Book picks similar to
Life and Travels of Mungo Park in Central Africa by Mungo Park
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The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon
David Grann - 2009
A sensational disappearance that made headlines around the world. A quest for truth that leads to death, madness or disappearance for those who seek to solve it. The Lost City of Z is a blockbuster adventure narrative about what lies beneath the impenetrable jungle canopy of the Amazon.After stumbling upon a hidden trove of diaries, New Yorker writer David Grann set out to solve "the greatest exploration mystery of the 20th century": What happened to the British explorer Percy Fawcett & his quest for the Lost City of Z?In 1925, Fawcett ventured into the Amazon to find an ancient civilization, hoping to make one of the most important discoveries in history. For centuries Europeans believed the world's largest jungle concealed the glittering kingdom of El Dorado. Thousands had died looking for it, leaving many scientists convinced that the Amazon was truly inimical to humans. But Fawcett, whose daring expeditions inspired Conan Doyle's The Lost World, had spent years building his scientific case. Captivating the imagination of millions round the globe, Fawcett embarked with his 21-year-old son, determined to prove that this ancient civilisation--which he dubbed Z--existed. Then his expedition vanished. Fawcett's fate, & the tantalizing clues he left behind about Z, became an obsession for hundreds who followed him into the uncharted wilderness. For decades scientists & adventurers have searched for evidence of Fawcett's party & the lost City of Z. Countless have perished, been captured by tribes or gone mad. As Grann delved ever deeper into the mystery surrounding Fawcett's quest, & the greater mystery of what lies within the Amazon, he found himself, like the generations who preceded him, being irresistibly drawn into the jungle's green hell. His quest for the truth & discoveries about Fawcett's fate & Z form the heart of this complexly enthralling narrative.
Black Gold of the Sun: Searching for Home in Africa and Beyond
Ekow Eshun - 2005
In 2001, at the age of thirty-three, Ekow Eshun-born in London to African-born parents-embarks on a trip to Ghana in search of his roots, and in this rich narrative he evokes both the physical and emotional aspects of his travels. Eshun makes his way to Accra, Ghana's cosmopolitan capital city; to the storied slave forts of Elmina; to the historic warrior kingdom of Asante. He reflects on earlier pilgrims who followed the same path-W. E. B. DuBois, Richard Wright, Malcolm X-and on the millions of slaves shipped to the West from the Ghanaian coast. He recalls the racially charged years of his youth, and he considers the paradoxes and possibilities in contemporary Britain for someone like himself. Finally, he uncovers a long-held secret about his lineage that will compel him to question everything he knows about himself and about where he comes from. Written with exquisite particularity of place and mind, and with rare immediacy and candor, "Black Gold of the Sun" tells a story of identity, belonging, and unexpected hope.
How Jesus Christ Became White
Aylmer Von Fleischer - 2014
There is more than enough evidence to prove that the historical Jesus was a Black man. Today Jesus Christ is widely portrayed as a White man. This eBook explains how and why Jesus Christ metamorphosed from Black to White.
Captain Cook's Journal During the First Voyage Round the World
James Cook
Travels With Myself
Tahir Shah - 2011
Written over twenty years, the many pieces form an eclectic treasury of stories from Latin America, Asia, Africa, and beyond. Some consider the lives of women in society, both in East and West. The women-only police stations of Brazil, for instance, as well as the female inmates waiting to die on America's Death Row, or the young widows who clear landmines for a living in northern Cambodia. More still look at Morocco, where Shah and his family reside in a mansion set squarely in the middle of a sprawling Casablanca shantytown. And, yet more reflect on the oddities and contradictions of the modern world. Such as why, in India each summer, hundreds of thousands line up to swallow live fish; or how the Model T Ford sounded the death knell of lavish Edwardian ostrich-feather hats.
Capoeira: Roots of the Dance-Fight-Game
Nestor Capoeira - 2002
Created by the Africans brought to Brazil as slaves beginning in 1500, capoeira was forbidden by law but survived underground. When open practice was allowed in the 1930s it soon became very popular. Capoeira came to America around 1975, and has become widely recognized by dancers and martial artists. The author discusses capoeira's evolution from Brazilian street play into a way of life. The philosophy of capoeira, and the practical and spiritual benefits of this philosophy, are also discussed. Instructions and exercises in intermediate and advanced skills take up where the author's previous book left off. The book includes 100 black-and-white photos and illustrations.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks: Behind the Story-the Undisclosed Story Behind the Curtains
Behind the Story - 2011
Enjoy this basket full of hand-picked treats collected from various sources all over the internet, compiled as an easy, concise and info-rich serving just for you!You'll be on a VIP tour where you'll get to discover in depth about the author's inspiration to create this story as well as their personal journey to bring this book to the readers. Here's a sneak peek of what's inside:-Who's the author anyways?-Author's inspiration to write the story-Creation process of the book-Publishing journey-Obstacles and setbacks-How it was received by the public and critics-Sales figures-Future ahead for the story-Memorable quotes...and more!Read our free sample below!======================SAMPLE ENTRY:“What were the inspiration and the creation process of this book like?”“I first learned about HeLa cells and the woman behind them in 1988, thirty-seven years after her death, when I was sixteen and sitting in a community college biology class.”Rebecca Skloot “met” Henrietta Lacks for the first time in a class she was forced to take to make up high school credits. She was a derelict kid, choosing to forgo traditional education in favor of an alternative “hippie” high school. Instead of science classes, Rebecca remembers taking “dream studies” as one of her courses.Her biology instructor at the community college made one small mention of the fact that the line of cells most used in research today was from a black woman named Henrietta Lacks. Then he moved on to the next slide.This began a journey of questions, discoveries, and answers as Rebecca found herself wondering about the woman behind such a scientific marvel as the HeLa cells. Though it took over a decade to finally publish her work, she persisted in unveiling the unknown character whose cells had affected so many lives...======================What others are saying about us!First of all let me just say I LOVE YOUR idea of a book guide. It's so unique and informatively fun at the same time. Your idea of a book guide is really something else!-C. A. Margaja...a perfect compliment to the orginal work!-S. WoodsI love this kind of stuff!-G. M. MandapatThis work is not meant to replace, but to complement the original work. It is a digestive work to stimulate the appetite and encourage readers to enjoy and appreciate the original work even further.
