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Amsterdam: A brief life of the city
by Geert MakA magnet for trade and travellers from all over the world, stylish, cosmopolitan Amsterdam is a city of dreams and nightmares, of grand civic architecture and legendary beauty, but also of civil wars, bloody religious purges, and the tragedy of Anne Frank. In this fascinating examination of the city's soul, part history, part travel guide, Geert Mak imaginatively recreates the lives of the early Amsterdammers, and traces Amsterdam's progress from waterlogged settlement to a major financial centre and thriving modern metropolis
Amusing the Million
by John F. KassonAmusing the Million examines the historical context in which Coney Island made its reputation as an amusement park and shows how America's changing social and economic conditions formed the basis of a new mass culture.
An Account of the Natives of the Tonga Islands in the South Pacific Ocean (Hakluyt Society, Third Series)
by Ian C. Campbell Nigel StathamJohn Martin (1789-1869) was a London-based, Edinburgh-educated physician interested in anthropological matters. This is his only book. He was inspired to write it by a chance encounter with its subject, William Mariner (1791-1853) who spent four years (1806-1810) in Tonga, in the South Pacific, one of the earliest European residents at a time before European influence disturbance or modification society. Mariner, an extraordinarily mature and perceptive youth, became thoroughly imbued with Tongan language and culture as the adopted son of the most powerful chief in Tonga. Thanks to Martin’s intelligent engagement with Mariner resulted in a compelling narrative and a comprehensive account of Tongan society which became a classic. Often celebrated as an extraordinary real-life adventure story, it is a pioneering work of anthropology, and for 200 years it has been a primary and authoritative source for research into Tongan history and culture.
An Affair with Africa: Expeditions and Adventures Across a Continent
by Alzada Carlisle KistnerIn June 1960, a young faculty wife named Alzada Kistner and her husband David, a promising entomologist, left their 18-month old daughter in the care of relatives and began what was to be a four month scientific expedition in the Belgian Congo. Three weeks after their arrival, the country was gripped by a violent revolution trapping the Kistners in its midst. Despite having to find their way out of numerous life-threatening situations, the Kistners were not to be dissuaded. An emergency airlift by the United States Air Force brought them to safety in Kenya where they continued their field work.Thus began three decades of adventures in science. In An Affair with Africa, Alzada Kistner describes her family's African experience -- the five expeditions they took beginning with the trip to the Belgian Congo in 1960 and ending in 1972-73 with a nine-month excursion across southern Africa. From hunching over columns of ants for hours on end while seven months pregnant to eating dinner next to Idi Amin, Kistner provides a lively and humor-filled account of the human side of scientific discovery. Her wonderfully detailed stories clearly show why, despite hardship and danger -- and contrary to all of society's expectations -- she could not forsake accompanying her husband on his expeditions, and, to this day, continues to find the world "endlessly beckoning, a lively bubbling cauldron of questions and intrigue."In the spirit of Beryl Markham's West with the Night and Isak Dinesen's Out of Africa, An Affair with Africa shares with readers the thoughts and experiences of a remarkable woman, one whose unquenchable thirst for adventure led her into a series of almost unimaginable situations. Readers -- from armchair travelers fascinated by stories of Africa to scientists familiar with the Kistners's work but unaware of the lengths to which they went to gather their data -- will find An Affair with Africa a rare treasure.
An African In Greenland
by James Kirkup Tété-Michel Kpomassie A. AlvarezTété-Michel Kpomassie was a teenager in Togo when he discovered a book about Greenland—and knew that he must go there. Working his way north over nearly a decade, Kpomassie finally arrived in the country of his dreams. This brilliantly observed and superbly entertaining record of his adventures among the Inuit is a testament both to the wonderful strangeness of the human species and to the surprising sympathies that bind us all.
An Alaskan Affliction: An Exciting “Best Of” Remote Alaskan Adventures
by Rosi JarussiAn Alaskan Affliction is packed with pure entertainment, featuring highlights from decades of Alaska hard core adventures. It opens with unforgettable dog mushing to embrace the best of the Interior's extreme winters, and snowmachining that doubles the thrills and mishaps of travel over river ice, through blizzards, and sudden whiteouts. Summer offers the finest river journeys. There are sudden storms, log jams, whirlpools, and wildlife encounters in the immense panorama of wilderness and water—with a vivid portrait of the dynamics of being a team member in the bush. The remote prospecting stories are thrilling and risky, and demand a lifetime of bush skills. They end with a resounding bear story that catalyzes the true essence of living and exploring as an Alaskan. All are top notch adventures with good dogs and old machines, undersized kayaks and cantankerous boats, with a touch of lunacy and a can-do attitude, both essential dispositions for exploring Alaska's wilds.
