We know Gelman is not your typical middle-aged housewife from LA when, on that first trip to Mexico, she randomly picks a Zapotec village and decides to live there for a month, knowing nothing about the culture or the language. When she arrives, the villagers run away from her, terrified. By the time she leaves, there are hugs and tears. From there she travels to Guatemala and Nicaragua, Israel and the Galapagos Islands. But the heart of the book--and her 15-year journey--is Indonesia, where she lives for eight years. It is Bali that forever changes how she looks at the world, facilitated by her friendship with an aging prince. Tu Aji not only invites her to live with his family but decides that the education of Rita will be his final duty in life. Wherever she goes, Gelman has an uncanny ability to slip into other ways of life and become part of a community. And she is a person for whom doors open widely--her seatmate on the plane to Bali scrawls the prince's name on a piece of paper, she talks her way into a sojourn at Camp Leakey in Borneo where orangutans are studied, and an entire village in a remote part of Irian Jaya prays for the clouds to clear so her plane can land--and they do! Gelmen's secret is her passion for people. That being the case, the book is short on descriptions of place, but long on the rarer inside view of the peoples and customs of those places. This in itself is treat enough, but Gelman's animated and intimate story comes with a kicker--it's never too late to fulfill those dreams. --Lesley Reed
Fascinated by the land of endless horizons, sunshine, and the open road, Richard Grant spent fifteen years wandering throughout the United States, never spending more than three weeks in one place and getting to know America's nomads, truckers, tramps, rodeo cowboys, tie-dyed concert followers, flea market traders, retirees who live year round in their RVs, and the murderous Freight Train Riders of America (FTRA). In a richly comic travelogue, Grant uses these lives and his own to examine the myths and realities of the wandering life and its contradiction with the sedentary American dream. Along with a personal account, American Nomads traces the history of wandering in the New World, through vividly told stories of frontiersmen, fur trappers and cowboys, Comanche and Apache warriors, all the way back to the first Spanish explorers who crossed the continent. What unites these disparate characters, as they range back and forth across the centuries, is a stubborn conviction that the only true freedom is to roam across the land.
About this product: Never mind that upon her death in 1993, the then 100-year-old Dame Freya Stark rated a three-column obit in The New York Times. Mention her name to most Americans, and it will elicit a "Freya who?" The tales and travails of this romantic traveler, who marched alone into the Middle East from Persia to Yemen, discovering lost cities and creating an anti-Nazi intelligence system along the way, are captured in this compelling biography by former New York Times reporter Jane Fletcher Geniesse.
The author unveils not the fearless wanderer whose mappings and 30 books brought Stark awards from the likes of the Royal Geographical Society and made her a darling of British society. Instead Stark is seen as humble, insecure, and forever caught in the role of perpetual alien--be it when the English-born child grows up in Italy, where her mother lives in scandal, or when she plunges alone into the East, a feat never before accomplished by a Westerner.
An unwilling iconoclast whose love of travel, she would say, began as an infant when her father carried her in a basket over the Dolomites, Stark longed for the social security of the times: marriage and children. Proposals fell through, on occasion her beloved was married, or the romantic emotions she felt went unrequited--and besides, as a friend later pointed out, marriage would have spoiled her with its confinements. Rising above depression, self-imposed ostracism, and her numerous illnesses, Stark learned Arabic and how to climb mountains, map, partake in geographical digs, and find a niche in strange cultures.
Initially ridiculed for her passionate fondness of the Middle East, her writings ultimately generated vast interest for that mysterious part of the world, where she was surprisingly embraced, made privy to political movements closed to most foreigners, and even shown precious Islamic documents. At times a nurse, a war correspondent, a negotiator, Stark was a one-woman revolution of her time. Geniesse's intoxicating documentation of her life not only serves to stir up new interest in Stark's many books; it also ensures that the name Freya Stark will live on long after her obituary is but a scrap of yellowed, crackling newsprint. --Melissa Rossi
About this product: Join celebrated tarnsman Tarl Cabot in his latest adventure on the parallel planet of Gor and its exotic lifestyle and social norms. Tarl has dedicated his life to ensuring that the Priest-Kings survive the harsh lands of Gor, but a savage tribe that closely guards its secrets has halted his quest. To continue his quest, Tarl must unravel the mysteries of this strange, private band of nomads called the Wagon People or die trying. He is the only man alive who has not trembled in the presence of this mysterious tribe. Now he is embarking on the most perilous adventure of his time on the counter-world of Gor. Will he be accepted by the tribe and learn the secrets they guard with their lives or will he die trying? Coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the first book of the Gorean Saga, TARNSMAN OF GOR, E-Reads is proud to release the very first complete publication of all Gor books by John Norman, in both print and ebook editions, including the long-awaited 26th novel in the saga, WITNESS OF GOR. Many of the original Gor books have been out of print for years, but their popularity has endured. Each book of this release has been specially edited by the author and is a definitive text.
