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Dom Joly sets off round the world, but this time he's not looking to holiday in a danger zone -…
he's monster hunting. Ever since he was given a copy of Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World for his ninth birthday Dom has been obsessed with the world of cryptozoology - monster hunting - and in Scary Monsters and Super Creeps he heads to six completely different destinations to investigate local monster sightings. He explores the Redwood Curtain in northern California in search of Sasquatch; in Canada he visits Lake Okanagan hoping to catch a glimpse of a thirty-foot snake-like creature called Ogopogo; and near Lake Tele in Congo he risks his life tracking the vegetarian sauropod Mokele-mbembe. Naturally he heads to Loch Ness - but for this hunt he has his family in tow; he treks across the Khumbu Valley in Nepal looking for Yeti; and in the hills above Hiroshima in Japan he enlists the help of a local man to find the Hibagon, a terribly smelly 'caveman ape'. Are the monsters all the product of fevered minds, or is there a sliver of truth somewhere in the madness? Either way, the search gives Dom an excuse to dive into six fascinating destinations on a gloriously nutty adventure. In typically hilarious and irreverent fashion, Dom explores the cultures that gave rise to these monster myths and ends up in some pretty hairy situations with people even stranger than the monsters they are hunting.The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey
Par Rinker Buck. 2015
#1 Indie Next Pick for July 2015 "Part Laura Ingalls Wilder, part Jack Kerouac, The Oregon Trail is an idiosyncratic…
and irresistible addition to the canon of American road-trip literature." --George Howe Colt "Astonishing...By turns frankly hilarious, historically elucidating, emotionally touching, and deeply informative...An inspired exploration of American identity." --Kirkus Reviews (starred reviewFrom "a virtuoso storyteller in a very American vein" (Phillip Lopate), The Oregon Trail is an epic account of traveling the length of the Oregon Trail the old-fashioned way--in a covered wagon with a team of mules, an audacious journey that hasn't been attempted in a century--which also chronicles the rich history of the trail, the people who made the migration, and its significance to the country. Spanning two thousand miles and traversing six states from Missouri to the Pacific coast, the Oregon Trail is the route that made America. In the fifteen years before the Civil War, when 400,000 pioneers used the trail to emigrate West--scholars still regard this as the largest land migration in history--it united the coasts, doubled the size of the country, and laid the groundwork for the railroads. Today, amazingly, the trail is all but forgotten. Rinker Buck is no stranger to grand adventures. His first travel narrative, Flight of Passage, was hailed by The New Yorker as "a funny, cocky gem of a book," and with The Oregon Trail he brings the most important route in American history back to glorious and vibrant life. Traveling from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Baker City, Oregon, over the course of four months, Buck is accompanied by three cantankerous mules, his boisterous brother, Nick, and an "incurably filthy" Jack Russell terrier named Olive Oyl. Along the way, they dodge thunderstorms in Nebraska, chase runaway mules across the Wyoming plains, scout more than five hundred miles of nearly vanished trail on foot, cross the Rockies, and make desperate fifty-mile forced marches for water. The Buck brothers repair so many broken wheels and axels that they nearly reinvent the art of wagon travel itself. They also must reckon with the ghost of their father, an eccentric yet loveable dreamer whose memory inspired their journey across the plains and whose premature death, many years earlier, has haunted them both ever since. But The Oregon Trail is much more than an epic adventure. It is also a lively and essential work of history that shatters the comforting myths about the trail years passed down by generations of Americans. Buck introduces readers to the largely forgotten roles played by trailblazing evangelists, friendly Indian tribes, female pioneers, bumbling U.S. Army cavalrymen, and the scam artists who flocked to the frontier to fleece the overland emigrants. Generous portions of the book are devoted to the history of old and appealing things like the mule and the wagon. We also learn how the trail accelerated American economic development. Most arresting, perhaps, are the stories of the pioneers themselves--ordinary families whose extraordinary courage and sacrifice made this country what it became. At once a majestic journey across the West, a significant work of history, and a moving personal saga, The Oregon Trail draws readers into the journey of a lifetime. It is a wildly ambitious work of nonfiction from a true American original. It is a book with a heart as big as the country it crosses.What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding
Par Kristin Newman. 2014
