Between Meals --A true gourmand, A.J. Liebling writes about his passion for eating, drinking, living and loving in Paris. His enthusiastic dedication to Paris and its food oozes from every page of this autobiographical history, making it a real pleasure to read. Now in a slim Modern Library cloth edition for $13.50. ---Sandy
Bitter Lemons --Lawrence Durrell's classic memoir is finally back in print. In this lovely book, he details his experiences on the island of Cyprus between 1953 and 1956, bringing us into the lives of the local inhabitants and sharing with us his personal desire to settle there and build a home. He also chronicles the Greek side of the struggle over independence from Britain, and its effects on the character of the island. $10.95 -Sandy
Burmese Days --George Orwell brings us a classic tale about the oppression of British-ruled Burma. Two stories are interwoven here: a corrupt native policeman trying to gain entry into the white man's club, and a British resident's courtship of a visiting Englishwoman. Orwell, who served in the Burmese police, presents an insider's view of the clash of politics and culture, making this fascinating reading particularly in light of the recent controversies over tourism there. $10.00 ---Edda
Chasing Cezanne --Peter Mayle's latest is a light, quick read: absorbing, amusing and fun. The novel follows Andre, a photographer, from New York to the South of France to Paris and back to the South of France again as he and his array of intriguing friends try to unravel the mystery of a stolen painting. Mayle's descriptions of the French countryside and the bustle of Paris are vivid, providing a great backdrop for this French adventure and making it a perfect summer read. Cloth $23.00 ---Julie
Culture Shock: France --This book is a comprehensive look into French culture, ideal for someone planning a trip to France. Sally Adamson Taylor covers everything from hand gestures and language to fashion and etiquette. She also includes practical information such as clothing size conversion charts, lists of French holidays and resources for foreigners. Some sections such as the art of French business and living with a French family may not apply to everyone, however the realistic introduction to the culture and people will be useful to all readers. $12.95 ---Julie
Fez of the Heart --Jeremy Seal travels through Turkey searching for the root of "Turkishness", to him symbolized by the fez which was outlawed by Ataturk in 1923. As he explores the country, Seal examines the tension between eastern and western influences that continues to dominate both people and politics. This is an intriguing book about how a small article of clothing became the focus of an intense political and religious debate that helped determine the course of Turkish history. $14.00 ---Sandy
Forced To Grow --Sindiwe Magona's memoir of life in South Africa portrays her strength and courage as a single mother raising her children alone while battling persistent poverty and racism. She rises above her country's (and her own) expectations and proves that despite the odds one can choose one's own destiny. Well-written and poignant, this glimpse into Magona's life is impossible to put down. $12.95 ---Tanya
The Great Game --Peter Hopkirk makes history come alive for Central Asia, that obscure, romantic-sounding region we've all heard of but know so little about. Filled with the wild escapades of the British and Russians in their race to control the valuable trade routes through the area at the turn of the century, this reads more like a novel than a history book. A must for anyone planning a visit to this increasingly popular region. $17.00 ---Sandy
Highways to a War --Who hasn't fallen in love with the enigmatic figure of a war correspondent in foreign locales risking his or her life for a story? Michael Langford, the protagonist in this novel by Christopher Koch, is such a figure: an Australian photographer who disappears during the war in Vietnam and Cambodia after losing the impartiality so essential to a journalist. His story is told by his friend Raymond, who travels to the war-torn region to find out what happened and hopefully bring Michael home. Like Koch's previous novel, Year of Living Dangerously , this is one you will not be able to put down! $12.95 ---Edda
Hitchhiking Vietnam --In this memoir of seven months wandering solo through Vietnam, Karin Muller gives us a good story, great writing, a well-developed sense of place and a narrator you can root for. Whether she is telling us about the miseries of being swindled by her communist youth league guides or her attempts to rescue endangered animals from the black market, Hitchhiking Vietnam is an example of what good travel writing can be: funny, wise, poignant and informative. $14.95 ---Liz
Islands in the Clouds --In this volume of the Lonely Planet Journeys series, Isabella Tree ventures into the remote Central Highlands region of Papua New Guinea, traveling into areas where few Westerners have ever gone. Accompanied by a native Highlander friend and a machete-wielding hired hand for protection, Tree explores the effects of clear-cutting, gold-mining, oil excavation and missionaries on the local people and land. By turns funny and serious, this is a thought-provoking account of a country torn between ancient traditions and rapid modernization. $10.95 ---Diana
