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Seven Troop
By Andy McNab. 2008
INTERNATIONAL BEST SELLING AUTHOR OF BRAVO TWO ZERO IN HIS EXPLOSIVE TRUE STORY“A gripping account of special forces at work…
. . . a tremendous adventure story.”–Daily Telegraph“The best account yet of the SAS in action.”–Sunday TimesFrom the SAS soldier who invented the modern military memoir comes a storming battering ram of thrill-packed, unforgettable drama.Never-before-revealed covert operations and heartbreaking human stories combine to create a new classic and a book that takes us back to where it all began… SEVEN TROOP is Andy McNab’s gripping account of the time he served in the company of a remarkable band of brothers – from the day, freshly badged, he joined them in the Malayan jungle, to the day, ten years later, when he handed in his sand-coloured beret and started a new life. The things they saw and did during that time would take them all to breaking point – and some beyond – in the years that followed. He who dares doesn’t always win…___________________________________________________________________"Paying tribute to the soldiers he served with for 10 years, he tells the poignant story of five brave men of whom, tragically, he is the only one still alive." - News of the World"Brutal, touching, and humorous, this book recounts McNab’s time in the SAS’s Air Troop. It made me realise that he can fight as well as write. Treading in the footsteps of Sassoon, Brooke and Owen he pretty much founded the genre of the modern military memoir." Professor Kevin Dutton, University of Oxford_______________________________________________________What people are saying about SEVEN TROOP:????? "From the heart of a true warrior"????? "Seven Troop is yet another well written account of SAS actions on a much more personal scale, literally "a day in the life" thereof."????? "What he does differently in this book compared to his two others is describe the costs of being SAS. How he and others react to the deaths of their friends when they are killed on operations, the political decision making of the higher ups that override tactical common sense, being a small cog in a big machine and ultimately not being very valued by SAS headquarters."The Sea Hunters 2
By Clive Cussler, Craig Dirgo. 2023
The thrilling account of #1 New York Times bestselling author Clive Cusslers's real-life search for lost ships, planes, and other…
marvels that changed history.For decades, Clive Cussler's real-life NUMA®, the National Underwater and Marine Agency, has scoured rivers and seas in search of lost ships of historic significance. His teams have been inundated by tidal waves and beset by obstacles - both human and natural - but the results, and the stories behind them, have been dramatic.Here Cussler and colleague Craig Dirgo provide an extraordinary narrative of their true seagoing - and land - adventures, including:- Their searches for the famous ghost ship Mary Celeste, found floating off the Azores in 1874 with no one on board- The Carpathia, the ship that rescued the Titanic survivors and was itself lost to U-boats six years later- And L'Oiseau Blanc, the aeroplane that almost beat The Spirit of St. Louis across the Atlantic before disappearing in the Maine woods.All these, plus steamboats, ironclads, a seventeenth-century flagship, a certain famous PT boat, and even a dirigible, are tantalising targets as Cussler proves again that truth can be "at least as fun, and sometimes stranger, than fiction" (Men's Journal).The Sea Hunters 2
By Clive Cussler, Craig Dirgo. 2023
The thrilling account of #1 New York Times bestselling author Clive Cusslers's real-life search for lost ships, planes, and other…
