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The Stones of Florence and Venice Observed: The Stones Of Florence And Venice Observed (Penguin Modern Classics)
by Mary McCarthyThe Stones of Florence and Venice Observed are wonderfully vivid and perceptive descriptions of two great Italian cities, told through their history and art, revealing Mary McCarthy to be one of literature's greatest travelling companions.Here she depicts Florence through its tempestuous past, from the reign of the Medicis to Savonarola's bonfire of the vanities. Her account is dominated by the splendours of the Renaissance - the statues of Michelangelo and Donatello, the architecture of Brunelleschi, the paintings of Giotto and Botticelli - but she also shows Florence as a living city with a bustling street pageant of sounds and smells. A 'gold idol with clay feet', McCarthy's Venice is a city of illusion and spectacle, carnival and commerce, entrancing visitors with its grandeur and richness, its reflection glittering in the waters of the Adriatic.
Stop What You’re Doing and Read…On a Journey: The Worst Journey in the World & The Road to Oxiana
by Apsley Cherry-Garrard Robert ByronTo mark the publication of Stop What You're Doing and Read This!, a collection of essays celebrating reading, Vintage Classics are releasing 12 limited edition themed ebook 'bundles', to tempt readers to discover and rediscover great books. THE WORST JOURNEY IN THE WORLDINTRODUCED BY SARA WHEELERA gripping account of an expedition gone disastrously wrong. One of the youngest members of Captain Scott's team, Apsley Cherry-Garrard was later part of the rescue party that found the frozen bodies of Scott and the three men who had accompanied him on the final push to the Pole. A masterpiece of travel writing, this is the most celebrated and compelling of all the books on Antarctic exploration.THE ROAD TO OXIANAIn 1933, the delightfully eccentric Robert Byron set out on a journey through the Middle East via Beirut, Jerusalem, Baghdad and Teheran to Oxiana - part of the border between what is now Afghanistan and the Soviet Union. This is the captivating, quirky record of his adventures and a rare account of the architectural treasures of a region now inaccessible to most Western travellers.
The Stopping Places: A Journey Through Gypsy Britain
by Damian Le Bas*BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week*'I needed to get to the stopping places, so I needed to get on the road. It was the road where I might at last find out where I belonged.'Damian Le Bas grew up surrounded by Gypsy history. His great-grandmother would tell him stories of her childhood in the ancient Romani language; the places her family stopped and worked, the ways they lived, the superstitions and lores of their people. But his own experience of life on the road was limited to Ford Transit journeys from West Sussex to Hampshire to sell flowers.In a bid to better understand his Gypsy heritage, the history of the Britain's Romanies and the rhythms of their life today, Damian sets out on a journey to discover the atchin tans, or stopping places – the old encampment sites known only to Travellers. Through winter frosts and summer dawns, from horse fairs to Gypsy churches, neon-lit lay-bys to fern-covered banks, Damian lives on the road, somewhere between the romanticised Gypsies of old, and their much-maligned descendants of today.In this powerful and soulful debut, Damian le Bas brings the places, characters and stories of his to bold and vigorous life.
Stories in the Stars: An Atlas of Constellations
by Susanna Hislop***AS READ ON BBC RADIO 4***Travel the night sky and discover the stories in the stars. ‘What a beautiful book it is! A treasured possession.’ Mary Beard 'No astronomy book can claim to be as beautiful as the night sky, but Stories in the Stars comes closest!' Tristan GooleyLook up: above us is a jet-black canvas pricked with white dots, and a carnival of animals, mythical creatures, gods and goddesses in its shining constellations. Here, Susanna Hislop – writer and stargazer – and Hannah Waldron – international artist – leap between centuries, cultures and traditions to present a whole universe of stories in all their blazing glory. Stories in the Stars is an imaginative and whimsical exploration of each of the night sky’s 88 constellations: a playful and stunningly illustrated compendium.
