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Veteran climber Mark Synnott never planned on climbing Mount Everest, but a hundred-year mystery lured him into an expedition--and an awesome history of passionate adventure, chilling tragedy, and human aspiration unfolded. On June 8, 1924, George Mallory and "Sandy" Irvine set out to stand on the roof of the world, where no one had stood before. They were last seen eight hundred feet shy of Everest's summit. A century later, we still don't know whether they achieved their goal, decades before Sir Edmund Hillary and Tensing Norgay did, in 1953. Irvine carried a Kodak camera with him to record their attempt, but it, along with his body, had never been found. Did Mallory and Irvine reach the summit and take a photograph before they fell to their deaths? A magnificent story a la The Lost City of Z, The Third Pole conveys the miracle of a mountain the world wants to own, and the first explorers who may have done so. ISBN 9781472273703 -
Ireland's Instagram sensation Meditations for the Anxious Mind takes us on a trip around Ireland of the likes you've never seen before, from the trolley-filled Liffey to the glamour of Navan. Ever been curious about Limerick's ancient mysteries or wondered what secrets Drogheda might hold? Well now you can visit the trolleys in the Liffey from the comfort of your armchair and learn the lesser-known facts about Ireland's greatest dumps. Did you know that there's no crime in Stoneybatter, because every time a fixie gets stolen they just say it happened in Cabra? Did you know people from Galway have a genetic defect that makes them think they built Supermacs themselves? Did you know that no one in Cork City can remember anyone's name, which is why Corkonians are either called 'bai', 'kid' or 'girl'? Why not go off the beaten track with Meditations for the Anxious Mind's Toxic Travel Guide and laugh your way around Ireland. We did the research so you don't have to smell the bin juice. ISBN 9780008527075 -
In 2019, Gwen Wilkinson set herself the challenge of building a canoe and paddling it the length of Ireland, along a network of inland waterways. She set out from the shores of Lough Erne and navigated a 400km journey to the tidal waters of the River Barrow in Ireland. More than just a travelogue, The Waters and the Wild explores the interwoven histories of the people and wildlife that shaped Gwen’s journey. As the adventure unfolds, she also shines a light on pioneering women who have left their mark on Ireland’s landscape – both natural and cultural. From wild camping on deserted islands to drifting on lakes in the company of restless lapwings, this book invites the reader to share an intense engagement with the natural world. The charming text is accompanied by the author’s own striking lino and woodcut prints, beautiful and though-provoking interpretations of the flora and fauna she observed on her travels. Gwen Wilkinson paddled to explore, searching for inspiration and a desire to learn more about the island we inhabit, and she was met with experiences rich and illuminating, far beyond her expectations. ISBN 9781785374494 -
The landscapes of Britain and Ireland, together with the creatures and plants that inhabit them, have penetrated deep in our collective imagination. From Gilbert White and Dorothy Wordsworth to Laurie Lee and Nan Shepherd, literature inspired by the natural world has become an integral part of our shared identity, and shaped our relationship with the islands we call home. In The Wild Isles, Patrick Barkham has gathered together a wide array of the very best of British and Irish nature writing, characterized by an arresting diversity of moods and voices. His choices are arranged under themes that range from birds, woods and coastlines to childhood, the seasons and urban nature, and juxtapose extracts from much-loved classics with passages by contemporary writers such as Robert Macfarlane, James Rebanks and Helen Macdonald. Here the reader will find joyful celebrations of landscape and the wildlife it nurtures, probing explorations of the environmental problems facing us today, as well as the fresh and vital perspectives of writers from underrepresented backgrounds. 'If British and Irish nature writing is to grow and endure,' writes Barkham in his introduction, 'it must be diverse, complex, multi-faceted and dynamic, and relevant to everyone who lives on this land.'Encompassing the bleak heights of the Cairngorms, the ancient woodlands of Essex, the storm-lashed islands of Ireland's west coast and the lush fields of Devon, The Wild Isles highlights nature's capacity to terrify and to delight, to soothe and to heal, to surprise, inspire and bring wonder.' ISBN 9781803287409 -
Are there any genuinely wild places left in Britain and Ireland? Or have we tarmacked, farmed and built ourselves out of wildness?In his vital, bewitching, inspiring classic, Robert Macfarlane sets out in search of the wildness that remains. ISBN 9781783784493 -