marvels that changed history.For decades, Clive Cussler's real-life NUMA®, the National Underwater and Marine Agency, has scoured rivers and seas in search of lost ships of historic significance. His teams have been inundated by tidal waves and beset by obstacles - both human and natural - but the results, and the stories behind them, have been dramatic.Here Cussler and colleague Craig Dirgo provide an extraordinary narrative of their true seagoing - and land - adventures, including:- Their searches for the famous ghost ship Mary Celeste, found floating off the Azores in 1874 with no one on board- The Carpathia, the ship that rescued the Titanic survivors and was itself lost to U-boats six years later- And L'Oiseau Blanc, the aeroplane that almost beat The Spirit of St. Louis across the Atlantic before disappearing in the Maine woods.All these, plus steamboats, ironclads, a seventeenth-century flagship, a certain famous PT boat, and even a dirigible, are tantalising targets as Cussler proves again that truth can be "at least as fun, and sometimes stranger, than fiction" (Men's Journal).Birding Under the Influence: Cycling Across America in Search of Birds and Recovery
By Dorian Anderson. 2023
"One hell of a ride."—Nick Offerman, actor, woodworker, New York Times bestselling author "Candid and often moving reflections . . . make…
for absorbing reading. . . . [This is] a memoir of a journey that was more than just a chase after numbers."—Booklist (starred) At a personal and professional crossroads, a man resets his life and finds sobriety, love, and 618 bird species, cycling his way to a very Big Year. In Birding Under the Influence, Dorian Anderson, a neuroscience researcher on a pressure-filled life trajectory, walks away from the world of elite institutions, research labs, and academic publishing. In doing so, he falls in love and discovers he has freed himself to embrace his lifelong passion for birding. A North American Big Year—a continent-spanning adventure in which a birder attempts to see as many species as possible in twelve months—is a massive undertaking under any circumstances. But doing it on a bike while maintaining sobriety? That’s next level. As Dorian pedals across the country, describing the birds he sees, he confronts the challenges of long-distance cycling: treacherous weather, punctured tires, speeding cars, and injury. He encounters eccentric characters, blistering blacktop, dreary hotel rooms, snarling dogs, and an endless sea of smoking tailpipes. He also confronts his past struggles with alcohol, drugs, and risky behaviors that began in high school and followed him into adulthood. Birding Under the Influence is a candid, honest look at Dorian’s double life of academic accomplishment and addiction. While his journey to recovery is simultaneously poignant and inspiring, it is ultimately his love of birds and nature that provides the scaffolding to build a new and radically different life.Daniel Boone: an American life
By Michael A Lofaro. 2003
Biography of early pioneer Daniel Boone (1734-1820), a central figure in the trans-Appalachian westward movement into Kentucky and beyond. Relates…
how Boone's trailblazing exploits spurred increasing settlements but left him restless to explore new wilderness. Also describes his dealings with the Indians and land speculation difficulties. Some violence. 2003William Boyd Dawkins was a controversial Victorian geologist, palaeontologist and archaeologist who has divided opinion as either a hero or…
villain. For some, he was a pioneer of Darwinian science as a member of the Lubbock-Evans network, while for others he was little more than a reckless vandal who destroyed irreplaceable evidence and left precious little for future generations to assess. In this volume, Professor Mark White provides an unbiased archaeological and geological account of Boyd Dawkins&’ career and legacy by drawing on almost twenty years of research as well as his archive of published and unpublished work which places him at the centre of Victorian Darwinian science and society. White examines his work in both the field and study to provide a critical yet balanced account of his achievements and standing in relation to the field today as well as among his peers. At the heart of this book is a detailed study of the circumstances surrounding the Victorian excavations at Creswell Crags, where two celebrated finds became a cause celebre.Following Nellie Bly: Her Record-Breaking Race Around the World (Trailblazing Women Ser.)
