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Voyage of the Liberdade
by Joshua SlocumIn 1890, the author became the first person to circumnavigate the globe alone. This is the account of one of his lesser-known but no less remarkable sea journeys. From the Publisher: Great 19th-century mariner's thrilling, account of the wreck of his ship off the coast of South America, the 35-foot brave little craft he built from the wreckage, and its remarkable, danger-fraught voyage home. A 19th-century maritime classic brimming with courage, ingenuity, and daring. Easy-to-read and fast-paced.
A Voyage to Abyssinia
by Jerome Lobo Samuel JohnsonHow Father Jerome Lobo brought Christianity to Abyssinia
Watling Street: Travels Through Britain and Its Ever-Present Past
by John HiggsA journey along one of Britain's oldest roads, from Dover to Anglesey, in search of the hidden history that makes us who we are today.Long ago a path was created by the passage of feet tramping through endless forests. Gradually that path became a track, and the track became a road. It connected the White Cliffs of Dover to the Druid groves of the Welsh island of Anglesey, across a land that was first called Albion then Britain, Mercia and eventually England and Wales. Armies from Rome arrived and straightened this 444 kilometres of meandering track, which in the Dark Ages gained the name Watling Street. Today, this ancient road goes by many different names: the A2, the A5 and the M6 Toll. It is a palimpsest that is always being rewritten.Watling Street is a road of witches and ghosts, of queens and highwaymen, of history and myth, of Chaucer, Dickens and James Bond. Along this route Boudicca met her end, the Battle of Bosworth changed royal history, Bletchley Park code breakers cracked Nazi transmissions and Capability Brown remodelled the English landscape. The myriad people who use this road every day might think it unremarkable, but, as John Higgs shows, it hides its secrets in plain sight. Watling Street is not just the story of a route across our island, but an acutely observed, unexpected exploration of Britain and who we are today, told with wit and flair, and an unerring eye for the curious and surprising.Written and Read by John Higgs(p) Orion Publishing Group 2018
The World as I Have Found It
by Mary L. Day ArmsA graduate of the Maryland Institution for the Blind, Mary L. Day published a memoir in 1859 entitled Incidents in the Life of a Blind Girl. In this book, a sequel to her first, she recounts how she traveled throughout the country earning a living through the sale of her memoir. She also writes about meeting her future husband, visiting places of interest, and having numerous adventures on the road. The book closes with several essays on blindness and the education of the blind and with a collection of poems by blind authors.
As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning: A Memoir (The Autobiographical Trilogy #2)
by Laurie LeeThe second volume in Laurie Lee's acclaimed autobiographical trilogy, an unforgettable glimpse of Spain on the eve of its civil war On a bright Sunday morning in June 1934, Laurie Lee left the village home so lovingly portrayed in his bestselling memoir, Cider with Rosie. His plan was to walk the hundred miles from Slad to London, with a detour of an extra hundred miles to see the sea for the first time. He was nineteen years old and brought with him only what he could carry on his back: a tent, a change of clothes, his violin, a tin of biscuits, and some cheese. He spent the first night in a ditch, wide awake and soaking wet.From those unlikely beginnings, Laurie Lee fashioned not just the adventure of a lifetime, but one of the finest travel narratives of the twentieth century. As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning, written more than thirty years after the events it describes, is an elegant and irresistibly charming portrait of life on the road--first in England, where the familiar landscapes and people somehow made Lee feel far from home, and then in Spain, whose utter foreignness afforded a new kind of comfort.In that brief period of peace, a young man was free to go wherever he wanted to in Europe. Lee picked Spain because he knew enough Spanish to ask for a glass of water. What he did not know, and what would become clear only after a year spent tramping across the beautiful and rugged countryside--from the Galician port city of Vigo, over the Sierra de Guadarrama and into Madrid, and along the Costa del Sol--was that the Spanish Republic would soon need idealistic young men like Lee as badly as he needed it.