Stories of Practice: Tourism Policy and Planning (New Directions in Tourism Analysis)
by Dianne Dredge John JenkinsAnalyses of contemporary tourism planning and policymaking practice at local to global scales is lacking and there is an urgent need for research that informs theory and practice. Illustrated with a set of cohesive, theoretically-informed, international case studies constructed through storytelling, this volume expands readers' knowledge about how tourism planning and policymaking takes place. Challenging traditional notions of tourism planning and policy processes, this book also provides critical insights into how theoretical concepts and frameworks are applied in tourism planning and policy making practice at different spatial scales. The book engages readers in the intellectual, political, moral and ethical issues that often surround tourism policymaking and planning, highlighting the great value of reflective learning grounded in the social sciences and revealing the complexity of tourism planning and policy.
Stories of Practice: Tourism Policy and Planning (New Directions in Tourism Analysis)
by Dianne Dredge John JenkinsAnalyses of contemporary tourism planning and policymaking practice at local to global scales is lacking and there is an urgent need for research that informs theory and practice. Illustrated with a set of cohesive, theoretically-informed, international case studies constructed through storytelling, this volume expands readers' knowledge about how tourism planning and policymaking takes place. Challenging traditional notions of tourism planning and policy processes, this book also provides critical insights into how theoretical concepts and frameworks are applied in tourism planning and policy making practice at different spatial scales. The book engages readers in the intellectual, political, moral and ethical issues that often surround tourism policymaking and planning, highlighting the great value of reflective learning grounded in the social sciences and revealing the complexity of tourism planning and policy.
Stories of the Sahara
by Sanmao'An enduring cultural icon. Every story conveys Sanmao's infectious capacity for wonder' SHARLENE TEO, AUTHOR OF PONTI'Sanmao traveled the globe and wrote of her adventures, inspiring generations of women to see the world beyond their own homes' NEW YORK TIMES**The book that has captivated millions of Chinese readers, translated into English for the very first time**When I first arrived in the desert, I desperately wanted to be the first female explorer to cross the Sahara. The thought of it used to keep me up all night. Sanmao: author, adventurer, pioneer. Born in China in 1943, she moved from Chongqing to Taiwan, Spain to Germany, the Canary Islands to Central America, and, for several years in the 1970s, to the Sahara.Stories of the Sahara invites us into Sanmao's extraordinary life in the desert: her experiences of love and loss, freedom and peril, all told with a voice as spirited as it is timeless.At a period when China was beginning to look beyond its borders, Sanmao fired the imagination of millions and inspired a new generation. With an introduction by Sharlene Teo, author of Ponti, this is an essential collection from one of the twentieth century's most iconic figures.
Storm Birds
by Einar KarasonIn February 1959, several Icelandic trawlers were caught in a storm off Newfoundland's Grand Banks. What happened there is the inspiration for this novel. Not since The Perfect Storm has there been a book which captures the sheer drama and terror of a crisis at sea. Karason is an exceptional storyteller, an Icelandic Erskine Caldwell or William Faulkner.The side trawler Mafurinn is hit by a major storm just as they prepare to turn for home. Thirty-two men aboard, and a hold full of redfish. The sea is cold enough to kill a man in minutes, and the trawler quickly ices up in the biting frost and violent tempest. The heavy icing weighs down the already fully laden craft, which is pummelled by one breaker after another - and here, out on the open sea, there is no exit route. Distress signals from other ships in the same circumstance and be heard from the fishing grounds around them. It is a battle of life and death.Translated from the Icelandic by Quentin Bates