By Rosemary J. Brown. 2021
The remarkable story of one of the great pioneering women adventures of the 19th century.Intrepid journalist Nellie Bly raced through…
a ‘man’s world’ — alone and literally with just the clothes on her back — to beat the fictional record set by Jules Verne’s Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days. She won the race on 25 January 1890, covering 21,740 miles by ocean liner and train in 72 days, and became a global celebrity. Although best known for her record-breaking journey, even more importantly Nellie Bly pioneered investigative journalism and paved the way for women in the newsroom. Her undercover reporting, advocacy for women's rights, crusades for vulnerable children, campaigns against oppression and steadfast conviction that 'nothing is impossible' makes the world that she circled a better place. Adventurer, journalist and author, Rosemary J Brown, set off 125 years later to retrace Nellie Bly’s footsteps in an expedition registered with the Royal Geographical Society. Through her recreation of that epic global journey, she brings to life Nellie Bly’s remarkable achievements and shines a light on one of the world's greatest female adventurers and a forgotten heroine of history.#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The epic account of the storm on the summit of Mt. Everest that claimed five lives…
and left countless more—including Krakauer's—in guilt-ridden disarray. "A harrowing tale of the perils of high-altitude climbing, a story of bad luck and worse judgment and of heartbreaking heroism." —PEOPLE A bank of clouds was assembling on the not-so-distant horizon, but journalist-mountaineer Jon Krakauer, standing on the summit of Mt. Everest, saw nothing that "suggested that a murderous storm was bearing down." He was wrong. By writing Into Thin Air, Krakauer may have hoped to exorcise some of his own demons and lay to rest some of the painful questions that still surround the event. He takes great pains to provide a balanced picture of the people and events he witnessed and gives due credit to the tireless and dedicated Sherpas. He also avoids blasting easy targets such as Sandy Pittman, the wealthy socialite who brought an espresso maker along on the expedition. Krakauer's highly personal inquiry into the catastrophe provides a great deal of insight into what went wrong. But for Krakauer himself, further interviews and investigations only lead him to the conclusion that his perceived failures were directly responsible for a fellow climber's death. Clearly, Krakauer remains haunted by the disaster, and although he relates a number of incidents in which he acted selflessly and even heroically, he seems unable to view those instances objectively. In the end, despite his evenhanded and even generous assessment of others' actions, he reserves a full measure of vitriol for himself. This updated trade paperback edition of Into Thin Air includes an extensive new postscript that sheds fascinating light on the acrimonious debate that flared between Krakauer and Everest guide Anatoli Boukreev in the wake of the tragedy. "I have no doubt that Boukreev's intentions were good on summit day," writes Krakauer in the postscript, dated August 1999. "What disturbs me, though, was Boukreev's refusal to acknowledge the possibility that he made even a single poor decision. Never did he indicate that perhaps it wasn't the best choice to climb without gas or go down ahead of his clients." As usual, Krakauer supports his points with dogged research and a good dose of humility. But rather than continue the heated discourse that has raged since Into Thin Air's denouncement of guide Boukreev, Krakauer's tone is conciliatory; he points most of his criticism at G. Weston De Walt, who coauthored The Climb, Boukreev's version of events. And in a touching conclusion, Krakauer recounts his last conversation with the late Boukreev, in which the two weathered climbers agreed to disagree about certain points. Krakauer had great hopes to patch things up with Boukreev, but the Russian later died in an avalanche on another Himalayan peak, Annapurna I. In 1999, Krakauer received an Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters--a prestigious prize intended "to honor writers of exceptional accomplishment." According to the Academy's citation, "Krakauer combines the tenacity and courage of the finest tradition of investigative journalism with the stylish subtlety and profound insight of the born writer. His account of an ascent of Mount Everest has led to a general reevaluation of climbing and of the commercialization of what was once a romantic, solitary sport; while his account of the life and death of Christopher McCandless, who died of starvation after challenging the Alaskan wilderness, delves even more deeply and disturbingly into the fascination of nature and the devastating effects of its lure on a young and curious mind."Captain John Smith: Jamestown and the birth of the American dream
