With Polo's book, The Travels of Marco Polo, as their guide, they journeyed over 25,000 miles becoming the first to retrace his entire path by land and sea without resorting to helicopters or airplanes. Surviving deadly skirmishes and capture in Afghanistan, they were the first Westerners in a generation to cross its ancient forgotten passageway to China, the Wakhan Corridor. Their camel caravan on the southern Silk Road encountered the deadly singing sands of the Taklamakan and Gobi deserts. In Sumatra, where Polo was stranded waiting for trade winds, they lived with the Mentawai tribes, whose culture has remained unchanged since the Bronze Age. They became among the first Americans granted visas to enter Iran, where Polo fulfilled an important mission for Kublai Khan. Accompanied by 200 stunning full-color photographs, the text provides a fascinating account of the lands and peoples the two hardy adventurers encountered during their perilous journey. The authors' experiences are remarkably similar to descriptions from Polo's account of his own travels and life. Laden with adventure, humor, diplomacy, history, and art, this book is compelling proof that travel is the enemy of bigotry--a truth that resonates from Marco Polo's time to our own.

    In the title story, a professor introduces her middle-aged son to a favorite student, unaware of the student’s true affections. In “A Man Like Him,” a lifelong bachelor finds kinship with a man wrongly accused of an indiscretion. In “The Proprietress,” a reporter from Shanghai travels to a small town to write an article about the local prison, only to discover a far more intriguing story involving a shopkeeper who offers refuge to the wives and children of inmates. In “House Fire,” a young man who suspects his father of sleeping with the young man’s wife seeks the help of a detective agency run by a group of feisty old women. Written in lyrical prose and with stunning honesty, Gold Boy, Emerald Girl reveals worlds strange and familiar, and cultures both traditional and modern, to create a mesmerizing and vibrant landscape of life.

    Grace has a limited amount of time in order to take care of her family and return to her job in Chicago, so when the smooth-talking Adam Wallace crashes his car outside of her family’s farm after a failed business meeting, her timeline gets thrown off. Adam’s presence is a welcome relief for the family, and after Grace is forced to make a difficult decision, she finds herself undeniably attracted to Adam. However, Adam represents complications that she is uncomfortable with, and when Grace is called back to Chicago to close an important business deal or lose her job, she learns a shocking secret about Adam that threatens to rip apart the plans that can save her family. Will Grace be able to forgive Adam’s hidden past or will the secret destroy their chance at love? The Billionaire and the Amish Girl Box Set is a 100,000-word, FULL LENGTH, Standalone steamy sexy bad boy alpha billionaire romance. No cliffhanger and has a HEA. Includes 4 free bonus full-length box sets and novels for a limited time. Perfect for fans of Cassie Cross, Hannah Ford, Glenna Sinclair, Kendall Ryan, Krista Lakes, Willow Winters, Alexa Riley, and J.S. Scott

     A self-taught geographer, hydrographer and navigator, Dampier was also a keen natural historian who showed his contemporaries then-unknown regions of the world, and vividly described the exotic creatures and plants that inhabited them without exaggeration. Impressing the Admiralty with his book, A New Voyage round the World, Dampier was given command of the infamous Roebuck expedition and became the first Englishman to explore parts of Australia. But Dampier's past reared its head when he employed acquaintances from his buccaneering days, and numerous problems beset him along the way; upon his eventual return Dampier was court-martialled for cruelty. Though he lived and worked like a buccaneer Dampier filled in blank spaces on the map, and in pioneering the seaways he opened up the oceans for exploration, thus laying the foundations for the British Empire. Although lauded in his day and going on to influence many in both literary and scientific spheres, Dampier died in obscurity and his name, associated with piracy, disappeared for many years. Comprehensive and compellingly told, Anton Gill's biography charts the life and endeavours of William Dampier, his successes and his failings, and reinstates him into the pantheon of great explorers. Anton Gill has been a freelance writer since 1984, specialising in European contemporary history but latterly branching out into historical fiction. He is the winner of the H H Wingate Award for non-fiction for 'The Journey Back From Hell'. He is also the author of 'Into Darkness', 'Dance Between the Flames' and 'An Honourable Defeat'. 'The Devil's Mariner' was his first biography.

    But how did America become "one nation, indivisible"? What unified a growing number of disparate states into the modern country we recognize today? In this monumental history, Simon Winchester addresses these questions, bringing together the breathtaking achievements that helped forge and unify America and the pioneers who have toiled fearlessly to discover, connect, and bond the citizens and geography of the U.S.A. from its beginnings.Winchester follows in the footsteps of America's most essential explorers, thinkers, and innovators, including Lewis and Clark and their Corps of Discovery Expedition to the Pacific Coast, the builders of the first transcontinental telegraph, and the powerful civil engineer behind the Interstate Highway System. He treks vast swaths of territory, from Pittsburgh to Portland; Rochester to San Francisco; Truckee to Laramie; Seattle to Anchorage, introducing these fascinating men and others-some familiar, some forgotten, some hardly known-who played a pivotal role in creating today's United States. Throughout, he ponders whether the historic work of uniting the States has succeeded, and to what degree.Featuring 32 illustrations throughout the text, The Men Who United the States is a fresh, lively, and erudite look at the way in which the most powerful nation on earth came together, from one of our most entertaining, probing, and insightful observers.

    From Thomas Steinbeck, son of novelist John Steinbeck, comes a thrilling story of a group of Chinese immigrants in turn of the century California.