Storm of Steel (The Bernicia Chronicles #6)
by Matthew HarffyAD 643. Anglo-Saxon Britain. A gripping, action-packed historical thriller and the sixth instalment in the Bernicia Chronicles. Heading south to lands he once considered his home, Beobrand is plunged into a dark world of piracy and slavery when an old friend enlists his help to recover a kidnapped girl.Embarking onto the wind-tossed seas, Beobrand pursues his quarry with single-minded tenacity. But the Whale Road is never calm and his journey is beset with storms, betrayal and violence.As the winds of his wyrd blow him ever further from what he knows, will Beobrand find victory on his quest or has his luck finally abandoned him?Praise for Matthew Harffy: 'Nothing less than superb... The tale is fast paced and violence lurks on every page' Historical Novel Society'Beobrand is the warrior to follow' David Gilman'A tale that rings like sword song in the reader's mind' Giles Kristian'Historical fiction doesn't get much better than this' Angus Donald'A brilliant characterization of a difficult hero in a dangerous time. Excellent!' Christian Cameron'A terrific novel. It illuminates the Dark Ages like a bolt of lightning' Toby Clements'Battles, treachery, revenge and a healthy dose of Dark Age adventure' Simon Turney'Matthew Harffy tells a great story' Joanna Hickson'Harffy's writing just gets better and better... He is really proving himself the rightful heir to Gemmell's crown' Jemahl Evans'Harffy has a real winner on his hands... A genuinely superb novel' Steven McKay'A breathtaking novel that sweeps the reader into a dark and dangerous world' Paul Fraser Collard
Storm’s Edge: Life, Death And Magic In The Islands Of Orkney
by Peter MarshallFrom Peter Marshall, winner of the Wolfson Prize 2018, Storm’s Edge is a new history of the Orkney Islands that dives deep into island politics, the evolution of folklore, and community memory on the geographical edge of Britain.
The Story of Scandinavia: From the Vikings to Social Democracy
by Stein RingenIn The Story of Scandinavia, political scholar Stein Ringen chronicles more than 1,200 years of drama, economic rise and fall, crises, kings and queens, war, peace, language and culture. Scandinavian history has been one of dramatic discontinuities of collapse and restarts, from the Viking Age to the Age of Perpetual War to the modern age today. For a thousand years, the Scandinavian countries were kingdoms of repression where monarchs played at the game of being European powers, at the expense of their own populations.The brand we now know as "Scandinavia" is a recent invention. During most of its history, Denmark and Sweden, and to some degree Norway, were bloody enemies. These sentiments of enmity have not been fully settled. Under the surface of collaboration remain undercurrents of hatred, envy, contempt and pity. What does it mean today to be Scandinavian? For the author, whose identity is Scandinavian but his life European, this masterly history is a personal exploration as well as a narrative of compelling scope.
The Story of Scotland
by Pat MorganScotland is one of the planet’s most captivating countries. Boasting soaring mountain peaks and rocky glens, rushing rivers and peaceful lowlands, as well as hundreds of islands clustering round its shores, this is a country that is also fiercely proud of the industrial and scientific heritage that is celebrated in its major cities.Visitors from the four corners of the world revel in Scotland’s unique culture, warm to her people and marvel at her fascinating history.They explore ancient castles and mysterious lochs, gaze in awe at her rugged coasts, try their hands at thrilling outdoor activities, experience a myriad of festivals and sporting events and watch the country s magnificent wildlife.The Story of Scotland provides a deep insight into what makes the country so special. It takes the reader on a journey through history, introduces the greatest Scots of them all, highlights its must-see sights and explains the cultural peculiarities that set Scotland apart
The Story of the World in 100 Moments: Discover the stories that defined humanity and shaped our world