Australian Adventure: Letters from an Ambassador's Wife
by Anne ClarkFrom August 1965 to February 1968, during his period of service in Australia, Ambassador Edward Clark traveled in that country as no other American and probably few Australians ever have. His wife, Anne Clark, traveled with him, then wrote her observations and impressions to friends and family in the United States. Her letters, published for the first time in this volume, reveal the isolations and involvements as well as the opportunities and the pleasures of embassy life. The etiquette of official functions at times posed problems, as in the Clarks' first black-tie dinner with the Acting Governor General, where Mrs. Clark was supposed to curtsy. "Some Ambassadors feel strongly that the representative of the President of the United States should never bend his knee (or rather his wife's) to any man. Mrs. Battle, wife of our predecessor . . . put the question directly to President Kennedy. His answer to her was, 'Curtsy you must, but keep a stiff upper knee. '" Soon, Anne Clark realized that the routine of appearances and entertainments was constant: "I do not know when I will make peace with the schedule. I am a slave to the little black book that is my calendar. " In addition to the intricacies of embassy life, the Clarks encountered much that was unfamiliar-new people, almost a new language, new flowers, new animals-even a sky with its new moon upside down. But their warm hospitality and genuine interest in things Australian attracted friends throughout the continent. Figures from the government, the church, the diplomatic circle, and everyday life, plus well-known guests from home, all become known to the reader in this perceptive account of official life from the inside.
The Conflict of European and Eastern Algonkian Cultures, 1505-1700: 2nd Edition
by A. G. BaileyThe movement of one cultural group into the territory of another has always produced conflict: a conflict which is resolved at times by the obliteration of one group, but more often by a gradual fusion of elements drawn from both. This study examines the conflict between the Europeans and the Indians precipitated by the arrival of the French in the New World. The Indians were necessarily affected by the fur trade and the religious and social development of New France, and the meeting of contrary cultures resulted in most cases in the obliteration of that of the Indian. However, a fusion of Indian and European elements sometimes occurred, resulting in the birth of a 'Canadian' culture. The process has been repeated with the immigration of every new cultural group to Canada. This study analyses the conflict and traces the fusion of Canadian culture in its initial stage. First published in 1937, the book has proved an importance contribution to an area of early Canadian history which has been receiving renewed attention. This edition contains the original text with the addition of an index and a new chapter appraising some of the leading developments of the past few years.
English Enterprise in Newfoundland 1577-1660
by Gillian CellBetween 1577 and 1660 Newfoundland emerged from relative obscurity to become the centre of a booming and valued industry, the site of one of England's first colonies, and a place of such strategic importance that the English government could not afford to ignore it. From the time of its discovery in the late fifteenth century, the fishermen of Western Europe made annual fishing voyages to Newfoundland. Over a hundred years later, in 1610, the island became the site of England's second permanent colony in North America. The conflict which began at that time between settlers and fishermen has characterized much of the island's history. This volume examines the two themes of settlement and the fishery. The value of the fishery has been accepted readily enough, but until now no systematic analysis has been made of the industry's growth during its first great period of expansion in the last quarter of the sixteenth century or of its position in the commerce of the ports of western England. Such an analysis is presented in this volume. The author has used customs' records and local port records, summarizing her finds in tables and graphs. While the figures are incomplete and the conclusions drawn from them necessarily tentative, this book is nevertheless an important step in charting the development of England's first transatlantic trade.The earliest attempts to colonize the unsympathetic island of Newfoundland are the least known part of the story of English settlement in North America. Now, thanks to the use of new documentation, in particular a substantial collection of papers relating to the Newfoundland Company, it can be argued that both the company's colony at Cupid Cove and the independent settlements which were its offshoots were far more serious and long-lived enterprises than has often been though. They formed a vital part of the colonial experiences and experiments of the seventeenth century.The story of English activity in Newfoundland sheds further light on the expansion of England. Both the fishing voyages and the first settlements were originally private ventures. But as the European rivalries in the New World continued and as mercantilist theories made colonies increasingly valuable assets, so Newfoundland's importance as a training ground for sailors and as a strategic element in the control of the north Atlantic became more obvious. By the mid-seventeenth century Newfoundland had ceased to be simply a private concern. Somewhat slowly, somewhat reluctantly, the government moved in.
The Four Voyages of Christopher Columbus
by Christopher Columbus J. M. CohenNo gamble in history has been more momentous than the landfall of Columbus's ship the Santa Maria in the Americas in 1492 - an event that paved the way for the conquest of a 'New World'. The accounts collected here provide a vivid narrative of his voyages throughout the Caribbean and finally to the mainland of Central America, although he still believed he had reached Asia. Columbus himself is revealed as a fascinating and contradictory figure, fluctuating from awed enthusiasm to paranoia and eccentric geographical speculation. Prey to petty quarrels with his officers, his pious desire to bring Christian civilization to 'savages' matched by his rapacity for gold, Columbus was nonetheless an explorer and seaman of staggering vision and achievement.
