He would go on to travel to some of the most unexplored regions, meeting men and women who had never seen westerners before. Along the journey the crew meet Patagonians, Fijians, Tahitians, Aborigines, and many other peoples. Although the Wilkes expedition was largely scientific mission, the ships were not always peaceful, indeed there were a number of armed conflicts with Pacific Islanders as the United States began to assert its authority across the globe. The ships and their crews had to withstand some of the most appalling conditions as they continued their expedition, from the heat-driven mirages of the South Atlantic to the brutal cold of the Antarctic seas. What makes Erskine’s narrative so remarkable is that he is not writing from the perspective of an admiral or a scientific explorer, but instead from the viewpoint of a common sailor. Interspersed throughout the narrative are short ditties and sailor’s songs that provide a vivid picture of the mentality of nineteenth century seamen. After the Wilkes expedition landed back in the United States Erskine spent only brief moments on dry land as he frequently registered under new ships and continued his journeys. Erskine’s book is a fascinating first-hand account of exploration and maritime life aboard a tall ship. Twenty Years Before the Mast was published in 1896 towards the end of Erskine’s life.

    Juliana is stubborn, adventurous and deeply in love with a Lord who has a questionable reputation. Emmeline is quiet in nature and shier than her fun-loving sister. When they discover that their parents are planning to marry Juliana to an eligible and affable son of a Duke she has no interest in, they concoct a plan to secretly take each other's place. With Emmeline having misgivings about the subterfuge, and navigating her unexpected feelings for this kind hearted newcomer, will the sisters manage to find love and avoid the trouble they've caused?Lord Cale has recently returned to his stepfather's estate to acquire more responsibilities after completing his education. He has known the twin daughters of the Earl of Baxter his entire life and has fallen deeply in love with Lady Juliana. However, due to his family's troubling reputation preventing him from being able to court her, he leaves determined to clear the family name. When he eventually returns vindicated and seeks out Juliana, how will he handle his dismay at thinking Juliana is already happy with another Lord? Will the two Lords come to an understanding about each other's place in the twins' lives or will the strong feelings involved render this impossible?With every passing day Emmeline's and Juliana's lives become increasingly complicated and intertwined and the pretense more difficult to keep up. However, the foggier the truth becomes, the clearer their growing feelings emerge. After all this time and the endless lies, will they manage to untangle this mess without hurting the men they care for, or have they taken this ruse too far? Will both sisters finally get the happily ever after that they long for?"The Secret Plan of Dazzling Ladies" is a historical romance novel of approximately 80,000 words. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

    After being freed at the age of 57, she begins a tireless search for her only remaining family member, her daughter Eliza Jane. What Clara accomplishes in her 28 years of freedom will simply astound you! I first wrote about Clara Brown in my book Unbreakable Dolls, Too. This single story eBook is the expanded version, with much more information and 9 photos.

    Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

    Brilliant and driven entrepreneur Henry Flagler’s dream fulfilled, the Key West Railroad stood as a magnificent achievement for more than twenty-two years, heralded as “the Eighth Wonder of the World.” Standiford brings the full force and fury of 1935’s deadly “Storm of the Century” and its sweeping destruction of “the railroad that crossed an ocean” to terrifying life. Last Train to Paradise celebrates a crowning achievement of Gilded Age ambition in a sweeping tale of the powerful forces of human ingenuity colliding with the even greater forces of nature’s wrath.

    The author assures us it is not!Three years before they came together, four young American men left their fraternities and college campuses for an adventure exceeding their imaginations. Wanting something more than the draft and unknown to each other, they chose Naval Aviation as the next step in their lives. Generally, they were better than their navy peers, all qualifying for high performance aircraft to be flown from steel decks over foreign seas. They would become the pointy end of the stick in aerial battles over North Vietnam, the most heavily defended patch of real estate in the history of aerial warfare. They were to do this in 1967, the year in which Naval Aviation experienced its greatest losses.These four young men, now Lieutenants Junior Grade, United States Navy, were ordered to Attack Squadron 34 to fly A4 Skyhawks into combat. They were assigned Junior Officer's stateroom 0111 aboard USS Intrepid, a venerable aircraft carrier with a distinguished history. This "bunkroom" better known to them as Triple Sticks was the repository for a log (in navy terms) or journal written by these four young aviators. Forty years later this log was the genesis of this memoir.In the lethal environment over the northern reaches of North Vietnam or ashore in the Officer's clubs and bars of Asia, the writing brings to life wonderful humor, bizarre behavior, vivid aerial battles, uncommon loyalty, anger, frustration and respect. One survived or did not according to his skill and luck.

