Other books that might interest you

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  Libyan Sands - Travel in a Dead...

  R.A. Bagnold

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  In the 1920s and 30s, a band of British officers stationed in Egypt began to explore the Western Desert which straddles the borders with Libya and the Sudan. Adapting a series of Model T Fords, Bagnold and his colleagues set out across territory hitherto traversed only by camel caravans. They mapped new routes across 'impassable' sand seas, in 'regions untrodden by man since the Stone Age'. They also uncovered inner strengths, an awed respect for the stern and beautiful environment and a tender relationship with the machines upon which their lives depended. Their knowledge went on to play a crucial part in the North African campaign during the Second World War. For these men formed the nucleus of the celebrated LRDG, the Long Range Desert Group, and the SAS. It is the quiet heroism of such men that is celebrated in Michael Ondaatje's triumphant novel, The English Patient.

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  The Vale of Rheidol Railway -...

  Peter Johnson

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  “A great book about a small railway with a lot of history that has managed to adapt . . . and become a tourist attraction without losing its charm.” —Unos Cuantos Trenes (A Few Trains) 
   
  Built to carry minerals from mines in the Rheidol valley, the 2ft gauge Vale of Rheidol Railway found its niche carrying tourists to the tourist attraction at Devil’s Bridge, 12 miles inland from the Cardigan coast resort of Aberystwyth. Taken over by the Cambrian Railways and then the Great Western Railway, it became the last steam railway operated by British Rail. In 1989 it became the first part of the national network to be privatized.  
   
  Now under the control of a charitable trust it is undergoing a revival that will see it become one of the leading tourist attractions in Mid-Wales. 
   
  “The book is comprehensively illustrated with photographs spanning the entire history of the line, plus maps, diagrams and tabulated information. An excellent publication, well worth its cover price, and thoroughly recommended.” —Ffestiniog Railway Society Magazine 
   
   
   
  “A complete story of the line to date, an enjoyable read and a good pictorial record of this attractive railway. So a good way to spend some time in lock-down!” —Michael’s Model Railways

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  Haunted Salt Lake City

  Laurie Allen, Cassie Ashton,...

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  “Haunted mansions, phantom nuns and a poltergeist wedding crasher . . . The book’s pages are filled with accounts of ghostly sightings.” —Deseret News 
   
  Uncovering ghost stories in Salt Lake City leads to a spooky mixture of legend, lore and local history. A young female apparition likes to surprise guests of the McCune Mansion by leaping from a mirror. Believed to be stationed at Fort Douglas, a Civil War vet named Clem still teases female visitors. Staff at the historic Devereaux Mansion, once a major social center, relented in their vain nightly attempts to keep the lights off and let the spirits continue their eternal party. And nuns of the Sisters of the Holy Cross still visit patients in the hospital they established. The guides of Story Tours’ Salt Lake City Ghost Tour reveal characters who just can’t seem to leave the valley.

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  Pot Planet - Adventures in...

  Brian Preston

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  “A gimlet-eyed and often hilarious account of the author’s round-the-world reefer safari . . . A surprisingly clear-headed view of potheads worldwide” (The New Yorker).   In Pot Planet, journalist Brian Preston sets out on a global ganja safari to explore strange new cannabis cultures, to seek out new growers, activists, and other reefer revolutionaries . . . and to boldly get baked with each of them.   Preston’s journeys take him across every strata of pot cultivation and enjoyment. In the Canadian Kootenays, he meets hemp farmers struggling to harvest their crop on the fringes of legitimacy. In Cambodia and Morocco, he explores the final frontiers of Third World weed enthusiasts. In northern California, he takes a clear-eyed look at the medicinal marijuana movement, seeing both its promises and its problems. In England, Switzerland, and Spain, he observes grudging governments catching up to public tolerance. And at the Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam, he joins in the raucous multiday tasting competition and celebration at the international summit of the best breeders, growers, and connoisseurs in the world. Part investigative travelogue, part cultural history, part polemic for the unfettered enjoyment of nature’s most perfect and pleasing herb, Pot Planet is an unforgettable odyssey into the multifaceted world of hemp, full of wit, insight, and inspiration.   “Fun to read, gallops along and, should you like to embark on such an odyssey yourself, might even serve as a guide . . . [or] an intoxicated mystery tour.” —Salon   “A marvelously entertaining, well-written and probing look at the world though marijuana . . . Throughout, Preston proves himself to be both an intrepid traveler and a fine storyteller.” —Publishers Weekly

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  Roswell - History Haunts and...

  Dianna Avena

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  Discover the paranormal past of this historic Georgia river town on the outskirts of Atlanta—includes photos!   Roswell, Georgia, is haunted by the lingering ghosts of generations long dead. In this historic town, spirits roam through ruined mills, antebellum mansions, and slave cabins, searching for those lost in the battles of the Civil War.   From the banks of the Chattahoochee to the streets of Roswell’s historic district, chilling specters remind us of this charming Southern town’s shocking past. Author Dianna Avena blends Roswell’s history with tales of the city’s most famous haunts—from the slave quarters of Bulloch Hall to the cracked graves in Founder’s Cemetery—to send chills down the spines of locals and visitors alike.

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  Somerset - Stone Age to WWII

  David Lassman, Mick Davis

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  An informative springboard from which to dive deep into the rich and illustrious heritage of the county steeped in the legend of King Arthur. 
   
  Every inch of legendary Somerset is imbued with history, from the towns of Dunster and Taunton in the west, to those of Shepton Mallet and Frome in the east; while also contained within its county boundaries are the cities of Bath and Wells and the mystical and magical Isle of Avalon: Glastonbury. 
   
  The county, located in southwest England and part of the Ancient Kingdom of Wessex, has played a significant role in many of the nation’s most formative events. These include the Roman occupation, Alfred the Great’s rise to power, the English Civil War and the Monmouth Rebellion. 
   
  And all this epoch-making activity has been played out against a landscape of dramatic and breathtaking beauty, from vast tracts of land such as Exmoor, hill ranges such as Mendip and Blackdown and an abundance of incredible rivers, lakes and streams; many situated within the famous Somerset Levels. 
   
  Wordsworth, Coleridge and Austen, among many others, have immortalized the county in literature, while everyone from the Celts, Cavaliers and Saxons, to the Roundheads, Romans and rebels have fought over its sought-after resources. 
   
  The authors, both living in Somerset, guide you on a fascinating and illuminating trip into the past of this most historical and legendary of counties, which boasts among its attractions the last battle fought upon English soil, the scene of the Bloody Assizes and the final resting place of King Arthur.

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