A funny, sexy, and ultimately poignant memoir about mastering the art of the "vacationship." Kristin Newman spent much of her…
twenties and thirties buying dresses to wear to her friends' weddings and baby showers. Not ready to settle down and in need of an escape from her fast-paced job as a sitcom writer, Kristin instead traveled the world, often alone, for several weeks each year. In addition to falling madly in love with the planet, Kristin fell for many attractive locals, men who could provide the emotional connection she wanted without costing her the freedom she desperately needed. Kristin introduces readers to the Israeli bartenders, Finnish poker players, sexy Bedouins, and Argentinean priests who helped her transform into "Kristin-Adjacent" on the road-a slower, softer, and, yes, sluttier version of herself at home. Equal parts laugh-out-loud storytelling, candid reflection, and wanderlust-inspiring travel tales, What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding is a compelling debut that will have readers rushing to renew their passports. From the Trade Paperback edition.The National Road: Dispatches From a Changing America
Par Tom Zoellner. 2020
This collection of "eloquent essays that examine the relationship between the American landscape and the national character" serves to remind…
us that despite our differences we all belong to the same land (Publishers Weekly).“How was it possible, I wondered, that all of this American land––in every direction––could be fastened together into a whole?”What does it mean when a nation accustomed to moving begins to settle down, when political discord threatens unity, and when technology disrupts traditional ways of building communities? Is a shared soil enough to reinvigorate a national spirit?From the embaattled newsrooms of small town newspapers to the pornography film sets of the Los Angeles basin, from the check–out lanes of Dollar General to the holy sites of Mormonism, from the nation’s highest peaks to the razed remains of a cherished home, like a latter–day Woody Guthrie, Tom Zoellner takes to the highways and byways of a vast land in search of the soul of its people.By turns nostalgic and probing, incisive and enraged, Zoellner’s reflections reveal a nation divided by faith, politics, and shifting economies, but––more importantly––one united by a shared sense of ownership in the common land.Mercados: Recipes from the Markets of Mexico (The William & Bettye Nowlin Series in Art, History, and Culture of the Western Hemisphere)
Par David Sterling, Mario Canul. 2019
In this travelogue/cookbook, the James Beard Award-winning author of Yucatán takes you on a tour of Mexico&’s most colorful destinations—its…
markets. David Sterling&’s passion for Mexican food has attracted followers from around the globe. Just as Yucatán earned him praise for his &“meticulously researched knowledge&” (Saveur) and for producing &“a labor of love that well documents place, people and, yes, food&” (Booklist), Mercados now invites readers to learn about local ingredients, meet vendors and cooks, and taste dishes that reflect Mexico&’s distinctive regional cuisine. Serving up more than one hundred recipes, Mercados presents unique versions of Oaxaca&’s legendary moles and Michoacan&’s carnitas, as well as little-known specialties such as the charcuterie of Chiapas, the wild anise of Pátzcuaro, and the seafood soups of Veracruz. Sumptuous color photographs transport us to the enormous forty-acre, 10,000-merchant Central de Abastos in Oaxaca as well as tiny tianguises in Tabasco. Blending immersive research and passionate appreciation, David Sterling&’s final opus is at once a must-have cookbook and a literary feast for the gastronome. &“The 560 thick, glossy pages of [Mercados] are such a riot of color and photography, the first time I picked up the book, I didn&’t pause to read a word of it. It took a second pass through David Sterling&’s gorgeous travelogue to absorb that it is equally rich in information—not so much a cookbook as a treatise on the food and culture of Mexico as told through its vibrant markets.&” –Dallas Morning News &“Reflects a lifetime of traveling to markets throughout Mexico to document the diverse foodways of the country.&” –Austin360Railroad Semantics: Better Living Through Graffiti & Train Hopping
Par Aaron Dactyl. 2009
Devoted to train-hopping, graffiti, and railroad culture, Aaron Dactyl's Railroad Semantics series describes the sights, sounds, successes, and defeats of…
exploring the western U.S. by freight train. The first four Railroad Semantics books are collected here for the first time. In their pages, you'll see epic, hidden works of art, read up on rail lore and riding tips, meet rail workers and fellow adventurers, and experience the perils and glories of life in rail yards, train cars, small towns, and encampments.360 Degrees Longitude
Par John Higham. 2009
Much more than a travel narrative 360 Degrees Longitude: One Family's Journey Around the World is a glimpse at what…
