Salzman captures post-cultural revolution China through his adventures as a young American English teacher in China and his shifu-tudi (master-student) relationship with China's foremost martial arts teacher.
In White Sands, Geoff Dyer ("one of the funniest writers alive" --Chicago Tribune) finds himself on the road again, crisscrossing the globe from French Polynesia to northernmost Norway. Throughout his adventures--with a tour guide who may not be a tour guide in the Forbidden City in Beijing; with friends in New Mexico, where D. H. Lawrence famously claimed to have had his "greatest experience from the outside world"; with Don Cherry (or a photo of him, at any rate) at the Watts Towers in Los Angeles--Dyer interweaves fiction and nonfiction to craft an often hilarious, always inquisitive travelogue about the questions we ask when we step outside ourselves.
Patrick Leigh Fermor's enviably colorful life took off when in 1934, at the age of eighteen, he decided to walk across Europe. In just over a year he had trekked through nine countries and taught himself three languages, and his enthusiasm and curiosity for every kind of experience made him equally happy in caves or country houses, among shepherds or countesses.
At the outbreak of war he left his lover, Princess Balasha Cantacuzene, in Romania and returned to England to enlist. Commissioned into the Intelligence Corps, he became one of the handful of Allied officers supporting the Cretan resistance to the German occupation. In 1944 he commanded the Anglo-Cretan team that abducted General Heinrich Kreipe and spirited him away to Egypt. A journey to the Caribbean, stays in monasteries, and explorations all over Greece provided the subjects for his first books. It was not until he and his wife had moved to southern Greece that he returned to his earliest walk. In these books, which took many years to write, he created a vision of a prewar Europe, which in its beauty and abundance has never been equaled. Artemis Cooper has drawn on years of interviews and conversations with Leigh Fermor and his closest friends, and has had complete access to his archive. Her beautifully crafted biography portrays a man of extraordinary gifts--no one wore their learning so playfully nor inspired such passionate friendship.
For more than three decades, bestselling author Louise Erdrich has enthralled readers with dazzling novels that paint an evocative portrait of Native American life. From her dazzling first novel, Love Medicine, to the National Book Award-winning The Round House, Erdrich's lyrical skill and emotional assurance have earned her a place alongside William Faulkner and Willa Cather as an author deeply rooted in the American landscape.
In Books and Islands in Ojibwe Country, Erdrich takes us on an illuminating tour through the terrain her ancestors have inhabited for centuries: the lakes and islands of southern Ontario. Summoning to life the Ojibwe's sacred spirits and songs, their language and sorrows, she considers the many ways in which her tribe--whose name derives from the word ozhibii'ige, to write--have influenced her. Her journey links ancient stone paintings with a magical island where a bookish recluse built an extraordinary library, and she reveals how both have transformed her.
A blend of history, mythology, and memoir, Books and Islands in Ojibwe Country is an enchanting meditation on modern life, natural splendor, and the ancient spirituality and creativity of Erdrich's native homeland--a long, elemental tradition of storytelling that is in her blood.
Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat Pray Love touched the world and changed countless lives, inspiring and empowering millions of readers to search for their own best selves. Now, this beloved and iconic book returns in a beautiful 10th anniversary edition, complete with an updated introduction from the author, to launch a whole new generation of fans. In her early thirties, Elizabeth Gilbert had everything a modern American woman was supposed to want--husband, country home, successful career--but instead of feeling happy and fulfilled, she was consumed by panic and confusion. This wise and rapturous book is the story of how she left behind all these outward marks of success, and set out to explore three different aspects of her nature, against the backdrop of three different cultures: pleasure in Italy, devotion in India, and on the Indonesian island of Bali, a balance between worldly enjoyment and divine transcendence.
