Category Archives: Travel Guides
Bad Days in Basra
The phonecall came from out of the blue, just when Sir Hilary Synnott was looking forward to retirement after helping steer India and Pakistan back from the verge of nuclear war. “It`s about Iraq. We need a King of the South…”Bad Days in Basra” is the story of Synnott`s time as Britain`s most senior representative
Montenegro – A Modern History
In May 2006, following a closely and bitterly fought referendum, Montenegro finally regained the status of an independent nation that it had lost in 1918 – the most recent chapter in a highly turbulent history. Kenneth Morrison’s book is a must for anyone looking to understand a complicated history.’Montenegro: A Modern History” charts the country’s
The Earl and His Butler
George Hay, 8th Earl of Kinnoull, was an unconventional ambassador. A Scottish aristocrat who had been imprisoned for his Jacobite sympathies and almost bankrupted by his involvement in the South Sea Bubble, Lord Kinnoull had no previous diplomatic experience when he was unexpectedly appointed ambassador to the Ottoman Empire in 1729. Leaving his wife and
An Island In Greece – On The Shores Of Skopelos
Scattered in a crescent in the sparkling waters of the Aegean, the islands of the Sporades are known to Greek fishermen as `the gates of the wind`. It was to this unspoilt archipelago that Michael Carroll sailed Astarte, a boat of sleek mahogany with wine-red sails, named after the Phoenician goddess of the moon and
Cyprus: A Modern History
`Cyprus: A Modern History` is a fast-moving and incisive history of the island’s divisions ‘“ within itself and due to the grip of foreign states, most notably Greece and Turkey, but also somewhere prey to the clutches of the USA and the now resurgent Russia, not to mention the role of the British in the
Mornings in Mexico
Much of D.H. Lawrence`s life was defined by his passion for travel and it was those peripatetic wanderings that gave life to some of his greatest novels. In the 1920s, Lawrence travelled several times to Mexico, where he was fascinated by the clash of beauty and brutality, purity and darkness that he observed there. The
Twelve Days in Persia
A year after Vita Sackville-West first travelled to Iran – a journey described in the classic “Passenger to Teheran” – she returned to the land that had so captured her imagination. For twelve days, with her husband and three friends, she embarked on a difficult and often dangerous journey through the rugged and wildly-beautiful Bakhtiari
Shah Abbas: The Ruthless King Who Became an Iranian Legend
Shah Abbas (1571-1629) was shah of Iran from 1588 (when he assumed power by deposing his father, whom he later murdered) until his death in 1629. He is of critical importance in the history of Iran, restoring the power of the Safavids through war and the strategic negotiation of peace. He is still acclaimed for
My Brother`s Road
What do `Abu Sindi`, `Timothy Sean McCormack`, `Saro`, and `Commander Avo` all have in common? They were all aliases for Monte Melkonian. But who was Monte Melkonian? In his native California he was once a kid in cut-off jeans, playing baseball and eating snow cones. Europe denounced him as an international terrorist. His adopted homeland
Three Kings in Baghdad
This is the tragic story of the short-lived Iraqi monarchy. The first king of Iraq, Faisal I, was installed by the British in 1921. Faisal, who had led the Arab Revolt and fought alongside T.E. Lawrence, was a major player in the politics of the Middle East. He was also, most importantly, pro-British and thus
Edward Lear in Albania
There is `luxury and inconvenience on the one hand, liberty, hard living and filth on the other`. So Edward Lear described the mysterious and often misunderstood country of Albania. Edward Lear`s travels through Albania and Macedonia in 1848 came about when an outbreak of cholera closed off all other routes out of Salonica – the
Experiments on Reality
Long recognized as perhaps the greatest non-fiction writer at work in Ireland, for his vast, polymathic accounts of nature and culture in the Aran Islands and Connemara, Tim Robinson is also an essayist of genius whose fascinations range across the globe. In Experiments on Reality, he shines the light of his intelligence on his own
The Oatmeal Ark
A haunting tale of loss and discovery, “The Oatmeal Ark” is the story of one remarkable family and a candid, beautifully rendered portrait of the country that defined it.After the death of his father, Beagan Gillean finds himself stranded on a wild Scottish island, alone except for a trunk full of three generations of family
The Scottish Nationality Test 2014/15: How Scottish are You?
At a time when Scotland is once again considering life as an independent nation, The Scottish Nationality Test is essential reading for any citizen or visitor with a sense of humour. Scotland has long been recognised as one of the greatest countries in the world. And with global warming and long hot summers just around
Under the Dragon
The memory of a brief visit to Burma had haunted Rory MacLean for years. A decade after the violent suppression of an unarmed national uprising, which cost thousands of lives and all hopes for democracy, he seized the chance to return. Travelling from Rangoon to Mandalay and Pagan, into the heart of the Golden Triangle,
Ted, Bo and Diz
Ted, Bo, and Diz are enjoying a sunny day at sea when an iceberg floats by with a family of polar ears on board. The bears, who are far from home, and the three friends spend the afternoon together, telling stories and playing on the ice. ted, Bo, and Diz are about to say goodbye
Secret of Laughter
This magical collection of stories, gathered from the rich treasury of Persian folk and fairytales, tells of love and longing, fate and human ingenuity, loss and grace. Although sources of these tales have been lost over the ages, their memory runs through the collective psyche of the Iranian people. Handed down through generations, told by