by Neil OliverFrom the bestselling author of The Story of the British Isles in 100 Places comes an outstanding new history of how our world was made.'Oliver is an evocative storyteller, vividly bringing his tales to life' BBC HistoryNeil Oliver takes us on a whistle-stop tour around the world and through a million years to give us this unique and invaluable grasp of how human history pieces together. From the east to the west, north to south, these 100 moments act like stepping stones allowing us to make sense of how these pivotal events have shaped the world we know today. Including many moments readers will expect - from Genghis Khan's domination on earth to Armstrong's first steps on the moon, and from the advent of the printing press to the birth of the internet - there are also surprises, and with them, some remarkable, unforgettable stories that give a whole new insight on our past. ********************* Praise for Neil Oliver 'Brilliantly demonstrates Neil's mastery of the broad sweep of British history and landscape.' - Dan Snow 'Neil Oliver brings his vast experience and expertise to bear on this deeply personal journey into British history - a wonderful read. - Professor Alice Roberts 'Highly-crafted...a vivid, pungent history.' - TLS 'Compelling' - Daily Mail
Storytelling-Case Archetype Decoding and Assignment Manual (Advances in Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research #11)
by Arch G. Woodside Suresh C. SoodStorytelling-Case Archetype Decoding and Assignment Manual (SCADAM) reviews cultural and tourism/hospitality applications of Carl Jung's work on archetypes in shaping behavior and unconscious/conscious thought. SCADAM includes a testing manual on how to use Donald T. Campbell's "degrees of freedom" (DOF) test for story-archetype assignments of what consumers and brands tell about consumption experiences of product/service brands, places, and drama/life enactments. SCADAM includes assignment testing and example scoring for each of 12 archetypes: 1. Caregiver (CA); 2. Creator (CR); 3. Everyman/woman (EV); 4. Explorer (EX); 5. Hero (HE); 6. Innocent (IN); 7. Jester (JE); 8. Lover (LO); 9. Magician (MA); 10. Ruler (RU); 11. Sage (SA); 12. Shadow (SH). SCADAM increases accuracy of researchers' interpretations of consumers' (emic) interpretations of dramas in consumption experiences; SCADAM provides for comparing DOF testing in scoring alternative archetypes. Thus, this manual provides tools for confirming relevancy and falsifying incorrect archetype assignments of stories consumers and brands tell. SCADAM builds on prior studies in the literature by the authors and colleagues.
Stourhead
by Stephen AndertonA beautifully illustrated celebration of Stourhead, featuring the legendary Georgian landscape garden in glorious autumn colour with essays by head gardener Alan Power.
Straight Up: The insiders’ guide to the world’s most interesting bars and drinking experiences
by Joel Harrison Neil RidleyHow great would it be to have access to the world's experts to help you choose the coolest and most interesting bars, wherever you find yourself in the world? Well, now you do. Straight Up is a carefully curated collection of insider tips that will allow you to discover the best drinking spots around the globe.From a 10-seat basement bar in Tokyo, to classic hotel-bar glamour and a glitzy rooftop poolside bar in Milan, this book contains everything you need to drink in style, brought to you by the locals in the know.Spirits experts Joel Harrison and Neil Ridley have gathered a team of expert contributors among the world's bartending community to nose out the most interesting and characterful experiences. Throughout the book you'll also find lots of features on signature cocktails, the low-down on star bartenders, and even 'A Day Drinking in...' with the perfect city itinerary.
Strands: A Year of Discoveries on the Beach
by Jean SpracklandStrands describes a year's worth of walking on the ultimate beach: inter-tidal and constantly turning up revelations: mermaid's purses, lugworms, sea potatoes, messages in bottles, buried cars, beached whales and a perfect cup from a Cunard liner. This is a series of meditations prompted by walking on the wild estuarial beaches of Ainsdale Sands between Blackpool and Liverpool, Strands is about what is lost and buried then discovered, about all the things you find on a beach, dead or alive, about flotsam and jetsam, about mutability and transformation - about sea-change.