The Four Voyages of Christopher Columbus
by Christopher ColumbusNo gamble in history has been more momentous than the landfall of Columbus's ship the Santa Maria in the Americas in 1492 - an event that paved the way for the conquest of a 'New World'. The accounts collected here provide a vivid narrative of his voyages throughout the Caribbean and finally to the mainland of Central America, although he still believed he had reached Asia. Columbus himself is revealed as a fascinating and contradictory figure, fluctuating from awed enthusiasm to paranoia and eccentric geographical speculation. Prey to petty quarrels with his officers, his pious desire to bring Christian civilization to 'savages' matched by his rapacity for gold, Columbus was nonetheless an explorer and seaman of staggering vision and achievement.
The Henry Miller Reader (Essay Index Reprint Ser.)
by Henry Miller Lawrence DurrellA collection of works spanning the entire career of great 20th-century American writer Henry Miller, edited and introduced by Lawrence Durrell. In 1958, when Henry Miller was elected to membership in the American Institute of Arts and Letters, the citation described him as: "The veteran author of many books whose originality and richness of technique are matched by the variety and daring of his subject matter. His boldness of approach and intense curiosity concerning man and nature are unequalled in the prose literature of our times." It is most fitting that this anthology of "the best" of Henry Miller should have been assembled by one of the first among Miller’s contemporaries to recognize his genius, the eminent British writer Lawrence Durrell. Drawing material from a dozen different books Durrell has traced the main line and principal themes of the "single, endless autobiography" which is Henry Miller’s life work. "I suspect," writes Durrell in his Introduction, "that Miller’s final place will be among those towering anomalies of authorship like Whitman or Blake who have left us, not simply works of art, but a corpus of ideas which motivate and influence a whole cultural pattern." Earlier, H. L. Mencken had said, "his is one of the most beautiful prose styles today," and the late Sir Herbert Read had written that "what makes Miller distinctive among modern writers is his ability to combine, without confusion, the aesthetic and prophetic functions." Included are stories, "portraits" of persons and places, philosophical essays, and aphorisms. For each selection Miller himself prepared a brief commentary which fits the piece into its place in his life story. This framework is supplemented by a chronology from Miller’s birth in 1891 up to the spring of 1959, a bibliography, and, as an appendix, an open letter to the Supreme Court of Norway written in protest of the ban on Sexus, a part of which appears in this volume.
Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatan, Volume I
by John L. StephensStephens' two expeditions to Mexico and Central America in 1839 and 1841 yielded the first solid information on the culture of the Maya Indians. The books in this two-volume set relate his archeological discoveries and exploration of ruined cities, monuments, and temples with penetrating and exciting narrative. Remarkably realistic illustrations by Frederick Catherwood double the appeal of the books.
Leavin' a Testimony: Portraits from Rural Texas (Focus on American History Series)
by Patsy CravensFirst settled by Stephen F. Austin's colonists in the early nineteenth century, Colorado County has deep roots in Texas history. Mainly rural and agrarian until late in the twentieth century, Colorado County was a cotton-growing region whose population was about evenly divided between blacks and whites. These life-long neighbors led separate and unequal lives, memories of which still linger today. To preserve those memories, Patsy Cravens began interviewing and photographing the older residents of Colorado County in the 1980s. In this book, she presents photographs and recollections of the last generation, black and white, who grew up in the era of Jim Crow segregation. The folks in Colorado County have engrossing stories to tell. They recall grinding poverty and rollicking fun in the Great Depression, losing crops and livestock to floods, working for the WPA, romances gone wrong and love gone right, dirty dancing, church and faith, sharecropping, quilting, raising children, racism and bigotry, and even the horrific lynching of two African American teenagers in 1935. The Colorado County residents' stories reveal an amazing resiliency and generosity of spirit, despite the hardships that have filled most of their lives. They also capture a rural way of life that was once common across the South, but is now gone forever.
Magellan's Voyage: A Narrative Account of the First Circumnavigation
by Antonio PigafettaRemarkable firsthand account by one of the few survivors of Magellan's epochal journey (1519-1522). Remarkably detailed record of new lands, flora and fauna, shipboard life, etc. Introduction. 28 halftones. Map.