An Alaskan Woman Writes Again: From the Pipeline, to Field Surveys, to Duct-Tape Cleavage
by Janet Mc CartAn Alaskan Woman Writes Again takes the reader along to experience the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, camping in the bush, encounters with bear and moose, and overcoming fear, through much laughter and some tears. These are stories of construction, geological tent camps, fishing, flying, golfing, and other personal stories of self-discovery are written through the eyes of an Alaskan woman.
An American Map: American Map (Made In Michigan Writers Ser.)
by Anne-Marie OomenMeditative travel essays by Michigan author Anne-Marie Oomen that explore new landscapes across America.
An American Provence
by Thomas P. Huber"I have talked about luscious wines and succulent fruit and exquisite dinners. But there may be no more evocative experience of the two valleys than the smell of new-mown hay in the fields at dusk. If a person were to close their eyes, they could not tell if they were in Provence or the North Fork Valley. That sweet, earthy odor is part of the beauty of these places." -From An American Provence In this poetic personal narrative, Thomas P. Huber reflects on two seemingly unrelated places-the North Fork Valley in western Colorado and the Coulon River Valley in Provence, France-and finds a shared landscape and sense of place. What began as a simple comparison of two like places in distant locations turned into a more complex, interesting, and personal task. Much is similar-the light, the valleys, the climate, the agriculture. And much is less so-the history, the geology, the physical makeup of villages. Using a geographer's eye and passion for the land and people, Huber examines the regions' similarities and differences to explore the common emotional impact of each region. Part intimate travelogue and part case study of geography in the real world, An American Provence illuminates the importance sense of place plays in who we are.
An Amish Patchwork: Indiana's Old Orders in the Modern World
by Steven M. Nolt Thomas J. MeyersIndiana is home to the world's third-largest Amish population. Indiana's 19 Old Order Amish and two Old Order Mennonite communities show a surprising diversity despite all that unites them as a distinct culture. This contemporary portrait of Indiana's Amish is the first book-length overview of Amish in the state. Thomas J. Meyers and Steven M. Nolt present an overview of the beliefs and values of the Amish, their migration history, and the differences between the state's two major Amish ethnic groups (Pennsylvania Dutch and Swiss). They also talk about Indiana's Old Order Mennonites, a group too often confused with the Amish. Meyers and Nolt situate the Amish in their Indiana context, noting an involvement with Indiana's industrial economy that may surprise some. They also treat Amish interaction with state government over private schooling and other matters, and the relationship of the Amish to their neighbors and the tourist industry. This valuable introduction to the Indiana Amish deserves a place on every Hoosier's bookshelf.
An Angel at My Table: The Complete Autobiography (Virago Modern Classics Ser. #2353)
by Janet FrameThe autobiography of New Zealand's most significant writerNew Zealand's preeminent writer Janet Frame brings the skill of an extraordinary novelist and poet to these vivid and haunting recollections, gathered here for the first time in a single volume. From a childhood and adolescence spent in a poor but intellectually intense railway family, through life as a student, and years of incarceration in mental hospitals, eventually followed by her entry into the saving world of writers and the "Mirror City" that sustains them, we are given not only a record of the events of a life, but also "the transformation of ordinary facts and ideas into a shining palace of mirrors."Frame's journey of self–discovery, from New Zealand to London, to Paris and Barcelona, and then home again, is a heartfelt and courageous account of a writer's beginnings as well as one woman's personal struggle to survive.This book contains selections from the long out–of–print collection entitled Janet Frame: An Autobiography (George Brazillier, 1991), which itself was originally published in three volumes: To the Is–land, An Angel at My Table, and The Envoy from Mirror City.
An Angle on the World: Dispatches and Diversions from the New Yorker and Beyond
by Bill BarichSpanning over thirty years of writing, An Angle on the World is a wonderful collection of articles that cross the globe and introduce readers to many characters, introduced as only Bill Barich can. As said by Time magazine, Barich's touch is always "artful and compassionate."Broken up into two sections, Barich shares stories of the people, from those that have shaken him to the core, to others from a much lighter place.As he notes in his introduction, "I've spent much of my writing life indulging curiosity, throwing myself into situations and subcultures to gain an education and acquire my own angle on the world. The dispatches collected here arose from that desire."From the troubles in Northern Ireland and the homeless in San Francisco to the US-Mexico borders, Barich went to the people to find the "real story. These are his dispatches. "They all explore stories the press had ignored or covered in a desultory way, at least in my view." While doing his research for these pieces, Barich would speak with grocers, butchers, and even barbers to get his story, knowing that they would give him the truth, as opposed to those that would try to skew reality for someone writing for a magazine.Barich also shows the other side of things, as he speaks about diversions of a "lighter fare." From meetings with Jerry Garcia and trips to Barbados and Culebra, readers will enjoy the work that has kept Barich busy for so many decades, and helped him become one of the most enjoyable writers of our time.An Angle on the World is a terrific compilation from a brilliant writer that offers a raw sense of reality from the people who live it. No filter, no fluff, just the truth as Barich told it. They're real and genuine stories, and shown from a caring point of view that make this collection a definite can't-miss.
