NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING FELICITY JONES AND EDDIE REDMAYNEA GUARDIAN BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR A NEW STATESMAN BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR A DAILY TELEGRAPH BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR A NEW REPUBLIC BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR A TIME MAGAZINE TOP 10 NONFICTION BOOK OF 2013From ambitious scientists rising above the clouds to analyse the air to war generals floating across enemy lines, Richard Holmes takes to the air in this heart-lifting history of pioneer balloonists.
The third novel from the acclaimed author of The Pied Piper's Poison and The Resurrection ClubLeaving behind a dowdy northern winter for the warming delights of the French Riviera, Martin and his three student friends soon find their feet, turning a tidy profit as beach-bum salesmen and taking to the joys of life by the Mediterranean with relish.
Lifeboats occupy a particular place in people's hearts as unpaid volunteers regularly take to their boats often in extremely adverse conditions to rescue others from the sea.
An utterly gripping non-fiction adventure narrative, 'Lost in Shangri-La' is an untold true story of war, anthropology, survival, discovery, heroism, and a near-impossible rescue mission.
NATIONAL BESTSELLER At the end of World War II, a band of aces gathered in the Mojave Desert on a Top Secret quest to break the sound barriernicknamed "e;The Demon"e; by pilots.
The remarkable and touching story of a singular friendship between the author (an affluent Western correspondent) and his Pashtun interpreter who meet in an Afghan war-zone and resume their friendship when Mir becomes an asylum seeker in London's East End.
Winner of the National Outdoor Book Award From the Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, a "e;suspenseful"e; (WSJ) and "e;adrenaline-fueled"e; (Outside) entwined narrative of the most adventurous year of all time, when three expeditions simultaneously raced to the top, bottom, and heights of the world.
Part history, part travel journal and part autobiography, 'Hotel Tiberias' is a journey of many layers and resonances, as Sebastian Hope follows the tumultuous story of his family's hotel in Palestine.
From the author of 'The Pike' - winner of the 2013 Samuel Johnson prize for non-fiction - a compelling story of heroism told through eight famous lives that span from Achilles to Sir Francis Drake.
The bestselling author of The Endurance reveals the startling truth behind the legend of the Mutiny on the Bounty - the most famous sea story of all time.
A vivid description of one of the most ambitious scientific projects undertaken in the 19th century, and the men who undertook the measurement of the Himalayas and the mapping of the Indian subcontinent: William Lambton and George Everest.
Mike Parker, bestselling author of Map Addict, offers a very full, intelligent and witty exploration into a glorious and passionate British subject - footpaths and the history of land ownership.