man who spent three decades building two 150-ton concrete dinosaurs in the desert. This collection of essays, often told with the wisdom and perspective of a writer looking back, chronicles in vivid detail the heroes, heels, and cultural spasms of an endlessly fascinating frontier.

'A book worth reading' Andrew Marr, Sunday Times The Debatable Land was an independent territory which used to exist between Scotland and England. At the height of its notoriety, it was the bloodiest region in Great Britain, fought over by Henry VIII, Elizabeth I and James V. After the Union of the Crowns, most of its population was slaughtered or deported and it became the last part of the country to be brought under the control of the state. Today, its history has been forgotten or ignored. When Graham Robb moved to a lonely house on the very edge of England, he discovered that the river which almost surrounded his new home had once marked the Debatable Land's southern boundary. Under the powerful spell of curiosity, Robb began a journey - on foot, by bicycle and into the past - that would uncover lost towns and roads, reveal the truth about this maligned patch of land and result in more than one discovery of major historical significance. Rich in detail and epic in scope, The Debatable Land takes us from a time when neither England nor Scotland could be imagined to the present day, when contemporary nationalism and political turmoil threaten to unsettle the cross-border community once more. Writing with his customary charm, wit and literary grace, Graham Robb proves the Debatable Land to be a crucial, missing piece in the puzzle of British history. Includes a 16-page colour plate section.

VENICE ON FOOT IONTE DEI PUCJW, AND THE CAMPANILE OK S. MARIA DEL CARMINE FROM IONTE S. IJAKNAUA CONTENTS CHAPTER PAflE I. NOTE TO THE READER i II. DIVISION OF THE CITY 8 III. PIAMA DI S. MARCO 12 IV. THE WALKS 22 V. WALK i 24 VI. WALK 2 51 VII. WALK 3 83 VIII. WALK SA 102 IX. WALK 4 122 X. WALK 5 144 XL WALK 6 169 XII. WALK 7 193 XIII, WALK 8 319 XIV. WALK 9 241 XV. WALK 10 .257 XVI. THE GRAND CANAL 272 XVII. DIRECT ROUTES .334 XVIII. NOBLE FAMILIES 343 . XIX. GENERAL NOTES 366 INDEX OF LOCALITIES 387 INDEX OF NAMES 415 vifi VENICE ON FOOT FACING PAGE CHURCH OF S. ZACCARIA 122 CAMPIELLO S. GAETANO 122 CHURCH OF S. Moisft 122 PALAZZO WIDMAN FROM PONTE DEL PIOVAN . . 132 SCUOLA DI S. FANTINO ATENEO VENETO . . .132 PALAZZO BENEDETTI, FROM PONTE PRIULI . . . 153 PALAZZO BEMBO 153 DOOR OF PALAZZO VAN AXEL 153 A BRIDGE WITHOUT A PARAPET 153 PALAZZO PESARO-PAPAFAVA 160 WELL IN THE GARDEN OF PALAZZO CONTARINI . . 160 CAMPO S. MARIA FORMOSA, PALAZZO RUZZINI-PRIULI TO PALAZZI DON 160 CHURCH OF S. MARIA DELLA SALUTE .... 169 PALAZZO MARCELLO .173 CASA MORO PONTE LUNGO 173 PALAZZO ARIANI 177 PALAZZO RIZZI 177 No. 2931 CAMPO S. MARGARITA Cl CORNER . . 185 PALAZZO FOSCARINI S. MARIA DEL CARMINE . . 185 CASA DELL ANGELO FROM PONTE DELL ANGELO . 194 PALAZZO SAGREDO 194 A QUIET CORNER FONDAMENTA DEL RIMEDIO . . 194 CASINO DEGLI SPIRITI 202 FRUIT STALL SALIZZADA S. FRANCESCO . . .202 PALAZZO PESARO ORFEI 232 PALAZZO PRIULI S. FELICE 232 FONDAMENTA CANNAREGIO OPPOSITE PALAZZO MAN FRIN 238 PALAZZO DUODO S. ANGELO 238 CAMPO S. MAURIZIO, PALAZZO MOLIN .... 249 CAMPO S. POLO, PALAZZO SORANZO, PALAZZO TIEPOLO 249 FROM PONTE DELLA VERONA, PALAZZO MORA, PALAZZO CONTARINI DEL BOVOLO 254 CAMPIELLO BARBARO, WITHBACK OF PALAZZO DARIO . 258 CAMPO S. Vio, PALAZZO LOREDAN, PALAZZO BARBARO 260 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ix FACING PAGE SQUERO, AND CHURCH OP S. TROVASO FROM PONTE LUNGO 262 CLOISTERS OF S. STEFANO, WITH REMAINS OF FRES COES BY PORDENONE 262 PALAZZI CAVALLI AND BARBARO 278 PALAZZO LOREDAN DELL AMBASCIATORE . . .278 PALAZZO BARBARO, A CORNER OF THE GRAND SALON . 279 PALAZZI REZZONICO, GIUSTINIAN, AND FOSCARI . . 281 PALAZZI MICHIEL DALLE COLONNE AND MICHIEL DA BRUSA 293 PALAZZI MIANI-COLETTI AND CA DORO . . . 293 CANNAREOIO CHURCH OF S. GEREMIA, PALAZZO LABL 300 PALAZZI COCCINA-TIEPOLO AND BUSINELLO . . . 300 FROM THE STEAMER STATION S. ANGELO PALAZZO FOSCARI TO PALAZZO TIEPOLO .... 300 CHURCH OF S. MARCUOLA 300 END OF GRAND CANAL STEAMER STATION S. CHIARA 304 PALAZZI BARZIZZA AND AVOGADRO . . . .316 PALAZZI REZZONICO, BERNARDO, GIUSTINIAN AND FO SCARI 316 PALAZZI CAPELLO AND GRIMANI 318 PALAZZI TIEPOLO, PISANI-MORETTA AND BARBARIGO DELLA TERRAZZA 319 MAP OF WALK i 50, , 2 82 WALKS 3 AND 3A 120, , WALK 4 142 . 5 68 6 192 7 218 8 240 9 256 10 270 THE GRAND CANAL 332 VENICE ON FOOT CHAPTER I NOTE TO THE READER THE number of those who walk in Venice is in creasing every year and in the case of my own friends who have tried it, I have always found them so enthusiastic, and so anxious to see more of the less visited parts of the city, and the street life of the people, that feeling that this might also apply to others, I have thought it worth while to arrange a few walks, which, while including several points of interest not generally seen from a gondola, might, moreover, be of assistance in finding such places as the reader may wish to visit. The book is not in any way a guide to interiors ofbuildings, nor is it intended to compete with the excellent guide-books now extant its object being to assist those who wish to walk, and to answer such questions, as would probably be asked, when doing so for the first time...

Morbid, but strangely fascinating accounts In 2015, a group of seven hikers were killed when a sudden flood struck Keyhole Canyon in Zion National Park. Prior to that, the steep, narrow route to Angels Landing led to at least five fatalities. Numerous people have found that high, exposed places in Zion-such as rim trails-are bad places to be in lightning storms. Death in Zion National Park collects some of the most gripping accounts in park history of the unfortunate events caused by natural forces or human folly.