- A snapshot of Cuban culture, focusing on the amazing classic cars that can be found across the country - Blends the conventional travel guide with a car enthusiast's bible - A must-have for any avid car fan Cuba is worth a visit. Or, as the authors of this book discovered, several. The average package holiday is simply not long enough to visit this country's myriad of sights, all of which are worth seeing. Like so many visitors to Cuba, after their first trip more than fifteen years ago, they returned again and again to trek the sandy beaches shaded by swinging palm fronds, to marvel at the splendid topography of the Vinales Valley, and to admire Cuba's selection of classic cars, which function as part of everyday life on this Caribbean island. As such, this uniquely illustrated book is a product of love. The authors have made it their mission to portray this resplendent nation in all its glory, and to bring Cuba's stunning scenery to your living room. This book represents the "best of" Cuban tours, led by passionate photographer Rainer Floer and his cousin Harri Morick. Morick speaks fluent Spanish, and thus he ensured that the pair were seen as classic car fans rather than regular tourists. They conducted numerous interviews, and in doing so also made friends with the interviewees. Spare parts came from Germany, stories from Cuba. Cars and culture blend in this snapshot of an evolving nation. But this evolution brings with it the threat of change. Who knows how much longer we will find classic cars on Cuba's streets? Includes splendid photos of classic cars dating from before the revloution; American limousines, taxis, and wedding cars; the history of the first Porsche in Cuba; an interview with an artist and his VW Karmann-Ghia, and the Harley Club in Cuba; and amazing scenes of Cuban streets and landscapes.
Having captivated millions during his tenure as the New York Times's "Frugal Traveler," Seth Kugel is one of our most internationally beloved travel writers. With the initial publication of Rediscovering Travel, he took the corporate modern travel industry to task, determined to reignite an age- old sense of adventure that has virtually been vanquished by the spontaneity- obliterating likes of Google Maps, TripAdvisor, and Starwood points. Now in travel- friendly paperback, this "funny, inspiring and well- crafted" companion (Associated Press) reveals how to make the most of new apps and other digital technologies without being shackled to them. Writing for the tight- belted tourists and the fi rst- class fl yer, the eager student and the comfort- seeking retiree, Kugel shows all readers "not only where to look, but how" (Samantha Brown), and promises that we too can rediscover the joy of discovery.
"Travel is not about the destination but the experience. . . . That's what makes [it] so appealing, so addictive, and that's what makes Rediscovering Travel so necessary." -- Peter Greenberg
SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA BOOK AWARD
OVER 400,000 COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE The true story of a couple who lost everything and embarked on a transformative journey walking the South West Coast Path in England Just days after Raynor Winn learns that Moth, her husband of thirty-two years, is terminally ill, their house and farm are taken away, along with their livelihood. With nothing left and little time, they make the brave and impulsive decision to walk the 630 miles of the sea-swept South West Coast Path, from Somerset to Dorset, through Devon and Cornwall. Carrying only the essentials for survival on their backs, they live wild in the ancient, weathered landscape of cliffs, sea, and sky. Yet through every step, every encounter, and every test along the way, their walk becomes a remarkable and life-affirming journey. Powerfully written and unflinchingly honest, The Salt Path is ultimately a portrayal of home--how it can be lost, rebuilt, and rediscovered in the most unexpected ways.
"A portrait of an optimist with curiosity and affection for humanity in all its forms."--The New York Times Book Review
"Theroux is at the top of his game with his third collection of essays, a magisterial grouping of intimate remembrances, globe-trotting adventures, and incisive literary critiques."--Publishers Weekly, Starred Review "Theroux's observations are so keen and writerly skills so sharp that he butter-slices narratives with a razor-thin surgeon's scalpel, masterfully serving up both the world's dark underbelly and its gloriously uplifting sustenance of love, longing and wonder-lust." --Forbes Paul Theroux's latest collection of essays applies his signature searching curiosity to a life lived as much in reading as on the road. This writerly tour-de-force features a satisfyingly varied selection of topics. Travel essays take us to Ecuador, Zimbabwe, and Hawaii, to name a few. Gems of literary criticism reveal fascinating depth in the work of Henry David Thoreau, Muriel Spark, Joseph Conrad, and Hunter Thompson. And in a series of breathtakingly personal profiles, we take a helicopter ride with Elizabeth Taylor, go diagnosing with Oliver Sacks, eavesdrop on the day-to-day life of a Manhattan dominatrix, and explore New York with Robin Williams. An extended meditation on the craft of writing binds together this wide-ranging collection, along with Theroux's constant quest for the authentic in a person or in a place.
