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Showing 6741 - 6760 of 12053 items
By Kev Reynolds. 2014
A Walk in the Clouds: 50 Years Among the Mountains is a heartwarming, inspirational, and evocative collection of memories and short…
stories from Kev Reynolds, a prolific and celebrated guidebook author who has been roaming the mountains for a half-century. These recollections trail Reyonlds' journeys through some of his favorite and most memorable lessons learned on the mountains. The people met, experiences shared, and cultures bridged throughout Reynolds' travels make for an engaging read for hikers and non-hikers alike. Shadowing Reynolds across the Moroccan Atlas, the Pyrenees trails, the European Alps, and even the Himalayas gives the reader the feeling not only of hiking the trails, but also of forming the relationships and connections throughout the world that Reynolds was able to create. This book motivates the common reader to undertake something they have never done before because, as the reader learns from Reynolds, that is where some of the best experiences come from.By Mark T. Esper. 2022
Former Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper reveals the shocking details of his tumultuous tenure while serving in the Trump…
administration. From June of 2019 until his firing by President Trump after the November 2020 election, Secretary Mark T. Esper led the Department of Defense through an unprecedented time in history—a period marked by growing threats and conflict abroad, a global pandemic unseen in a century, the greatest domestic unrest in two generations, and a White House seemingly bent on breaking accepted norms and conventions for political advantage. A Sacred Oath is Secretary Esper’s unvarnished and candid memoir of those extraordinary and dangerous times, and includes events and moments never before told. New York Times BestsellerBy Matt Forster. 2022
The best road guide to the Great Lakes State, completely revised and updated. From the Chicago and Territorial roads, home…
of a historic and scenic railroad, to the Lower Peninsula’s Chain of Lakes area, Backroads & Byways of Michigan is the shortest route a visitor can take to knowing the state like a local. This fourth edition offers updated itineraries to scenic and intriguing places, like Michigan’s Wine Country—where you can sample local wines, chocolate truffles, and orchard fruits—and Western Michigan, once a mining area, now a winter-recreation wonderland and home of many spectacular waterfalls. The Backroads & Byways series provides you with all the crucial information you need to make every moment of your journey count. This guide features maps, photographs, and detailed listings for points of interest on every drive. Drives include: History off the Beaten Path Where Great Lakes Meet Superior’s Scenic Shoreline The Grape CoastBy Jared Frederick, Erik Dorr. 2022
Fans of Stephen E. Ambrose&’s Band of Brothers will be drawn to this complex portrait of the controversial Ronald Speirs,…
an iconic commander of Easy Company during World War II, whose ferocious courage in three foreign conflicts was matched by his devotion to duty and the bittersweet passions of wartime romance. His comrades called him &“Killer.&” Of the elite paratroopers who served in the venerated &“Band of Brothers&” during World War II, none were more enigmatic than Ronald Speirs. Rumored to have gunned down enemy prisoners and even one of his own disobedient sergeants, Speirs&’ became a foxhole legend amongst his troops. But who was the real Lieutenant Speirs? In Fierce Valor, historians Jared Frederick and Erik Dorr unveil the full story of Easy Company&’s longest-serving commander for the first time. Tested by trials of extreme training, military rivalry, and lost love, Speirs&’s international odyssey begins as an immigrant child in Prohibition-era Boston, continues through the bloody campaigns in France, Holland, and Germany, and sheds light on his lesser known exploits in Korea, the Cold War, and embattled Laos. Packed with groundbreaking research, Fierce Valor unveils a compelling portrait of an officer defined by boldness on the battlefield and a telling reminder that few soldiers escape the power of their own pasts.By Cynthia Clampitt. 2022
The Midwest's place at the crossroads of the nation makes it a rich travel destination for anyone interested in the…
history and heritage of the United States. Cynthia Clampitt's guide to heartland historical sites invites readers to live the past, whether it's watching a battlefield reenactment or wandering the grounds of an ancient Native American city. From the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center to the Chinese American Museum, Clampitt uncovers the fascinating stories behind these quintessentially Midwestern places while offering valuable tips for getting the most out of your visit. She also ventures beyond the typical scope of guidebooks to include historic restaurants, small-town museums, and other overlooked gems perfect for turning that quick day trip into a leisurely itinerary. An informative handbook and introduction to the Midwest's colorful past, Destination Heartland provides travelers with a knowledgeable companion on the highways and backroads of history. States covered in the book: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.By Paul Theroux. 2022