By Dorothy Hoobler, Thomas Hoobler. 2006
A chronicle of explorer John Smith (1580-1631), who founded and led the Jamestown colony from 1607-1609. Uses Smith's writings, colonists'…
diaries, and archives to trace his adventures, including his arrival in the New World facing possible execution, and to demythologize his relationship with Pocahontas and portray wilderness life. 2006Award-winning journalist examines the Golden Age of Piracy (1715-1725), when outlaws, defected sailors, privateers, and runaway slaves forged a republic…
in the Bahamas. Chronicles the lives of pirates Samuel "Black Sam" Bellamy, Edward "Blackbeard" Thatch, and Charles Vane. Discusses British war hero Woodes Rogers's defeat of the pirate alliance. 2007David Crockett: hero of the common man (American heroes series #5)
By Bill Groneman. 2005
Alamo historian examines the myth and legend of David Crockett (1786-1836) to portray the real frontiersman from Tennessee. Discusses his…
character, reputation, and career in the U.S. Congress. Scrutinizes personal accounts and diaries for evidence of Crockett's heroism during the Mexican assault on the Alamo. 2005The Wreck Hunter: Battle of Britain & The Blitz
By Melody Foreman. 2020
A biography of an aviation archaeology pioneer who unearthed World War II plane wrecks and the stories they contained.As long…
ago as 1961, Terry Parsons, then still in his twenties, began his long search for lost aircraft and memories of the Battle of Britain and the Blitz. What he discovered over the decades that followed went far beyond the tangled wreckage of military aircraft, both fighters and bombers. For with each of the thousands of RAF and Luftwaffe artifacts he unearthed came life stories of the valiant and the brave, the living and the dead.Among the items he has recovered from the many wreck sites were a mud-cloaked control column from a Spitfire with its gun button still switched to firing mode, a piece of Dornier Do 17 fuselage bearing the fatal bullet holes which led to its crash in southeast England, a pilot’s waistcoat once used to stop the drafts and rattles in a Hurricane cockpit, blood-stained maps from a Luftwaffe bomber, and a buckled tail fin from a Me 110 bearing the unmistakable symbol of the swastika.Now in this biography, created from Terry’s original notes and photographs stretching back almost seventy years, we learn not only about the historical significance of Terry’s story as a wreck-hunter but also the importance of remembering the lives of the men who fought in the skies above Britain in World War II.Indeed, this book shows us how one man’s commitment to aviation archaeology ultimately serves as a tribute to thousands of young souls both lost and found in the Battle of Britain and the Blitz.After the Lost Franklin Expedition: Lady Franklin and John Rae
By Peter Baxter. 2019
A historian examines a disastrous, Victorian-era expedition in the Canadian Arctic, a shocking revelation, and the celebrity fallout that followed.…
The fate of the lost Franklin Expedition of 1847 is an enigma that has tantalized generations of historians, archaeologists, and adventurers. The expedition was lost without a trace, and all 129 men died in what is arguably the worst disaster in Britain&’s history of polar exploration. In the aftermath of the crew&’s disappearance, Lady Jane Franklin, Sir John&’s widow, maintained a crusade to secure her husband&’s reputation, imperiled alongside him and his crew in the frozen wastes of the Arctic. Lady Franklin was an uncommon woman for her age, a socially and politically astute figure who attacked anyone whom she viewed as a threat to her husband&’s legacy. Meanwhile, John Rae, an explorer and employee of the Hudson Bay Company, recovered deeply disturbing information from the Expedition. His shocking conclusions embroiled him in a bitter dispute with Lady Franklin which led to the ruin of his reputation and career. Against the background of Victorian society and the rise of the explorer celebrity, we learn of Lady Franklin&’s formidable grit to honor her husband&’s legacy; of John Rae being discredited and his eventual downfall, despite later being proven right. It is a fascinating assessment of the aftermath of the Franklin Expedition and its legacy.Almost Hemingway: The Adventures of Negley Farson, Foreign Correspondent
By Carlos Santos, Rex Bowman. 2022
Would it surprise you to learn that there was a contemporary of Ernest Hemingway’s who, in his romantic questing and…