Jaguars Ripped My Flesh --Tim Cahill, one of the founders of Outside Magazine, writes hilariously of his trips to remote, wild parts of the world. He is invariably met with some disaster or malfunction that allows you to feel safe (if not smug) in the knowledge that you would never be caught dead in such a situation. Whether gorilla-watching in Rwanda, sea snake hunting in the Philippines or flying into the eye of a hurricane with U.S. storm-trackers, Cahill enlightens, amuses and is happy to do all the hard stuff while you sit in your favorite armchair eating it up. $13.00 --Diana
Letters From London --A collection of Julian Barnes' dispatches from London to the New Yorker, written over the course of five years. These short pieces cover topics ranging from the Royal Family to the fall of Margaret Thatcher to forgeries in the British Museum; but no matter the subject his observations are always right on the mark and often hilarious to boot. $13.00 ---Diana
Lost Fortune of the Tsars --How rich were the Romanov's and where did all their wealth go after the revolution? William Clarke, former financial editor at the London Times, investigates this mystery, combing state archives in Moscow and interviewing the scattered members of the Romanov dynasty. It is no wonder there was a revolution: Clarke likens the splendor of the Russian court to that of Louis XIV and V! Fascinating reading. $14.95. ---Sandy
My Lead Dog Was a Lesbian --An Alaskan newspaper reporter, Brian Patrick O'Donoghue, enters the Iditarod. Twenty-two days later he's still running his dogs---or maybe it's the other way around. A funny, painful and well-written account of one of the most grueling quests for spiritual fulfillment man has devised. $13.00 ---Sandy
No Pictures on My Grave --Susan Lloyd's quest to trace her roots in Sicily and at the same time track down the legendary Black Madonna. Lloyd blends mythology, folklore and her own personal history into a moving portrait. $12.95 ---Edda
A Peace to End All Peace --In telling the story of how the Ottoman empire was carved up to create the modern map of the Middle East, author David Fromkin takes us back to the turn of the century and the Great Game, when Britain and Russia fought over mastery of Asia. He follows the fortunes of all the major players through the First World War (the title refers to the treaties that ended that war), and introduces us to great characters like T.E. Lawrence, Ataturk, Churchill and Kitchener of Khartoum. Fromkin's book is a wonderful, accessible introduction to the modern Middle East, and his engaging style makes it a pleasure to read. $14.95 ---Andrew
Pink Tanks and Velvet Hangovers --Douglas Lytle experienced a defining moment in history when he visited the Czech Republic six months after the Velvet Revolution. He shares those experiences with us as he explores the culture from the vantage point of an outsider looking in: from teaching English to a classroom full of Czech children to joining the staff of the newly launched English language paper, The Prague Post. $16.95 ---Edda
NEW The Rom: Walking in the Paths of the Gypsies--Roger Moreau has done great justice to a people we now know much more about due to his interest and wanderings. Full of history and astonishing personalities, this book follows the path of these nomads in India, Turkey and parts of Europe, and tells the story of who the gypsies really are, where they came from and where they are going. If you have ever known the aching pull of the road, you will be fascinated by these wanderers, and enlightened by Moreau’s inspired writing. $14.95 --Claudia
Rough Guide: More Women Travel --Subtitled "Adventures and advice from more than 60 countries", this special edition from the Rough Guides contains accounts by contemporary women travellers in every part of the world. Their stories serve as encouragement and in some cases much needed warning--they all make for engrossing reading. $16.95 ---Diana
Running the Amazon --Joe Kane has composed an engrossing tale of the first kayak trip along the entire length of the Amazon. From its source in the Peruvian Andes to the Atlantic (a journey of over 4,000 miles), it is a non-stop struggle against rapids, guerrillas and other expedition team members. $12.00 ---Sandy
NEW Shadows in the Sun--Wade Davis, ethno-botonist and acclaimed author of The Serpent and the Rainbow, has written a fascinating book about his travels among indigenous peoples in places as diverse as the Arctic Circle, Borneo, and the Amazon. He focuses on placing the people in their natural context; discovering how they have adapted to their (often harsh) surroundings, how they use the plants, animals and other natural resources upon which they depend, and how they are faring against increasing tourism, logging and other incursions into their way of life. Davis’ writing is informed and passionate, without sentimentality or over-simplification, and makes for compelling and inspiring reading. I highly recommend it. Cloth, $22.95 ---Diana
NEW A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush-- Originally published in 1958 and now back in print thanks to the dedicated people at Lonely Planet, this is explorer and travel writer Eric Newby’s classic account of a mountain climbing expedition to Nuristan--north-eastern Afghanistan-- in the remote heart of Central Asia. At a time when no other Englishmen had travelled in the region in over fifty years, Newby and his friend Hugh Carless, complete novices, had to apply as a mountain climbing expedition to gain access to the area. In great travel writing tradition, they trek across Central Asia and confront some rather intimidating mountains, as well as other hardships. This wonderful, funny book will enchant anyone with an interest in this still-wild region as well as anyone who simply enjoys a great story well-told. $12.95 ---Liz
