In 1914 Sir Ernest Shackleton embarked on what he called ` The last great polar journey`
- the crossing of Antarctica. His expedition
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After his ship Endurance was crushed by Antarctic ice & now trapped on a small inhospitable isl&, cut off from all hope of help, with winter approaching, Sir Ernest Shackleton made the fateful decision to attempt a risky, almost foolhardy voyage across the wild Southern Ocean to South Georgia with five of his men. From there, he would attempt to trek over unmapped & treacherous glaciers to reach safety. Neither journey had ever been attempted before. Showing the courage & leadership which would become synonymous with his name, Shackleton prevailed, & returned to rescue the entire crew of his ill-fated ship. His feat was dubbed the greatest survival journey of all time. In 2003, Using the same equipment as Shackleton, eating the same food, sailing a replica of the small, keel-less boat, author, explorer & environmental scientist Tim Jarvis led a six-man crew in an attempt to recreate Shackleton`s epic journey for the first time.A veteran of Antarctica`s frozen wastes, Tim found himself facing his greatest challenge yet
- a never ending struggle against conditions which fought him all the way. Shackleton`s Epic tells the stories of these two expeditions, separated by nearly one hundred years, but unified by the struggle to survive the timeless savagery of the Southern Hemisphere.
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This is a dramatic true story of Antarctic tragedy & survival among the heroic group that was to lay supplies across the Great Ross Ice Shelf in preparation for the Endurance expedition. Launched by Shackleton (and led by Captain Aenaes Mackintosh), this courageous crew completed the longest sledge journey in polar history (199 days) & endured near-unimaginable deprivation. They accomplished most of their mission, laying the way for those who never came. All suffered; some died. Now Australian writer Lennard Bickel honors these forgotten heroes. Largely drawn from the author`s interviews with surviving team member Dick Richards, this retelling underscores the capacity of ordinary men for endurance & noble action. ...

Shackleton`s Heroes is a genuine treasure of Antarctic history, & an almost unbelievable tale of real heroes who risked themselves for the lives of others. It tells the extraordinary story of how a small party of men, against almost insurmountable obstacles, put down vital food depots on the Great Ice Barrier for Sir Ernest Shackleton`s 1914
- 1917 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. Their efforts to help each other survive comprise some of the most incredible feats of heroism in the history of polar exploration, which until now have been entirely overshadowed by the legendary feat of Shackleton on the other side of the continent after the sinking of the Endurance. The complete story is revealed here for the first time, through the diaries of these forgotten men, written out on the ice & at their base camp. We can experience their pain & suffering through their own words, 100 years after the original expedition began. With a foreword by Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Shackleton`s Heroes is an adventure story of the highest calibre, told through the voices of the men who completed an almost impossible task in horrific conditions.
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In October 1914, the explorer, Ernest Shakleton & a team of men, set out on the ship, Endurance, to cross Antarctica via the South Pole. A few months into their voyage, the ship became trapped in ice, eventually sinking. With little hope of rescue, Shakleton`s crew lived on the ice, enduring freezing temperatures & with only the food they could catch from the sea. When the ice floes began to crack beneath them, the men undertook a treacherous journey in three small lifeboats across the icy, stormy sea, eventually landing on Elephant Island
- a place where no-one lived or was ever likely to visit... Retold in vivid detail & illustrated with contemporary photographs & artefacts, this story recounts one of the most astonishing feats of exploration & human endeavor ever recorded.
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Sir Ernest Shackleton could never have imagined his name being closely associated with whisky, certainly not in the title of a book. Rarely did he consume strong drink. On his expeditions, he tolerated a `mild spree` at times of celebration. But that was all. Drinking to excess appalled him. From an early age, growing up in a teetotal home, he was wary of alcohol. How, then, must he have felt about signing an order for twenty-five cases of whisky -- 300 bottles -- for his 1907-09 British Antarctic Expedition? Shackleton`s Whisky follows the story of the Rare Old Highland Whisky taken south on his Nimrod expedition. It celebrates the extraordinary achievements of men exploring an extraordinary place. It dips into the human-interest stories of polar life in the `heroic era` of Antarctic exploration. Shackleton once wrote of his interest in documenting `the little incidents that go to make up the sum of the day`s work, the humour & the weariness, the inside view of men on an expedition`. Here is one such account, based largely on what he wrote & said about the expedition & also on what the members of his expedition wrote, for most participants kept a diary or journal. Antarctic exploration & whisky, in their own way, are both steeped in history, maturity, endurance, character, & technology. Both have a worldwide following, millions of fans. Their pathways coincided on the British Antarctic Expedition 1907-09. With the recovery 100 years later of three cases of Scotch from icy entombment under the hut at Cape Royds & the subsequent return of three bottles to Scotland for sampling, analysis & a near-magical replication, the relationship of whisky & Antarctic exploration came sharply into focus, making a unique odyssey to the end of the Earth & back. ...

Published for the first time in flipback
- the new, portable, stylish format that`s taken Europe by storm. Hundreds of years
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For 30 years Oscar Marzaroli strode across Scotland's rural & urban landscape, stills camera always ready. No corner of the l&, nor any activity on it, from the Out Skerries in the turbulent seas east of Shetland to the rolling hills of the Borders, escaped his eye. Fishermen & boatbuilders, farmers & weavers, oil workers & crofters, all were his subjects, & many became friends. ...

A powerful novel from Michael Morpurgo, the nation`s favourite storyteller... Never have Aman & his mother needed a friend more than when a Springer Spaniel appears
- thin & war-ravaged
- in the mouth of their Afghan cave. Nursed back to health by Aman, the dog becomes a constant companion, a shadow, & that`s what Aman decides to call her. But life in Afghanistan becomes more dangerous by the moment. Eventually, Aman, his mother & Shadow find the courage to embark upon the treacherous journey from war-torn Afghanistan to the safely of a relative`s home in Manchester, Engl&. But how far can Shadow lead them? & in this terrifying new world, is anywhere really safe...?

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Inspired by a near-mythic event of the wild Florida frontier at the turn of the twentieth century, Shadow Country reimagines the legend of the inspired Everglades sugar planter & notorious outlaw E. J. Watson, who drives himself to his own violent end at the hands of his neighbours. His son Lucius investigates the killing which has come to obsess him. In this bold new rendering of the Watson trilogy Matthiessen has deepened the insights & motivations of his characters, consolidating his fictional masterwork into a poetic, compelling novel of a monumental scope & ambition, with breathtaking accomplishment. ...