Mission to Tibet
by Michael J Sweet Leonard Zwilling Fr. Ippolito Desideri S.J.Mission to Tibet recounts the fascinating eighteenth-century journey of the Jesuit priest ippolito Desideri (1684 - 1733) to the Tibetan plateau. The italian missionary was most notably the first european to learn about Buddhism directly with Tibetan schol ars and monks - and from a profound study of its primary texts. while there, Desideri was an eyewitness to some of the most tumultuous events in Tibet's history, of which he left us a vivid and dramatic account. Desideri explores key Buddhist concepts including emptiness and rebirth, together with their philosophical and ethical implications, with startling detail and sophistication. This book also includes an introduction situating the work in the context of Desideri's life and the intellectual and religious milieu of eighteenth-century Catholicism.
Nothing By Chance: A Gypsy Pilot's Adventures in Modern America
by Richard BachSetting out to explore his beliefs in the environment of a simpler time, Richard Bach shares the adventure of one magical summer he spent as an old-fashioned barnstormer flying an antique biplane. The journey is another soaring personal adventure of wonder and insight from the author of Jonathan Livingston Seagull.
Polynesian Researches: Hawaii
by William EllisPolynesian Researches:Hawaii is the famous record of the author's visit to the Hawaiian Islands in the early nineteenth century. <P><P>It includes an account of Hawaiian history, government, religion , warfare, and traditions- a general survey of Hawaiian life. More than this, it is the author's personal observations of Hawaiian manners and customs and is invaluable to anyone interested in old Hawaii.The author, Rev. William Ellis, lived in Polynesia as a missionary from 1817 to 1825. He spent much of his time in Tahiti and soon became fluent in the language. Before returning to England, he seized an opportunity to visit the Hawaiian Islands. He was soon able to talk with the natives in the Hawaiian language and made a tour of the island of Hawaii. On his tour he talked with chiefs, common people Hawaiian holy-men, and divinely possessed oracles. He climbed volcanoes, rode canoes, and visited the sight of Captain Cook's death. Besides the description of his tour, this book includes an account of Maui, Kahoolawe, Molokini, Lani, Molokai, Oahu, Kauai, Hiihau, and Kaula.The book is full of interesting descriptions of the author's encounters with Hawaiians. It is fast-moving and easy-reading. This book, an encyclopedic account of traditional Hawaii.
Readings in Russian Civilization Volume II: Imperial Russia, 1700–1917 (None Ser.)
by Thomas Riha"This new and enlarged version of Readings in Russian Civilization is the result of fairly extensive revisions. There are now 72 instead of 64 items; 20 of the selections are new. The first volume has undergone the least change with 3 new items, of which 2 appear in English for the first time. In the second volume there are 6 new items; all of them appear in English for the first time. The third volume has undergone the greatest revision, with 11 new items, of which 6 are newly translated from the Russian. It is the editor's hope that items left out in the new edition will not be sorely missed, and that the new selections will turn out to be useful and illuminating. The aim, throughout, has been to cover areas of knowledge and periods which had been neglected in the first edition, and to include topics which are important in the study of the Russian past and present. "The bibliographical headnotes have been enlarged, with the result that there are now approximately twice as many entries as in the old edition. New citations include not only works which have appeared since 1963, but also older books and articles which have come to the editor's attention."—From the Editor's Preface ". . . a judicious combination of seminal works and more recent commentaries that achieves the editor's purpose of stimulating curiosity and developing a point of view."—C. Bickford O'Brien, The Russian Review "These three volumes cover quite well the main periods of Russian civilization. The choice of the articles and other material is made by a competent and unbiased scholar."—Ivan A. Lopatin, Professor of Asian and Slavic Studies, University of Southern California
180° South
by Doug Tompkins Yvon Chouinard Jeff Johnson Chris Malloy180° South takes readers behind the scenes of the film, 180° South, made by Chris Malloy, to learn more about the people who made the original overland journey to Patagonia in 1968, and the repeat journey over ocean and land 40 years later. The book includes stories of events and experiences that inspired Chris Malloy, Yvon Chouinard, and Doug Tompkins to choose paths committed to saving what's left of the wild world. Open it anywhere and enjoy the photographs by the world's leading surf and climbing photographers Jeff Johnson, Jimmy Chin, Scotty Soen, and Danny Moder.