Into Thick Air - Biking to the Bellybutton of Six Continents

Jim Malusa

Sinossi

With plenty of sunscreen and a cold beer swaddled in his sleeping bag, writer and botanist Jim Malusa bicycled alone to the lowest point on each of six continents, a six-year series of anti-expeditions” to the anti-summits.” His journeys took him to Lake Eyre in the arid heart of Australia, along Moses’ route to the Dead Sea, and from Moscow to the Caspian Sea. He pedaled across the Andes to Patagonia, around tiny Djibouti in the Horn of Africa, and from Tucson to Death Valley. With a scientist’s eye, he vividly observes local landscapes and creatures. As a lone man, he is overfed by grandmothers, courted by ladies of the night in Volgograd, invited into a mosque by Africa’s most feared tribe, chased by sandstorms and hurricanes  yet Malusa keeps riding. His reward: the deep silence of the world’s great depressions. A large-hearted narrative of what happens when a friendly, perceptive American puts himself at the mercy of strange landscapes and their denizens, Into Thick Air presents one of the most talented new voices in contemporary travel writing.

Disponibile da: 01/07/2010.

Viaggi

Altri libri che potrebbero interessarti

The Flavor of Wood - In Search...

Artur Cisar-Erlach

“Part travelogue and part culinary adventure . . . a quirky, entertaining ramble through the many ways wood lends its flavor to food” (Bob Holmes, author of Flavor). 
 
Most people don’t expect wood to flavor their food beyond the barbecue, and gastronomists rarely discuss the significance of wood in the realm of taste. But trees have a far greater influence over our plate and palate than you might think. Over the centuries, it has been used in cooking, distilling, fermenting, and even perfume creation to produce a unique flavor and smell. 
 
In The Flavor of Wood, food communications expert Artur Cisar-Erlach embarks on a global journey to understand how trees infuse the world’s most delectable dishes through their smoke, sap, roots, and bark. His exploration covers everything from wooden barrels used to age scotch in Austria to the wood-burning pizza ovens of Naples to Canadian maple syrup producers—as well as cheese, tea, wine, blue yogurt, and more.  
 
Brimming with fascinating characters, unexpected turns, beautiful landscapes, scientific discoveries, and historic connections, The Flavor of Wood is the story of a passionate flavor hunter, and offers readers unparalleled access to some of the  world’s highest quality cuisine and unknown tree flavors.

Mostra libro

The Olive Tree - A Personal...

Carol Drinkwater

An olive farmer journeys through Spain, Italy, and North Africa to find the future of agriculture in an age of chemicals and climate challenges. Carol Drinkwater’s beloved olive farm in the South of France was suffering badly from destructive pests and premature ripening. In a hunt for answers, she decided to set out on her own for a fact-finding tour of Spain, Italy, Morocco, and Algeria. In The Olive Tree, Carol recounts not only the agricultural education she gained during her travels, but the dangers she faced as terrorist bombs rocked one of her destinations and a group of beekeepers helped shepherd her through dangerous territory. Through it all, she confronts issues faced by farmers and non-farmers alike in today’s world, from climate change to diminishing water reserves to the excessive use of chemicals. Ultimately, she will return to her land in Provence with a new appreciation for the urgency of these problems—and with an ingenious vision for the future shared with her by a brilliant group of olive growers . . .Praise for the Olive Farm series “Vibrant, intoxicating and heartwarming.” —Sunday Express “Spellbinding . . . a must for anyone who dreams of moving to a kinder climate and starting a new life.” —Choice

Mostra libro

Transylvania and Beyond

Dervla Murphy

Shortly after the execution of Nicolae Ceaușescu, Dervla Murphy travelled to Romania and found a nation both exhilarated and bewildered by revolution. Eager to explore a country that had hitherto been inaccessible to outsiders, Murphy describes in lucid detail a journey on two planes: cycling and ambling through the rural Carpathians, and exploring the mind-set of a post-Communist society in the grips of an identity crisis. She is treated to tremendous hospitality wherever she goes, and in urban blocs, small towns and traditional villages she gets to know the ordinary Romanians – the teachers, farmers, professors, factory-workers, writers, engineers, vets, army officers, shepherds, students and doctors. Transylvania and Beyond is the story of their hopes, fears and prejudices, a passionate insight into what Murphy calls 'one of Europe's least European countries.'

Mostra libro

The Last Giants - The Rise and...

Levison Wood

From the award-winning explorer, “an entertaining summary of what we know about the elephant, and a call to change our behavior to ensure its survival” (Daily Mail). 
 
The Last Giants satisfies British explorer Levison Wood’s lifelong desire to learn more about the majestic African elephant. These giants trek through some of Africa’s most magnificent landscapes as they go in search of life-giving waters and pastures. El Nino’s droughts and an insatiable ivory trade have cut African elephant numbers by a third in the last decade alone, and if elephants disappear entirely, Africa’s entire ecosystem could collapse. But Botswana has become a safe haven, where one-sixth of the world’s elephants now reside. Each year their numbers grow and an incredible migration takes place, which Wood witnesses and records. He teams up with local trackers to gain insight into how this iconic species survives, camps out in the wild, meets the people and tribes living on the migration’s path, and joins the park rangers whose job it is to protect these land goliaths, equipped with his “good eye for detail and better ear for dialogue” (The Wall Street Journal). 
 
“Adventurer Wood followed elephants on a 650-mile migration across Botswana for a British television program. This fascinating companion volume to that series examines the past, present, and future of the African elephant.” —Library Journal (starred review) 
 
“A smart, inviting portrait of elephants from a keen-eyed observer.” —Kirkus Reviews 
 
“A rewarding look at the habits and habitats of the African elephant . . . Comprehensively yet accessibly conveying Wood’s lifelong fascination with African elephants, his discussion will appeal to anyone keen on learning more about them.” —Publishers Weekly

Mostra libro

The Father of Glacier National...

George Bird Grinnell

The story of this glorious Montana landmark, told through the journals and letters of the man who fought to conserve it—maps and photos included.   With his small group of explorers, George Bird Grinnell discovered and named forty geological features east of the Continental Divide and west of the Blackfeet Reservation. He also happened to be a prolific writer and record-keeper who diligently made time in camp for meticulous journal entries. As a result, he wrote a series of articles about his trips from 1885 to 1898 for publication in Forest and Stream.   In 1891, he began advocating to protect the area as a national park—and led that charge for nearly two decades until successful. His discoveries, publications, and leadership led to the creation of Glacier National Park. In this book, his cousin Hugh Grinnell compiles first-person narratives from unpublished journal entries, personal correspondence, and dozens of articles to tell the early story of Glacier.

Mostra libro

A Tramp Abroad

Mark Twain

Twain's retelling of his adventures in Europe, A Tramp Abroad exudes with the author's shrewd observations and highly opinionated comments on Old World culture, and showcases his unparalleled ability to integrate humorous sketches, autobiographical tidbits, and historical anecdotes in a consistently entertaining narrative.  
 
Cast in the form of a walking tour through Germany, Switzerland, France and Italy, A Tramp Abroad includes among its adventures a voyage by raft down the Neckar and an ascent of Mount Blanc by telescope, as well as the author's attempts to study art.

Mostra libro