A luminous & challenging work of autobiographical travel writing. In An Area of Darkness, V.S. Naipaul describes his encounter with a force in his life which shocked him into awareness of a need for self-examination & self-explanation. It is perhaps natural that his year-long sojourn in India should have provided such a shock. The experience was not a pleasant one, but the pain the author suffered was creative rather than numbing, & engendered a masterful work of literature that is by turns tender, lyrical, explosive & cruel. With spectacular narrative skill, Naipaul provides a revelation both of India & of himself: a displaced person who paradoxically possesses a stronger sense of place than almost anyone. He spins his web not so much to entrap his readers as to make them think for themselves.V.S. Naipaul won the 2001 Nobel Prize for Literature. ...

THE FIRST BOOK IN V.S. NAIPAUL`S ACCLAIMED INDIAN TRILOGY -- WITH A NEW PREFACE BY THE AUTHOR An Area of Darkness is V. S. Naipaul`s semi-autobiographical account -- at once painful & hilarious, but always thoughtful & considered -- of his first visit to India, the land of his forebears. He was twenty-nine years old; he stayed for a year. From the moment of his inauspicious arrival in Prohibition-dry Bombay, bearing whisky & cheap brandy, he experienced a cultural estrangement from the subcontinent. It became for him a land of myths, an area of darkness closing up behind him as he travelled.. . The experience was not a pleasant one, but the pain the author suffered was creative rather than numbing, & engendered a masterful work of literature that provides a revelation both of India & of himself: a displaced person who paradoxically possesses a stronger sense of place than almost anyone. ` Brilliant` Observer ` His narrative skill is spectacular. One returns with pleasure to the slow h&-in-hand revelations of both India & himself` The Times ...

Apulia – An Armchair Traveller’s History by Desmond Seward & Susan Mountgarret is a compelling reading that links the landscape of this region to its history & early travellers. As the writers explore Apulia area by area they unravel the local history presenting comments & observations from early travellers such as Abate Giovanni Battista Pacichelli, an extensive traveller & member of the Royal Society at London from the 17th century, Henry Swinburne, Englishman from the 18th century & author of Travels in the Two Sicilies, Charles Macfarlane a Scottish writer from the 19th century & Norman Douglas writer of South Wind & Old Calabria, just to name a few. Learn about the landscape that makes up the heel of Italy, from the mountainous north of the Gargano to the flat Tavoliere. Marvel at the fascinating history its monuments & ruins tell & unveil the legacy of repeated invasions, from the arrival of the Greeks in 800 BC, the Goths in the 5th century to the Bourbons & the French in the 19th century, & many others in between. Discover the resourcefulness for survival shown by its people, creating cave-cities to escape the Goths & Saracens, or generating wealth exporting oil & wine while under Norman’s harsh rules or building Lecce in a Baroque style despite plague & Spanish taxation. This book, wonderfully written, tells a riveting story that will fascinate anyone interested in the past & the impressions of early travellers who visited this little known part of Italy. ...

As China s global influence continues to rise, its capital, Beijing, has become increasingly important & a popular tourist destination, greeting close to five million international visitors each year. ” An Armchair Traveller s History of Beijing” presents the capital from its earliest beginnings as a prehistoric campsite for Peking Man through its fluctuating fortunes under a dozen dynasties. Home tocapitals ofseveral states over time, the site of modern Beijing has been ruled by Mongolian chiefs & the glorious Ming emperors, whose tombs can still be found on its outskirts. Through Beijing, we can experience Chinese history itself, including its more famous residents including Khubilai Khan, Mulan, & Marco Polo. Special emphasis is placed on Beijing s precarious heritage in the twenty-first century, as modern construction wipes out much of the old city to make way for homes for twenty million people. This book also offers detailed information on sites of tourist interest, including the pros & cons of different sections of the Great Wall & the best ways to see the Forbidden City & the fast-disappearing relics of the city s Manchu & Maoist eras.A chapter on food & drink examines not only local delicacies, but the many other Chinese dishes that form part of Beijing s rich dining traditions. With its blend of rich history & expert tips, ” An Armchair Traveller s History of Beijing ”is an essential introduction to one of the world s most remarkable cities. ” ...

In the American mind, Finland is often swept up in the general group of Nordic countries, little known & seldom gaining prominence on its own. But as Jonathan Clements shows in ” An Armchair Traveller`s History of Finl&, ” it has a long & fascinating history, one that offers oddities & excitements galore: from prehistoric herders to medieval lords, Christian martyrs & Viking kings, & the war heroes who held off the Soviet Union against long odds. Clements travels the length of the country as he tells these stories, along the way offering accounts of Finland`s public artworks, literary giants, legends & folktales, & famous figures. The result is the perfect introduction to Finland for armchair & actual travelers alike. ...