«—¿Cómo se llama este pueblo, señor? —Es San Juan Bautista Coixtlahuaca —dijo—. Allá está el viejo convento. Era una iglesia…
rota, enorme, hueca y solitaria. —¿Qué significa Coixtlahuaca? —El llano de las serpientes.» Paul Theroux ha recorrido el mundo en busca de las historias y los pueblos que dan vida a los lugares que llaman hogar. Ahora, mientras los debates sobre inmigración hierven en todo el mundo, Theroux se ha propuesto explorar un país clave para comprender el discurso global actual: México. Con la misma sensibilidad humanizadora que lo caracteriza, el legendario escritor de viajes recorre toda la frontera entre Estados Unidos y México, se adentra en las carreteras de Chiapas y Oaxaca, visita a los trabajadores de los molinos zapotecas en el altiplano y asiste a una reunión del partido zapatista para descubrir el mundo rico y estratificado que también hay detrás de un país convulso. «Hace amigos, va a todos lados, aprende español con otros extranjeros, ve cómo hacen mezcal, toma clases de cocina y, sobre todo, aprende y escucha, una de las lecciones del libro. […] Un libro tan complejo, tan interesante y sobre todo tan imprescindible.» Pedro Ángel Palou, El HeraldoBy Robert L. O'Connell. 2022
From national bestselling author and acclaimed military historian Robert L. O’Connell, a dynamic history of four military leaders whose extraordinary…
leadership and strategy led the United States to success during World War I and beyond.By the first half of the twentieth century, technology had transformed warfare into a series of intense bloodbaths in which the line between soldiers and civilians was obliterated, resulting in the deaths of one hundred million people. During this period, four men exhibited unparalleled military leadership that led the United States victoriously through two World Wars: Douglas MacArthur, George Patton, George Marshall, and Dwight “Ike” Eisenhower; or, as bestselling author Robert O’Connell calls them, Team America.O’Connell captures these men’s unique charisma as he chronicles the path each forged—from their upbringings to their educational experiences to their storied military careers—experiences that shaped them into majestic leaders who would play major roles in saving the free world and preserving the security of the United States in times of unparalleled danger. O’Connell shows how the lives of these men—all born within the span of a decade—twisted around each other like a giant braid in time. Throughout their careers, they would use each other brilliantly in a series of symbiotic relationships that would hold increasingly greater consequences.At the end of their star-studded careers (twenty-four out of a possible twenty-five), O’Connell concludes that what set Team America apart was not their ability to wield the proverbial sword, but rather their ability to plot strategy, give orders, and inspire others. The key ingredients to their success was mental agility, a gravitas that masked their intensity, and an almost intuitive understanding of how armies in the millions actually functioned and fought. Without the leadership of these men, O’Connell makes clear, the world we know would be vastly different.By Jim DeFelice, Bob Pennington, Mark Nutsch. 2022
The first-person account of how a small band of Green Berets used horses and laser-guided missiles to overthrow the Taliban…
and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan after 9/11.They landed in a dust storm so thick the chopper pilot used dead reckoning and a guess to find the ground. They were met by a band of heavily armed militiamen who didn&’t understand a word they said. They climbed a mountain on horseback to meet the most ferocious warlord in Asia. They plotted a war of nineteenth-century maneuvers against a twenty-first-century foe. They saved babies and treated fevers, trekked through minefields, and waded through booby-trapped streams—sometimes past the mangled bodies of local tribesmen who&’d shared food with them hours before. They found their enemy hiding in thick concrete bunkers, dodged bullets from machine-gun-laden pickup trucks, and survived ambushes launched with Russian tanks. They fought back with everything they had, from smart bombs to AK-47s. They overthrew a government, mediated blood feuds between rival commanders, and argued with generals and politicians thousands of miles away. The men they helped called them gods. One of their commanders called them devils. Hollywood called them the Horse Soldiers. They called themselves Green Berets—Special Forces ODA 595.By Michael Whitehall, Jack Whitehall, Hilary Whitehall. 2021
Read by Jack, Michael and Hilary Whitehall, this audiobook includes exclusive material not available in the book, plus a hilarious…
