These short travel essays from around the globe get to the heart of what the words travel and adventure really mean. In Search of Adventure explores the good, the bad, and the ugly of what travelling the world has to offer. The "Trampled Underfoot" section features tales of woe on the road -- the worst of the worst, or making the best of the worst. In "Global Issues & Viewpoints," authors explore the changing world, oppressive governments, and the homogenising of world cultures. From warm and inviting to raw and shocking, these non-fiction travel pieces present disparate viewpoints on the diverse world in which we live and leave no emotion untouched.
White recalls his own career at home and abroad over the past forty years, the famous men and women he has written about and known, and the triumphs and shortfalls of the American system.
National Book Award Finalist: A biologist’s “thoroughly enjoyable” account of the expeditions that unearthed the history of life on our planet (Publishers Weekly). Not so long ago, most of our world was an unexplored wilderness. Our sense of its age was vague and vastly off the mark, and much of the knowledge of our own species’ history was a set of fantastic myths and fairy tales. But scientists were about to embark on an amazing new era of understanding. From the New York Times–bestselling author of The Big Picture, this book leads us on a rousing voyage that recounts the most important discoveries in two centuries of natural history: from Darwin’s trip around the world to Charles Walcott’s discovery of pre-Cambrian life in the Grand Canyon; from Louis and Mary Leakey’s investigation of our deepest past in East Africa to the trailblazers in modern laboratories who have located a time clock in our DNA. Filled with the same sense of adventure that spurred on these extraordinary men and women, Remarkable Creatures is a “stirring introduction to the wonder of evolutionary biology” (Kirkus Reviews). “Charming and enlightening.” —San Francisco Chronicle “As fast-paced as a detective story.” —Nature
In 1949, several young Mounties arrived in Canada's newest province to enforce federal law. Like those who followed, they were in search of adventure, and they found plenty. RCMP veterans, as well as the last living Newfoundland Rangers, tell their personal stories in this book. From laughter to moments of sheer terror, to discovering innovative ways to connect with the communities they police, to investigating the murder of one of their own, these RCMP veterans tell the true history of the RCMP's first 70 years policing in Newfoundland and Labrador. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police was founded in 1873, and the first Newfoundlander to join was Constable Earnest W. Peyton, in 1888. He was the son of a prominent family from Twillingate and was believed to be 21 at the time. It was March 22, 1949, some 76 years after its inception, that the RCMP arrived in Newfoundland and Labrador. Eight Mounties and one officer arrived in the province and opened a Divisional Headquarters on Kenna's Hill in St. John's to enforce federal law. The RCMP was officially recognized a year later, on August 1, 1950, with an agreement between RCMP Deputy Commissioner C. K. Gray and the Attorney General for the province, the Honourable L. R. Curtis.
A thirtieth-anniversary retrospective explores the Dungeons & Dragons franchise, featuring a selection of essays and photographs that capture the events, products, personalities, art, and influence of the game through the years.
Myths and legends involving quests and journeys are found in many cultures. Throughout history, people have told stories of heroes and heroines grappling with monsters, evil spirits, the elements and the gods. The stories have been expressed in song, dance, literature and art, and given rise to countless myths ang legends. They mirror the dreams and hopes of women and men for exciting adventures beyond their everyday experience. This book includes ten quest stories from around the world, showing how they have been interpreted, retold and passed down the centuries. Some of the illustrations are reproduced from illuminated manuscripts in the collection of the British Library. The introduction, by Penelope Lively, discusses the nature of quest myths and how they have permeated the storytelling of so many cultures.
One of the world's most legendary and elusive treasures, sought after for centuries. . . An ancient mystery.A Lost Treasure.A Hidden City.An impossible location.An unimaginable adventure. Included in Aztec and Mayan legends, Conquistadors had heard rumors of its existence when exploring the New World, but never found it. During World War 2, Nazi inspired archaeologists were convinced they had pinpointed its location. They packed a U-Boat with supplies and set a course for the Amazon Jungle. They disappeared!Many adventurers eager to claim the legendary gold as their own entered one of the most inhospitable places on earth, the Amazon Jungle. Most were never seen again!And yet the exact location of El Dorado and its fantastic hoard of Mayan, Aztec and Inca treasure so many have dreamed of finding, remains a mystery. Any who may have stumbled upon it never returned to tell the tale. It was as if someone, or something, was protecting it... In 1925, Victorian explorer Colonel Percy Fawcett enters the Amazon Jungle to search for a Lost City. Like so many before him, he was never seen or heard from again. Until now!When a message from the past is discovered washed up on an English beach, it reveals new information about the ill-fated 1925 expedition. A modern day expedition sets off to follow in the footsteps of Colonel Fawcett in an attempt to locate the Lost City and its legendary hoard of priceless treasure. El Dorado Book 1 & 2 will take on a journey filled with danger to seek out and enter the fabled Lost City. A thrilling story of adventure and discovery that weaves together an exciting blend of fact and fiction linked to the legends surrounding El Dorado, the lost Fawcett expedition and the mysterious Amazonian Jungle. Rumored to be guarded by remote, mist-veiled mountains, the fabulous treasure hoard was hidden from the greedy clutches of Spanish conquistadors somewhere deep inside the unforgiving and mysterious Amazon jungle. As far as anyone knows, it is still there. Waiting to be discovered by those brave or foolhardy enough, to try their luck. Reviews "This is a terrific two book series set within the atmospherically described Amazon jungle. I could easily imagine myself tagging along with the adventurers." "If you like reading Clive Cussler, Matthew Reilly, James Rollins or Michael Crichton, you will enjoy this action adventure from Ben Hammott." " Has all the ingredients for an instant success: great plot, interesting characters, a large dose of mystery, impressive locations , unexpected twists and discoveries, deception and betrayal and even a touch of romance and a spattering of humor. This story will keep you entertained from beginning to end. Recommended for the permanent library of all action adventure readers." "The Mysterious and Dangerous Amazon Jungle, Subterranean Rooms, Tunnels, Pyramids, Ancient Aliens, Nazis, Traps, Thrilling Escapes, Chases, Strange Creatures, Dangerous Enemies, a Lost City and Great Characters, are just a few ingredients that make this exciting adventure thriller a must read for fans of this genre." (NY.Post.book.reviews) "From bestselling author Ben Hammott this action packed adventure takes you into the Amazon Jungle to follow in the footsteps of lost Victorian Explorer, Colonel Percy Fawcett. What we have here, in part, is an excellent dramatization of what may have happened to Fawcett and what he may have discovered in the unexplored regions of the Amazon. The well written plot is seldom predictable and some of the characters you think are safe, and will be alive by the time the book reaches its climax, are not. Sights and sounds of the Amazon are described well and help to set the atmospheric tone the explorers travel through. A thoroughly enjoyable adventure."An exciting archaeological mystery thriller with flashbacks to Colonel Fawcett's 1925 Expedition.