Few writers had to confront so many of the last century`s mass tragedies as Vasily Grossman. He is likely to be remembered, above all, for the terrifying clarity with which he writes about the Shoah, the Battle of Stalingrad & the Terror Famine in the Ukraine. An Armenian Sketchbook, however, shows us a very different Grossman; it is notable for its warmth, its sense of fun & for the benign humility that is always to be found in his writing. After the `arrest`
- as Grossman always put it
- of Life & Fate, Grossman took on the task of editing a literal Russian translation of a lengthy Armenian novel. The novel was of little interest to him, but he was glad of an excuse to travel to Armenia. This is his account of the two months he spent there. It is by far the most personal & intimate of Grossman`s works, with an air of absolute spontaneity, as though Grossman is simply chatting to the reader about his impressions of Armenia
- its mountains, its ancient churches & its people.


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It is 1948. Japan is rebuilding her cities after the calamity of World War II, her people putting defeat behind them & looking to the future. The celebrated painter Masuji Ono fills his days attending to his garden, his house repairs, his two grown daughters & his grandson, & his evenings drinking with old associates in quiet lantern-lit bars. His should be a tranquil retirement. But as his memories continually return to the past
- to a life & a career deeply touched by the rise of Japanese militarism
- a dark shadow begins to grow over his serenity.

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Colonel Chris Hadfield has spent decades training as an astronaut & has logged nearly 4, 000 hours in space. During this time he has broken into a Space Station with a Swiss army knife, disposed of a live snake while piloting a plane, been temporarily blinded while clinging to the exterior of an orbiting spacecraft, & become a You Tube sensation with his performance of David Bowie's ' Space Oddity' in space. The secret to Chris Hadfield's success -- & survival -- is an unconventional philosophy he learned at NASA: prepare for the worst -- & enjoy every moment of it. In his book, An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth, Chris Hadfield takes readers deep into his years of training & space exploration to show how to make the impossible possible. Through eye-opening, entertaining stories filled with the adrenaline of launch, the mesmerizing wonder of spacewalks & the measured, calm responses mandated by crises, he explains how conventional wisdom can get in the way of achievement -- & happiness. His own extraordinary education in space has taught him some counterintuitive lessons: don't visualize success, do care what others think, & always sweat the small stuff. You might never be able to build a robot, pilot a spacecraft, make a music video or perform basic surgery in zero gravity like Colonel Hadfield. But his vivid & refreshing insights in this book will teach you how to think like an astronaut, & will change, completely, the way you view life on Earth -- especially your own. ...

Colonel Chris Hadfield has spent decades training as an astronaut & has logged nearly 4, 000 hours in space. During this time he has broken into a Space Station with a Swiss army knife, disposed of a live snake while piloting a plane, been temporarily blinded while clinging to the exterior of an orbiting spacecraft, & become a You Tube sensation with his performance of David Bowie`s ` Space Oddity` in space. The secret to Chris Hadfield`s success -- & survival -- is an unconventional philosophy he learned at NASA: prepare for the worst -- & enjoy every moment of it. In his book, An Astronaut`s Guide to Life on Earth, Chris Hadfield takes readers deep into his years of training & space exploration to show how to make the impossible possible. Through eye-opening, entertaining stories filled with the adrenaline of launch, the mesmerizing wonder of spacewalks & the measured, calm responses mandated by crises, he explains how conventional wisdom can get in the way of achievement -- & happiness. His own extraordinary education in space has taught him some counterintuitive lessons: don`t visualize success, do care what others think, & always sweat the small stuff. You might never be able to build a robot, pilot a spacecraft, make a music video or perform basic surgery in zero gravity like Colonel Hadfield. But his vivid & refreshing insights in this book will teach you how to think like an astronaut, & will change, completely, the way you view life on Earth -- especially your own. ...

A Bricklayer`s Guide to the Galaxy.. . The inspirational memoir of a former brickie who followed his passion for the stars & built his own observatory. Perfect for readers of Robert Macfarlane, Helen Macdonald & James Rebanks
- as well as fans of Brian Cox & the BBC`s Sky at Night. Gary Fildes left school at sixteen, got a trade like most of his mates & was soon married with four kids. His life seemed set. But he had a secret. Something he only practised late at night with a few like-minded friends. Then one day, middle age approaching alarmingly, he acted on his lifelong passion. He finally came out. As an astronomer. Today, Gary is the founder & lead astronomer of Kielder Observatory, one of the top ten stargazing sites in the world, which he also helped to build. Situated in the beautiful forests of Kielder, Northumberl&, within Europe`s largest protected dark sky park, it offers some of the UK`s most spectacular views of stars, planets & galaxies. An Astronomer`s Tale is Gary`s inspirational story: part memoir, part nature writing, part seasonal guide to the night sky. It is a book brimming with passion; & at a time when the world is captivated by space, it will leave you ready to get out there & explore the wonders of the skies for yourself.
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