Two books in one volume, ” To the Ends of the Earth: Memoirs of a Pioneering Aviator” combines Sir Alan Cobham`s first-hand accounts of two of his most memorable journeys, round the Cape & to Australia & back. Undertaken in the 1920s, his memoirs of these fantastic adventures reveal the trials & tribulations of travelling to the farthest ad darkest corners of the globe in a de Havilland type 50 & a seaplane in a time when global travel was in its infancy. With its accessible style & irrepressible optimism, this book is a must for any lover of the travel writing genre. ...

Come on a new magical colouring adventure, from your home right the way to the ends of the earth! Colour your way through a riotous world of dragons, witches, lagoons, mountains & deserts, inspired by folk tales & landscapes from around the globe. With a beautiful scene that folds horizontally & stretches to an amazing 17 feet (5 metres), this is the longest colouring adventure in the world! ...

Part of his trilogy on Scottish history, T. M. Devine`s ” To the Ends of the Earth” is a compelling account of the Scots as a `global people`, charting their forgotten role in the building of the modern world. The Scots are one of the world`s greatest nations of emigrants. For centuries, untold numbers of men, women & children sought their fortunes in every part of the globe, from the British Empire to the United States, in cities & on prairie farms, as traders, bankers, missionaries, soldiers, politicians & engineers. With ” To the Ends of the Earth” T.M. Devine
- acclaimed author of ” The Scottish Nation” & ” Scotland`s Empire”
- puts this extraordinary epic centre stage in Scottish history, cutting through myth & sentiment surrounding stories such as the Highland Clearances & the Enlightenment to show the true impact of Scottish emigration on the world, & on the nation it left behind. ”A seminal work”. (Harry Mc Grath, ” Herald”). ” Devine`s final book in a remarkable trilogy.. .fascinating & far-reaching... His conclusions are.. .thoughtful & incisive”. (” Scottish Field”). ”[ This] rigorous & unsentimental history of Scotland`s global diaspora.. .explodes myths & foregrounds the prosaic realities of emigration.. .it has the fascinating charm of a detective story”. (” Guardian”). ” Presents a grand overview of Scottish emigration.. .very revealing”. (Tom Nairn, ” Scottish Review of Books”). ” Devine has brought a greater understanding to this fascinating subject & offers an intriguing perspective on a key component of our history & national identity”. (Alex Salmond, First Minister Of Scotl&, ” Herald”). T.M. Devine, OBE is University Research Professor & Director of the Research Institute of Irish & Scottish Studies at the University of Aberdeen. His other books include ” The Scottish Nation” & ” To the Ends of the Earth”.

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This fascinating social history of polar expeditions examines the cultural trends that produced these daring, even reckless journeys. From the late-17th to the early 20th century, intrepid explorers from America & Europe risked (and sometimes lost) their lives exploring the forbidding, uncharted landscapes of the Arctic & Antarctica. What drove these men to undertake these seemingly impossible journeys? In this deeply researched book, author John Dippel makes a convincing case that dozens of polar expeditions were motivated less by courageous idealism than personal ambition & national rivalries. The author traces the ways in which men of unbridled ambition responded to society`s need for heroes by masking their true intentions behind patriotic sentiments or noble claims about advancing science. In so doing they frequently put their own lives & those of the men in their command at enormous risk. At the same time, they projected an attitude of cultural superiority, looking down on indigenous arctic people. Their disrespect & ignorance of native means of transportation, diet, shelter, & knowledge of the terrain often led explorers into disaster, where men perished from starvation & exposure or nearly lost their minds. In the end, the failure of so many polar expeditions exposed the limits of humanity`s control of nature & helped to undermine faith in inevitable progress. Readers who have heard of the incredible exploits of such famous explorers as Robert F. Scott, Roald Amundsen, James Cook, & Robert Peary will find in this book an intriguing explanation for what impelled these men to endure unimaginable cold, near-starvation, & years of isolation at the ends of the earth. ...