NEW Shackleton’s Boat Journey--Written by F.A. Worsley, captain of the Endurance, this is a first-hand account of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s near-fatal expedition to Antarctica in 1914-1916. When the Endurance became trapped and crushed by ice, the 28-member crew was stranded on an ice floe, forced to drift for five months and 600 miles until they reached shore. "Shackleton saved every one of his men, although at times it looked unlikely that one could be saved" writes Worsley, in typically understated style. This is a powerful and often incredible tale of survival under the most brutal conditions, as temperatures dropped to minus 50 degrees and winds reached over 80 miles per hour, and ultimately of immense courage and determination. $13.00 ---Diana
The Size of the World --As Jeff Greenwald traveled around the world in 1993---by ground transportation only---he posted his observations on an Internet site for the wired world to enjoy. Now his thoroughly enjoyable essays are available to us all. Adventure, a sense of humor and a host of interesting characters are constants here. $12.95 ---Diana
Snow Falling on Cedars --I am adding my voice to those of the many booksellers across the country who are calling this book one of the best first novels to come out in years. Part mystery and part love story, David Guterson's novel is also a vivid portrait of the Pacific Northwest in the 1940's and the haunting history of the local Japanese citizens before and especially during the war. $12.00 ---Diana
A Spy's London --Even the most innocuous building may have a sinister history: this building was the former headquarters of the British Union of Fascists, that housed Christene Keeler's flat, and yet another belonged to the original "C" (the first head of the British Secret Service). Entertaining and replete with maps, this book is the perfect guide to all the sights that made London the capital of espionage. $22.95 ---Sandy
NEW Travelers’ Tales: Paris--I began to read this book as soon as my plans for a trip to Paris this past spring were finalized. I knew it would entice me with its descriptions of the people, the food, the culture. It did all that and more. The short essays here are culled from the experiences of several dozen authors, both famous and unknown, and explore everything from Ile-St-Louis to the Paris catacombs to a Parisian-style fashion make-over. Authors include Mort Rosenblum on the true source of the Seine, Robert Daly on a grave for the victims of the guillotine, and Jan Morris on her uneasy appreciation of Paris as a modern metropolis. $17.95 ---Diana
Travelers' Tales Spain --Even before my trip, I experienced the charm and flavors of Spain with this anthology that includes the writings of a wide array of contemporary visitors to all corners of the country. It provides individual insights and experiences, a great sense of place and some great travel tips as well. $17.95 ---Iman
NEW Travels With My Elephant--This is a lovely memoir recounting explorer and travel writer Mark Shand’s journey across India on his newly purchased elephant, Tara. Shand has a gift for pulling the reader into his story--we wince at every misstep along his road to becoming a mahout, elephant master, and become, like him, terribly attached to Tara. There is real tension as Shand and his entourage reach their final destination, the elephant market at Bihar, and he must decide Tara’s fate. This engaging travelogue makes for great reading, imparting the flavor of India past and present with humor and grace. Color photographs complement the text. $16.95 ---Liz
Two Towns in Provence -- MFK Fisher's reminiscences of Aix-en-Provence, Marseille and Provence in general, long before it became the hot spot it is now. She easily makes you understand the fascination with the region (and its food!). $16.00 ---Edda
Waiting For Fidel --Journalist Christopher Hunt's main inspiration for visiting Cuba is to meet and interview Fidel Castro. He rents an apartment in Havana, and talks to street vendors, intellectuals and prostitutes in an attempt to know and understand the many contradictions of the country. Hunt and the Cubans he chats up discuss what makes Cuba Cuba, and the talk usually turns to Fidel. Unfortunately for the author he never actually meets his quarry, but even so, Waiting For Fidel is smart, funny and engaging. It's a great choice for anyone interested in contemporary Cuba and the perceptions of Cubans themselves. $13.00 ---Liz
The Waiting Land --Dervla Murphy, one of my all-time favorite writers, went to Nepal in 1965 to work at a Tibetan refugee camp. She travelled all over Nepal by bike (Leo, successor to Roz of Ireland to India fame) and foot, and here in journal form describes the Nepalese people and their country, and the unexpected events and friendships she encountered at every turn. Murphy writes with such a wonderful sense of understatement and intimacy that you feel as if she is regaling you with her adventures in person. $13.95 ---Diana