The Strange Disappearance of a Bollywood Star: Baby Ganesh Agency Book 3 (Baby Ganesh Agency #3)
by Vaseem KhanThe enchanting new Baby Ganesh Agency novel sees Inspector Chopra and his elephant sidekick investigating the dark side of Bollywood.Mumbai thrives on extravagant spectacles and larger-than-life characters.But even in the city of dreams, there is no guarantee of a happy ending. Rising star and incorrigible playboy Vikram Verma has disappeared, leaving his latest film in jeopardy. Hired by Verma's formidable mother to find him, Inspector Chopra and his sidekick, baby elephant Ganesha, embark on a journey deep into the world's most flamboyant movie industry.As they uncover feuding stars, failed investments and death threats, it seems that many people have a motive for wanting Verma out of the picture. And yet, as Chopra has long suspected, in Bollywood the truth is often stranger than fiction...See what everyone is saying about this brilliant read:'I am in love with this series.' Goodreads reviewer'First class read.' Amazon reviewer'I can honestly say that I struggle with 364 days of the year when I do not have a new Vaseem Khan book to read. ' Goodreads reviewer'A brilliant addition to the series' Amazon reviewer'I couldn't put it down... This is a real treasure of a book.' Goodreads reviewer
Strange Harvests: The Hidden Histories of Seven Natural Objects
by Edward Posnett'Exceptional...a subtle, fascinating braiding of travel, cultural and natural history... It is a pleasure and an education to journey with Posnett in these pages' ROBERT MACFARLANEIn a centuries-old tradition, farmers in north-western Iceland scour remote coastal plains for the down of nesting eider ducks. High inside a cast cave in Borneo, men perched on rickety ladders collect swiftlets' nests, a delicacy believed to be a cure for almost anything. These luxury products are two of the seven natural wonders whose stories Harvest tells: eiderdown, vicuña wool, sea silk, vegetable ivory, civet coffee, guano and edible birds' nests. It follows their journey from the wildest parts of the planet, traversing Iceland, Indonesia, and Peru, to its urban centres, drawing on the voices of the gatherers, shearers and entrepreneurs who harvest, process and trade them. Blending interviews, history and travel writing, Harvest sets these human stories against our changing economic and ecological landscape, and makes us see the world with wonder, curiosity and new concern.(Previously published as Harvest)
A Strange Kind of Paradise: India Through Foreign Eyes
by Sam MillerA Strange Kind of Paradise is an exploration of India’s past and present, from the perspective of a foreigner who has lived in India for many years. Sam Miller investigates how the ancient Greeks, the Romans, the Chinese, Arabs, Africans, Europeans and Americans – everyone really, except for Indians themselves – came to imagine India.His account of the engagement between foreigners and India spans the centuries from Alexander the Great to Slumdog Millionaire. It features, among many others, Thomas the Apostle, the Chinese monk Xuanzang, Marco Polo, Ibn Battuta, Vasco da Gama, Babur, Clive of India, several Victorian pornographers, Mark Twain, E. M. Forster, Allen Ginsberg, the Beatles and Steve Jobs. Interspersed between these tales is the story of Sam Miller’s own 25-year-long love affair with India.The result is a spellbinding, 2,500-year-long journey through Indian history, culture and society, in the company of an author who informs, educates and entertains in equal measure, as he travels in the footsteps of foreign chroniclers, exposes some of their fabulous fantasies and overturns long-held stereotypes about race, identity and migration. At once scholarly and thought-provoking, delightfully eccentric and laugh-out-loud funny, this book is destined to become a much-loved classic.
The Strange Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst: Now Filmed As The Mercy (Sailmate Ser.)
by Ron Hall Nicholas Tomalin'A masterpiece.' New Yorker'Wholly riveting, brilliantly researched.' Evening Standard'A meticulous investigation into the seeds of disaster... fascinating, uncomfortable reading.' Sunday Times In 1968, Donald Crowhurst was trying to market a nautical navigation device he had developed, and saw the Sunday Times Golden Globe round the world sailing race as the perfect opportunity to showcase his product. Few people knew that he wasn't an experienced deep-water sailor. His progress was so slow that he decided to short-cut the journey, while falsifying his location through radio messages from his supposed course.Everyone following the race thought that he was winning, and a hero's welcome awaited him at home in Britain. But on 10 July 1968, eight months after he set off, his wife was told that his boat had been discovered drifting in mid-Atlantic. Crowhurst was missing, assumed drowned, and there was much speculation that this was one of the great mysteries of the sea. In this masterpiece of investigative journalism, Nicholas Tomalin and Ron Hall reconstruct one of the greatest hoaxes of our time. From in-depth interviews with Crowhurst's family and friends and telling excerpts from his logbooks, Tomalin and Hall develop a tale of tragic self-delusion and public deception, a haunting portrait of a complex, deeply troubled man and his journey into the heart of darkness.