He disappeared. That`s all she really knew. In search of her father Andreas, whom she has never met, Lena travels with her small son from Australia to Greece. On the island of Naxos she finds him, a wary, tormented man living in self-imposed exile & haunted by what happened to him under the rule of the Colonels in the 1960s. Slowly Lena unlocks the secrets of her father`s past, & in getting to know him begins to understand the dark realities of contemporary Greek history. To the Island is a book about the impact of larger political events on the lives of ordinary people, & how political & personal betrayals reverberate across generations, beautifully evoking the currents & cross-currents between individuals, within families & in broader society. & in Lena & Andreas`s stories, it shows how difficult it is to confront our personal & collective pasts
- & the terrible consequences of being unable to do so.
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Every letter contains a miniature story, & here are some of the greatest. From Oscar Wilde`s unconventional method of using the mail to cycling enthusiast Reginald Bray`s quest to post himself, Simon Garfield uncovers a host of stories that capture the enchantment of this irreplaceable art (with a supporting cast including Pliny the Younger, Ted Hughes, Virginia Woolf, Napoleon Bonaparte, Lewis Carroll, Jane Austen, David Foster Wallace & the Little Red-Haired Girl). There is also a brief history of the letter-writing guide, with instructions on when & when not to send fish as a wedding gift. & as these accounts unfold, so does the tale of a compelling wartime correspondence that shows how the simplest of letters can change the course of a life. ...

To the Letter tells the story of our remarkable journey through the mail. From Roman wood chips discovered near Hadrian`s Wall to the wonders & terrors of email, Simon Garfield explores how we have written to each other over the centuries & what our letters reveal about our lives. Along the way he delves into the great correspondences of our time, from Cicero & Petrarch to Jane Austen & Ted Hughes (and John Keats, Virginia Woolf, Jack Kerouac, Anais Nin & Charles Schulz), & traces the very particular advice offered by bestselling letter-writing manuals. He uncovers a host of engaging stories, including the tricky history of the opening greeting, the ideal ingredients for invisible ink, & the sad saga of the dead letter office. As the book unfolds, so does the story of a moving wartime correspondence that shows how letters can change the course of life. To the Letter is a wonderful celebration of letters in every form, & a passionate rallying cry to keep writing. ...

The serene & maternal Mrs Ramsay, the tragic yet absurd Mr Ramsay, together with their children & assorted guests, are holidaying on the Isle of Skye. From the seemingly trivial postponement of a visit to a nearby lighthouse Virginia Woolf constructs a remarkable & moving examination of the complex tensions & allegiances of family life. One of the great literary achievements of the twentieth century, ` To the Lighthouse` is often cited as Virginia Woolf`s most popular novel. The Vintage Classics Virginia Woolf series has been curated by Jeanette Winterson, & the texts used are based on the original Hogarth Press editions published by Leonard & Virginia Woolf. Introductions by Eavan Boland & Maud Ellman. ...

When Mrs Ramsay tells her guests at her summer house on the Isle of Skye that they will be able to visit the nearby lighthouse the following day, little does she know that this trip will only be completed ten years later by her husb&, & that a gulf of war, grief & loss will have opened in the meantime. As each character tries to readjust their memories & emotions with the shifts of time & reality, this long-delayed excursion will also prove to be a journey of self-discovery & fulfilment for them. Rich in symbolism, daring in style, elegiac in tone & encapsulating Virginia Woolf s ideas on life, art & human relationships, To the Lighthouse is a landmark of twentieth-century literature & one of the high points of early Modernism. ...

Mr & Mrs Ramsay & their eight children have always holidayed at their summer house in Skye, surrounded by family friends. The novel`s opening section teems with the noise, complications, bruised emotions, joys & quiet tragedies of everyday family life that might go on forever. But time passes, bringing with it war & death, & the summer home stands empty until one day, many years later, when the family return to make the long-postponed visit to the lighthouse. One of the great literary achievements of the twentieth century, To the Lighthouse is at once an intensely autobiographical & universally moving masterpiece. ...