it means to be a "global citizen"-a progressively changing view of the world as seen through the eyes of an American family of four.After more than a decade of planning, John Higham and his wife September bid their high-tech jobs and suburban lives good-bye, packed up their home and set out with two children, ages eight and eleven, to travel around the world. In the course of the next 52 weeks they crossed 24 time zones, visited 28 countries and experienced a lifetime of adventures.Making their way across the world, the Highams discovered more than just different foods and cultures; they also learned such diverse things as a Chilean mall isn't the best place to get your ears pierced, and that elephants appreciate flowers just as much as the next person. But most importantly, they learned about each other, and just how much a family can weather if they do it together.360 Degrees Longitude employs Google's wildly popular Google Earth as a compliment to the narrative. Using your computer you can spin the digital globe to join the adventure cycling through Europe, feeling the cold stare of a pride of lions in Africa, and breaking down in the Andes. Packed with photos, video and text, the online Google Earth companion adds a dimension not possible with mere paper and ink. Fly over the terrain of the Inca Trail or drill down to see the majesty of the Swiss Alps-without leaving the comfort of your chair.Life on the Mississippi: An Epic American Adventure
Par Rinker Buck. 2022
The eagerly awaited return of master American storyteller Rinker Buck, Life on the Mississippi is an epic, enchanting blend of…
history and adventure in which Buck builds a wooden flatboat from the grand “flatboat era” of the 1800s and sails it down the Mississippi River, illuminating the forgotten past of America’s first western frontier. Seven years ago, readers around the country fell in love with a singular American voice: Rinker Buck, whose infectious curiosity about history launched him across the West in a covered wagon pulled by mules and propelled his book about the trip, The Oregon Trail, to ten weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Now, Buck returns to chronicle his latest incredible adventure: building a wooden flatboat from the bygone era of the early 1800s and journeying down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. A modern-day Huck Finn, Buck casts off down the river on the flatboat Patience accompanied by an eccentric crew of daring shipmates. Over the course of his voyage, Buck steers his fragile wooden craft through narrow channels dominated by massive cargo barges, rescues his first mate gone overboard, sails blindly through fog, breaks his ribs not once but twice, and camps every night on sandbars, remote islands, and steep levees. As he charts his own journey, he also delivers a richly satisfying work of history that brings to life a lost era. The role of the flatboat in our country’s evolution is far more significant than most Americans realize. Between 1800 and 1840, millions of farmers, merchants, and teenage adventurers embarked from states like Pennsylvania and Virginia on flatboats headed beyond the Appalachians to Kentucky, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Like the Nile, the Thames, or the Seine before them, the western rivers in America became a floating supply chain that fueled national growth. Settler families repurposed the wood from their boats to build their first cabins in the wilderness; cargo boats were broken apart and sold to build the boomtowns along the water route. Joining the river traffic were floating brothels, called “gun boats”; “smithy boats” for blacksmiths; even “whiskey boats” with taverns mounted on jaunty rafts. In the present day, America’s inland rivers are a superhighway dominated by leviathan barges—carrying $80 billion of cargo annually—all descended from flatboats like the ramshackle Patience, which must avoid being crushed alongside their metal hulls. As a historian, Buck resurrects the era’s adventurous spirit, but he also challenges familiar myths about American expansion, confronting the bloody truth behind settlers’ push for land and wealth. The Indian Removal Act of 1830 forced more than 125,000 members of the Cherokee, Choctaw, and several other tribes to travel the Mississippi on a brutal journey en route to the barrens of Oklahoma. Simultaneously, almost a million enslaved African Americans were carried in flatboats and marched by foot 1,000 miles over the Appalachians to the cotton and cane fields of Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana, birthing the term “sold down the river.” Weaving together a tapestry of first-person histories, Buck portrays this watershed era of American expansion as it was really lived. With a rare narrative power that blends stirring adventure with absorbing untold history, Life on the Mississippi is a muscular and majestic feat of storytelling from a writer who may be the closest that we have today to Mark Twain. New York Times BestsellerJoel
Par Gregg Lewis, Joel Sonnenberg. 2004
An inspiring story of tremendous tragedy and grief followed by the immense faith, hope and love of the Sonnenberg family.…