Fat Woman on the Mountain: How I Lost Half of Myself and Found Happiness
Kara Richardson Whitely - 2010
She lost 120 pounds and found happiness along the way. Kara Richardson Whitely has been a journalist for the past decade. She has been featured in Self, American Hiker and Redbook magazines.
The Pacific Alone: The Untold Story of Kayaking's Boldest Voyage
Dave Shively - 2018
Gillet, at the age of 36 an accomplished sailor and paddler, navigated by sextant and always knew his position within a few miles. Still, Gillet underestimated the abuse his body would take from the relentless, pounding, swells of the Pacific, and early into his voyage he was covered with salt water sores and found that he could find no comfortable position for sitting or sleeping. Along the way he endured a broken rudder, among other calamities, but at last reached Maui on his 63rd day at sea, four days after his food had run out. Dave Shively brings Gillet's remarkable story to life in this gripping narrative, based on exclusive access to Gillet's logs as well as interviews with the legendary paddler himself.
On Trails: An Exploration
Robert Moor - 2016
He learned the tricks of master trail-builders, hunted down long-lost Cherokee trails, and traced the origins of our road networks and the Internet. In each chapter, Moor interweaves his adventures with findings from science, history, philosophy, and nature writing—combining the nomadic joys of Peter Matthiessen with the eclectic wisdom of Lewis Hyde’s The Gift.Throughout, Moor reveals how this single topic—the oft-overlooked trail—sheds new light on a wealth of age-old questions: How does order emerge out of chaos? How did animals first crawl forth from the seas and spread across continents? How has humanity’s relationship with nature and technology shaped world around us? And, ultimately, how does each of us pick a path through life?Moor has the essayist’s gift for making new connections, the adventurer’s love for paths untaken, and the philosopher’s knack for asking big questions. With a breathtaking arc that spans from the dawn of animal life to the digital era, On Trails is a book that makes us see our world, our history, our species, and our ways of life anew.
Africa: Eye to Eye with the Unknown
Michael Bright - 2012
This lavish and unmissable companion to the series reveals the undiscovered side of Africa's five unique regions. Inspiring photography captures unprecedented glimpses of wildlife behavior, mesmerizing creatures, and magical landscapes that will astound, captivate, and challenge what audiences think they know about Africa. This is a spectacular journey through a vast and diverse continent in all its beautiful and unexpected abundance. Readers will witness the drama of eagles catching giant bats on the wing, lizards stalking their prey on the backs of lions, antelope-hunting monkeys, and a nail-biting giraffe fight; share the discovery of the world's rarest fish species and the first-ever access to an island sanctuary for the elusive African penguin; marvel at a Congo fish that flies like a butterfly and a lovestruck beetle who thinks he's James Bond; and join a unique expedition to the most extreme parts of this vast continent.
England (Lonely Planet Guide)
David Else - 1997
Includes a new itineraries chapter for easy planning and "weekends to remember" suggestions throughout. of color photos. 128 maps.
The Big Book of Gross Stuff
Bart King - 2010
The pages overflow with humor and an array of cool phrases that will have readers bending and sending, blowing soup, and gargling gravy all the way to the bathroom!
Thin Air
Greg Child - 1988
Then in the late 1970s came a surprise berth on an expedition that was to define his career as a high-altitude mountaineer and transform him personally. A chronicle of his apprenticeship, Thin Air established Child as one of the great mountaineering writers of our time.Thin Air is about the intensity of climbing on the edge day after day. It is about friendships and tragedies and the memories that linger for decades. Filled with humor, irony, and pathos, Thin Air touches us with the beauty of the Baltoro Glacier's landscape and encounters with the local people. It also paints portraits of legendary mountaineers Doug Scott, Don Whillans, Alan Rouse, and others.
Journeys to the Other Side of the World: further adventures of a young naturalist
David Attenborough - 2018
. . full of delightful tales'
Daily Express
'An adventure that sparked a lifetime's commitment to the planet'
The Lady
'Attenborough is a fine writer and storyteller'
Irish Times
Following the success of the original Zoo Quest expeditions, in the late 1950s onwards the young David Attenborough embarked on further travels in a very different part of the world.
From Madagascar and New Guinea to the Pacific Islands and the Northern Territory of Australia, he and his cameraman companion were aiming to record not just the wildlife, but the way of life of some of the indigenous people of these regions, whose traditions had never been encountered by most of the British public before.From the land divers of Pentecost Island and the sing-sings of New Guinea, to a Royal Kava ceremony on Tonga and the ancient art of the Northern Territory, it is a journey like no other. Alongside these remarkable cultures he encounters paradise birds, chameleons, sifakas and many more animals in some of the most unique environments on the planet.
Written with David Attenborough's characteristic charm, humour and warmth, Journeys to the Other Side of the World is an inimitable adventure among people, places and the wildest of wildlife.