Soldiers and sailors, geographers and geologists, submariners and balloonists all flocked to Antarctica during the 'Heroic Age' of Polar exploration. No one better represented this eclectic band than Frank Bickerton, engineer on Douglas Mawson's Australasian Antarctic Expedition (AAE) of 1911–14. A true pioneer of Antarctic exploration, he piloted the expedition's 'air-tractor', established the first crucial wireless link between Antarctica and the rest of the world, and discovered one of the first meteorites ever to be found on the continent. Treasure-hunter, explorer, fighter pilot, entrepreneur, big-game hunter and movie-maker, Bickerton not only made a major contribution to the success of the AAE, but was also recruited by Ernest Shackleton for his ill-fated Endurance Expedition, dug for pirate gold on Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, survived bloody dogfights over the Western Front during the First World War, and flirted with the glittering world of 1920s Hollywood. In Born Adventurer, historian Stephen Haddelsey draws on unique access to family papers, journals and letters to provide a thrilling account of Bickerton's rich and colourful life.

At the end of his illustrious career as an international adventurer and soldier of fortune, Lord Higford decided he needed to write his memoirs. But he decided he needed to address both his personal life and his adventures abroad, describe in detail his love life as well as his battles. From the start, he identified the key moments in his life, such as the premature death of his mother or his father's decision to send him away from home to boarding school when he was only eight years old. But the most important event in Higford's young life was when a tutor at Eton took an interest in him and applied the effort to teach him to write, and afterward, critically, introduced him to adventure literature. Most important of these was the story of Jason and his quest for the Golden Fleece from Greek mythology. This story captivated him and drove him to read the life adventures of England's greatest soldiers and adventurers, including Sir Richard Burton, Winston Churchill, and Fitzroy Maclean. Inspired by these works, Higford decided that his life's work would also be that of an explorer, adventurer, soldier, and fighter for the British Empire. Instead of going to Oxford, he joined the SAS, England's elite fighting force, and was sent to all corners of the world to fight anti-colonial insurgencies. His career culminated in the quick war against the Argentines in the Falklands. It was a war that ended his SAS career as well as spelled the end of his marriage. Afterward, he participated as a mercenary several times in Africa and decided it was better to run mercenaries than to be one, so he established one of the world's first private military companies supplying mercenaries to causes and regimes in Africa and Asia. This was how he stumbled onto his final, greatest, and most notorious adventure, one that nearly cost him his life, his career, his fortune, and his rank as an English peer.

Born to Explore is filled with skills, projects, and essential knowledge for the budding adventurer Explorer extraordinaire Richard Wiese's more than one hundred excellent projects show how to have fun with science and nature, how to not always take the most walked path, and how to learn to "read" the natural world. Discovery does not occur just in the Amazon or deep in the ocean. It happens everywhere around us: Navigate by the stars, Tell time without a watch, Start a fire without a match, Make an igloo, Build your own canoe, And be prepared for any challenge.

Discover the “fascinating and outrageously readable” account of the roguish acts of the first pirates to raid the Pacific in a crusade that ended in a sensational trial back in England—perfect for readers of Nathaniel Philbrick and David McCullough (Douglas Preston, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lost City of the Monkey God) The year is 1680, in the heart of the Golden Age of Piracy, and more than three hundred daring, hardened pirates—a potent mix of low-life scallywags and a rare breed of gentlemen buccaneers—gather on a remote Caribbean island. The plan: to wreak havoc on the Pacific coastline, raiding cities, mines, and merchant ships. The booty: the bright gleam of Spanish gold and the chance to become legends. So begins one of the greatest piratical adventures of the era—a story not given its full due until now. Inspired by the intrepid forays of pirate turned Jamaican governor Captain Henry Morgan—yes, that Captain Morgan—the company crosses Panama on foot, slashing its way through the Darien Isthmus, one of the thickest jungles on the planet, and liberating a native princess along the way. After reaching the South Sea, the buccaneers, primarily Englishmen, plunder the Spanish Main in a series of historic assaults, often prevailing against staggering odds and superior firepower. A collective shudder racks the western coastline of South America as the English pirates, waging a kind of proxy war against the Spaniards, gleefully undertake a brief reign over Pacific waters, marauding up and down the continent. With novelistic prose and a rip-roaring sense of adventure, Keith Thomson guides us through the pirates’ legendary two-year odyssey. We witness the buccaneers evading Indigenous tribes, Spanish conquistadors, and sometimes even their own English countrymen, all with the ever-present threat of the gallows for anyone captured. By fusing contemporaneous accounts with intensive research and previously unknown primary sources, Born to Be Hanged offers a rollicking account of one of the most astonishing pirate expeditions of all time.

John Buchan's 'The Complete Novels of John Buchan: 25+ Spy Classics, Thrillers & Adventure Novels in One Premium Edition (Unabridged)' is a compelling collection of thrilling and adventurous stories that showcase Buchan's mastery of the spy genre. With a mix of espionage, political intrigue, and daring escapades, the book provides readers with a captivating glimpse into the world of early 20th-century espionage literature. Buchan's writing style is both engaging and evocative, drawing readers into a world of danger and excitement. His attention to detail and intricate plots make each novel a page-turner that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. John Buchan, a Scottish novelist and politician, drew inspiration from his own experiences in the British intelligence services during World War I to write his spy novels. His background in politics and diplomacy lends a sense of authenticity to his stories, adding depth and complexity to the characters and plots. Buchan's keen insight into human nature and his understanding of the geopolitical landscape of his time are evident in his nuanced portrayals of spies and secret agents. I highly recommend 'The Complete Novels of John Buchan' to readers who enjoy action-packed thrillers with a historical twist. Buchan's storytelling prowess and his unique perspective on the world of espionage make this collection a must-read for fans of spy fiction and adventure novels.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER "Destined to become an adventure classic." —Anchorage Daily News Hailed as "gripping" (New York Times) and "beautiful" (Washington Post), The Adventurer's Son is Roman Dial’s extraordinary and widely acclaimed account of his two-year quest to unravel the mystery of his son’s disappearance in the jungles of Costa Rica. In the predawn hours of July 10, 2014, the twenty-seven-year-old son of preeminent Alaskan scientist and National Geographic Explorer Roman Dial, walked alone into Corcovado National Park, an untracked rainforest along Costa Rica’s remote Pacific Coast that shelters miners, poachers, and drug smugglers. He carried a light backpack and machete. Before he left, Cody Roman Dial emailed his father: “I am not sure how long it will take me, but I’m planning on doing 4 days in the jungle and a day to walk out. I’ll be bounded by a trail to the west and the coast everywhere else, so it should be difficult to get lost forever.” They were the last words Dial received from his son. As soon as he realized Cody Roman’s return date had passed, Dial set off for Costa Rica. As he trekked through the dense jungle, interviewing locals and searching for clues—the authorities suspected murder—the desperate father was forced to confront the deepest questions about himself and his own role in the events. Roman had raised his son to be fearless, to be at home in earth’s wildest places, travelling together through rugged Alaska to remote Borneo and Bhutan. Was he responsible for his son’s fate? Or, as he hoped, was Cody Roman safe and using his wilderness skills on a solo adventure from which he would emerge at any moment? Part detective story set in the most beautiful yet dangerous reaches of the planet, The Adventurer’s Son emerges as a far deeper tale of discovery—a journey to understand the truth about those we love the most. The Adventurer’s Son includes fifty black-and-white photographs.