Nature holds the answers for Raynor and her husband Moth. After walking 630 homeless miles along The Salt Path, living on the windswept and wild English coastline; the cliffs, the sky and the chalky earth now feel like their home. Moth has a terminal diagnosis, but against all medical odds, he seems revitalized in nature. Together on the wild coastal path, with their feet firmly rooted outdoors, they discover that anything is possible. Now, life beyond The Salt Path awaits and they come back to four walls, but the sense of home is illusive and returning to normality is proving difficult - until an incredible gesture by someone who reads their story changes everything. A chance to breathe life back into a beautiful farmhouse nestled deep in the Cornish hills; rewilding the land and returning nature to its hedgerows becomes their saving grace and their new path to follow. The Wild Silence is a story of hope triumphing over despair, of lifelong love prevailing over everything. It is a luminous account of the human spirit's instinctive connection to nature, and how vital it is for us all. ISBN 9780241401477 -
Please note this is a USA IMPORT title and would take approximately 14 days to arrive. The true story of a prince from Bali, whose fascinating life was shaped by uncommon events and exotic places. Born in 1919, Prince Made Djelantik witnessed pivotal moments of history: the twilight of a feudal age, the Second World War in Nazi-occupied Holland, Indonesia's long battle for independence from four hundred years of Dutch colonial rule, and finally, the great changes provoked on his island by unbridled development. Driven by an early passion for medicine, the prince set sail for Europe on the eve of WWII to study at the University of Amsterdam. His calling then took him to far-flung corners of the planet, where he encountered everything from a pirate ambush in the South China Sea and a night attack by a famished army of rats, to a deadly volcanic eruption and his arrest by Saddam Hussein's secret police. When he returned to Bali in the mid-1970s, his public identity as a doctor took precedence over his royal lineage and he was known simply as "Dr. Djelantik" on the island. The doctor implemented the successful campaign which finally eradicated malaria from Bali and established the island's first hospital. Author Idanna Pucci's evocative narrative of this unusual life is told in short story form, making The World Odyssey of a Balinese Prince an easy read for anyone who finds themselves dreaming of distant places. More than 40 of Dr. Djelantik's own watercolors--done when he was in his 80s--help to illustrate his adventures in vivid detail. **Skipping Stones Honor Award Winner** ISBN 9780804852593 -
The Writer's Journey invites you to follow in the footsteps of some of the world's most famous authors on the travels that inspired their greatest works.
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A soul-stirring read for the wanderer in each of us, To Shake the Sleeping Self is an unforgettable reflection on adventure, identity and a life lived without regret. On the eve of turning thirty, terrified of being funnelled into a life he didn't choose, and struggling to square his identity as a gay man with his beliefs as a Christian, Jedidiah Jenkins quit his dream job and spent sixteen months cycling from Oregon to Patagonia following loosely in the footsteps of his parents, authors of the 1979 book 'A Walk Across America'. He chronicled the trip online, where his photos and reflections drew hundreds of thousands of followers, all gathered around the question: What makes a life worth living? 'This uplifting memoir and travelogue will remind readers of the power of movement for the body and the soul.' Publishers Weekly. ISBN 9781846047046 -
This revised pictorial biography celebrates the life of Tom Crean, a great Irish hero of Antarctic exploration in an age of epics of endurance and survival against the odds. Supported by complementary text, diary extracts and maps plus new information on Tom Crean's life, this is a lasting celebration of a true hero. ISBN 9781848891197 -
The badass adventurers in this collection are all fearless, intelligent, compassionate and curious about the world - and they all happen to be female. From endurance obstacle races to arctic expeditions, from mountain climbing to wingsuit flying, from horse trekking to swimming the English Channel, they have set the bar high for what women are capable of. Let yourself be inspired by their stories of grit, courage, determination, triumph and heartbreak - you never know, it might lead to something incredible. ISBN 9781787833005 -
Without the benefit of hindsight, how do you interpret what's right in front of your eyes? The events that took place in Germany between 1919 and 1945 were dramatic and terrible but there were also moments of confusion, of doubt - of hope. How easy was it to know what was actually going on, to grasp the essence of National Socialism, to remain untouched by the propaganda or predict the Holocaust? Travellers in the Third Reich is an extraordinary history of the rise of the Nazis based on fascinating first-hand accounts, drawing together a multitude of voices and stories, including students, politicians, musicians, diplomats, schoolchildren, communists, scholars, athletes, poets, journalists, fascists, artists, tourists, even celebrities like Charles Lindbergh and Samuel Beckett. Their experiences create a remarkable three-dimensional picture of Germany under Hitler - one so palpable that the reader will feel, hear, even breathe the atmosphere. These are the accidental eyewitnesses to history. Disturbing, absurd, moving, and ranging from the deeply trivial to the deeply tragic, their tales give a fresh insight into the complexities of the Third Reich, its paradoxes and its ultimate destruction. Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for History 2018 One of the Daily Telegraph's Best Books of 2017 A Guardian 'Readers' Choice' Best Book of 2017 ISBN 9781783963812 -
