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Tunnelling to Freedom: and Other Escape Narratives from World War I
by Hugh DurnfordThese real-life adventures from the desperate years of World War I are the stories of prisoners of war who used their wits to win their freedom. Inspiring and exciting, the 17 tales are told by the fugitives themselves. Each tale abounds in remarkable examples of resourcefulness. 15 black-and-white illustrations and 3 maps.
Unfinished Woman
by Robyn Davidson'The zigzagging life of an adventurer' GUARDIAN'An astonishing, wonderful memoir of an extraordinary life' HENRY MARSH, author of Do No Harm'Exciting and complex, full of insight and humour' SPECTATORAn unforgettable memoir from the author of the sensational international bestseller Tracks: the story of a mother and daughter, of love, loss and the pursuit of freedomIn 1977, twenty-seven-year-old Robyn Davidson set off with a dog and four camels to cross 1,700 miles of Australian desert to the sea. A life of almost constant travelling followed. From the deserts of Australia, to Sydney's underworld; from Sixties street life, to the London literary scene; from migrating with nomads in Tibet, to 'marrying' an Indian prince, Davidson's quest was motivated by an unquenchable curiosity about other ways of seeing and understanding the world. Davidson threw bombs over her shoulder and seeds into her future on the assumption that something would be growing when she got there. The only terrain she had no interest in exploring was the past. In Unfinished Woman Davidson turns at last to explore that long avoided country. Through this brave and revealing memoir, she delves into her childhood and youth to uncover the forces that set her on her path, and confront the cataclysm of her early loss. Unfinished Woman is an unforgettable investigation of time and memory, and a powerful interrogation of how we can live with and find beauty in the uncertainty and strangeness of being.'In her twenties, Davidson trekked 1,700 miles through the Australian wilderness. This led to the bestselling book Tracks and global fame. Half a century later she has written about what motivated her – including the tragic early death of her mother' Simon Hattenstone, GUARDIAN
Vanished Arizona, Recollections of the Army Life by a New England Woman
by Martha SummerhayesI have written this story of my army life at the urgent and ceaseless request of my children.
Visit to Iceland and the Scandinavian North
by Ida PfeifferA besetting sin of the Icelanders is their drunkenness. Their poverty would probably not be so great if they were less devoted to brandy, and worked more industriously. <P> <P> It is dreadful to see what deep root this vice has taken. Not only on Sundays, but also on week-days, I met peasants who were so intoxicated that I was surprised how they could keep in their saddle. I am, however, happy to say that I never saw a woman in this degrading condition.
Voyage of the Liberdade
by Joshua SlocumIn 1890, the author became the first person to circumnavigate the globe alone. This is the account of one of his lesser-known but no less remarkable sea journeys. From the Publisher: Great 19th-century mariner's thrilling, account of the wreck of his ship off the coast of South America, the 35-foot brave little craft he built from the wreckage, and its remarkable, danger-fraught voyage home. A 19th-century maritime classic brimming with courage, ingenuity, and daring. Easy-to-read and fast-paced.
A Voyage to Abyssinia
by Jerome Lobo Samuel JohnsonHow Father Jerome Lobo brought Christianity to Abyssinia
Where to Watch Birds in Surrey and Sussex (Where to Watch Birds)
by Matthew Phelps Ed StubbsThis site guide covers the counties of East Sussex, West Sussex and Surrey, including sites in southwest Greater London. From the heaths of Surrey to the chalky grassland of the North and South Downs, the great forests of the Weald and the headlands, shingle beaches and river valleys of England's south coast, these three counties are a bird-rich part of the country, with perhaps the most diverse range of habitats in the country, and all within easy distance of London, the southwest part of which contains birding sites such as Barnes wetland centre.This new book by Matthew Phelps and Ed Stubbs is the definitive guide to the birding highlights of the region. It contains a comprehensive review of all the major sites, and many lesser-known ones, with maps, notes on access, and information on target species and when to visit. Where to Watch Birds in Surrey and Sussex is indispensable for any birder heading to this bird-rich region, or anyone in London who wants to head south to enjoy some of the best birding England can offer.
Wild Woman: Empowering Stories from Women who Work in Nature
by Philippa ForresterAn engaging blend of conservation stories and humorous, personal anecdotes from Philippa Forrester about women who, like her, choose to live and work in the wild.Surviving in the wilderness has long been associated with men, and conservation and environmental biology have traditionally been male-dominated subjects. Yet many remarkable women also choose to live and work in wild and challenging landscapes. In Wild Woman, Philippa Forrester considers the grit and determination required for women to maintain connections to wildlife and shares stories of female conservation heroes and other extraordinary wild women working in nature. Talking to women from around the world, Philippa studies and celebrates what it means to be a wild woman. From the sixteenth-century botanist who was the first woman to circumnavigate the globe to modern-day women responding to bear attacks in Yellowstone, working to rewild reserves in South Africa, photographing Caribou in the Arctic and more, Philippa examines how these women benefit from a life spent in the wilderness and also considers what the natural world gains from them. Relating some of her own experiences from three decades spent travelling around the world and working in some of the wildest places on Earth, Philippa asks: what does it take for a woman to live or work in the wild?