The Stranger: A Novel (Patrik Hedstrom and Erica Falck #4)
by Camilla LackbergTo avoid disappointment, please note this book was previously published under the title THE GALLOWS BIRD. Swedish crime sensation and No. 1 international bestseller, Camilla Lackberg’s fourth psychological thriller - for fans of Stieg Larsson and Jo Nesbo.
A Stranger in Your Own City: Travels in the Middle East’s Long War
by Ghaith Abdul-Ahad'Exquisite . . . A genuine, melancholy masterpiece' WILLIAM DALRYMPLE'A journalistic marvel' JAMES MEEK'A powerful, unforgettable book' NADIFA MOHAMMEDFrom Orwell Prize winning journalist Ghaith Abdul-Ahad comes a searing and nuanced biography of a lost IraqThis is the story of a people who once lived under the rule of a megalomaniac leader who shaped the state in his own image. Then one day, after yet another war, a foreign army invaded, toppled the leader, destroyed the state, and proceeded to invent a new country. This is the story of a people who watched with horror as their world fragmented into a hundred different cities, as walls rose between them and bodies piled in the streets.From the American invasion to the Arab Spring, ISIS and beyond, A Stranger in Your Own City offers a remarkable de-centring of the West in the history and contemporary situation of the region. What comes to the fore is the effect on the ground: the human cost, the shifting allegiances, the generational change.'Shatters western assumptions . . . and offers cautious hope' The Observer'Haunting' Financial Times
Stranger to History: A Son's Journey through Islamic Lands
by Aatish TaseerWhat does it mean to be a young Muslim in the twenty-first century? When Aatish Taseer receives a challenging letter from his estranged father in Pakistan, he decides to set off on an expedition across the Islamic world in search of his own Islamic heritage, as well as to discover how other young people across the Middle East felt about theirs. In a post-9/11 world Aatish is forced to confront himself and his relationship with the religious and secular worlds he moves in, as one of many ‘crisis children living on the faultline of Islam and modernity.’ He explores issues of identity and religious self-discovery with a fascinating cross-section of people ranging from transvestites in full hijab in Istanbul, and Norwegians considering conversions in Damascus, to Hare Krishnas in Tehran. As he travels, Aatish tells the story of his own family over the past fifty years. It is an absorbing and thought-provoking journey which culminates in an emotional reunion between Aatish and his father in Lahore, on a day that brings home the stark reality of attempts to reconcile old belief systems and liberal reform in a divided region where East meets West.
Strangers: A brilliant thriller of heart-stopping suspense
by Dean KoontzWhat connects the nightmares of strangers...? In Strangers, Dean Koontz writes a terrifying thriller of the consequences of one fateful night in a lonely motel. Perfect for fans of Stephen King and Richard Laymon.'[Koontz] is a great storyteller, and Strangers features a plot so original you'll be reading, with chills, well into the morning' - New York Daily News A surgeon, a writer, a motel-keeper, a priest and a thief; they have nothing in common - nothing but one hot summer night at the Tranquillity Motel: a night filled with unending terror; a night when an awesome power stripped them of their memories.Now the evil is creeping back into their minds. Slowly, tauntingly, maddeningly, they are recalling the unspeakable events of that fateful moonlit evening. And as the vision of evil grows clearer, the guests of the Tranquillity Motel seek each other out. Some of them will not live to face the power head on. But some will - in a terror-packed climax unlike anything ever experienced before... What readers are saying about Strangers: 'As the story progressed, I felt the fear and exaltation experienced by Koontz' characters as the secrets of their nightmares were revealed one by one''You've just got to keep reading to find out what happens next - it is truly unputdownable''Simply put, this is the best bit of fiction I have read thus far'