Its message is that no matter how tragic the circumstances in life, they can be overcome with a positive attitude and knowledge that God has a purpose for your life. With God's love and strong support from family and friends, people can survive, even thrive, through life's difficulties.Imbibing for Introverts: A Guide to Social Drinking for the Anti-Social
Par Jeff Cioletti. 2022
With at least 60 recipes, this wide-ranging drinks book is ideal for anyone building their bar library—tongue-in-cheek with humorous anecdotes and…
thoughtful illustrations, it will also appeal to those who appreciate light-hearted memoir and travel reading. Long before the term &“social distancing&” entered the lexicon, introverts were thriving. But let&’s clear one thing up right away: Being introverts doesn&’t mean we&’re all a bunch of hermits. Introverts like going out as much as the next person—as long as it&’s a manageable, crowd-less situation with comfortable places to sit! The emptier the bar, the better. The less likely to be bothered by—GASP—other people, even more ideal. As a professional drinks writer and editor who travels solo a great deal for a living, the author has learned a thing or two about drinking alone. For instance, seclusion is key. Look for a bar that offers numerous opportunities to sequester yourself. Avoid the communal tables, sit as close to the end of the bar as possible (a corner two-top in a darkened room is best-case-scenario), and don&’t skimp on the beverage: Order something with complexity that makes you quietly contemplate what&’s in your glass, how it got there, and how your surroundings are accentuating the drinking experience. Tiki bars are among the most conducive to that vibe, as everything from the ingredients, to the décor, to the music is designed for just soaking it all in without distraction, but never discount the daytime dive bar either. Imbibing for Introverts combines the social survival tactics taught in guides like The Introvert&’s Way with the appreciation for thoughtful drinking found in travelogues like Around the World in 80 Cocktails. From Frankie&’s Tiki Room in Las Vegas, to New York&’s Dead Rabbit cocktail bar, to San Francisco&’s Chinatown dive bar Li Po, Imbibing for Introverts helps solo drinkers confidently pull up a seat at every genre and subgenre of drinking establishment. The book begins in readers&’ most comfortable setting—their own homes—before taking them out on the town, to bars across the country and, finally, overseas. There are more than a dozen chapters divided by bar type, along with an introduction (&“Introvert&’s Manifesto&”) and epilogue (&“Quarantine Confessions&”). Each chapter features drink recommendations and cocktail recipes that relate to the particular setting, so if desired, you could also partake without the annoyance and sometimes anxiety-ridden task of leaving the house.A Florida State of Mind: An Unnatural History of Our Weirdest State
Par James D. Wright. 2019
A witty history of the state that's always in the news, for everything from alligator attacks to zany crimes.There's an…
old clip of Bugs Bunny sawing the entire state of Florida off the continent—and every single time a news story springs up about some shenanigans in Florida, someone on the internet posts it in response. Why are we so ready to wave goodbye to the Sunshine State? In A Florida State of Mind: An Unnatural History of Our Weirdest State, James D. Wright makes the case that there are plenty of reasons to be scandalized by the land and its sometimes-kooky, sometimes-terrifying denizens, but there's also plenty of room for hilarity.Florida didn't just become weird; it's built that way. Uncharted swampland doesn't easily give way to sprawling suburbia. It took violent colonization, land scams to trick non-Floridians into buying undeveloped property, and the development of railroads to benefit one man's hotel empire.Even the most natural parts of Florida are unnatural. Florida citrus? Not from here, but from China. Gators? Oh, they're from Florida all right, but that doesn't make having 1 per every 20 humans normal. Animals...in the form of roadkill? Only Florida allows you to keep anything you kill on the road (and anything you find). Yet everyone loves Florida: tourists come in droves, and people relocate to Florida constantly (only 36% of residents were born there). Crammed with unforgettable stories and facts, Florida will show readers exactly why.Bali: A Paradise Created
Par Adrian Vickers. 2012
Bali: A Paradise Created bridges the gap between scholarly works and more popular travel accounts. It offers an accessible history…
fo this fascinating island and an anthropological study not only of the Balinese, but of the paradise-seekers from all parts of the world who have invaded Bali in ever-increasing numbers over the decades. This books shows how Balinese culture has pervaded western film, art, literature and music so that even those who've never been there have enjoyed a glimpse of paradise. This authoritative, much-cited work is now updated with new photos and illustrations, a new introduction, and new text covering the past twenty years.The Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor
Par Gabriel García Márquez, Randolph Hogan. 1986
