Michael Wood examines whether the legendary figures of Troy, Achilles, Hector, Paris & Helen, actually existed & whether events such as the siege of Troy ever occured. New evidence uncovered at the excavation site of what is believed to be the city of Troy & events including the rediscovery of the so-called jewels of Helen are examined & commented upon. Wood provides a real historical background to the Trojan War & some of the most exciting discoveries in archaeology, vividly evoking the era that they relate to. ...

When H. V. Morton sett out for Wales over seventy years ago, his only previous visit had been twenty years earlier in the unsuccessful pursuit of a girl he loved in Pwllheli. This time, he went to write a book that would capture something of the soul of the country & its people – a people, as he notes, who have managed to retain their language & their individuality though they are the smallest of nations in the British Isles. Endlessly curious, chatty, erudite & entertaining, Morton is the perfect companion as he travels from the agricultural north to the industrial south, pausing on the way to gossip with those he meets, indulge in wickedly funny speculation & pass on a remarkable amount of fascinating detail & information. By a natural raconteur & a consummate travel writer, In Search of Wales – like its companion volumes on Engl&, Scotland & Ireland – remains one of the best books ever written about that country, as vivid & engaging today as it was on first publication. ...

On the 29th of October 1908, a party of four men, led by Ernest Shackleton, set out to be the first to reach the South Pole. Three months later, their mission was in ruins & they faced certain death if they carried on. Just 97 miles from the South Pole, Shackleton turned back. One hundred years on, in October 2008, a team that included descendants of that original party, led by Henry Worsley, set out from Shackleton`s hut to celebrate the centenary of his expedition by retracing the exact 870 mile route & going on to finish the last 97 miles. This captivating book explores the history of the original expedition & reasons behind its failure, while capturing the meticulous planning, fundraising & training for the new expedition. There is also the team`s first days on the ice, Christmas on the polar plateau, the brutal reality of crossing the Beardmore Glacier & the final miles to the South Pole. In ” Shackleton`s Footsteps” is a unique story of adventure, pioneering spirit & man`s triumph over nature. ...

In Siberia is the account of Colin Thubron`s 15, 000-mile journey through Siberia
- an astonishing country, one that makes up
...

In the bitter cold of Danish Jutl&, where the sea freezes over & the Nazis have yet to invade, a young girl dreams of one day going on a great journey to Siberia, while her beloved brother Jesper yearns for the warmer climes of Morocco. Their home, with a pious mother who sings hymns all day & a silent father, is as cold as their surroundings. But the unshakeable bond between brother & sister creates a vital warmth which glows in spite of the chill & the dark clouds that threaten to overtake their dreams. ...

In Spite of Oceans: Migrant Voices explores the individual journeys of generations in transition from the South Asian subcontinent to Engl&. Poignantly written, & based on real events & interviews, what emerges is the story of lives between cultures, of families reconciling customs & traditions away from their ancestral roots, & of the tensions this necessarily creates. We hear from the young bride from Bangladesh, married to a stranger, who comes to England to navigate life with a man she cannot love; from an Indian father who struggles to come to terms with his son`s mental illness & hides it from people he knows; about how a mother & daughter`s relationship was shattered in the clash over the Pakistani traditions her daughter chooses not to follow. Each narrative describes a journey that is both literal & deeply emotional, exploring the hold an inherited culture can have on the decisions & choices we make. At times heart-breaking, at times inspirational, In Spite of Oceans brings to life the pull of the past & the push of the future, & the evolving nature of what we understand as home. ...

India is poised to become one of the world`s three largest economies in the next generation & to overtake China as the world`s most populous country by 2032. Well before then India`s incipient nuclear deterrent will have acquired intercontinental range & air, sea & land capabilities. India`s volatile relationship with its nuclear-armed neighbour, Pakistan, may prove to be the source of the world`s next major conflict. & if you call anyone- from your bank to rail enquiries- your query may well be dealt with by a graduate in Gujarat. Any way one looks at it, India`s fate matters. Edward Luce, one of the most incisive & talented journalists of his generation, assesses the forces that are forging the new nation. Cutting through the miasma that still clouds thinking about India, this extraordinarily accomplished book takes the measure of a society that is struggling to come to grips with modernity. Drawing on historical research, existing literature & his own unparalleled access as the New Delhi-based, South Asia correspondent of the FT, this is a book that will enthral as well as educate & will remain the definitive book on the country for many years. ...

To Mohamed Choukri, Tangier was `the most extraordinary & mysterious city in the world.` A haven for many Western writers in the twentieth century, Tangier drew the likes of Paul Bowles, Jean Genet & Tennessee Williams. Each was befriended by Choukri. Choukri`s recollections of these encounters offer a unique insight into these three cult figures of twentieth-century literature. ...

In Tasmania by Nicholas Shakespeare effortlessly weaves the turbulent yet fascinating history of this unique island with a kaleidoscope of stories featuring a cast of unlikely characters
- from Errol Flynn to the King of Icel&, a village full of Chatwins &, inevitably, a family of Shakespeare’s. But what makes this more than a personal quest is Shakespeare`s discovery that, despite the nineteen century purges, the Tasmanian Aborigines were not, as previously believed, entirely wiped out.
...

In spring 1956, Deborah, Duchess of Devonshire
- youngest of the six legendary Mitford sisters
- invited the writer & war

...