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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To the Last City is a fictional offering from Colin Thubron set deep in the Peruvian Andes. The novel follows the journeys of five ill-prepared travellers
- men & women with different values, backgrounds, temperaments & motives. As the group trek through one of the most exacting & beautiful regions on earth, it fast becomes apparent that the trip to the ‘last city’ of Vilcabamba will either temper or break them & everything they thought solid in their lives. To the Last City is, above alleles, an exploration of the psychological challenges of travelling.
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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. ...

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. ...

In celebration of the Apollo 11 Mission`s 50th Anniversary, experience the awe & excitement of humankind`s first steps on the moon! In this exclusive, exquisite pop-up adventure, readers follow astronaut Buzz Aldrin`s story as he encounters the ”magnificent desolation” of Earth`s only satellite first-h&. Paper engineer Bruce Foster brings to life what it was like to blast off into space & take the first steps on the moon through intricate pop-ups & paper folds. Including Buzz Aldrin`s firsthand accounts of the mission, historical context, stunning images, & unique personal perspectives, this book is an informative & collectible work of art
- perfect for budding astronauts & grandparents hoping to share their memories of the moon landing with the young explorers in their lives.
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Climb up to the moon with this amazing fold-out colouring book, the tallest in the world! Colour an amazing tower, all the way from your house down on the ground, past dragons, witches, space ports & flying elephants, to reach the moon at the very top! Grab your pens & let`s get going! Can you climb all the way to the moon? ...

Cecilia, capricious & unable to love, inches reluctantly towards a second marriage to the kind, passionless Julian Tower. Meanwhile, her sister-in-law, Emmeline, is surprised to find the calm tenor of her life disturbed by her attraction to the predatory Mark Linkwater. Markie`s appearance disrupts the lives of both women, but in the pain of misunderstanding, it is Emmeline who reveals her vulnerability in a violent & tragic act. This book is reissued alongside The Hotel & The Little Girls. ...