In the brilliant dual biography, the award-winning writer Roland Huntford re-examines every detail of the great race to the South Pole between Britain's Robert Scott and Norway's Roald Amundsen. Scott, who dies along with four of his men only eleven miles from his next cache of supplies, became Britain's beloved failure, while Amundsen, who not only beat Scott to the Pole but returned alive, was largely forgotten. This account of their race is a gripping, highly readable history that captures the driving ambitions of the era and the complex, often deeply flawed men who were charged with carrying them out. THE LAST PLACE ON EARTH is the first of Huntford's masterly trilogy of polar biographies. It is also the only work on the subject in the English language based on the original Norwegian sources, to which Huntford returned to revise and update this edition.

    This is the book he wrote about that journey -- a classic account of the reawakening of his faith in himself and his country."I started out searching for myself and my country," Peter Jenkins writes, "and found both." In this timeless classic, Jenkins describes how disillusionment with society in the 1970s drove him out onto the road on a walk across America. His experiences remain as sharp and telling today as they were twenty-five years ago -- from the timeless secrets of life, learned from a mountain-dwelling hermit, to the stir he caused by staying with a black family in North Carolina, to his hours of intense labor in Southern mills. Many, many miles later, he learned lessons about his country and himself that resonate to this day -- and will inspire a new generation to get out, hit the road and explore.

    Glorious color photography is supplemented by Herriot's own irresistable descriptions.

    Not the sort of excitement that makes morning headlines or the nightly news. Instead it is the excitement that comes from experiencing the natural world as it always has been and should be, and seeing human beings living in tune with its subtlest rhythms. In Australian cattle country and in the primitive outback. On a desert island off Mexico and in the Sierra Madres. On the Rio Grande and in the great Southwest. On Lake Powell in Utah and in the living American desert. It is adventure. It is enlightenment. It is vintage Abbey.

    She describes her determined childhood self - strong-willed and beguiled by books from the first - her intermittent formal education and the intense relationship of an only child with her parents, particularly her invalid mother, whom she nursed until her death. Bicycling fifty miles in a day at the age of eleven, alone, it seems only natural that her first major journey should have been to cycle to India.

    Sweating and shivering by turns as the temperature and altitude shoot up and down, thrown in with the appalling Mr Thornberry in Limón and reading nightly to the blind writer, Borges, in Buenos Aires, Theroux vividly evokes the contrasts of a journey 'to the end of the line'.

    Contains previously unpublished anecdotes and photos of a remarkable sailing trip around the world. Included are John’s accomplishments in his Endangered Species in the 1998 Singlehanded TransPac Race.

    This is a collection of Wilfred Thesiger's greatest journeys - in the Empty Quarter of Arabia, the marshes of Iraq, the mountains of the Hindu Kush and Kurdistan, and the Yemen - illustrated with Thesiger's own photographs.

    She also sought to interrogate her own opinions and emotions. As an Irishwoman and traveller who had only ever spent thirty-six hours of her forty-four years over the border to the north, why had she been so reluctant to engage with the issues? Despite her own family connections to the IRA, she travelled north largely unfettered by sectarian loyalties. Armed instead with an indefatigable curiosity, a fine ear for anecdote, an ability to stand her own at the bar and a penetrating intelligence, she navigated her way through horrifying situations, and sometimes found herself among people stiff with hate and grief. But equally, she discovered an unquenchable thirst for life and peace, a spirit that refused to die.

    In this guide, he provides trekkers of all standards with up-to-date and reliable information on the region, including health and safety advice, notes on eco-tourism and detailed route descriptions.

    With updated information and a new foreword by park archivist Lee Whittlesey, Geysers of Yellowstone is both a reference work and a fine introduction to the nature of geyser activity for the newcomer to geothermal phenomena. A glossary of key terms is provided, along with a comprehensive appendix that discusses other geyser areas of the world. Detailed maps accompany each geyser basin described, and tables are provided for easy reference.

    She has been playing a vital role in the development of the human race for 6,000 years. The water of the Nile is the source of life for an immense human population, which consists of dozens of breeds. Moreover, the Nile runs along an impressive variety of nature: from the 4,500-meter-high Moon Mountains - the Ruwenzori Mountains in Uganda, with an exotic alpine vegetation that turns into dense, tropical rainforests - to the scorching, cork-dry deserts of Sudan and Egypt. Between these two extremes lies the largest swamp in the world.Since the very beginning of human history, this great river has fascinated and challenged people. For centuries, countless expeditions have attempted to follow her endless course through Africa and to solve the oldest and most controversial mystery in geography: the secret of its origins.In 1950, John Goddard and his two companions, as the first in history, followed the river from its source in the heart of Africa to its mouth in the Mediterranean. The call of the Nile is the diary of Goddard: a travelogue in the best tradition of the great explorers of history.

    With its coverage of the easier climbs, it is accessible to everyone who has ever taken an interest in rock-climbing and an ideal primer for those about to commence the sport.

    An illustrated tour of The Cloisters, presenting hidden treasures and details of the collection that might be missed by the casual visitor.

    82 Trips on Oregon's Scenic Byways

    Written by a leading archaeologist, the book considers every aspect of Avebury's history and construction and discusses the probable purpose of these massive structures, in the process creating a vivid and moving picture of their creators -- a primitive people whose lives were brief, savage, and fearful.

    Never before have both the history and present-day beauty of the missions been so completely and magnificently portrayed. All twenty-one missions are shown in attractive watercolor renderings, and there are intriguing photographs from early days as well as recent times. Each mission is the subject of an individual chapter in which its meaning and contribution to our history are fully explained. A valuable reference source for the whole family, this handsome book doubles as a visitor's guide. Providing information on mission tours, museums, and libraries.