Translated by Randolf Hogan. In 1955, Garcia Marquez was working for El Espectador, a newspaper in Bogota, when in February…
of that year eight crew members of the Caldas, a Colombian destroyer, were washed overboard and disappeared. Ten days later one of them turned up, barely alive, on a deserted beach in northern Colombia. This book, which originally appeared as a series of newspaper articles, is Garcia Marquez's account of that sailor's ordeal.Marcus Gheeraerts’s portrait of a ’Persian lady’ - probably in fact an English lady in masquing costume - exemplifies the…
hybridity of early modern English culture. Her surrounding landscape and the embroidery on her gown are typically English; but her head-dress and slippers are decidedly exotic, the inscriptions beside her are Latin, and her creator was an ’incomer’ artist. She is emblematic of the early modern culture of exchange, both between England and its neighbours, and between Europe and the wider world. This volume presents fresh research into such early modern exchanges, exploring how new identities, subjectivities and artefacts were forged in dialogues and encounters between diverse cultures, nations and language communities. The early modern period was a time of creative interactions between cultures and disciplines, and accordingly this is a multidisciplinary volume, drawing together international experts in literature, history, modern and ancient languages and art history. It understands cultural exchange as encompassing both the geographical mobilities of travel and trade and the transmission of ideas across borders and between languages, as enabled by the new technology of print. Sites of exchange were located not only in distant and unfamiliar lands, but also in the bookseller’s shop and the scholar’s study. The volume also explores the productive and complex dialogues between early modern culture and the classical past. The types of exchanges discussed include the linguistic transactions of translation and imitation; interactions between cultural elites, such as monarchs, courtiers and diplomats; and the catalytic influences of particularly mobile or outward-looking individuals and groups. Ranging from the neo-Latin poetry of an English author to the plays of a nun in seventeenth-century New Spain, from royal portraits exchanged in diplomatic negotiations to travelling companions in the Ottoman Empire, the volume sheds new lightTravel Narratives, the New Science, and Literary Discourse, 1569-1750
Par Judy A. Hayden. 2012
The focus of this volume is the intersection and the cross-fertilization between the travel narrative, literary discourse, and the New…
Philosophy in the early modern to early eighteenth-century historical periods. Contributors examine how, in an historical era which realized an emphasis on nation and during a time when exploration was laying the foundation for empire, science and the literary discourse of the travel narrative become intrinsically linked. Together, the essays in this collection point out the way in which travel narratives reflect the anxiety from changes brought about through the discoveries of the 'new knowledge' and the way this knowledge in turn provided a new and more complex understanding of the expanding world in which the writers lived. The worlds in this text are many (for no 'world' is monomial), from the antipodes to the New World, from the heavens to the seas, and from fictional worlds to the world which contains and/or constructs one's nation and empire. All of these essays demonstrate the manner in which the New Philosophy dramatically changed literary discourse.The Wonder Trail: True Stories from Los Angeles to the End of the World
Par Steve Hely. 2016
Steve Hely, writer for The Office and American Dad!, and recipient of the Thurber Prize for American Humor, presents a…
travel book about his journey through Central and South America. Part travel book, part pop history, part comic memoir, Hely's writing will make readers want to reach for their backpack and hiking boots. The Wonder Trail is the story of a trip from Los Angeles to the bottom of South America, presented in 102 short chapters. From Mexico City to Oaxaca; into ancient Mayan ruins; the jungles, coffee plantations, and remote beaches of Central America; across the Panama Canal; by sea to Colombia; to the wild Easter celebration of Popayán; to the Amazon rainforest; the Inca sites of Cuzco and Machu Picchu; to the Galápagos Islands; the Atacama Desert of Chile; and down to wind-worn Patagonia at the bottom of the Western Hemisphere; Steve traveled collecting stories, adventures, oddities, marvels, bits of history and biography, tales of weirdos, fun facts, and anything else interesting or illuminating. Steve's plan was to discover the unusual, wonderful, and absurd in Central and South America, to seek and find the incredible, delightful people and experiences that came his way. And the book that resulted is just as fun. A blend of travel writing, history, and comic memoir, The Wonder Trail will inspire, inform, and delight.From the Hardcover edition.On the Back Roads: Discovering Small Towns of America