    After the courtship, she took the money and left. When we meet again, he is a big business emperor, and she is a small manager at a five-star hotel. With a single command, she was forced to become his personal housekeeper, managing his meals, drinking, drinking, scattering, sleeping … "Butler Luo, the CEO's appetite is not good. Go and accompany him to eat something." "The assistant informed her." "Butler Luo, the CEO is not in a good mood. Go and play with him." Butler Luo, the CEO doesn't sleep well, go accompany him … " Luo Qingyun could not bear it any longer, "I am just a housekeeper, not a companion!" The assistant had an innocent look, "The CEO said that if Butler Luo is unwilling, then let her see a little bit more powerful. Does Butler Luo want to test the CEO's power?" I'll give it a try, who's afraid of who!

    In this sensual bundle you'll discover that the first taste of love can be sweet or simply knock you off your feet with undeniable attraction. Three incredible couples, unique in every aspect except that the heroines are innocent. Whore: Laura Burns was screwed! She had 30 days to find a new place to live and Taylor Ross seemed like her best option. There was only one problem with that scenario. He thought she was a whore! He wanted her to seduce his clients and in return he would save her from poverty. Can a virgin be a whore? That depends on your definition of the word! Bought For Love: Can a person be bought for love? You don’t know Jack! Emily Yates was sweet, young, and innocent. The perfect pawn for a man like Jack to use. She was a blank slate that he could mold into the woman he wanted by his side for his political career. From the moment she walked into his office, he was determined to have her in his bed, in his life, and as his perfect little pet. Jack poured on the charm and Emily saw the man he wanted her to see, but would she discover out who he really was before her heart was destroyed? You don’t know Jack. He gets what he wants. Strawberry Wine: Everyone remembers their first love Luke Parks was mine. My first kiss, my first love and my first broken heart. He swept me off my feet with just one look and after a summer of awakening my body to passion left me broken. He was twenty-four and to a girl of sixteen, I'd never been prepared for the devastation of loving and losing so completely. Time, like all things moves on, but my heart never fully recovered from watching him drive off down that country road out of my life.

    It is 1846, famine is gripping Ireland and nowhere is it crueller than in Mayo on the west coast. Owen FitzDeane of Ballyford Castle is a good landlord, but even he is powerless to save all his tenants. When he comes upon a half-dead girl beside the road, he insists on taking her back to the castle, to see if they can save her. But Eilinora is no ordinary girl and soon superstition and fear begin to swirl around her, while Lord FitzDeane of Ballyford falls deeper under her spell.

    Kennedy has been more carefully scrutinized. Michael O’Brien, who knows as much about Kennedy as any historian now writing, here takes a comprehensive look at the feature of Camelot that remained largely under the radar during the White House years: Kennedy’s womanizing. Indeed, O’Brien writes, Kennedy’s approach to women and sex was near pathological, beyond the farthest reaches of the media’s imagination at the time. The record makes for an astonishing piece of presidential history.---Michael O’Brien was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and studied at the University of Notre Dame and the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where he received a Ph.D. in history. He is the author of the widely praised John F. Kennedy: A Biography, a full-scale study based on eleven years’ research into letters, diaries, financial papers, medical records, manuscripts, and oral histories; and a concise analytical life of the president, Rethinking Kennedy. He is now emeritus professor of history at the University of Wisconsin, Fox Valley, and lives in Door County, Wisconsin.

    Organized by body system, the book presents the latest information on over 100 critical care disorders. Key information is highlighted in numerous quick-scan tables, illustrations, and flow charts, and icons and sidebars draw attention to essential information. Features include a glossary of important critical care terms and an appendix of web resources.

    Book by Jenkins, Dan

    ~ Wicked Bride Games Fifty million dollars for three weeks of your life in the hands of a total stranger. Would you do it? When Naomi Lee finds herself out of a job and out of the money she needs to pay her father’s medical bills, she receives an anonymous letter, containing an offer she can’t refuse. Max Marino, a wealthy businessman, wants her and he’ll pay any price. Three weeks of her time, no-holds-barred, in exchange for fifty million dollars. With no other means to pay her bills, Naomi has no choice but to accept. However, Naomi isn’t the only one who signs the contract. And Max isn’t alone in his deal. Three brothers … Nine girls … All competing for the ultimate prize … marriage. Let the games begin. ~ Dirty Wife Games A scorned wife on the run, and a stalker who follows her every move… Match made in heaven? After being forced to marry a tyrant, Hyun Song flees his home in a desperate attempt to save what’s left of her dignity … and her life. Now on her own, she tries her best to move on with her simple life. But she quickly realizes she can’t escape her past … and that she’s not alone … He watches her through her window. Sends her indecent notes. Stalks her everywhere she goes. He wants her badly, and when she finally lets him in … It’s time for the wife to play a dirty game. WARNING: This duet contains disturbing content some readers may find offensive. Includes scenes involving multiple men & women being dirty together. Every boundary is crossed. Read at your own risk. The Indecent Games Duet are two Dark Mafia Psychological Suspense standalone novels .

    When she sees an ad for ‘Mercer’s Belles’ she decides to take the offer and travel as one of the potential brides to Wyoming with a job as the new schoolteacher in town.Bill Morrow, along with his brother Ted, have just sold their ranch to pay their late father’s debts. Losing part of their childhood and downcast with thoughts about the future, the duo enter a bull-riding competition in the town’s first ever rodeo. A calling they never knew they had, the rodeos, become their silver lining.When Madeline sees Bill on top of that bull, she knows her trip was worth the angst. Love at first sight strikes, and soon both Madeline and Bill, as well as her new best friend and Ted are courting each other and believe they have found their much-needed harmony and love.But when jealousy finds fertile ground, tragedy is right around the corner, and this will prove to be the real test…. Can their love withstand their fate?Find out in this epic romantic story with a twist and a touching finale to warm your heart!*If you like engaging characters, heart- wrenching twists and turns, and lots of romance, then you’ll love “A Bride to Tame the Rider’s Heart”!

    . . Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories' Guardian 'A supreme writer . . . unforgettable vividness' Independent