About this product: A lot has changed since well-known Canadian author Robin Pascoe wrote Culture Shock! A Parent's Guide. The world has become globalized, digitalized, and sadly, terrorized. That's the big picture that Pascoe examines in Raising Global Nomads. In her own life, the author's day job raising her two children has ended as her daughter begins a career as an environmental activist and her son heads to university. In her fifth book for expatriate families, the author recounts with honesty and trademark humour what worked for her family and shares the hard lessons learned. Parenting styles in general, and of third culture kids in particular, have changed dramatically, prompting this timely and comprehensive reexamination of the challenges of parenting abroad.
About this product: Many dream of traveling the world, but few actually do so. If you've decided to put your money where your fantasy is and save for the trip of trips, Edward Hasbrouck is your travel guru. He's circumnavigated the world twice, and coordinates a travel agent's around-the-world department. He explains why you ought to chose (and stick to) your route in advance but needn't start and finish in the same city, and above all why you ought to take the travel plunge. He shares hard-won truths about saving money--and in Thailand or Bali $100 saved earns an extra month of freedom.
About this product: This museum catalog is one of the best of any I have seen. I was fortunate enough to be involved in a living history demonstration when this exhibit came to Los Angeles in about 1991. The catalog covers the best and most significant pieces from the show (which I find rare among museum catalogs). It begins with comprehensive coverage of the history of the tribes of this region. Other chapters in the catalog are devoted to spirituality (both concepts and religious artifacts), clothing, jewelry, housing and other commonly used items. It has become one of my favorite pictoral reference books on Eurasia.
About this product: Limited Edition! Would you sell your soul for Ultimate Power? (Or would you just buy the guide?) On your 18th birthday, you were given a magic sword... and the raging demon trapped inside of it. Use his power wisely and you could save the world. Fail, and you'll watch him devour your soul. Aren t you glad we re here to help out? Complete Map Data! Expert's Guide to Power-leveling! Complete Character Data! Every Secret revealed! Complete Item Data! Random Dungeon strategies! Build the strongest rooms! *Crush every enemy!
About this product: The Bedu people have lived for centuries in the inhospitable deserts of the Middle East, but now their culture and way of life is under threat by modern life. Alan Keohane has spent many years travelling with Bedu tribes in the Middle East and in this compelling photographic record, he pays tribute to the ancient tribal customs that still survive among those who continue their annual journey across the desert plains. Above all, "Bedouin" is a photographic portrait of a people whose life is rich in colour and culture. Its testimony will ensure that the Bedu and their ancient, determined lifestyle are not forgotten.
About this product: Exploring the broad range of human nature from the softest notes of life to the crashing crescendos of war, legendary photographer David Douglas Duncan has captured some of the 20th century's truly iconic images. In this breathtaking visual autobiography, Duncan's finest works speak volumes about his extraordinary career and the events he witnessed and recorded.
Shooting for National Geographic and many other publications, he covered a wide range of subjects that are shared in this book: the South Pacific in World War II, North Korea, Palestine, Vietnam, Afghanistan, the treasures of the Kremlin, and the life and work of his close friend, Pablo Picasso. Still exuberant in his eighth decade, David Douglas Duncan continues to work behind the lens, embracing and illuminating the human experience. He designed Photo Nomad to be accessible to the widest possible audience—general readers as well as photographers, art lovers, and history enthusiasts. With nearly 500 pages and more than 400 stunning images, it is a remarkably affordable treasure.
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