For almost five hundred years, human beings have been finding ways to circle the Earth-by sail, steam, or liquid fuel; by cycling, driving, flying, going into orbit, even by using their own bodily power. The story begins with the first centuries of circumnavigation, when few survived the attempt. Starting with Ferdinand Magellan`s dangerous voyage, Joyce Chaplin takes us on a trip of our own as we travel with Francis Drake, William Dampier, Louis-Antoine de Bougainville, & James Cook. As sea travel grew much safer & passengers came on board, circumnavigation became a fad, as captured in Jules Verne`s classic novel Around the World in Eighty Days. Newspapers sponsored racing contests, & people sought ways to distinguish themselves-by bicycling around the world, for instance, or by sailing solo. Finally humans took to the skies to circle the globe in airplanes. Not much later, Sputnik, Gagarin, & Glenn pioneered a new kind of circumnavigation-in orbit. Through it all, the desire to take on the planet has tested the courage & capacity of generations of bold men & women. Their exploits show us why we think of the Earth as home. Round About the Earth is itself a thrilling adventure. ...

This new title in the Amazing Baby Touch & Feel series, Round & Round the Garden, gives a favourite nursery rhyme a modern, interactive twist. Bright, bold graphics & texture patches on the cover & every interior spread will capture babies` attention, stimulating their senses of sight & touch. Textures include felt, holofoil & flannel. ...

` You`ve had some pretty crazy ideas in your life, Newby, but this is the craziest.` Grandmother Wanda Newby was exasperated after continuous rain, snow, & gales that knocked from her bike. Twice. To avoid other tourists, Eric Newby had decided that the depths of winter would be the very best time to explore Ireland by mountain bike. More astonishing still, he managed to persuade Wanda, his long-suffering wife & life-long co-traveller, to accompany him
- mainly, she admitted, to `keep him out of trouble`. Lashed by winter storms, fuelled by Guinness & warmed by thermal underwear, their panniers laden with antique books on Irel&, the elderly adventurers cycle the highways & byways, encountering hospitable locals, swaying saints & ferocious dogs. From the shores of Donegal to the holy mountains, Newby guides the reader on a tale of mishap & magic, all in his own peculiar style of humour & charm, relishing his never-ending curiosity of the world & his insatiable quest for adventure.
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I hereby bet Tony Hawks the sum of One Hundred Pounds that he cannot hitchhike round the circumference of Irel&, with a fridge, within one calendar month`. A foolhardy attempt to win a drunken bet led to Tony Hawks having one of the most unforgettable experiences of his life. Joined by his trusty travelling-companion-cum-domestic-appliance, he found himself in the midst of a remarkable, inspirational &, at times, downright silly adventure. In their month of madness, Tony & his fridge surfed together; entered a batchelor festival; & one of them had sex without the other knowing. The fridge got christened, & they even met the poorest king on Earth. An absurd story of an extraordinary adventure, Round Ireland with a Fridge follows the fearless pair as they battle towards Dublin & a breathtaking finale that is moving, uplifting, & a fitting conclusion to the whole ridiculous affair. ...

Round Oak in 1901 in a fascinating series of reproductions of old Ordnance Survey plans in the Alan Godfrey Editions, ideal for anyone interested in the history of their neighbourhood or family. The map covers a busy industrial area south-west of Dudley, including Round Oak, Woodside, Harts Hill, & Netherton Hill. Features include Round Oak Works with sidings, Brierleyhill Iron Works, Woodside Iron Works, Hartshill Iron Works, Woodside area, Dudley Canal with Two Locks Line & old canal route, GWR railway with Round Oak station, Harts Hill & Woodside station, tramways, several mineral railways, Level New Furnaces, Fens Pool, Hollyhall, Pensnett Canal, Netherton Old Furnaces, Netherton Hill area with St Andrew`s church, Netherton Old Collieries, old coal shafts, etc. On the reverse is an extract from a 1906 railway timetable for the London-Worcester-Wolverhampton line. About the Alan Godfrey Editions of the 25” OS Series: Selected towns in Great Britain & Ireland are covered by maps showing the extent of urban development in the last decades of the 19th & early 20th century. The plans have been taken from the Ordnance Survey mapping & reprinted at about 15 inches to one mile (1:4, 340). On the reverse most maps have historical notes & many also include extracts from contemporary directories. Most maps cover about one mile (1.6kms) north/south, one & a half miles (2.4kms) across; adjoining sheets can be combined to provide wider coverage.FOR MORE INFORMATION & A COMPLETE LIST OF ALL AVAILABLE TITLES PLEASE CLICK ON THE SERIES LINK. ...