William Wordsworth and Modern Travel: Railways, Motorcars and the Lake District, 1830-1940 (Romantic Reconfigurations: Studies in Literature and Culture 1780-1850 #12)
by Saeko YoshikawaThis book explores Wordsworth’s extraordinary influence on the tourist landscapes of the Lake District throughout the age of railways, motorcars and the First World War. It reveals how Wordsworth’s response to railways was not a straightforward matter of opposition and protest; his ideas were taken up by both advocates and opponents of railways, and through their controversies had a surprising impact on the earliest motorists as they sought a language to describe the liberty and independence of their new mode of transport. Once the age of motoring was underway, the outbreak of the First World War encouraged British people to connect Wordsworth’s patriotic passion with his wish to protect the Lake District as a national heritage – a transition that would have momentous effects in the interwar period, when popular motoring paradoxically brought a vogue for open-air activities and a renewal of romantic pedestrianism. With the arrival of global tourism, preservation of the cultural landscape of the Lake District became an urgent national and international concern. This book explores how patterns of tourist behaviour and environmental awareness changed in the century of popular tourism, examining how Wordsworth’s vision and language shaped modern ideas of travel, self-reliance, landscape and environment, cultural heritage, preservation and accessibility.
The World as I Have Found It
by Mary L. Day ArmsA graduate of the Maryland Institution for the Blind, Mary L. Day published a memoir in 1859 entitled Incidents in the Life of a Blind Girl. In this book, a sequel to her first, she recounts how she traveled throughout the country earning a living through the sale of her memoir. She also writes about meeting her future husband, visiting places of interest, and having numerous adventures on the road. The book closes with several essays on blindness and the education of the blind and with a collection of poems by blind authors.
Churchill at Chartwell: Museums and Libraries Series
by Robin FeddenChurchill at Chartwell is an account of Winston Churchill's years at Chartwell, his home at Kent from 1924 until his death in January 1965 at the age of ninety. This book traces Churchill's relationship with the house and its contents, particularly the garden. It chronicles the events of his career as they emerge from Chartwell or reflect upon it. This book is comprised of six chapters and begins with a background on Chartwell, from the time Churchill bought it in 1922 and his move, together with his family, to the place in 1924, until his death. The next chapter discusses the changes made by Churchill to the property, from the entrance to the interior. The approach to Chartwell is then described, paying particular attention to the garden and the lakes, along with the interior of the house including the hall, the drawing room, the library, Lady Churchill's bedroom, the anteroom, the museum room, the study room, and the dining room. After describing the garden, the book explores the studio, where Churchill and his friends, Walter Sickert and William Nicholson, the two most distinguished artists of his day, stayed and painted. This monograph will be a useful resource for historians and students interested in the life of Winston Churchill.
The Commonwealth at Work: The Commonwealth and International Library: Commonwealth Affairs Division
by Derek IngramThe Commonwealth at Work examines the nature of the widely varied machinery which is at work within the Commonwealth trying to promote cooperation between the member countries on all levels and in many different spheres, including higher education. It describes the Commonwealth Secretariat and its functions in theory and practice, along with the Commonwealth Foundation, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, and the Commonwealth's economic machinery, including the Commonwealth Liaison Committee and the Commonwealth Development Corporation. This book consists of 10 chapters and opens with a discussion on how the Commonwealth machinery that exists can grow and be more effectively used for the good of the 800 million people of all the member nations, as well as the consultation and cooperation that occur among those nations. The rRegional groupings in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean are considered, together with the Heads of Government conferences. The following chapters focus on the functions of the Commonwealth Secretariat and Commonwealth's relationship with the United Nations; the Commonwealth Foundation; the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association; and the Commonwealth Institute and its relation with the Royal Commonwealth Society. Some areas of cooperation among Commonwealth states are examined, including higher education, medicine, and communication and the arts. This monograph will be of interest to political scientists, politicians, government officials, and students and practitioners in the field of international relations.
A Description of the Western Isles: Circa 1695
by Martin Martin Donald MonroIt is three hundred years since Martin Martin’s great journey around the Western Isles, Orkneys and Shetlands. The first and one of the greatest of all travellers in Scotland, Martin is also unique in being the only native Gaelic speaker amongst them. A Description of the Wester Isles is a unique and authoritative resonance which makes it, even today, a mine of information on the history, customs, traditions and life of the Hebrides. It also casts light on the islands during a crucial period of history when the old structures of society still held sway before Jacobite rebellions altered society irrevocably.
Spirit of Place: Mediterranean Writings edited by A.G.Thomas
by Lawrence DurrellLose yourself in the definitive collection of glorious travel sketches by our century's best loved voyager and real-life family member of The Durrells in Corfu.'Depicts the brio of Durrell's existence with intoxicating vividness.' New York Times'Much more than just a chronicle of his travels ... Reveals Durrell's honesty, outspokenness, warmth, and extreme sensitivity to people and to the beauty of nature ... Unusual and fascinating.' Library Journal'Excellent, vigorous, exciting, unselfconscious, with a lively, original vocabulary ... Shot through with strength and vitality.' TLSFrom the moment of his birth, Lawrence Durrell was far from home. A British child in India, he was sent to England to receive an education, and by his early twenties had already tired of his native land. With family in tow, he departed for Greece, and spent the rest of his life wandering the world. He traveled not to sight-see but to live, and made homes in Egypt, France, Yugoslavia, and Argentina. Each time he landed, he rooted himself deep into the native soil, taking in not just the sights and sounds of his new land, but the essential character of the country. In this definitive collection of glorious letters and essays, Durrell exhibits the power of poetic observation that made his travel writing so extraordinary.