hell-or-high-water pursuit of life and his art, was closer to the Hemingwayesque ideal than Hemingway himself? Almost Hemingway relates the life of Negley Farson, adventurer, iconoclast, best-selling writer, foreign correspondent, and raging alcoholic who died in oblivion. Born only a few years before Hemingway, Farson had a life trajectory that paralleled and intersected Hemingway’s in ways that compelled writers for publications as divergent as the Guardian and Field & Stream to compare them. Unlike Hemingway, however, Farson has been forgotten.This high-flying and literate biography recovers Farson’s life in its multifaceted details, from his time as an arms dealer to Czarist Russia during World War I, to his firsthand reporting on Hitler and Mussolini, to his assignment in India, where he broke the news of Gandhi’s arrest by the British, to his excursion to Kenya a few years before the Mau Mau Uprising. Farson also found the time to publish an autobiography, The Way of a Transgressor, which made him an international publishing sensation in 1936, as well as Going Fishing, one of the most enduring of all outdoors books.F. Scott Fitzgerald, a fellow member of the Lost Generation whose art competed with a public image grander than reality, once confessed that while he had to rely on his imagination, Farson could simply draw from his own event-filled life. Almost Hemingway is the definitive window on that remarkable story.A Year of Living Simply: The joys of a life less complicated (Kate Humble)
By Kate Humble. 2020
'Simply wonderful.' - BEN FOGLE'Kate's book has the warmth and calming effect of a log fire and a glass of…
wine. Unknit your brow and let go. It's a treat.' - GARETH MALONE'Kate Humble pours her enviable knowledge into attainable goals. It's a winning combination and the prize - a life in balance with nature - is definitely worth claiming.' - LUCY SIEGLE'As ever, where Kate leads, I follow. She has made me reassess and reset.' - DAN SNOW'Kate Humble's new book is a lesson in moving on from a tragedy and finding our place in the world' - WOMAN & HOME'A Year of Living Simply is timely, given that the pandemic has forced most of us, in some way to simplify our lives, whether we planned to or not. Kate wrote it before any of us were aware of the upcoming crisis, but it captures the current moment perfectly... It's not necessarily a "how to" book, more of a "why not try?" approach.' - FRANCESCA BABB, MAIL ON SUNDAY YOU'What I particularly love is her philosophy for happiness, which is the subject of her new book, A Year of Living Simply. The clue is in the title. Remember the basics. Instead of barging through the day on autopilot, really stop to think about the tiniest little things that added a moment of joy. No, of course stopping and smelling the flowers won't cure all our ills and woes. But taking the time to savour the things that bring pleasure, really being in that moment and appreciating it, can remind you that most days have moments that buoy your mood.' - JO ELVIN, MAIL ON SUNDAY YOUIf there is one thing that most of us aspire to, it is, simply, to be happy. And yet attaining happiness has become, it appears, anything but simple. Having stuff - The Latest, The Newest, The Best Yet - is all too often peddled as the sure fire route to happiness. So why then, in our consumer-driven society, is depression, stress and anxiety ever more common, affecting every strata of society and every age, even, worryingly, the very young? Why is it, when we have so much, that many of us still feel we are missing something and the rush of pleasure when we buy something new turns so quickly into a feeling of emptiness, or purposelessness, or guilt?So what is the route to real, deep, long lasting happiness? Could it be that our lives have just become overly crowded, that we've lost sight of the things - the simple things - that give a sense of achievement, a feeling of joy or excitement? That make us happy. Do we need to take a step back, reprioritise? Do we need to make our lives more simple? Kate Humble's fresh and frank exploration of a stripped-back approach to life is uplifting, engaging and inspiring - and will help us all find balance and happiness every day.Kon-Tiki: across the Pacific by raft
By Thor Heyerdahl. 2004
Recounts the 1947 voyage of six Norwegians who sailed from Peru to Tahiti on a balsa-log raft to test the…
author's theory that the original settlers of Polynesia were South Americans following Pacific Ocean currents. Describes the sailors' difficult, exhilarating, and ultimately successful one-hundred-one-day journey. Includes 2004 foreword. 1950The Scramble for the Amazon and the Lost Paradise of Euclides da Cunha
By Susanna B. Hecht. 2013
