Other books that might interest you

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  Transit of Venus - Travels in...

  Julian Evans

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  With the potent myths of the Pacific Ocean in mind, Julian Evans journeys ever deeper into a world of gin-clear lagoons, palms and sand, in search of both remnants of the fabulous kingdoms of the nineteenth-century European imagination -fed by an abundance of fruits, fish and guilt-free sex -and their twentieth century reality. Ever since Captain Cook first went to Tahiti in 1769 to observe the transit of Venus across the sun, the Pacific has offered this promise of Paradise, shadowed by a darker underbelly. With humour and honesty, Evans uncovers the modern reality: a brave new ocean where the islanders have money and booze, military coups and cold-war politi, atomic explosions and rising sea levels, but where, in the remotest atolls, beyond all our modernity and rationality, the old dreams continue to assert themselves.

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  Blood on the Wave - Scottish Sea...

  John Sadler

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  A history of combat in Scottish waters—from the Iron Age to the Cold War—and the changes in the technology and tactics of naval warfare.   Scotland’s long coastline runs from the waters of Galloway and the Solway, through the Irish Sea to the long sea lochs and myriad islands of the Celtic west, around grim Cape Wrath, the coast of Caithness, Pentland Firth and the Orkneys, eastward down to the Moray Firth, the eastern seaboard, to the Forth and the sentinel of the Bass Rock. It is an ancient strand redolent with history. Sea battles have been fought in its lee from the time of Agricola to the Atlantic convoys.   In Blood on the Wave, John Sadler embarks on a pilgrimage around Scotland’s rugged and stunning coastline, to explore the fascinating history that has occurred in its waters. Beautifully illustrated throughout with photographs and line drawings, the narrative also describes developments in ship building technique and design, developments in naval gunnery with a look at coastal defenses. From the long-oared Norse galleys that swept down through the isles and the sea lochs to Somerled’s birlinns and nyvaigs contesting with those of Godred of Man in a moonlit clash of spears, many of the fiercest battles in Scottish history have been fought at sea.   Examining an array of skirmishes from the Wars of Independence to the Napoleonic Wars, the scuttling of the Imperial German Navy at Scapa Flow to the lurking threat of Second World War U-boats and nuclear submarines hunting for Soviet spy ships, John Sadler has created a brilliant, insightful and unique portrait of the Scottish war at sea.

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  Roadshow - Landscape with Drums:...

  Neil Peart

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  For thirty years, drummer, author, and songwriter Neil Peart had wanted to write a book about ?the biggest journey of all in my restless existence: the life of a touring musician. Finally, the right time, and the right tour . . .In the summer of 2004, after three decades, twenty gold albums, and thousands of performances spanning four continents, the band Rush embarked on a celebratory 30th Anniversary World Tour. The "R30" tour traveled to nine countries, where the band performed fifty-seven shows in front of more than half a million fans. Uniquely, Peart chose to do his between-show traveling by motorcycle, riding 21,000 miles of back roads and highways in North America and Europe — from Appalachian hamlets and Western deserts to Scottish castles and Alpine passes.Roadshow illuminates the daunting rigors of a major international concert tour, as well as Peart's exploration of the scenic byways and country towns along the way. His evocative and entertaining prose carries the reader through every performance and every journey, sharing the bittersweet reflections triggered by the endlessly unfolding landscape. Observations and reflections range from the poignantly, achingly personal to the wickedly irreverent.Part behind-the-scenes memoir, part existential travelogue, Roadshow winds through nineteen countries on both sides of the Atlantic, in search of the perfect show, the perfect meal, the perfect road, and an elusive inner satisfaction that comes only with the recognition that the journey itself is the ultimate destination.The inner workings of the tour, the people Peart works with and the people he meets, the roads and stages and ever-changing scenery — all flow into an irresistible story.

