The Tao of Books Bargains Travel

Colin Thubron

Thubron learnt Russian and entered the then Soviet Union in an old Morris Marina in which he camped and drove for almost 10,000 miles between the Baltic and Caucasus. This book provides a revealing picture of the many races who inhabit the country and the human side behind state socialism. With a keen grasp of Russia's history, a deep appreciation for its architecture and iconography, and an inexhaustible enthusiasm for its people and its culture, Colin Thubron is the perfect guide to a country most of us will never get to know firsthand. Here, we can walk down western Russia's country roads, rest in its villages, and explore some of the most engaging cities in the world. Beautifully written and infinitely insightful, Among the Russians is vivid, compelling travel writing that will also appeal to readers of history and current events - and to anyone captivated by the shape and texture of one of the world's most enigmatic culture. REMAINDER MARK..

224pp, 8x5.25 ... Paperback

Published price £8.99 -- You save £5.00 ... 56%
Price: £3.99

CHASING THE MOUNTAIN OF LIGHT: Across India on the Trail of the Koh-I-Noor Diamond Ref: RWB0259

Kevin Rushby

Rushby's interest in the ancient diamond trade was piqued after a chance meeting with a diamond smuggler in Ethiopia. Driven to unearth the history-drenched underbelly of the diamond trade, Rushby (author of Eating the Flowers of Paradise: A Journey Through the Drug Fields of Ethiopia and Yemen) treks across India in search of old gemstone mines and ancient accounts. Rushby isn't quite sure what he's looking for, but he narrows his focus to the fate of the Koh-i-Noor, the world's largest diamond, from its origins circa 1000 B.C., when it was believed to be a gift from the Sun God, to its present home in the Tower of London. Luried into a strange world of hidden towns with no names, a land of charms, chakras, cardamom, and missing gem mines, Rushby pursues the history of the Koh-I-Noor, a 106-karat piece of crystalline perfection now part of England's Crown Jewels. Research takes him across India and into a culture so exotic - and simultaneously so mystical, esoteric, and often criminal - that he may as well have fallen into Middle-earth. He seeks out unorthodox storytellers, be they miners, peasants, gem dealers, diplomats, gurus or Jesuit priests. Rushby weaves Chasing the Mountain of Light with lush detail, creating a tale as compelling, multifaceted, and breathtaking as the diamond itself. REMAINDER MARK.

272pp, 9x6 ... Paperback

Published price £9.99 -- You save £5.60 ... 56%
Price: £4.39

EATING THE FLOWERS OF PARADISE: A Journey through the Drug Fields of Ethiopia & Yemen Ref: RWF0572

Kevin Rushby

This is a dangerous, sometimes comic journey, and also an exploration of the philosophy surrounding the leaves of the qat tree. Kevin Rushby follows an ancient trade route from Ethiopia to Yemen and by accepting the invitation to take qat whenever it is offered he comes to realize the far-reaching influence of this drug on the Yemeni way of life. Experts variously claim that qat is as mild as tea or as addictive as cocaine - it is banned in the US but not in the UK.

His fellow participants in dreamy afternoon qat sessions are an entertaining cast of characters that includes criminals and Islamic scholars, an exorcist, and the mysterious Cedric, a hellish travelling companion who offers to help Rushby find a dhow across the Red Sea. Rushby, as always, gives a vivid, personal account, bringing to life an exotic part of the world, its people and its history.

288pp, 7.75x5, illus. ... ISBN 1841196797 ... Paperback

Published price £7.99 -- You save £4.00 ... 50%
Price: £3.99

IN SEARCH OF SHANGRI-LA: A Personal Journey to Tibet Ref: RWB0188

Dr. Bernard Jensen

Travel along with one of the world's greatest natural health practitioners as he experiences life on the highest mountains and plains of this world during his spiritual odyssey to Tibet. With his zest for learning, Dr. Jensen probes into Tibetan healing, herbal remedies, solving life's problems, the dedicated life, and the dawning of a new age. This personal journey reflects his inner thoughts and feelings. A very special book describing unusual experiences. Remainder mark.

144pp, 9x6 ... ISBN 0895293900 ... Paperback

Published price £7.99 -- You save £4.30 ... 53%
Price: £3.69

THE NATIONAL TRUST: Sacred Places Ref: RWF0597

Crispin Paine

Sacred Places provides an inspiring illustrated guide to some of the most beautiful and atmospheric locations in the care of the National Trust. Featured sites include - Avebury, The Farne Islands, Glastonbury Tor, Hailes Abbey, The Lake District, Lavenham Guildhall, Sandham Memorial Chapel, Sutton Hoo, White Horse Hill; Uffington.

127pp, 9.5x7.25, illus. ... ISBN 1905400152 ... Paperback

Published price £14.99 -- You save £10.00 ... 67%
Price: £4.99

RETURN OF THE MAYA Ref: RED878

Thomas Hoepker

Latin America's longest civil war, which lasted 36 years, ended in 1996. For the Mayan Indians it is the end of centuries of suppression and brutality. Now, for the first time since the Conquistadors invaded 500 years ago, the Maya have the chance to live like normal citizens in Guatemala. They are rediscovering their grandiose culture and history and are finally free to practice their ancient religion. This is an extraordinary story of an ancient culture which has survived centuries of oppression. The traditional costumes, the ancient religious ceremonies, the daily customs are all still strong and powerful forces giving meaning and structure to the lives of the Maya. Thomas Hoepker is a member of the prestigious Magnum agency. His work has been exhibited widely and published in major magazines and newspapers worldwide.

160pp, 12x9, illus. ... Hardback

Published price £25.00 -- You save £15.01 ... 60%
Price: £9.99

SAHARA Ref: RXX533-T

Michael Palin

As the journey unfolds, the Sahara reveals not the emptiness of endless sand dunes, but a huge and diverse range of cultures and landscapes and a long history of civilization, trade, commerce and conquest stretching from the time of the ancient Egyptians to the oil-rich Islamic republics of today. Starting and finishing his adventure in the once stable, now uncertain colony of Gibraltar, Palin crosses the Strait to Morocco, and pauses in Fez and Marrakesh before traversing the mighty Atlas Mountains. In the stony, hostile wastes of Western Algeria he spends time in one of the refugee camps of the Saharawis, a population in exile. Recovering from an overdose of camel stew, he heads south to Mauritania, where he rides the longest train in the world, finds a holy city half-engulfed by sand, and nearly gets run over by the Paris-Dakar Rally. Arriving in Dakar a few days behind them, he samples the city's exhausting nightlife, then takes a train to the heart of Mali, home of great music, the largest mud building in the world, and the great River Niger, on which Michael rides to the legendary city of Timbuktu. He walks with nomadic herders and rides with a Touareg camel caravan through Niger, scales the Hoggar Mountains and flies into the oilfields of Algeria, before investigating Colonel Gaddafi's Libya and the stunning classical remains of Tunisia, where Life of Brian was filmed and Palin crucified.

256pp, 10.75x7.5, illus. ... Hardback

Published price £20.00 -- You save £12.01 ... 60%
Price: £7.99

TIBET: Life, Myth & Art Ref: RWD030

Michael Willis

With a wealth of specially commissioned artworks and magnificent full-color photographs, Tibet is a superb pictorial record of one of the world's most fascinating cultures. It reveals the broad repertoire of Tibetan symbols and motifs and presents the art of Tibet, from its most monumental temples to its most exquisitely detailed statues of Buddhas, deities, and saints.

144pp, 10x10½, illus. ... Hardback

Published price £17.95 -- You save £9.00 ... 50%
Price: £8.95

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