Other books that might interest you

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  Ultimate Skiing Adventures - 100...

  Alf Alderson

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  Ultimate Skiing Adventures takes you on a skiing voyage around the planet's biggest, best and most unusual ski destinations – from the huge mega-resorts of the French Alps to sailing along Iceland's north coast in search of great snow, there are exciting adventures that will appeal to everyone from novice to expert. The inspirational descriptions of 100 locations combine Alf Alderson's personal experience with the input of experts in all aspects of skiing and mountain sports and are accompanied by stunning full-page photography from some of the world's foremost ski photographers. Published in a year of great uncertainty for ski travel, this book allows you to escape onto the slopes in your own home. Perfect for indulging in some armchair skiing of slopes that only the most adventurous will tackle and for planning your next ski trip. And it's not just about skiing – the contents cover avalanche rescue techniques, snow science, road trips, the work of ski patrollers and resorts so remote and obscure that you may never have heard of them. The book is divided into sections on Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, Scandinavia and the Rest of the World. Discover where you will ski next – in reality or in your imagination.

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  The Bonanza Trail - Ghost Trails...

  Muriel Sibell Wolle

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  This classic account of Old West mining camps and gold-hunting prospectors is “a successful digging of a rich historical vein . . . phenomenal” (The New York Times). This colorful blend of history, reference, and travelogue brings to life the frenzied search for precious metals in nineteenth-century America through a tour of mining camps and former boomtowns, many now abandoned. It reveals the unbelievable privations men endured in the high Sierra and the Rockies and in crossing the desert wastes of Arizona, Utah and Nevada; the mines first discovered in New Mexico by Coronado and his men four centuries ago; and the first great rush that hit California in 1849. She follows the miners who poured in successive waves into the golden gulches of Oregon, Washington and Idaho, climbed to the deeper mines high in the mountains of Montana, Wyoming and Colorado, and dared at last to penetrate the hostile Black Hills of South Dakota. In personally following the trails of the pioneering prospectors, Wolle stumbles upon mute evidence of past bloodshed, lust, and struggle, and recreates the excitement of the period. A gifted artist, she also includes maps and “more than a hundred poignant sketches conveying the loneliness, melancholy and crumbling dryness of ghost cities which throbbed once with the hopes of many people” (The New York Times).“The fascinating and definitive book on the ghost and near-ghost towns of the Old West.” —Lucius Beebe, The Territorial Enterprise“Good popular history and [a] useful reference work.” —Library Journal

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  Retirement Blues Goodbye - Along...

  Richard H Cowley

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  This book is an account of the day to day exploits of an expatriate Manxman and an Australian chum who seek to shake off the retirement blues by walking Alfred Wainwright’s Coast to Coast path. It took 18 days to walk the 191 miles from the priory village of St Bees on the Irish Sea to arrive at the former smuggler’s stronghold of Robin Hood’s Bay on the Yorkshire coast. The trail passes through some of England’s most rugged and sublime countryside. This trek was all it took for Richard to become hooked on the roving gypsy life so loved by the super-tramp poet, William Henry Davies and the busking writer, Laurie Lee. On the road, each step away from the day before so revitalized Richard's sense of release that he was able to live in the moment and bask in the simple delight of being. This wonderful experience rekindled his enthusiasm for adventure, sparking a determination to commit to life with renewed vigour and vitality. This was no time for retirement! It’s estimated that ten thousand people attempt this walk each year. Along the way Richard met backpackers who had trekked many famous trails throughout the world. They generally agreed that the Coast to Coast path is the most beautiful and enjoyable walk they’d done. There are many books about walking pilgrimage trails or fighting nature in wild and wonderful places. This book is nothing like that; it’s about a long distance walk on a readily assessable trail which does not require superhuman effort to complete the distance. The book will appeal to walkers in general and to those contemplating a hiking holiday. The mass of armchair ramblers may also enjoy reading about the fascinating strangers and bizarre situations Richard encountered along the way. It’s possible that there are legions of older people who, on reading about this life changing adventure, may be tempted to try hiking themselves

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  A Brief History of Memphis

  G. Wayne Dowdy

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  The story of Memphis, Tennessee—from raucous river town to major Southern metropolis—with photos included.   No other southern city has a history quite like Memphis. First purchased in the early 1800s from natives to serve as a vital port for the emerging American river trade, the city flourished until the tumultuous years of the Civil War brought chaos and uncertainty.   Yet the city survived. Through the triumphs and tragedies of the civil rights movement and beyond, Memphis endured it all. Despite its compelling story, no concise history of this home of soulful music and unmistakable flavor is available to modern readers. Thankfully, local historian and Memphis archivist G. Wayne Dowdy has filled this gap with a history of Memphis that is as vibrant and welcoming as the city itself.

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  The Haunting of Mississippi

  Barbara Siller

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  “Excellent . . . provides well-researched history as well as reports of recent unusual phenomenon” —from the author of Biloxi Memories (Southern Spirit Guide). 
   
  The Hospitality State plays hosts to dozens of supernatural entities in this creeptastic guide to the other side. Chilling accounts of poltergeist activity include such landmarks as the McRaven House, where spiteful spirits smack guests without warning and an image of a Confederate soldier appears in contemporary photographs. A section on Anchuca in Vicksburg describes the vision of a woman in a fancy dress who floats through bedroom doors and the sound of dripping water without a source. Other establishments include Merrehope, King’s Tavern, and the Williams Gingerbread House. 
   
  “Sucked me right in to Mississippi’s rich, haunted history. Sillery eloquently describes the settings of her stories, so I could easily visualize each of the places she writes about . . . At some points, I was scared out of my bones.” —Jackson Free Press

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  Atlanta Beer - A Heady History...

  Ron Smith, Mary O. Boyle

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  “Delve[s] into a colorful past . . . Stories of early taverns and saloons, religious zeal, prohibition and the roots of the current craft beer boom.” —Atlanta Journal Constitution   Atlanta is a unique southern city known for its vast diversity and fast-paced lifestyle. Rarely is it associated with a rich beer and brewing culture, but not for a lack of one. From Atlanta’s first brewery in the 1850s to the city’s Saloon Row and the parched days of local and national Prohibition, the earliest days of Atlanta’s beer history are laced with scandal and excitement. Follow the journey of beer through Atlanta’s development, starting with colonial Georgia and the budding wilderness settlement of Terminus and eventually evolving into the ever-growing metropolis known as Atlanta. Authors Ron Smith and Mary Boyle celebrate the resurgence of craft beer in a town that once burned to the ground. As Atlanta rose from the ashes of the Civil War, so also has artisanal beer made a comeback in this enigmatic but resilient city.  “The brewery sections draw attention to some long-neglected businesses . . . But the chapter on Prohibition may be the most fascinating part of the book.” —American Breweriana Journal  “A fascinating read for any craft beer lover in the Southeast. The book features chapters on frontier taverns of the area, Atlanta’s first beer boom, stories of early breweries of the city, the brewpub trend and the rise of current breweries located in Georgia’s capital.” —Owen Ogletree’s Brewtopia Brewsletter

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