An Arabian Journey: One Man's Quest Through the Heart of the Middle East
by Levison WoodThe acclaimed author of Walking the Americas shares his epic journey through the war-torn Arabian Peninsula in this fascinating travelogue.Following in the footsteps of famed explorers such as Lawrence of Arabia and Wilfred Thesiger, British explorer Levison Wood brings us along on his most complex expedition yet: a circumnavigation of the Arabian Peninsula. Starting in September 2017 in a city in Northern Syria, a stone’s throw away from Turkey and amidst a deadly war, Wood set forth on a 5,000-mile trek through the most contested region on the planet.Wood moved through the Middle East for six months, from ISIS-occupied Iraq through Kuwait and along the jagged coastlines of the Emirates and Oman; across Yemen—in the midst of civil war—and on to Saudia Arabia, Jordan, and Israel, before ending on the shores of the Mediterranean in Lebanon. Like his predecessors, Wood travelled through some of the harshest and most beautiful environments on earth, seeking to challenge our perceptions of this part of the world. Through the people he meets—and the personal histories and local mythologies they share—Wood examines how the region has changed over thousands of years and what it means to its people today.
An Area of Darkness: A Discovery Of India
by V. S. NaipaulTHE FIRST BOOK IN V. S. NAIPAUL’S ACCLAIMED INDIAN TRILOGY An Area of Darknessis V. S. Naipaul’s semi-autobiographical account – at once painful and hilarious, but always thoughtful and 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 and 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, and engendered a masterful work of literature that provides a revelation both of India and of himself: a displaced person who paradoxically possesses a stronger sense of place than almost anyone. ‘Brilliant’ Observer ‘A masterpiece of travel-writing’ Paul Theroux ‘His narrative skill is spectacular. ’ The Times
An Area of Darkness: A Discovery Of India
by V. S. NaipaulThe Nobel Prize-winning author&’s profound reckoning with his ancestral homeland and an extraordinarily perceptive chronicle of his first encounter with India.&“Whatever his literary form, Naipaul is a master.&” —The New York Review of BooksTraveling from the bureaucratic morass of Bombay to the ethereal beauty of Kashmir, from a sacred ice cave in the Himalayas to an abandoned temple near Madras, Naipaul encounters a dizzying cross-section of humanity: browbeaten government workers and imperious servants, a suavely self-serving holy man and a deluded American religious seeker. An Area of Darkness also abounds with Naipaul&’s strikingly original responses to India&’s paralyzing caste system, its apparently serene acceptance of poverty and squalor, and the conflict between its desire for self-determination and its nostalgia for the British raj. The result may be the most elegant and passionate book ever written about the subcontinent.
An Area of Darkness: A Discovery of India
by V. S. NaipaulA classic of modern travel writing, "An Area of Darkness" is Nobel laureate V. S. Naipaul's profound reckoning with his ancestral homeland and an extraordinarily perceptive chronicle of his first encounter with India. Traveling from the bureaucratic morass of Bombay to the ethereal beauty of Kashmir, from a sacred ice cave in the Himalayas to an abandoned temple near Madras, Naipaul encounters a dizzying cross-section of humanity: browbeaten government workers and imperious servants, a suavely self-serving holy man and a deluded American religious seeker. "An Area of Darkness" also abounds with Naipaul's strikingly original responses to India's paralyzing caste system, its apparently serene acceptance of poverty and squalor, and the conflict between its desire for self-determination and its nostalgia for the British raj. The result may be the most elegant and passionate book ever written about the subcontinent.
An Armadillo in Paris
by Julie KraulisA winsome armadillo from Brazil takes a trip to Paris in this delightful new picture book from Julie Kraulis. Arlo is an armadillo who is always up for adventure. His grandfather, Augustin, loved adventure too. When Arlo was born, Augustin wrote travel journals about his favorite places for Arlo to use when he was hold enough to go exploring on his own. When Arlo reads about Paris and the one the French call La Dame de Fer, or Iron Lady, he decides it's time to strike out on his first adventure. He travels to France and, guided by Augustin's journal, discovers the joys of Paris: eating a flakey croissant at a café, visiting the Louvre, walking along the Seine and, of course, meeting the Iron Lady... But who is she? Each spread has a clue about her identity, and kids will see hints of her scattered throughout the book. This book is like a gorgeous stroll through Paris with an adorable new friend--a stroll you'll want to take again and again.
