"Ever been obsessed with something? I mean really obsessed? Ever lain awake dreaming about it: a new car perhaps, your dream house, a person? I guess we all have them, only my obsession is a little offbeat. Mine is plants. . ." After making a strange discovery on a childhood trip to Ikea, Chris Thorogood dreamed of becoming a botanist and would stop at nothing to feed his growing addiction to plants. In his hair-raising adventures across Europe, Africa,...

How can we think more deeply about travel? This was the question that inspired Emily Thomas's journey into the philosophy of travel. Part philosophical ramble, part travelogue, The Meaning of Travel begins in the Age of Discovery, when philosophers first started taking travel seriously. It meanders forward to consider Montaigne on otherness, John Locke on cannibals, and Henry Thoreau on wilderness. On our travels with Thomas, we discover the dark...

Bob Shacochis brings together the very best of his culture and travel essays in one livewire collection that spans his global adventures and his life passions - from surfing, to his obsession with the South American Dorado, to the time he went bushwhacking in Mozambique. Replete with Shacochis's signature swagger, humour, and crystalline wisdom, this is a majestic and essential collection from one of our most important writers. "Best known for his...

At heart, this is a love story -- of a long and sometimes difficult courtship, and a passion that verges on obsession: that of a writer for another language. For Jhumpa Lahiri, that love was for Italian, which first captivated and capsized her during a trip to Florence after college. Although Lahiri studied Italian for many years afterward, true mastery always eluded her. Seeking full immersion, she decides to move to Rome with her family, for "a...

"Legendary travel writer Paul Theroux fearlessly drives the entire length of the US-Mexico border, then goes deep into the hinterland, on the back roads of Chiapas and Oaxaca, to uncover the rich, layered world behind today's brutal headlines."--

"Featuring communist bunkers, burning gas craters and at least one sponge-rock flourescent grotto built by Polish monks, this book reveals weird and wonderful sights that the crowds don't reach. From eerie natural wonders to historical oddities and bizarre architecture, this is a travel companion for the incurably curious" -- page 4 of cover. Takes readers on a journey through the worlds lesser known marvels, from a pumpkin regatta in Oregon to Lithuania's...

"A lushly photographed cookbook and travelogue showcasing the regional cuisines of the Alps, including 80 recipes for the elegant, rustic dishes served in the chalets and mountain huts situated among the alpine peaks of Italy, Austria, Switzerland, and France." -- Amazon.com

"There are few remaining frontiers on our planet. But perhaps the wildest, and least understood, are the world's oceans: too big to police, and with no clear international authority, the oceans have become the setting for rampant criminality--from human trafficking and slavery to environmental crimes and piracy. Now, in The Outlaw Ocean, Ian Urbina--prize-winning reporter for The New York Times--gives us a galvanizing account of the several years...