    Uncover their mesmerizing, realistic stories of combat, courage, and distress in readable and balanced stories told from the front lines.Witness the creation of new technologies of destruction: tanks, planes, and submarines; machine guns and field artillery; poison gas and chemical warfare. It introduced U-boat packs and strategic bombing, unrestricted war on civilians and mistreatment of prisoners.World War I reduced Europe’s mightiest empires to rubble, killed twenty million people, and cracked the foundations of our modern world. In its wake, empires toppled, monarchies fell, and whole populations lost their national identities.If you like gripping, authentic accounts of life and combat during WWI, then you won't want to miss WWI: Tales from the Trenches.

    Struggling to make ends meet, she decides to alleviate some of the burden of her father’s shoulders and reply to a mail order bride from out of state. While corresponding with this man, she decides to take the leap of fate and change her life.Joel Slayton is the celebrated sheriff of Keysville, Utah. A widower living with his sister, Joel can almost boast to have completely rid his town of crime, since he has focused all his life and energy on that. At the encouragement of his sister, he will start corresponding with a woman named Elisa and patiently awaits her to arrive and become his future wife.When an accident changes the course of his life, Elisa will meet a man she did not expect to find. Can they work through the hardships and the unprecedented horrors this newfound fate has brought them? And how can they reconstruct the past if the promise of their future together is in danger?Find out in this gripping tale of Western Romance, where love will have to dig deep to unearth the power of faith.

    A stoic rancher. And a heartbreaking history that just won’t stay in the past.Jasper is a rancher through and through, a bachelor who is tough as nails, loyal, and hardworking. But when his brother and sister-in-law are killed after being ambushed by a gang, Jasper has to take in his niece, Daisy, while also coping with his own grief—or, rather, ignoring it.Realizing he needs help balancing his life and raising Daisy, he decides to take on a mail-order bride. When Georgia arrives, he’s overwhelmed by his intelligent and beautiful new wife. At the same time, he’s terrified of losing her or having her see him as weak, so he keeps his distance.Georgia is frustrated by Jasper’s lack of emotion and inability to open up. She wonders if she’ll ever feel like she’s in a real marriage. Maybe it was a terrible mistake for her to leave her family and come out west to get married.But when the gang behind the ambush comes back to town, both Georgia and Jasper will be forced to confront their pasts. Will facing their trauma bring them closer together or ruin their marriage forever?If you like fast-paced clean romance and action-packed stories, you won't be able to put down this addictive Novel by Evelyn Boyett."A Stubborn Bride For The Stoic Rancher" is a stand-alone Western Historical Romance Novel of approximately 500 pages.

    The personal experiences of former Army infantry First Lieutenant George Coleman Luck Jr during his year in Vietnam - 1968

    After his death, the contents of his studio, including thousands of glass negatives, were sold off for five dollars. For years the fragile negatives sat forgotten and deteriorating in cardboard boxes in an open carport. How did it happen, then, that the most implausible of events took place? That Disfarmer’s haunting portraits were retrieved from oblivion, that today they sell for upwards of $12,000 each at posh New York art galleries; his photographs proclaimed works of art by prestigious critics and journals and exhibited around the world? The story of Disfarmer’s rise to fame is a colorful, improbable, and ultimately fascinating one that involves an unlikely assortment of individuals. Would any of this have happened if a young New York photographer hadn't been so in love with a pretty model that he was willing to give up his career for her; if a preacher’s son from Arkansas hadn't spent 30 years in the Army Corps of Engineers mapping the U.S. from an airplane; if a magazine editor hadn't felt a strange and powerful connection to the work? The cast of characters includes these, plus a restless and wealthy young Chicago aristocrat and even a grandson of FDR. It’s a compelling story which reveals how these diverse people were part of a chain of events whose far-reaching consequences none of them could have foreseen, least of all the strange and reclusive genius of Heber Springs. Until now, the whole story has not been told.

