A mouth-wateringly evocative memoir of a new life in Tuscany. Ferenc Mate and his painter wife Candace arrived from New York in the late 1980s, knowing almost no Italian and with only four weeks to find themselves a new home. After many (hilariously told) mishaps, they finally conclude the deal for their perfect house - an ancient farmhouse in the Tuscan hills - by drawing on the hood of a rusty tractor. Mate brings the real Tuscany to life: the neighbours, the countryside, country-life, the family farm down the road who virtually adopt them and teach them the Tuscan traditions of grape-picking, wine-making, mushroom hunting, woodcutting, the holidays and, of course, the almost never-ending, mouth-watering feasts. The Hills of Tuscany is a classic piece of rural escapism for urban dreamers. Witty and enticingly written, it offers a tempting invitation to readers to lose themselves in its lushness. Steeped in the mesmerizing Italian landscape, full of unforgettable characters, this book is an affirmation of traditions, friendship and the countryside - a celebration of life itself.

Mexico, El Dia de los Muertos, 1921. Penniless and hunted, Nello, Dugger and his lover Kate make a spectacular moonlit jailbreak and set sail for the paradise of the South Seas. But they fall prey to the intrigue of two mysterious stowaways: Darina, a young Irish escapee from the brutal Magdalene nuns, in search of her lost twin; and Guillaume, a seasoned French spy sent to kill the leader of an anti-colonial uprising. Set in the fiercely beautiful volcanic islands of French Polynesia, this enthralling historical adventure is the story of man against the fury of the elements; of dreams colliding with reality; of an anguished ancient culture combating tyranny. From a savage storm at sea, to cannibalism and exotic sexual rites, to a study of two women one desperate to remember her past, the other as determined to forget it their exhilarating voyage, becomes a true test of love, faith and friendship.

Sun-drenched Tuscany is synonymous with the ideal life. But it didn't happen by chance. Since the Etruscans, the Tuscans have treated their breathtaking countryside with sagacious respect and, in hamlets and hill towns, have built a culture of simplicity, beauty, neighborliness, good food, and a love of daily life. Ferenc Mate, a Tuscan resident for twenty years, explores this idyllic existence. He finds Tuscans brimming with creative practicality, down-home humor, and relentless optimism. Blended with their passion for work and independence, they have achieved a haven of economic stability, physical and emotional security, and a fortifying sense of belonging. From their organic gardens to their mouthwatering cuisine, from high-quality, craftsmen-made products and family-run businesses to the joys centered in human contact, Tuscans live a healthy, emotionally rich life. Mate--engaging, funny, and insightful--shows us how to live like Tuscans.

At the turn of the century, a Kwakiutl warrior from British Columbia's wild northern islands raids an artifact collector's yacht to reclaim stolen sacred masks. He takes the collector's wife, Kate, as hostage on his 200-mile canoe voyage home. The collector hires Dugger, a coastal trader living on the edges of the law, to give chase in his ketch with the collector as passenger, but Dugger's financial salvation comes at a terrible price, for he is Kate's secret lover. Day and night Dugger sails the uncharted islands, through raging currents and ship-swallowing whirlpools, and the account of his pursuit is interwoven with Kate's harrowing and erotically charged journey. Based on a true story, this novel reaches its thrilling climax at the last secret, hallucinatory potlatch of the ancient Kwakiutl culture, where the history of a doomed people is melded with the fury of three hearts.

Celebrating its twenty-eighth year, The Seven Seas 2012 calendar will take you on an unforgettable voyage to places of natural beauty, solitude, and silence; to islands with names like Orkney, Karimata, Fatu Hiva, and Ua Pou. Sail away to where there's only sea and sun and the night sky thick with stars.

Lovingly written and beautifully photographed, Best Boats is an evaluation of the most elegantly designed and best-built sailboats in stages from a bare hull to a finished yacht. In addition to evaluating overall design, performance and layout, this book, like no other, analyses how and how well the boats are built. Ranging from the ageless Herreshoff day-sailer to the ultra-light Santa Cruz flyers, the book features some of the finest works of designers such as German Frers, Chuck Paine, Bill Crealock, Doug Peterson, Lyle Hess, and others. Even more importantly, it contains interviews with legendary builders such as Tom Morris, the Cherubinis, Cecil Lange, and Tom Dreyfus. Using the surveyed boats as examples, Mate; shows what to look for when contemplating the purchase of any sailboat. For the boatbuilder, it points out the weaknesses and strengths of all aspects of construction, using hundreds of photographs and illustrations to clarify."