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  Camino de la Luna - Forgiveness

  Pearl Howie

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  It takes something really powerful to make you leave Hawai’i (or you know, running out of money).  I found myself called back to England by my heart, but not for long.  It wasn’t yet time to settle, it was time to explore another country I’d once fallen in love with, Croatia and to see if I could find a home, a place to rest and write.I didn’t have any idea quite how much more I had to learn, to understand and this journey was going to show me, above all things, the power of forgiveness.What is forgiveness?  Perhaps it’s like the sunrise and the sunset, something we’ve seen and known for a long time, before there was language to explain it, before there was science to explain it.  Even when we got it wrong, when we believed the sun moved around the earth, (which was an easy assumption to make), the sun rose and set without interruption, without correcting our misguided beliefs.So I think forgiveness exists, it rises and falls, even when we ignore it, just as we all share unconditional love we’re sometimes blind to.  I think we need forgiveness to survive.  Without forgiving ourselves for our mistakes, our missteps, we’d never move forward, we’d just sit down and rot in the road.  Indeed some people do.  And how can we forgive ourselves if we can’t forgive others who have hurt us so much less than we’ve hurt ourselves?Let go, let go, let go, it’s as simple as that and we can forgive even in the midst of the worst abuse, we can use forgiveness to end the cycle of abuse, “abuse begets abuse”, to let go of the need to punish, to be right and, so importantly, the need to keep suffering because of the past.From the Amazon Best Selling author of "Japan Is Very Wonderful," the "Camino de la Luna" series and the Pearl Escapes mini-guides.The third in this series (or fifth including the self help manual "free Feeling Real Emotions Everyday" and prequel "Japan Is Very Wonderful") "Camino de la Luna – Forgiveness" continues the journey.

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  Blank on the Map - Pioneering...

  Eric Shipton

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  'As I studied the maps, one thing about them captured my imagination - Across this blank space was written one challenging word, "Unexplored"'
  In 1937 two of the twentieth century's greatest explorers set off to explore an unknown area of the Himalaya, the breath-taking Shaksgam mountains. With a team of surveyors and Sherpas, Eric Shipton and H.W. Tilman located and mapped the land around K2, the second-highest mountain in the world. It was their greatest venture, and one that paved the way for all future mountaineering in that area of the Himalaya. For Shipton and Tilman, exploration was everything, with a summit a welcome bonus, and Blank on the Map is the book that best captures their spirit of adventure.
  With an observant eye and keen sense of humour, Shipton tells how the expedition entered the unknown Shaksgam mountains, crossing impenetrable gorges, huge rivers and endless snow fields. There's a very human element to in Shipton's dealings with his Sherpa friends, and with his Balti porters, some of whom were helpful, while some were less so. The expedition uncovers traces of ancient cultures and visits vibrant modern civilisations living during the last days of the British Empire. Only when all supplies are exhausted, their clothes in tatters and all equipment lost do the men finally return home. A mountain exploration classic.

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  Fifty Places to Bike Before You...

  Chris Santella

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  A beautiful guide to fifty of the world’s best places to ride a bicycle, as chosen by expert cyclists who have been there. 
   
  Fifty Places to Bike Before You Die is the ninth addition to the bestselling Fifty Places series by Chris Santella. Biking has grown increasingly popular in recent years, as both a leisure and an extreme exercise activity, and Santella covers trips for cyclists of every level. Fifty Places to Bike covers environments as varied as the Dalmatian Coast in Croatia, the Indochina Trail in Vietnam, and the urban jungle of New York City. With a healthy mix of international and national locations, the 50 chapters capture the breathtaking vistas cyclists will enjoy around the world. As always, the places are brought to life with more than 40 stunning color photographs. 
   
  Praise for Fifty Places to Bike Before You Die 
   
  “OMG views, killer hills and open road—the routes in Fifty Places to Bike Before You Die (in bookstores this month) have everything a pedal pusher could ask for.” —Fitness magazine 
   
  “If you know someone who can’t view a landscape without visualizing themselves traversing it on two wheels, Fifty Places to Bike Before You Die is a sound gift choice.” —The San Francisco Chronicle 
   
  “Fifty Places to Bike Before You Die gets adventurous cyclists going in the right direction.” —The Boston Globe 
   
  “50 chapters capture breathtaking cycling trails around the world.” —Metrosource magazine

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