    She was twenty-four when she and three companions crossed the Sahara by Landrover. But the two men of the party took the car and left her and her friend Lesley stranded in the middle of Nigeria.Recounted with modesty and good humour, it is a story of great tenacity and incredible courage. Christina travelled by horse, camel, on foot, hitching lifts from time to time—even hailing passing airplanes out of the sky!The author shared meals with cannibals, was treated by witch-doctors, learned to pan gold, and was imprisoned on a boat by a sexually perverse sea captain. She and her friend journeyed almost a thousand miles down the Congo River in a dugout canoe: the first women in the world to accomplish such a hazardous journey.This is a truly extraordinary travel book. It is a brilliant account of Africa, its sights and smells, its many races, seen through the eyes of an English girl. It is also the story of the education of innocence, a deeply honest self-portrait of Christina Dodwell’s reactions to herself in Africa—and how Africa changed her.

    It led him and his companions from nine different nations in search of sea-routes which he was sure must have been used by the ancient Sumerians 5000 years ago on vessels like his own. He built his ship of reeds gathered locally in the swamps of southern Iraq, and he used reed-boat builders brought from the highlands of South America, where such vessels are still used today.Believing that the sea, rather than being a separator of peoples, was actually the means by which early civilisations were brought together, they sailed down the Tigris to the Gulf and eventually to the ocean, a voyage which led to many discoveries and through many hazards.

    A wonderful area of wild country and wildlife, this region offers a vast network of maintained trail systems, yet is nevertheless lightly traveled. The author has added 11 new hikes to reflect changing trail conditions, and has re-hiked and checked each of the remaining hikes for this fourth edition. Each hike includes a topographical map, information on mileage, rise, and difficulty, and narrative on sights you'll see along the way.

    It also illuminates the way in which their work has changed our visual attitudes, our taste in landscape and our relation to nature.

    

    Nichols writes with wry amusement about the joys and tribulations of living in an adobe farmhouse that is always at the mercy of nature. He is rapturous about the pleasures of trout fishing in mountain streams and graphic about the difficulties of maintaining a primitive, but vital irrigation system. But he is most passionate about his farmer neighbors and thier continuing struggle to prtect a rewarding way of life and a precariously balanced ecological system that are both increasingly threatened by overcrowding and human greed. To complement Nichols's deeply felt text, William Davis has provided sixty-five color photographs that dramatically capture the variety and intensity of this astonishing land—mountain and mesa, forest and desert, river and farmland—in all its seasons and moods. The result is a lyric tribute to one of the last truly wild areas of the United States.

    But most of all you'll learn the fine art of traveling, an art all but lost in the world's Hiltons and Sheratons. It is this art that this book is all about.It's a book about how to avoid border hassles, deal on the black market, find jobs abroad, fly free on cargo planes, and avoid getting ripped off or sick. It will save even the most frugal traveler at least 50% of expenses abroad. Kay Holekamp, a woman who has traveled extensively and hitched alone through the macho wilds of South America, has written "Suggestions for Women Travelers." This chapter shows how women can travel safely and enjoyably anywhere in the world.

    The book covers all regions of Italy, with particular emphasis on little-known places where we can still glimpse a way of life and an atmosphere hardly changed in hundreds of years. These photographs may be among the last records of this important period in urban history, as many of the towns are now increasingly abandoned or ravaged by change. Drawing on his experience in many parts of the world, the author first examines the significance of folk architecture in general and its implications for a modern urbanized world. He then demonstreates this significance with perceptive photographs and commentary as he explores the integration of architecture, man and landscape in the Italian hilltown.A new, expanded edition, this volume includes computer enhanced images including 40 new photographs, some in color.

    Full-color photos, descriptions of 84 most common wildflowers.

    

    Packed with travel information, including more listings, deals, and insider tips:CANDID LISTINGS of hundreds of places to eat, sleep, drink, and feel like a localRELIABLE MAPS to help you get around cities, towns, regions, and national parksTHE BEST NIGHTLIFE, from London pubs to Newquay clubsINSIDER TIPS on how to catch discounted shows and find other hidden dealsUp -to-date info on FESTIVALS, including Glastonbury and the Fringe festivalsCoverage of DUBLIN, with info on affordable flights from London

    It is a unique and evocative tale of childhood adventure in a world that very few Europeans have experienced. Barefoot is a 'must read' for anyone remotely interested in Africa!" Back cover comments.

    Completely revised and updated for 2006, Let's Go France delivers all you need to know about the chic streets of urban centers, European hiking meccas, and the sets of history from medieval chateaux to D-Day Beaches. So whether you'd rather find the best stained glass in Paris or relax on the untouched beaches of Ile de Re and Ile d'Aix, Let's Go can show you the way to what's fun, what's fresh, and what's free.

    All the rapids, whirlpools, avalanches, deserts, swamps, communist bullets and faulty parachutes that have hitherto provided the obstacle courses in Ranulph Fiennes' eventful career take a poor second place when compared with travel on the North Polar Icecap in the freak winter of 1976-77.The polar journey involved four men and two women, with no previous polar experience and nothing but a grand design and singleness of purpose to drive them on through the agonies of snow-blindness, skinned toes, damaged, unhealing hands and the constant fear of frostbite.

    But the crushing strictness that followed was jolting. 'On May 24,' wrote one diarist, 'you could bribe everyone in Shanghai. On May 26 you could bribe no one - for perhaps the first time in a hundred years.