A “compelling and elegantly written” history of the fight for the Amazon basin and the work of a brilliant but…
overlooked Brazilian intellectual (Times Literary Supplement, UK).The fortunes of the late nineteenth century’s imperial powers depended on a single raw material—rubber—with only one source: the Amazon basin. This scenario ignited a decades-long conflict that found Britain, France, Belgium, and the United States fighting with and against the new nations of Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil for the forest’s riches. In the midst of this struggle, the Brazilian author and geographer Euclides da Cunha led a survey expedition to the farthest reaches of the river. The Scramble for the Amazon tells the story of da Cunha’s terrifying journey, the unfinished novel born from it, and the global strife that formed the backdrop for both. Haunted by his broken marriage, da Cunha trekked through a beautiful region thrown into chaos by guerrilla warfare, starving migrants, and native slavery. All the while, he worked on his masterpiece, a nationalist synthesis of geography, philosophy, biology, and journalism entitled Lost Paradise. Hoping to unveil the Amazon’s explorers, spies, natives, and brutal geopolitics, Da Cunha was killed by his wife’s lover before he could complete his epic work. once the biography of Da Cunha, a translation of his unfinished work, and a chronicle of the social, political, and environmental history of the Amazon, The Scramble for the Amazon is a work of thrilling intellectual ambition.Una aventura griega: Tras los pasos de Patrick Leigh Fermor
By María José Solano. 2023
Un viaje apasionante al corazón de la Grecia contemporánea traslos pasos del intrépido escritor sir Patrick Leigh Fermor, amigo de…
Lawrence y Gerald Durrell. Solo aquellos que hayan vivido los ardientes fuegos de un amor irrefrenable podrán comprender las razones que llevaron a María José Solano a dejarlo todo y emprender en solitario Una aventura griega. Acompañada únicamente de una maleta de mano y los libros del objeto de su pasión, el héroe de guerra y cronista viajero Patrick Leigh Fermor (1915-2011), la escritora abraza los restos de su legado en el país de los olivos. Camina por las mismas calles en las que él, célebre por aventuras épicas en el país heleno, había vivido mil correrías y affaires secretos; brinda con uzo y retsina en las tabernas en las que él se embriagó con su círculo bohemio y, acaso igual que él, sueña con la posibilidad de encapsular el pasado mágico de un país rebosante de tesoros arqueológicos. En este singular trayecto, que se puede leer casi como un romance con la obra fermoriana, Solano hace escala en lugares legendarios como Corinto, Micenas, Epidauro, Esparta o la isla de Hydra, donde Leigh Fermor (Paddy, para los amigos) pasó una larga temporada en una mansión ahora -cómo no- declarada en ruinas. Desde cada uno de esos enclaves, capitales para entender la figura del aventurero, la escritora sevillana declara su amor eterno a un personaje tan singular como enigmático, con sus luces y sus sombras, siempre impetuoso y, hasta su último aliento, impulsado por un hambre insaciable de acción y conocimiento.Amelia Earhart: the thrill of it
By Susan Wels. 2009
Biography of the daring female pilot who vanished in 1937 while attempting to circle the globe. Describes her tomboy childhood,…
love of flying that began with her first lesson at age twenty-four, rise to fame, unconventional marriage to publisher George Palmer Putnam, and mysterious disappearance. 2009Christopher Columbus
By Ernle Bradford. 1973
The &“outstanding&” biography of the Italian navigator and explorer from the bestselling author of The Great Siege (The New York…
Times). Christopher Columbus, credited with discovering America in 1492, was a great explorer who forever changed the world—but his iconic image obscures a far more complex and fascinating life story. Born Cristoforo Colombo, the son of a weaver from Genoa, he renounced his father&’s trade early in life and took to sailing. Though he began in the Mediterranean, Columbus soon found employment sailing the Atlantic Ocean, where he experienced shipwreck, inclement weather, and perhaps the Norse legends of uncharted lands to the west. With the help of Florentine astronomer Paolo Toscanelli, who in turn based his theories on the works of Marco Polo, Columbus devised a plan to find a western passage to the Indies. Though he achieved something far greater—the discovery of a hemisphere previously unknown to Europeans—Columbus insisted to the end of his days that he had succeeded. In this engrossing and deeply researched biography, historian Ernle Bradford portrays Columbus&’s stubbornness and greed, as well as his genius, bravery, and masterly navigation skills.