blooper reel at the end. One part Lonely Planet, one part tell-all family memoir, this is the definitive and hilarious guide on how to survive your family holiday, by Jack Whitehall, with a little bit of help from Michael and Hilary Whitehall.No one family has more experience of travelling together than the Whitehalls. Indeed they've been allowing us a window to their escapades for the past five years in the hit Netflix show 'Travels with my Father' and in this hilarious book they have now decided to pool their advice for fellow travellers. To lay out the pitfalls of family holidays. The dos and don'ts, the highs and lows. In doing so they are sharing some of their best anecdotes. Their most extreme experiences and their most valuable advice. It is part memoir of family life, part travel guide, and full on, laugh-out-loud funny.Whatever your version of holiday preparation the truth is always this: if it is with one's own family, no amount of sunshine, wine or holiday spirit will stop your worst character traits coming to the surface. You have just volunteered to spend a week in close proximity with the people who know you best and who will never ever let you forget a f***-up. No one survives unscathed. Things are always going to end in tears, you can only hope they're of laughter.By Roger Lytollis. 2021
This is a book for people who are interested in statues . . . and for people who aren't. It…
explores those immortalised in marble and bronze - and what the rest of us think about them.As Roger Lytollis travels Britain he encounters a man at Liverpool's Beatles statue convinced that Rod Stewart was in the Fab Four. In Edinburgh he walks into a row over Greyfriars Bobby's nose and in Glasgow learns why the Duke of Wellington wears a traffic cone on his head. London brings a controversial nude statue and some hard truths about racism.Elsewhere, Roger sees people dancing with Eric Morecambe, finds a statue being the backdrop to a marriage proposal and, everywhere he goes, pigeons. Always pigeons . . .On a Pedestal is the first book to examine public statues around the nation. It looks at their emergence into our culture wars; the trend for portraying musicians, sports stars and comedians rather than monarchs, politicians and generals; the amazing tales of many of those commemorated on our streets.It also features interviews with sculptors, including Sir Antony Gormley, telling the stories behind some of our most popular modern statues.Part history book, part travelogue, On a Pedestal brings statues to life. Informative and entertaining, it's a book that - ultimately - is more about blood than bronze.By Sheila O'Flanagan. 2008
SOMEONE SPECIAL by Sheila O'Flanagan is an enthralling novel about families, friends and finding love that should not be missed…
by readers of Emily Bleeker and Kerry Lonsdale.Romy Kilkenny loves her life in Australia - she has her dream job, a fun lifestyle, and best friend Keith who understands her better than anyone. Best of all, she couldn't be further from her family. But when a phone call summons her home at short notice, Romy's world is turned upside down. Romy has never fitted in, and with Keith too far away to give comfort, she feels like more of an outsider than ever. She also worries that the accidental half-kiss with Keith at the airport may have lost her the greatest friend she's ever had. What on earth has Romy let herself in for?(P)Oakhill Publishing Group Ltd 2014By Geraint Thomas. 2018
For years Geraint Thomas appeared blessed with extraordinary talent but jinxed at the greatest bike race in the world: twice…
an Olympic gold medallist on the track, Commonwealth champion, yet at the Tour de France a victim of crashes, bad luck and his willingness to sacrifice himself for his team-mates. In the summer of 2018, that curse was blown away in spectacular fashion - from the cobbles of the north and the iconic mountain climbs of the Alps to the brutal slopes of the Pyrenees and, finally, the Champs-Elysees in Paris. As a boy, G had run home from school on summer afternoons to watch the Tour on television. This July, across twenty-one stages and three weeks, and under constant attack from his rivals, he made the race his own.With insight from the key characters around Geraint, this is the inside story of one of the most thrilling and heart-warming tales in sport. Not only can nice guys come first - they can win the biggest prize of all.(P)2018 Quercus Editions LimitedBy Javier Reverte. 2022
El último viaje de Javier Reverte ¿Dónde se encuentra la línea que separa Asia de Europa? ¿Dónde comienza Oriente entendido…
como geografía y como sentimiento? Javier Reverte escogió esa frontera vaporosa y vulnerable, la más antigua del mundo, para realizar su último viaje. Eligió como puerta de entrada Estambul y su magnífico estrecho del Bósforo para después adentrarse en tren hasta remotas tierras iraníes. El resultado es un recorrido hermoso y nostálgico que se detiene tanto en las páginas de la historia antigua -tras la fulgurante estela de Alejandro Magno- como de la contemporánea -las guerras y revoluciones que marcaron el convulso siglo XX-, y que nos recuerda por qué Javier Reverte fue el mejor escritor de literatura de viajes en lengua castellana. Quería ir a Oriente Próximo, una región cuyo nombre resuena a inmensidad, ancianos imperios, guerras estremecedoras, ejércitos perdidos, ciudades enterradas, religiones muertas, viejas lenguas enmudecidas; también a pogromos y genocidios, sanguinarios sultanes, guerreros feroces y reyes belicosos, y junto a todo ello, a sensualidad, aventura y poesía. Javier ReverteBy Levison Wood. 2018
