Category Archives: Travel Guides
The History of Mary Prince: A West Indian Slave
The History of Mary Prince (1831) was the first narrative of a black woman to be published in Britain. It describes Prince`s sufferings as a slave in Bermuda, Turks Island, Antigua and her eventual arrival in London with her brutal owner Mr Wood in 1828. Prince escaped from him and sought assistance from the Anti-Slavery
The Loss of the Ship “Essex” Sunk by a Whale
The gripping first-hand narrative of the whaling ship disaster that inspired Melville`s “Moby-Dick “and informed Nathaniel Philbrick`s monumental history, “In the Heart of the Sea.” In 1820, the Nantucket whaleship “Essex” was rammed by an angry sperm whale thousands of miles from home in the South Pacific. The “Essex “sank, leaving twenty crew members drifting
Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland
`I mentioned our design to Voltaire,` wrote Boswell. `He looked at me as if I had talked of going to the North Pole . . .` As it turned out, Johnson enjoyed their Scottish journey (although the land was not quite so wild and barbaric as perhaps he had hoped), and Boswell delighted in it.
Voyage of the Beagle
In England any person fond of natural history enjoys a great advantage ‘ฆ but in these fertile climates, teeming with life, the attractions are so numerous, that he is scarcely able to walk at all’When the Beagle sailed out of Devonport on 27th December 1831, Charles Darwin was twenty-two and setting off on the voyage
The Man in the Iron Mask
In the final adventure of the Musketeers, the Man in the Iron Mask sees D`Artagnan remain in the service of the corrupt King Louis XIV after the Three Musketeers have gone their separate ways. Meanwhile a mysterious prisoner in an iron mask languishes in the Bastille, where he has been for eighteen years. When the
A Short Residence In Sweden
In these two closely linked works – a travel book and a biography of its author – we witness a moving encounter between two of the most daring and original minds of the late eighteenth century: “A Short Residence in Sweden” is the record of Wollstonecraft`s last journey in search of happiness, into the remote
David Copperfield: The Personal History of David Copperfield: Personal History of David Copperfield
Drawing on Charles Dickens`s own, often difficult childhood, to create a compelling story of personal success, “David Copperfield” is edited with an introduction and notes by Jeremy Tambling in “Penguin Classics”. “David Copperfield” is the story of a young man`s adventures on his journey from an unhappy and impoverished childhood to the discovery of his
The Moonstone
“The Moonstone” is one of the first true works of detective fiction, in which Wilkie Collins established the groundwork for the genre itself. This “Penguin Classics” edition is edited with an introduction by Sandra Kemp. “The Moonstone”, a priceless yellow diamond, is looted from an Indian temple and maliciously bequeathed to Rachel Verinder. On her
Romola
One of George Eliot`s most ambitious and imaginative novels, Romola is set in Renaissance Florence during the turbulent years following the expulsion of the powerful Medici family during which the zealous religious reformer Savonarola rose to control the city. At its heart is Romola, the devoted daughter of a blind scholar, married to the clever
Principles of Geology
One of the key works in the nineteenth-century battle between science and Scripture, Charles Lyell`s Principles of Geology (1830-33) sought to explain the geological state of the modern Earth by considering the long-term effects of observable natural phenomena. Written with clarity and a dazzling intellectual passion, it is both a seminal work of modern geology
Rural Rides
Travelling on horseback through southern England in the early 19th century, William Cobbett provides evocative and accurate descriptions of the countryside, colourful accounts of his encounters with labourers, and indignant outbursts at the encroaching cities and the sufferings of the exploited poor. Ian Dyck`s new edition places these lively accounts of rural life in the
Flaubert in Egypt
At once a classic of travel literature and a penetrating portrait of a `sensibility on tour`, Flaubert in Egypt wonderfully captures the young writer`s impressions during his 1849 voyages. Using diaries, letters, travel notes, and the evidence of Flaubert`s travelling companion, Maxime Du Camp, Francis Steegmuller reconstructs his journey through the bazaars and brothels of
Martin Chuzzlewit
Charles Dickens` powerful black comedy of of hypocrisy and greed, “Martin Chuzzlewit” is edited with an introduction and notes by Patricia Ingham in “Penguin Classics”. The greed of his family has led wealthy old Martin Chuzzlewit to become suspicious and misanthropic, leaving his grandson and namesake to make his own way in the world. And
The Shadow of The Sun – My African Life
Ryszard Kapuscinski has been writing about the people of Africa throughout his career. In a study that avoids the official routes, palaces and big politics, he sets out to create an account of post-colonial Africa seen at once as a whole and as a location that wholly defies generalised explanations. Except as a geographical term,
Tour Through the Whole Island of Great Britain
This book covers Britain in the early eighteenth century. It provides an introduction that is both informative and imaginative, reliable and entertaining. To the tradition of travel writing Daniel Defoe brings a lifetime`s experience as a businessman, soldier, economic journalist and spy, and his Tour (1724-6) is an invaluable source of social and economic history.
Iron Kingdom – The Rise and Downfall of Prussia 1600-1917
Christopher Clark`s “Iron Kingdom” looks at the rise and fall of one of the world`s great powers, when Prussia dominated Europe for three and a half centuries.Prussia`s power came from a sequence of notable rulers (most famously Frederick the Great), dynastic marriage and an obsessive focus on military excellence. It was both a progressive, well-run,
Voyages And Discoveries
Renaissance diplomat and part-time spy, William Hakluyt was also England`s first serious geographer, gathering together a wealth of accounts about the wide-ranging travels and discoveries of the sixteenth-century English. One of the epics of this great period of expansion, “The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation” describes, in the words of
Extra Virgin – Amongst the Olive Groves of Liguria
Extra Virgin tells the story of two sisters, Annie and Sarah Hawes, who bought a small stone house deep among the olive groves of Liguria for the price of a second-hand car. Originally planning to visit the Italian Riviera for 10 weeks while in their early 20s, Annie Hawes ended up staying for 20 years.
Redburn
Wellington Redburn is a fifteen-year-old from the state of New York, with only one dream – to run away to sea. However, when he does fulfil this long-held fantasy, he quickly finds that reality as a cabin boy is far harsher than he ever imagined. Mocked by the crew on board the Highlander for his
Augustus: The Biography
He was named son and heir by a murdered dictator. He came to Rome with nothing, surrounded by ruthless enemies. Yet Augustus would become the first Roman Emperor, transforming the Republic into the greatest empire the world had seen. This is the definitive biography of the man who changed Western history. `Masterful …a breathtaking panorama
