With an introduction by Neil Gaiman Before television & radio, before penny paperbacks & mass literacy, people would gather on porches, on the steps outside their homes, & tell stories. The storytellers knew their craft & bewitched listeners would sit & listen long into the night as moths flitted around overhead. The Moth is a non-profit group that is trying to recapture this lost art, helping storytellers
- old hands & novices alike
- hone their stories before playing to packed crowds at sold-out live events. The very best of these stories are collected here: whether it`s Bill Clinton`s hell-raising press secretary or a leading geneticist with a family secret; a doctor whisked away by nuns to Mother Teresa`s bedside or a film director saving her father`s Chinatown store from money-grabbing developers; the Sultan of Brunei`s concubine or a friend of Hemingway`s who accidentally talks himself into a role as a substitute bullfighter, these eccentric, pitch-perfect stories
- all, amazingly, true
- range from the poignant to the downright hilarious.



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At the edge of the forest, Mother Fox gazes fondly at her young frolicking in the snow. But the cubs venture a bit too far
- &
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Following on from the success of Men Explain Things to Me comes a new collection of essays in which Rebecca Solnit opens up a feminism for all of us: one that doesn`t stigmatize women`s lives, whether they include spouses & children or not; that brings empathy to the silences in men`s lives as well as the silencing of women`s lives; celebrates the ways feminism has shifted in recent years to reclaim rape jokes, revise canons, & rethink our everyday lives. ...

An action-packed ride through the history of the motorbike ” The Motorbike Book” is all about the men, machines & landmark technology behind the most iconic bikes from ACE to Zundapp. Featuring over 1, 000 of the latest & greatest motorbikes in the world this is an amazing visual guide tracing their evolution from the 1910s right up to the superbikes of today. All about the grit & the glory, ” The Motorbike Book” takes a truly international view from Italy`s Ducati to Japan`s Suzuki & tells you just how famous marques like Honda & Harley-Davidson became household names. Plus, go on a virtual tour inside the engines of some of these legendary bikes to see just what powers their performance. If you`re born to be wild then ” The Motorbike Book” is the ultimate ride for you. ...

These are the diaries written by Che Guevara through South In January 1952, two young men from Buenos Aires set out to explore South America on ` La Poderosa`, the Powerful One: a 500cc Norton. One of them was the twenty-three-year-old Che Guevara, the other one was the thirty-year-old Alberto Granado. Written eight years before the Cuban Revolution, these are the diaries written by Che Guevara, during this riotous motorcycle tour, full of disasters & discoveries, high drama, low comedy & laddish improvisations. During his travels through Argentina, Chile, Peru & Venezuela, Che`s main concerns are where the next drink is coming from, where the next bed is to be found & who might be around to share it. He becomes a stowaway, a fireman & a football coach; he sometimes falls in love & frequently falls off the motorbike. Guevara writes surprisingly beautifully & withour any hint of formality or stiffness. Trough his accounts leaks the Ernesto who was before becaming entangled in politics
- an account of laddish humour & street life, a Latin Jack Kerouac. Within a decade the whole world would know his name. His trip might have been an adventure of a lifetime, had his lifetime not turned into a much greater adventure.
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More riders than ever are heading to the country on their mountain bikes. It`s a sport that has exploded over the last twenty years, as people of all ages & walks of life are drawn to the thrill of the ride. Written by rider, racer & trainer Clive Forth, The Mountain Bike Skills Manual is the best resource for anyone who wants to know more about the sport & develop their abilities. It covers all the major disciplines including dirt biking, trail riding, cross country, 4X, enduro & slalom & is suitable for pleasure-seekers as well as the more competitive rider. Illustrated with excellent step-by-step biking trick shots & covering everything from equipment & core skills to competitions & recreational riding, it`s a book no rider will want to be without. ...

Mountain bikers will reap the benefits of a more deliberate & efficient training program with the help of Coach Joe Friel. If results are the goal, training should not be left to guesswork or the “ride-until-you-drop” mentality. Friel is renown for his proven methodology, which is based on science & built around the individual rider. ” The Mountain Biker’s Training Bible” enables cyclists to:- Develop a systematic & comprehensive training program- Train more efficiently- Become an effective self-coach- Improve performance through strength work, stretching, record-keeping, & smart nutrition- Set realistic goals for training & racing Off-road cyclists, from novice to professional levels, will become more successful with Friel’s scientific approach to mountain biking. ...

This book is a celebration of mountain huts, showcasing the the sheer variety & sometimes quirky nature of these buildings that allow walkers, trekkers & climbers to access remote corners of the mountains. Packed with entertaining stories that bring the places & people to life, it contains descriptions of the author`s favourite huts in the Alps, along with suggestions for hut-to-hut tours of 3-13 days duration, including the Tour of Mont Blanc. It also traces the history of huts & how they have evolved from the most primitive of shelters to the often purpose-built, eco-friendly buildings of today. For the uninitiated, it unravels some of the mystery of huts & explains how to use them & what facilities to expect. Above all, it illustrates the way in which mountain huts can be truly sociable places, where like-minded people can spend a night or two in the most magical of locations & share a love of wild places. ...

Surely a peaceful holiday in the Welsh mountains will keep the children out of trouble! But the mystery of a rumbling mountain soon has them thirsty for more adventure. Philip, Dinah, Lucy-Ann, Jack & Kiki the parrot are determined to explore the mountain & uncover its secret, but first they must escape from a pack of ravenous wolves & a mad genius who plans to rule the world! ...

The publication of ” The Mountain of My Fear” in 1968 & ” Deborah” in 1970 changed the face of the mountaineering narrative. Now these two classic expedition narratives by acclaimed writer David Roberts are together again in one volume for a new generation of readers. ” Deborah” is the story of Roberts` 1964 expedition with fellow Harvard Mountaineering Club member Don Jensen to the eastern side of Mount Deborah in Alaska. Their two-man attempt on the then-unclimbed ridge was a rash & heroic effort. The story tells not only what happened on the mountain, but what happened in the stark isolation to the climbers & their friendship, as each became totally dependent on the other for survival. In ” The Mountain of My Fear” Roberts & Jensen come together again only a year after the Deborah climb. In this account, they & two other Harvard students attempt an ascent of Mount Huntington, for the first time via its treacherous west face. The summit had been reached only the year before, via one of its less dangerous ridges. The story is one of a magnificent achievement. But it is also the story of how a perfect adventure can turn into tragedy in a single instant. Mountaineers, lovers of adventure literature, David Roberts fans, & non-climbers who simply enjoy a good story will value this pairing, by a great climber & a great writer, of two dramatic & enlightening works. ...