Par Bill Graves. 1999
Do you like small towns, places off the beaten path, trips down memory lane? Ever wonder if old-fashioned values are…
still alive in America? Then kick back, unwind, and hop onboard with travel writer Bill Graves as he takes you On the Back Roads. Graves has a knack for finding the quirky, the offbeat in some of the most obscure, yet fascinating, small towns on the map. Among the places and faces he discovers: a town where it's against the law not to own a gun, a town famous for its split pea soup, the wise 83-year-old Emmy who camps alone in the dessert, and a man who hunts live ants for a living. The list goes on! Retired and free to roam in his motorhome, the "RV Author," Bill Graves, logs 40,000 miles through the western states of California, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Oregon and Wyoming.In Search of the Perfect Loaf
Par Samuel Fromartz. 2014
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST FOOD BOOKS OF 2014 BY THE ATLANTIC AND NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC"If you love great bread, you…
will love this book! From Paris, to Berlin, to Marienthal, Kansas, we follow Sam on his quest as he shares his love for bread and the 'baking secrets' he learned along the way."-Daniel Leader, founder of Bread Alone Bakery and author of Bread Alone "This fascinating, beautifully written memoir reveals Sam Fromartz as that rare breed of cook: craftsman, historian and scientist all in one."-Alice Waters, chef/owner of Chez Panisse and author of The Art of Simple FoodIn 2009, journalist Samuel Fromartz was offered the assignment of a lifetime: to travel to France to work in a boulangerie. So began his quest to hone not just his homemade baguette--which later beat out professional bakeries to win the "Best Baguette of D.C."--but his knowledge of bread, from seed to table.For the next four years, Fromartz traveled across the United States and Europe, perfecting his sourdough in California, his whole grain rye in Berlin, and his country wheat in the South of France. Along the way, he met historians, millers, farmers, wheat geneticists, sourdough biochemists, and everyone in between, learning about the history of breadmaking, the science of fermentation, and more. The result is an informative yet personal account of bread and breadbaking, complete with detailed recipes, tips, and beautiful photographs.Entertaining and inspiring, this book will be a touchstone for a new generation of bakers and a must-read for anyone who wants to take a deeper look at this deceptively ordinary, exceptionally delicious staple: handmade bread.The superb classic memoir from a dazzlingly eccentric and endlessly fascinating author and feminist icon - a woman very much…
ahead of her time - including her time spent on the glorious island of Skiathos Nancy Spain was one of the most celebrated - and notorious - writers and broadcasters of the 50s and 60s. Witty, controversial and brilliant, she lived openly as a lesbian (sharing a household with her two lovers and their various children) and was frequently litigated against for her newspaper columns - Evelyn Waugh successfully sued her for libel... twice. Nancy Spain had a deep love of the Mediterranean. So it was no surprise when, in the 1960s, she decided to build a place of her own on the Greek island of Skiathos. With an impractical nature surpassed only by her passion for the project, and despite many obstacles, she gloriously succeeded. This classic memoir is infused with all Spain's chaotic brilliance, zest for life and single-minded pursuit of a life worth living.The Book of Marvels and Travels (Oxford World's Classics)
Par John Mandeville, Anthony Bale. 2012
In his Book of Marvels and Travels, Sir John Mandeville describes a journey from Europe to Jerusalem and on into…
Asia, and the many wonderful and monstrous peoples and practices in the East. Written in the fourteenth century, the Book is a captivating blend of fact and fantasy, an extraordinary travel narrative that offers some revealing and unexpected attitudes towards other races and religions. It was immensely popular, and numbered among its readers Chaucer, Columbus, and Thomas More. Here Mandeville tells us about the Sultan in Cairo, the Great Khan in China, and the mythical Christian prince Prester John. There are giants and pygmies, cannibals and Amazons, headless humans and people with a single foot so huge it can shield them from the sun. Forceful and opinionated, the narrator is by turns learned, playful, and moralizing, with an endless curiosity about different cultures. Anthony Bale provides a lively new translation along with an introduction that considers questions of authorship and origins, the early travel narrative, Crusading and religious difference, fantasy and the European Age of Discovery, and Mandeville's pervasive popularity and influence. The book includes helpful notes on historical context that provide insights into medieval culture and attitudes. There are also three maps, an index of places and a general index, and a note on medieval measurements. About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.