The award-winning TV adventurer and travel writer's enthralling account of his 5,000-mile expedition around the Arabian Peninsula, from Iraq to…
Lebanon.Following in the footsteps of great explorers such as Lawrence of Arabia and Wilfred Thesiger, Arabia is Levison Wood's account of his most complex expedition yet: circumnavigating the Arabian Peninsula. Travelling through some of the harshest and most beautiful environments on earth, he seeks to challenge our perceptions of an often misunderstood part of the world, seeing how the region has changed and examining the stories we don't often hear about in the media. (P)2018 Hodder & Stoughton Limited'The thinking man's action hero' - The Times MagazineTrained Royal Marines Sniper, world record breaker and extreme TV adventurer, Aldo…
Kane is known for his ability to navigate and lead through challenging and pressured environments, whether it be abseiling into an erupting volcano in the Democratic Republic of Congo, rowing the Atlantic, getting locked in a bunker for 10 days with zero daylight, leading Steve Backshall into the jungle or being held at gunpoint...In his debut audiobook, Lessons From The Edge, Aldo will inspire listeners with his jaw-dropping stories and show them how to survive and thrive through sheer strength of mind and sharp decision-making. It will reveal how this tough military man was able to cope with suddenly feeling worthless, how he overcame doors literally slamming in his face, how he came to realise that you can't wait for things to happen and instead how he rediscovered his identity and harnessed his emotions to his advantage to find determination, purpose, and a renewed sense of belonging. And how, to use his own words, he became the captain of his own ship.Aldo is a firm believer that with the right head game, however hard it feels, you can get through anything life throws at you. Lessons From The Edge will inspire listeners to find the spirit to do the things in life they've previously been too scared to tackle, build the courage to know that failure isn't the end, and the knowledge that the impossible can be made possible.(P) 2021 Hodder & Stoughton LimitedBy Sam Heughan, Graham McTavish. 2021
The follow up to the quarter of a million-copy selling, Sunday Times and New York Times #1 bestselling, Clanlands. Sam…
& Graham turn tour guides once again to bring listeners more epic tales from Scotland.A seasonal meander through the wilds of Scotland.'If Clanlands was a gentle road trip through Scotland, this Almanac is a top down, pedal to the metal up and down odyssey through the many byways of a Scottish year. An invitation to anyone who picks up the book to join us on a crazy camper van exploration over 12 glorious, whisky fuelled months. Mountains, battles, famous (and infamous) Scots, the alarming competitiveness of Men in Kilts, clans, feuds, flora, fauna, with a healthy sprinkling of embarrassing personal reminiscences thrown in. Much is explored, all is shared. It is a camper van cornucopia of all things Alba'.From First Footing to Samhain, Fringe Festival follies to whisky lore, Sam & Graham guide listeners through a year of Scottish legends, traditions, historical and contemporary events, sharing personal stories and tips as only these two chalk-and-cheese friends can.As entertaining as it is practical, The Clanlands Almanac is a light-hearted education in Scottish history and culture, told through the eyes of two passionate Scotsmen. The perfect escapist guide, The Clanlands Almanac is intended as a starting point for your own Scottish discoveries.(P)2021 Hodder & Stoughton LimitedWhat happens when a mother and her 16-year-old son drop everything to bike across the country? On the TransAmerica Bicycle…
Trail, they struggle up hills in the pouring rain, they feel soreness in muscles they didn&’t know they had, and they learn more about each other than they ever knew before. When licensed clinical therapist and self-proclaimed &“reluctant adventurer&” Leah Day felt herself drifting from her son, Oakley, she decided to make a drastic play to reconnect. In this memoir chronicling the journey of a lifetime, Leah and Oakley find that if they can push themselves to accomplish physically exhausting and emotionally taxing milestones on a bike, they are capable of anything!By Daniel Vermilya. 2017
Explore the sites of the American Civil War’s Battle of Antietam and its history with this extensive guide.September 17, 1862—one…