In 1960, John Steinbeck set out in his pick-up truck with his dog Charley to rediscover and chronicle his native USA, from Maine to California. He felt that he might have lost touch with its sights, sounds and the essence of the American people. Moving through the woods and deserts, dirt tracks and highways to large cities and glorious wildernesses, Steinbeck observed - with remarkable honesty, insight and a humorous eye - the gamut of America and the people who inhabited it. ISBN 9780141186108 -
From the internationally bestselling, prize-winning author of Landmarks, The Lost Words and The Old WaysIn Underland, Robert Macfarlane takes us on a journey into the worlds beneath our feet. From the ice-blue depths of Greenland's glaciers, to the underground networks by which trees communicate, from Bronze Age burial chambers to the rock art of remote Arctic sea-caves, this is a deep-time voyage into the planet's past and future. Global in its geography, gripping in its voice and haunting in its implications, Underland is a work of huge range and power, and a remarkable new chapter in Macfarlane's long-term exploration of landscape and the human heart. ISBN 9780141030579 -
Often hailed as one of the best travel books ever written, Venice is neither a guide nor a history book, but a beautifully written immersion in Venetian life and character, set against the background of the city's past. Analysing the particular temperament of Venetians, as well as its waterways, its architecture, its bridges, its tourists, its curiosities, its smells, sounds, lights and colours, there is scarcely a corner of Venice that Jan Morris has not investigated and brought vividly to life. ISBN 9780571322794 -
From those perilous first steps as a toddler, to great expeditions, from walking to work to trekking to the North Pole, Erling Kagge explains that he who walks goes further and lives better. Walking is a book about the love of exploration, the delight of discovery and the equilibrium that can be found in this most simple of activities. A thought-proving and enjoyable book that revels in seeing the global in the local. ISBN 9780241357705 -
Ireland's finest photographer in the 20th century, Fr Frank Browne repeatedly visited County Wicklow across almost half a century. Over that time, he had the opportunity to capture images of this part of the country as it underwent change and yet, somehow, retained its essential character. The earliest photograph, for example, is of the Dargle Valley, a spot that looks much the same today as it did when Fr Browne first went there in 1910. Other pictures show landmark beauty spots such as the Powerscourt Waterfall and the Sugarloaf Mountain, as well as the rugged landscape of the Sally Gap. The monastic remains of Glendalough are exquisitely caught, along with the still waters of Lough Tay. But while his eye was able to spot the timeless beauty of this rural idyll, Fr Browne also noted the modern and innovative, capturing key moments in the development of a newly-independent Ireland, such as the construction of the Poulaphouca Reservoir in the late 1930s and workers in the newly-opened Solus Teoranta Lightbulb Factory in Bray. Cars are few, but bicycles plentiful in his photographs. The advent of modern technology contrasts with traditional pastimes: a horse fair in Blessington, sheep dipping on a farm, a thatcher repairing the roof of an old cottage. He shows bustling preparations for the International Eucharistic Congress of June 1932, along with commercial activity in towns such as Arklow and Wicklow. New schools are shown being built in the first, older pursuits like fishing continue in the second. And Fr Browne's ability to gain access everywhere means he was able to photograph many of Wicklow's most famous historic houses, like Powerscourt before its interiors were tragically destroyed by fire, and Shelton Abbey which he visited just a year before the building and its contents were sold. The book is divided into five/six sections, each offering readers the chance to follow in Fr Browne's footsteps and explore a different part of the county. ISBN 9781788122689 -
What does it mean to be out walking in the world, whether in a landscape or a metropolis, on a pilgrimage or a protest march? In this first general history of walking, Rebecca Solnit draws together many histories to create a range of possibilities for this most basic act. Arguing that walking as history means walking for pleasure and for political, aesthetic, and social meaning, Solnit homes in on the walkers whose everyday and extreme acts have shaped our culture, from the peripatetic philosophers of ancient Greece to the poets of the Romantic Age, from the perambulations of the Surrealists to the ascents of mountaineers. With profiles of some of the most significant walkers in history and fiction - from Wordsworth to Gary Snyder, from Rousseau to Argentina's Mother of the Plaza de Mayo, from Jane Austen's Elizabeth Bennet to Andre Breton's Nadja - Wanderlust offers a provocative and profound examination of the interplay between the body, the imagination, and the world around the walker. ISBN 9781783780396