    Her life in Baltimore has always been a quiet one until she suddenly discovers that her brother has found himself arrested. Sara has no other option than to travel immediately to Kansas so as to attend his trial. After witnessing him being sentenced to a 5-year prison-time for a crime he could never commit, she decides it's her duty to take action. To her surprise, she is not the only one to rush in, willing to do anything to help him... Will the handsome former Bounty Hunter, who offers to join her mission, eventually lead them to the solution they desperately crave?Logan Payne has spent most of his teenage years trying to protect his sister and mother from his abusive father. As an adult man, he has promised to stay away from trouble and leave his life as a Bounty Hunter behind. But when his brother-in-law is trapped in a controversial trial, he has no other choice but to jump in and help him gain his freedom back. Sara, the prisoner's beautiful sister, will be his valuable partner to this plan. When emotions he had never experienced before start rising to the surface, will he manage to straighten things out and capture her heart, just like she captivated his?While Sara and Logan's hearts are growing closer, misunderstood motives and a well-kept secret are about to leave the heroes in a state of confusion and pain. Can they really prove Sara's brother's innocence? Or will the crime spree take a dangerous turn for the worse?

    After her first dance with a charming gentleman, her instinct tells her that he might be the one. While she can't stop daydreaming about her life by his side, everything is about to change when she discovers that his family is her father's lifelong feud. When her father announces that he will never allow her to see him again, Marianne's life falls into pieces. Desperate to escape her grim future, she tries to find the cause of her father's hate and soothe his resentful heart. Will she manage to put an end to an endless clash? Will she finally have the happy ending she has always been dreaming of?Edmund Stapleton is a kind gentleman with an intrepid mind. Even though he has never enjoyed balls and such social events, he has no choice but to fulfil society's expectations. When he first sees Marianne, he cannot help being smitten by her beauty. But a storm is brewing when he learns that the woman who is about to haunt his dreams would be the daughter of his father's most obnoxious enemy. Will Edmund stick to his father's demand to forget about Marianne, or will he start a relentless pursuit of claiming the woman he loves?Against all odds, Marianne and Edmund do everything in their power to spend a few moments together. But when her father finds out about their secret meetings, furious as he is, he forces her back to the countryside. To make matters worse, he finds an eligible man to betroth her at the earliest opportunity. In the end, will the two romantic souls escape from a terrible fate? Will their love withstand the obstacles that keep them apart?"A Captivating Lady's Love Storm" is a historical romance novel of approximately 80,000 words. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

    For young housemaid, Anwen Rhys, life is hard in the Welsh mining village of Dorcalon, deep in the Rhymney Valley. She cares for her ill mother and beloved younger sister Sara, all while shielding them from her father’s drunken, violent temper. Anwen comforts herself with her love for childhood sweetheart, Idris Hughes, away fighting in the Great War.Yet when Idris returns, he is a changed man; no longer the innocent boy she loved, he is harder, more distant, quickly breaking off their engagement. And when tragedy once again strikes her family, Anwen’s heart is completely broken.But when an explosion at the pit brings unimaginable heartache to Dorcalon, Anwen and Idris put their feelings aside to unite their mining community.In the midst of despair, can Anwen find hope again? And will she ever find the happiness she deserves?

    This gorgeously photographed lifestyle guide gives readers an insider's tour of the City by the Bay through Victoria Smith's unique lens. Organized by neighborhood, each chapter features enchanting photos of hidden corners, local color, landmarks, and hotspots, revealing why so many people—Victoria included—are falling head over heels for this amazing city. Brimming with original, dreamy photography and packaged as a gorgeous jacketed hardcover, this lovely book makes a perfect gift for photography fans, San Francisco dwellers, visitors to the city, or anyone who has left their heart in San Francisco.