Why do explorers put themselves in dangerous situations? And, once the worst possible situation occurs, how do they find the resources to survive? In answering these questions, Benedict Allen weaves a series of tales from his own experience as well as that of other explorers including Columbus, Cortez, Scott, Shakelton, Stanley, Livingstone and their modern counterparts: Joe Simpson and Ranulf Fiennes.

On August 16, 1952, Ian Fleming wrote to his wife, Ann, "My love, This is only a tiny letter to try out my new typewriter and to see if it will write golden words since it is made of gold." He had bought the golden typewriter as a present to himself for finishing his first novel, Casino Royale. It marked in glamorous style the arrival of James Bond, agent 007, and the start of a career that saw Fleming become one the world's most celebrated thriller-writers. And he did write golden words. Before his death in 1964 he produced fourteen best-selling Bond books, two works of non-fiction and the famous children's story Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang. Fleming's output was matched by an equally energetic flow of letters. He wrote constantly, to his wife, publisher, editors, fans, friends and critics--and to the wife of the man whose name Fleming appropriated for his hero--charting 007's progress with correspondence that ranged from badgering Jonathan Cape about his quota of free copies--a coin was tossed and Fleming lost--to apologizing for having mistaken a certain brand of perfume and for equipping Bond with the wrong kind of gun. His letters also reflect his friendship with such contemporaries as Raymond Chandler, Noel Coward and Somerset Maugham. This entertaining and engaging compilation traces the arc of Fleming's literary career and details the inner working of James Bond. Set against the backdrop of his Jamaican retreat Goldeneye, and a troubled marriage, Fleming's letters are filled with wit, humor and occasional self-doubt. They reveal an intimate portrait of a man, an era and a literary phenomenon.

The golden moments of exploration and adventure - glorious, triumphant, perilous and dramatic. In the 18th century, exploration entered a new dimension - explorers were motivated by scientific inquiry rather than greed. To this end they were expected to make a full record of everything they encountered; and for the first time in history, that record was to include pictures as well as words. Combining gripping first-hand accounts with original images, THE EXPLORER'S EYE gives an insight into who these people were and what they saw. They were a mixed bunch but, whatever their training or background, they provided a vivid portrait of the unknown. In the early days they drew their own pictures, later they were equipped with draughtsmen, later still they carried cameras, and ultimately they were accompanied by film crews. The power of their images is matched by that of their journals. Here you have Alexander von Humboldt braving the electric eels of South America and Robert Peary explaining his relationships with Eskimos.

“A fine and lively collection of exploration stories” from the author of Barrow’s Boys (Kirkus Reviews). On John Franklin’s 1820 expedition to find the Northwest Passage, Michel Teroahaute cannibalized two team members and was preparing a third when he was caught and killed. When Rene La Salle set off for the Mississippi Delta in 1684, he missed the target by five hundred miles, but on landing, immediately built a prison for those who fell asleep on watch. Consummate storyteller Fergus Fleming brings together these and forty-three other gripping stories spanning three ages of exploration in Off the Map. Off the Map recounts episodes both classic and forgotten: The “classics” are brought to life in more vivid colors than ever before; the lesser-known stories offer accounts of extraordinary feats that have long lain hidden. From the Renaissance golden age of Columbus, da Gama, and Magellan, to the twentieth-century heroics of polar explorers such as Peary, Scott, and Amundsen, this is an unforgettable journey into the annals of adventure. “A first-rate one-volume . . . introduction to many hair-raising stories of exploration.” —The New York Times “Each story is short, punchy, and crammed with facts . . . Fleming possesses an eye for wry detail.” —Adventure “There isn’t a dud in the lot . . . Adventure reading of a high order: brisk, fresh and full of color.” —Kirkus Reviews

Do you consider yourself well-versed in Canadas history? Ever heard of Domagaya, the Laurentian Iroquois who saved Jacques Cartiers expedition to the New World by teaching him the cure for scurvy? Or Charles Lennox, the Governor-General who died from the bite of a pet fox? Theres the Chief Justice of Upper Canada kept a pet alligator in his historic home, and Constable Pedley of the Mounties, who transported a sick missionary hundreds of miles through the Northern Alberta wilderness to get medical help while putting his own life at risk. Learn about the American bankers yacht, the S.S. Ramona, which faithfully served in the Royal Canadian Navy during the Battle of the Atlantic and ended her days plying the South Seas as a shrimp boat. All of these were true heroes of Canada. A collection of little-known tales of heroism from Canadas history, Last of the Rinkrats and Other Stories tells twenty-three unforgettable true stories of Canadas unsung heroes and forgotten characters.

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