An Armenian Sketchbook
by Vasily GrossmanFew 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 and 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 and for the benign humility that is always to be found in his writing. After the 'arrest' - as Grossman always put it - of Life and 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 and 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 and its people.
An Art Lover's Guide to Florence
by Judith TestaThe sheer number and proximity of works of painting, sculpture, and architecture in Florence can be so overwhelming that Florentine hospitals treat hundreds of visitors each year for symptoms brought on by trying to see them all, an illness famously identified with the French author Stendhal.
An Art Lover's Guide to Florence
by Judith TestaNo city but Florence contains such an intense concentration of art produced in such a short span of time. The sheer number and proximity of works of painting, sculpture, and architecture in Florence can be so overwhelming that Florentine hospitals treat hundreds of visitors each year for symptoms brought on by trying to see them all, an illness famously identified with the French author Stendhal. While most guidebooks offer only brief descriptions of a large number of works, with little discussion of the historical background, Judith Testa gives a fresh perspective on the rich and brilliant art of the Florentine Renaissance in An Art Lover's Guide to Florence. Concentrating on a number of the greatest works, by such masters as Botticelli and Michelangelo, Testa explains each piece in terms of what it meant to the people who produced it and for whom they made it, deftly treating the complex interplay of politics, sex, and religion that were involved in the creation of those works. With Testa as a guide, armchair travelers and tourists alike will delight in the fascinating world of Florentine art and history.
An Artist in Venice
by Adam Van DorenFor the depiction of Venice by artists, it's a high bar that's been set, but Adam Van Doren, grandson of the Pulitzer-prize-winning poet Mark Van Doren, convincingly confronts the competition in this charming memoir, a verbal and visual account of his love affair with the city. His story is personal; like all other artists, he sees the city with and through his own eyes, but he is also well-informed historically. He laces his tour with information, opinion, and citation. With Van Doren as guide, the reader's tour of the city is rich and convincing, filled with the presence of illustrious predecessors. With an informed preface by the scholar Theodore Rabb and a charming foreword by Simon Winchester, with 23 full-color drawings by the author/artist, and even six pages of commendably lucid notes on the personalities and structures discussed, this is a book that will proudly take its place alongside the many others that have celebrated this city for centuries.
An Artist's Journey to Bali
by Betty ReynoldsWritten and illustrated by renowned artist Betty Reynolds, An Artist's Journey to Bali is a cultural exploration into the mysterious Indonesian island of Bali. In this beautifully illustrated artist's sketchbook, the author shares her good fortune of meeting many Balinese who allowed her to witness important aspects of their lives and culture, and to participate in the religious rituals that mark their passage through the major stages of life.
An Artist's Journey to Bali
by Betty ReynoldsWritten and illustrated by renowned artist Betty Reynolds, An Artist's Journey to Bali is a cultural exploration into the mysterious Indonesian island of Bali. In this beautifully illustrated artist's sketchbook, the author shares her good fortune of meeting many Balinese who allowed her to witness important aspects of their lives and culture, and to participate in the religious rituals that mark their passage through the major stages of life.
An Artist's Journey to Bali
by Betty ReynoldsAn Artist's Journey to Bali is much more than your usual tourist guide to the beautiful and mysterious Indonesian island of Bali. Written and illustrated by renowned artist Betty Reynolds, this book contains the author's Balinese watercolor art depicting the wonderful island whose inhabitants are known to adhere to daily rituals that, although unfamiliar to foreigners, give the island and its people a distinct aura of mystery and magic.In this beautifully illustrated artist's sketchbook, the author shares her good fortune of meeting many Balinese who allowed her to witness important aspects of their lives and culture, and to participate in the religious rituals that mark their passage through the major stages of life.If Bali travel is in your future, this is a great book to have. It takes you right into the Balinese culture, exploring the art of Bali, unveiling the traditions and spirituality in that part of the world. Take a rare journey to a beautiful place, as Betty invites you to experience it with an artist Journey to Bali.
An Atlas of Countries That Don't Exist: A Compendium of Fifty Unrecognized and Largely Unnoticed States
by Nick MiddletonA “fascinating” journey to little-known and contested lands around the globe, from Tibet to the Isle of Man to Elgaland-Vargaland (Geographical Magazine).What is a country? Acclaimed travel writer and Oxford geography don Nick Middleton brings to life the origins and histories of fifty states that, lacking international recognition and United Nations membership, exist on the margins of legitimacy in the global order. From long-contested lands like Crimea and Tibet to lesser-known territories such as Africa’s last colony and a European republic that enjoyed independence for a single day, Middleton presents fascinating stories of shifting borders, visionary leaders, and “forgotten” peoples. “Engrossing . . . You’ll not find Middle-earth, Atlantis or Lilliput inside, but you will find something just as intriguing . . . sure to prompt discussions about what makes a country a ‘real country.’” —Seattle Times