Other books that might interest you

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  First Resorts - Pursuing...

  Jon Sterngass

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  “[A] scrupulously researched and beautifully crafted account of how nineteenth-century Americans went in search of health, rest, and diversion.” —Lena Lencek and Gideon Bosker, coauthors of The Beach. The History of Paradise on Earth 
   
  In First Resorts: Pursuing Pleasure at Saratoga Springs, Newport, and Coney Island, Jon Sterngass follows three of the best-known northeastern American resorts across a century of change. Saratoga Springs, Newport, and Coney Island began, he finds, as similar pleasure destinations, each of them featuring “grand” hotels where visitors swarmed public spaces such as verandas, dining rooms, and parlors. As the century progressed, however, Saratoga remained much the same, while Newport turned to private (and lavish) “cottages” and Coney Island shifted its focus to amusements for the masses. 
   
  Fifty-nine illustrations enliven Sterngass’s unique study of the commodification of pleasure that occurred as capitalist values flourished, travel grew more accessible, and leisure time became democratized. These three resorts, he argues, served as forerunners of twentieth-century pleasure cities such as Aspen, Las Vegas, and Orlando. 
   
  “An engaging, creative book replete with evocative illustrations and witty quotes . . . a pleasant read.” —Thomas A. Chambers, New York Academy of History 
   
  “Sterngass’s discussions about privacy, community, commercialization, consumption, leisure, and the desire to be conspicuous are important and new. With its well-chosen illustrations, this is a handsome book as well as an important one.” —Kathryn Allamong Jacob, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University 
   
  “Having mined every conceivable source about his three sites, Sterngass has presented a wealth of interesting material not only about the resort experience but also about the residents, politicians, and entrepreneurs who built them.” —Journal of American History

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  To the New Owners - A Martha's...

  Madeleine Blais

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  The Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist “gives a familial face to the mystique of Martha’s Vineyard” in a memoir with “gentle humor and . . . elegiac sweetness” (Kirkus Reviews).   A National Book Critics Circle Award finalist   In the 1970s, Madeleine Blais’s in-laws purchased a vacation house on Martha’s Vineyard. A little more than two miles down a dirt road, it had no electricity or modern plumbing, the roof leaked, and mice had invaded the walls. It was perfect.   Sitting on Tisbury Great Pond—well-stocked with delicious oysters and crab—the house faced the ocean and the sky. Though improvements were made, the ethos remained the same: no heat, television, or telephone. Instead, there were countless hours at the beach, meals cooked and savored with friends, nights talking under the stars, until, in 2014, the house was sold.   To the New Owners is Madeleine Blais’s “witty and charming . . . deeply felt memoir” of this house, and of the Vineyard itself, from the history of the island and its famous visitors, to the ferry, the pie shops, the quirky charms and customs, and the abundant natural beauty. But more than that, this is an elegy for a special place—a retreat that held the intimate history of her family (The National Book Review).  

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  Wandering Ireland's Wild...

  Paul Clements

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  Following the spirit of the world's longest coastal driving route, Paul Clements sets out to discover the real west of Ireland. Along the way he encounters memorable characters living on the Atlantic edge and presents a unique portrait of their lives. We meet the last man standing on a remote Galway island, listen to the banter at Puck Fair, and hear from a descendant of the original sixteenth-century wild Atlantic woman. Tagging along on his meandering journey is the swashbuckling presence of the Celtic sea god, Manannán Mac Lir. For his first travel book in 1991, Paul hitchhiked the same route. Now retracing his steps along the Wild Atlantic Way – this time by car and bike, on horseback and on foot – he looks at how Ireland has changed and realises everyone still has a story to tell. Laced with wry humour and endless curiosity, this is a distinctive mix of travel writing, social history and nature. Also by this author: 'The Height of Nonsense: The Ultimate Irish Road Trip' Praise for this author: "Stacks of free copies should be sent to all our tourist desks abroad." – The Irish Times. "For sheer pleasure, nothing I read beat Paul Clements' 'The Height of Nonsense'." – The Observer. "A compulsive, educational, laugh-out-loud read." – Sunday Independent. "A fascinating journey around the hidden corners of Ireland." – BBC Radio

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  Never Mind the Quantocks - How...

  Stuart Maconie

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  In this hilarious and heart-warming collection of essays, the bestselling author reflects on a life spent exploring the British countryside on foot. 
   
  From the splendor of the Pennines and the Lake District to the drama of the Dorset coast; from the canals of the Midlands to wildest Scotland, this book is an attempt to explain a passion for walking and the delights it can bring. 
   
  Culled from Stuart Maconie’s monthly column in Country Walking, it’s full of the beautiful places, magical moments and wonderful characters he has encountered on his travels. It discusses such intrepid adventures as taking on the famous “Wainwright” fells of the Lake District, walking Hadrian’s Wall with colleague Mark Radcliffe, and why the most important things to carry in a rucksack are a transistor radio and a small bottle of red wine. 
   
  Praise for Stuart Maconie 
   
  “Maconie makes a jovial, self-deprecating narrator. Sharp and funny.” —The Guardian 
   
  “He is as funny as Bryson and as wise as Orwell.” —The Observer 
   
  “Stuart Maconie is the best thing to come out of Wigan since the A58 to Bolton.” —Peter Kay 
   
  “An heir to Alan Bennett . . . stirring and rather wonderful.” —The Sunday Times

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  Muskoka - Enchanting Stories...

  Andrew Hind, Maria Da Silva

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  Muskoka is a beloved region for summertime frivolity—a popular destination for tourists and cottagers.
  		 
  The region is also home to a remarkably varied and interesting history.
  		 
  This book explores stories that most people, residents included, likely know little about.
  		 
  Meet Dangerous Dan, a two-fisted brawler who fought his way into legend though countless lumber camps and booze-soaked taverns.
  		 
  Learn how one man’s vision and hard work transformed Bala into the “Cranberry Capital of Ontario.”
  		 
  Explore the history of Bigwin Inn, a lavish resort that was once the most luxurious hotel in Canada and that experienced a tragic and sad demise.
  		 
  Venture aboard steamships, into logging camps and elegant resorts, and through dense forests to the remains of ghost towns to unearth tales so much a part of the Muskoka experience…but overshadowed by the beautiful lakes and the endless opportunities for carefree enjoyment.

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  Saddletramp - Riding from...

  Jeremy James

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  In the depths of winter, Jeremy James began a horseback ride from central Turkey to his hometown in Wales, a journey which was to take him eight and a half months. First he had to find his horse, an unlikely old and weary Arab stallion who eventually rose to the challenge with equal spirit to that of his new master.
  
  With uncertain mastery of their route, the two of them crossed rivers and mountains to reach the Greek border. Here their close bond had to break and Jeremy was forced to buy Maria, an unbroken filly who he then rode to the Italian border and changed her for Gonzo, who took him on the idyllic stretch through Umbria and Tuscany. Crossing the Alps together, they rode through late-summer France to reach their destination, Wales, in November.  
  
  Jeremy writes with humour and sensitivity about the people and places this journey takes him, but it is his bond with his horses that makes the thread which binds the narrative and infuses the whole adventure.

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