The Customs of the Kingdoms of India offers selected writings from the most famous of early travellers, Marco Polo. As Polo returned home across the Indian Ocean, after years in the service of Kublai Khan, he picked up a fabulous array of stories from sailors & merchants, about the peoples of the region, some reliable, some wholly implausible, but all fascinating. This pocket paperback collects selected extracts from _ The Travels of Marco Polo_ About this series: Penguin's _ Great Journeys_ series presents extracts from some of the most important classic travelogues in a compact paperback format. The series allows readers to travel both around the planet & back through the centuries
- but also back into ideas & worlds frightening, ruthless & cruel in different ways from our own. Few reading experiences can begin to match that of engaging with writers who saw astounding things: Great civilisations, walls of ice, violent & implacable jungles, deserts & mountains, multitudes of birds & flowers new to science. Reading these books is to see the world afresh, to rediscover a time when many cultures were quite strange to each other, where legends & stories were treated as facts & in which so much was still to be discovered.
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When Rilke, a dissolute auctioneer, comes upon a hidden collection of violent & highly disturbing photographs, he feels compelled to discover more about the deceased owner who coveted them. Soon he finds himself sucked into an underworld of crime, depravity & secret desire, fighting for his life. ...

Constructed on the Clyde in 1869 for the Jock Willis Shipping Line, Cutty Sark was one of the last tea clippers to be built & one of the fastest. Cutty Sark spent just a few years on the tea routes before the opening of the Suez Canal & the increasing use of steamships made clippers unprofitable on shorter routes. It was turned to the trade in wool from Australia, where for ten years she held the record time for a journey to Britain. After finishing her time in service as cargo ship, & then a training & cadet ship, it was transferred to permanent dry dock at Greenwich, London, for public display. This handy & illuminating pocket manual collates original documents to tell the fascinating story of how the legendary Cutty Sark was commissioned, her design & building, life on board & her notable journeys. ...

Crime spreads across the globe in this new collection of short stories from the Crime Writer`s Association, as a conspiracy of prominent crime authors take you on world mystery tour. Highlights of the trip include a treacherous cruise to French Polynesia, a horrifying trek in South Africa, a murderous train-ride across Ukraine & a vengeful killing in Mumbai. But back home in the UK, life isn`t so easy either. Dead bodies turn up on the backstreets of Glasgow, crime writers turn words into deeds at literary events, & Lady Luck seems to guide the fate of a Twickenham hood. Showcasing the range, breadth & vitality of contemporary crime-fiction genre, these 28 chilling & unputdownable stories will take you on a trip you`ll never forget. Contributors include: Ann Cleeves, C.L. Taylor, Susi. Holliday, Martin Edwards, Anna Mazzola, Carol Anne Davis, Cath Staincliffe, Chris Simms, Christine Poulson, Ed James, Gordon Brown, J.M. Hewitt, Judith Cutler, Julia Crouch, Kate Ellis, Kate Rhodes, Martine Bailey, Michael Stanley, Maxim Jakubowski, Paul Charles, Paul Gitsham, Peter Lovesey, Ragnar Jonasson, Sarah Rayne, Shawn Reilly Simmons, Vaseem Khan, William Ryan & Will Burton Mc Cormick. ...

Dr Mary Aiken is the world`s leading expert in forensic cyberpsychology
- a discipline that combines psychology, criminology &
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The Cyclades are the quintessential Greek isles, renowned for the beauty of their seascapes, their historical monuments & a unique way of life deeply rooted in the remote past of the Aegean. Over the course of more than 7, 000 years the Cyclades have seen a succession of civilizations, the earliest of them perpetuated in legends such as that of Atlantis, which has been identified with volcanic Santorini. The islands are arrayed around their sacred centre on Delos, where Leto was said to have given birth to the divine twins Apollo & Artemis, children of Zeus. Dionysos was born on olive-embowered Naxos, where he fell in love with Ariadne, & myths relate that Poseidon was the protector of Tinos, whose mid-summer festival of the Virgin is celebrated with the folk-dances & songs for which the Cyclades are famous. In this comprehensive guide to the Cyclades, John Freely describes the immemorial past & timeless present of these enchanting islands, which still await discovery. ...

Following the success of The Walker s Anthology & The Railway Anthology, we re continuing this series & applying the same formula to the subject of cycling & journeys by bicycle. We draw on the writings of more than 50 literary figures & famous personalities on the subject of cycling & journeys by bicycle J.G. Ballard, John Betjeman, Quentin Blake, Arthur Conan Doyle, E.M. Forster, Ernest Hemingway, Jerome K Jerome, D.H. Lawrence, Somerset Maugham, Dervla Murphy, Eric Newby, Dorothy Sayers, Mark Twain, H.G. Wells & Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins among many others. This entertaining hardback anthology will appeal to cyclists & armchair travelers alike & make the perfect gift.” ...

Professional cycling is a rich, dynamic & often controversial sport that lends itself to great writing. Some of the most famous & illustrious races were founded by newspapermen & The Cycling Anthology continues this tradition by bringing together the best in the business. Between them, they`ve covered hundreds of Tours de France & written dozens of excellent books & some have even ridden the Tour. Now, their work is showcased together for the first time. ...

Professional cycling is a rich, dynamic & often controversial sport that lends itself to great writing. Some of the most famous & illustrious races were founded by newspapermen & The Cycling Anthology continues this tradition by bringing together the best in the business. Volume Four features original & exclusive pieces by leading cycling writers. William Fotheringham remembers the journalist who was instrumental in bringing road-racing to a British audience; Ellis Bacon looks beyond Queen to the link between bikes & beats; Richard Moore finds out what happened to that `little punk` (Lance Armstrong`s words), Iban Mayo, & asks if he really did become a long-distance lorry driver; Daniel Friebe re-examines the ups & downs of Marco Pantani; Tom Southam explains what it`s like not to ride the Tour de France; & much more. Between them, these writers have covered hundreds of Tours de France & written dozens of excellent books & some have even ridden the Tour. Here, their work is showcased together. ...

Professional cycling is a rich, dynamic & often controversial sport that lends itself to great writing. Some of the most famous & illustrious races were founded by newspapermen & The Cycling Anthology continues this tradition by bringing together the best in the business. Volume One features original & exclusive pieces by leading cycling writers. William Fotheringham disects Bradley Wiggins` transformation from track superstar to becoming the first Briton to win the Tour de France; David Millar discusses retirement & dark secrets as his friends` careers start to fade; Daniel Friebe uncovers the fascinating role statistics has to play in cycling; Jeremy Whittle follows Team Sky to assess the Lance Armstrong`s legacy to the sport; & many more. Between them, they`ve covered hundreds of Tours de France & written dozens of excellent books & some have even ridden the Tour. Now, their work is showcased together for the first time. ...