Homer's epics, The Iliad and The Odyssey, are literary tales steeped in historical realities. They are among the oldest complete books in Western literature and have remained popular for near on 3,000 years Although historians now accept that there was an actual Trojan War, the enigma of Odysseus' whereabouts during his twenty-year odyssey remains a subject of debate. How could an experienced sea captain be disoriented for such an extended period of time when he was supposedly within the bounds of well-established Mediterranean trade routes? While scholarship both ancient and modern has suggested that The Odyssey was enacted beyond the confines of the Mediterranean littoral, SUN BOAT is the first to propose that Odysseus' beleaguered voyaging eventuated in him completing a circumnavigation of the globe c.1160 - 1130 B.C. With over 100 black and white illustrations, SUN BOAT presents a detailed account of the marvellous locations Odysseus visited. Ancient world mythologies are deciphered to reveal an underpinning of historical and geographical fact. By following clues he had found in Homer's The Iliad, the German archaeologist Schliemann located the ruins of Troy, Mycenae and Knossos. Like Schliemann, Michael MacRae is convinced that Homer's writings are based on actual historical events. MacRae's extensive research has led him to conclude that Odysseus is the mysterious, bearded 'Caucasian teacher' who is omnipresent in both early Mesoamerican and South American legends. During the past 30 years astonishing archaeological discoveries have been made along the Pacific coasts of Mexico and South America. Such finds serve to reinforce the premise that Odysseus visited these regions during his long odyssey. SUN BOAT is in the same genre as Gavin Menzies' controversial bestseller, 1421 - The Year China Discovered the World and Enrico Mattievich's Journey to the Mythological Inferno, the latter winning the 2011 International Book of the Year (history category).

For fans of Cheryl Strayed, the gripping story of a biologist's human-powered journey from the Pacific Northwest to the Arctic to rediscover her love of birds, nature, and adventure. During graduate school, as she conducted experiments on the peculiarly misshapen beaks of chickadees, ornithologist Caroline Van Hemert began to feel stifled in the isolated, sterile environment of the lab. Worried that she was losing her passion for the scientific research she once loved, she was compelled to experience wildness again, to be guided by the sounds of birds and to follow the trails of animals. In March of 2012, she and her husband set off on a 4,000-mile wilderness journey from the Pacific rainforest to the Alaskan Arctic, traveling by rowboat, ski, foot, raft, and canoe. Together, they survived harrowing dangers while also experiencing incredible moments of joy and grace -- migrating birds silhouetted against the moon, the steamy breath of caribou, and the bond that comes from sharing such experiences. A unique blend of science, adventure, and personal narrative, The Sun is a Compass explores the bounds of the physical body and the tenuousness of life in the company of the creatures who make their homes in the wildest places left in North America. Inspiring and beautifully written, this love letter to nature is a lyrical testament to the resilience of the human spirit. Winner of the 2019 Banff Mountain Book Competition: Adventure Travel

The harrowing adventure-at-sea memoir recounting the heroic search-and-rescue mission for lost Montauk fisherman John Aldridge, which Daniel James Brown calls "A terrific read." I am floating in the middle of the night, and nobody in the world even knows I am missing. Nobody is looking for me. You can't get more alone than that. You can't be more lost. I've got too many people who love me. There's no way I'm dying like this. In the dead of night on July 24, 2013, John Aldridge was thrown off the back of the Anna Mary while his fishing partner, Anthony Sosinski, slept below. As desperate hours ticked by, Sosinski, the families, the local fishing community, and the U.S. Coast Guard in three states mobilized in an unprecedented search effort that culminated in a rare and exhilarating success. A tale of survival, perseverance, and community, A Speck in the Sea tells of one man's struggle to survive as friends and strangers work to bring him home. Aldridge's wrenching first-person account intertwines with the narrative of the massive, constantly evolving rescue operation designed to save him.

Great advances are currently being made in the understanding of Pound's lifework. Many of the essays in this book--the majority are published her for the first time--disclose hitherto unsuspected aspects of the poet's beliefs, while others are studies in depth of areas of his work which, although frequently discussed, have never before been properly examined. Seldom, in fact, have so many pioneering studies been assembled between the covers of a single volume. The various contributors are eminently qualified to treat the specific ideas and interests of Pound's about which they write, and the book as a co-ordinated whole comprehensively covers his--and our artistic culture. Eminent scholars and critics from five different countries have come together in this attempt to 'unscrew the inscrutable': Richard EllemannLeslie FiedlerForrest ReadN. Christoph de NagyWalter BaumannGuy DavenportJ. P. SullivanJohn EspeyDonal DavieGeorge DekkerBoris de RachewiltzAlbert CookHugh KennerChristine Broke-Rose Eva Hesse--well-known here and in Germany as a critic and translator--establishes the interrelationships between the various fields of study and examines some of Pound's key concepts from the aspect of the history of ideas. New Approaches to Ezra Pound should serve as a valuable source book for all students of literature and may above all be expected to act as a catalyst for future studies. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1969.