When Tom Cutter hires Constantine Shaklin as an engineer in his air freight business, he little realises the extraordinary gifts of his new recruit. Shaklin possesses a religious power which inspires everyone he meets to a new faith & hope for humanity. As Cutter`s business grows across Asia, so does Shaklin`s fame, until he is widely regarded as a unifying deity. Though he struggles to believe Shaklin is indeed divine, the friendship will transform Cutter`s life. ...

If the weather outside is frightful, draw up a chair to the fire, get the chesnuts roasting, & find an echo to every mood in this collection of funny, surprising, moving & magical festive stories from some of our greatest authors. Including stories from Laurie Lee, Truman Capote, Kenneth Graham, John Cheever, Sue Towsend, Nancy Mitford, Dylan Thomas, Charles Dickens, John Julius Norwich, P.G. Wodehouse & Stella Gibbons, among many others. ...

Jean Cocteau retraces the most celebrated round-the-world voyage of all time: that of Jules Verne`s Phileas Fogg in 1873. Taking up an impulsive challenge from the editor of ” Paris-Soir, ” Cocteau sets off with his very own ` Passepartout` as companion on a picaresque voyage some sixty-three years after his fictional predecessor. He finds that the journey has lost none of its hazards & adventures as he races around the globe in tramp-ship, railway & ocean liner. Observing & recording the frenetic change of scenes from Athens & Alexandria to Bombay, Rangoon, & Yokohama & finally across the United States, Cocteau`s witty, subjective & sometimes outrageous narrative gives this unique travel-memoir a camp & stylish spin. ...

Round the World in Eighty Dishes – The World Through the Kitchen Window by Lesley Blanch is a delicate blend of travel anecdotes & recipes inspired by the writer’s frequent trips to destinations around the globe during the first half of the twentieth century. Lesley Blanch, best known for The Wilder Shores of Love & as editor of Vogue, first wrote this book in 1956. The contrast between the post-war restrictions on travelling & eating experienced in England with the writer’s fortune is apparent. Yet, Blanch’s unassuming style & appreciation of her good fate makes this a delightful reading, or better, a skilfully painted view through the kitchen window of distant places. The 80 recipes will lead you on a tour to sample authentic local dishes accompanied by personal witty, amusing & evocative tales of the countries where they were savoured, & cherished. You will find familiar as well as unusual recipes & ingredients: from Cheese Muff from Bavaria & Kaalilaatikko, a sort of pork & herring casserole from Finland to Fouja Djedad, apples stuffed with chicken from Saudi Arabia & Four Pyramids Salad from Mexico. Illustrated throughout with drawings by the author this is a truly precious book, preserving the flavours of dishes & places but also of an era long gone. ...

Roundhay Park in 1906 in a fascinating series of reproductions of old Ordnance Survey plans in the Alan Godfrey Editions, ideal for anyone interested in the history of their neighbourhood or family. The map covers the village of Roundhay, on the north side of Leeds, & much of Roundhay Park. Coverage stretches from North Park Grove eastward to Elmet Hall, & from Park Farm & Mansion Hotel southward to Oakwood Lane. Princess Avenue runs through the map, with tramway. Features include Lady Wood, Park Avenue, Gledhow Hill, The Holmsted, the eastern edge of Lidgett Park, Carr Head, refreshment room & other features in the park (boat house, lavatories, shelter, band stand etc), Waterloo Lake, Elmet Hall, St John`s church, etc. A good selection of street directory entries for the neighbourhood is on the reverse, including The Avenue, The Drive, Leeds & Wetherby Road, Oakwood Avenue & Old Park Road. About the Alan Godfrey Editions of the 25” OS Series: Selected towns in Great Britain & Ireland are covered by maps showing the extent of urban development in the last decades of the 19th & early 20th century. The plans have been taken from the Ordnance Survey mapping & reprinted at about 15 inches to one mile (1:4, 340). On the reverse most maps have historical notes & many also include extracts from contemporary directories. Most maps cover about one mile (1.6kms) north/south, one & a half miles (2.4kms) across; adjoining sheets can be combined to provide wider coverage.FOR MORE INFORMATION & A COMPLETE LIST OF ALL AVAILABLE TITLES PLEASE CLICK ON THE SERIES LINK. ...