of the most consequential days in the history of the United States—was a moment in time when the future of the country could have veered in two starkly different directions.Confederates under General Robert E. Lee had embarked upon an invasion of Maryland, threatening to achieve a victory on Union soil that could potentially end the Civil War in Southern Independence. Lee’s opponent, Major General George McClellan, led the Army of the Potomac to stop Lee’s campaign. In Washington D.C., President Lincoln eagerly awaited news from the field, knowing that the future of freedom for millions was at stake. Lincoln had resolved that, should Union forces win in Maryland, he would issue his Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.All this hung in the balance on September 17: the day of the battle of Antietam.The fighting near Sharpsburg, Maryland, that day would change the course of American history, but in the process, it became the costliest day this nation has ever known, with more than 23,000 men falling as casualties.Join historian Daniel J. Vermilya to learn more about America’s bloodiest day, and how it changed the United States forever in That Field of Blood.“I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in the Battle of Antietam…. Vermilya is a fine author who has done a great service to this series.” —Gettysburg Chronicle“A meticulous and impressively informative read, That Field of Blood is a very highly recommended addition to personal, community, and academic library American Civil War History collections and supplemental studies lists.” —Midwest Book Review“A very good job presenting conclusions and providing a springboard for further discussion about the campaign and its historical consequences. That is what a good historian should do.” —Civil War News“Buy it, read it, think about it...then go to the battlefield. I've always stressed that standing in the very spot where significant historical events took place is essential when attempting to take in the full scale of the history. On the battlefield, That Field of Blood would make a great companion to the experience.” —The Rogue HistorianBy Tony Ballinger. 2015
The experiences of a young soldier on the frontlines of the Rhodesian Bush War are vividly recounted in this personal…
memoir.In A Walk Against the Stream, Tony Ballinger tells of his eighteen months of compulsory service as a young national service officer in the Rhodesian army. Stationed in Victoria Falls, Rhodesia, he faced down enemy territory just across the Zambezi river in Zambia.Initially allocated to 4th platoon, 4 Independent company Rhodesia Regiment (RR) as a subaltern and later on as a 1st Lieutenant in support company 2RR, the story starts with the author’s training and deployment. The events that unfold contain interesting military encounters, including battles against the Zambian army and revolutionary guerillas.But Ballinger also explores the human side of his time in the service: his love of a country falling apart, the relationship he forms with a local woman; and how their love, hope and dreams are snatched away by unfolding events. This is a riveting personal tale, interspersed with dozens of the author’s personal photographs.By Anna Timofeeva-Egorova. 2010
During the 1930s the Soviet Union launched a major effort to create a modern Air Force. That process required training…
tens of thousands of pilots. Among those pilots were larger numbers of young women, training shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts. A common training program of the day involved studying in 'flying clubs' during leisure hours, first using gliders and then training planes. Following this, the best graduates could enter military schools to become professional combat pilots or flight navigators. The author of this book passed through all of those stages and had become an experienced training pilot when the USSR entered the war. Volunteering for frontline duty, the author flew 130 combat missions piloting the U2 biplane in a liaison squadron. In the initial period of the war, the German Luftwaffe dominated the sky. Daily combat sorties demanded bravery and skill from the pilots of the liaison squadron operating obsolete, unarmed planes. Over the course of a year the author was shot down by German fighters three times but kept flying nevertheless. In late 1942 Anna Egorova became the first female pilot to fly the famous Sturmovik (ground attack) plane that played a major role in the ground battles of the Eastern Front. Earning the respect of her fellow male pilots, the author became not just a mature combat pilot, but a commanding officer. Over the course of two years the author advanced from ordinary pilot to the executive officer of the Squadron, and then was appointed Regimental navigator, in the process flying approximately 270 combat missions over the southern sector of the Eastern Front initially (Taman, the Crimea) before switching to the 1st Belorussian Front, and seeing action over White Russia and Poland. Flying on a mission over Poland in 1944 the author was shot down over a target by German flak. Severely burned, she was taken prisoner. After surviving in a German POW camp for 5 months, she was liberated by Soviet troops. After experiencing numerous humiliations as an 'ex-POW' in 1965 the author finally received a top military award, a long-delayed 'Golden Star' with the honorary title of 'Hero of the Soviet Union'. This is a quite unique story of courage, determination and bravery in the face of tremendous personal adversity. The many obstacles Anna had to cross before she could fly first the Po-2, then the Sturmovik, are recounted in detail, including her tough work helping to build the Moscow Metro before the outbreak of war. Above all, Over Fields of Fire is a very human story - sometimes sad, sometimes angry, filled with hope, at other times with near-despair, abundant in comradeship and professionalism – and never less than a large dose of determination!