In January 2003 Nicholas Sparks and his brother Micah set offon a three-week trip around the world. An adventure by any measure,this trip was especially meaningful as it marked another milestonein the life journey of two brothers who, by their early thirties,were the only surviving members of their family. As Nicholas andMicah travel the globe, from the Taj Mahal to Machu Picchu, thestory of their family slowly unfolds. Just before Nicholas'marriage he and Micah lost their mother in a horseriding accident;a week short of Nicholas' triumphant debut as a novelist with THENOTEBOOK, the brothers lost their father to a car crash, and just afew short years later they were forced to say goodbye to theirsister who died of brain cancer at the young age of 36. Against thebackdrop of the main wonders of the world the brothers cometogether to heal the wounds of this tragic legacy and maintaintheir determination to live life to its fullest.

A million copy best-selling exploration of the animal kingdom, featuring facts and beautiful photos of over 2,000 wild animals from all habitats on planet Earth. Animal: The Definitive Visual Guide brings together the expertise of over 70 natural history specialists and the beautiful images of wildlife photographers from around the globe to illustrate, describe, and explain the incredible range of creatures in the animal kingdom. This fully up-to-date edition covers fascinating animals from across the globe including the newly discovered Skywalker Hoolock Gibbon, Jumping Spider, and Piglet Squid. From the smallest invertebrates to the mighty blue whale, Animal is a truly unrivalled look at life on planet Earth. Previous edition ISBN 9781405362337 ,

Paul Theroux celebrates fifty years of wandering the globe bycollecting the best writing on travel from the books that shapedhim, as a reader and a traveler. Part philosophical guide, partmiscellany, part reminiscence, The Tao of Travel enumerates “TheContents of Some Travelers’ Bags” and exposes “Writers Who Wroteabout Places They Never Visited”; tracks extreme journeys in“Travel as an Ordeal” and highlights some of “Travelers’ FavoritePlaces.” Excerpts from the best of Theroux’s own work areinterspersed with selections from travelers both familiar andunexpected: Vladimir Nabokov J.R.R. Tolkien Samuel Johnson Eudora Welty Evelyn Waugh Isak Dinesen Charles Dickens James Baldwin Henry David Thoreau Pico Iyer Mark Twain Anton Chekhov Bruce Chatwin John McPhee Freya Stark Peter Matthiessen Graham Greene Ernest Hemingway The Tao of Travel is a unique tribute to the pleasures and painsof travel in its golden age.

Best-selling Tolkien expert Brian Sibley (The Lord of theRings: The Making of the Movie Trilogy and The Lord of the RingsOfficial Movie Guide) presents a slipcased collection of fourfull-color, large-format maps of Tolkien's imaginary realmillustrated by John Howe, a conceptual designer for the blockbusterfilms directed by Peter Jackson. The set includes a hardcover bookdescribing in detail the importance and evolution of geographywithin Tolkien's epic fiction and four color maps presented withminimal folds, including two (Beleriand and Numenor) never beforepublished in this country.

The city long-adored for its medieval beauty, old-timey brasseries, and corner caf s has even more to offer today. In the last few years, a flood of new ideas and creative locals has infused a once-static, traditional city with a new open-minded sensibility and energy. Journalist Lindsey Tramuta offers detailed insight into the rapidly evolving worlds of food, wine, pastry, coffee, beer, fashion, and design in the delightful city of Paris. Tramuta puts the spotlight on the new trends and people that are making France s capital a more whimsical, creative, vibrant, and curious place to explore than its classical reputation might suggest. With hundreds of striking photographs that capture this fresh, animated spirit and a curated directory of Tramuta s favorite places to eat, drink, stay, and shop The New Paris shows us the storied City of Light as never before.

…immersing yourself in the sumptuous excesses of thebaroque Schloss Sch?nbrunn. …devoting an entire afternoon to coff ee and Sachertorte ina Viennese coff eehouse. …feeling the sway of the blue Danube as you cruisedownriver. …hearing the Vienna Boys’ Choir hit the high notes in theRoyal Chapel. …sampling the latest wines from the owner’s vineyard at arustic Heuriger. …falling under the spell of Klimt’s paintings andHundertwasser’s magical architecture.

This stunning volume was the gift book of the year when it firstpublished, and the images that grace its pages remain iconic. Fromthe famous Afghan girl whose haunting green eyes stare out from thebook’s cover, and her poignant story that captured the world’sinterest, to award-winning photography culled from the Society’svast archives, The Photographs offers readers an inside look atNational Geographic and a sharp-eyed view of the world. The bookshowcases the skill and imagination of such notable Geographicphotographers as David Doubilet, William Albert Allard, Sam Abell,Jim Stanfield, Jodi Cobb, Jim Brandenburg, David Alan Harvey, andmany more. They share their techniques, as well as personal andcolorful anecdotes about individual images and their adventures inthe field—sometimes humorous, sometimes terrifying, always vividlycompelling. Author Leah Bendavid-Val writes about thephotographers’ achievements from technical, journalistic, andartistic perspectives. Five chapters cover core Nationa

In the entire universe, there seems to be one constant that most everyone shares: the notion of beauty. This fact is not scientific, it is not logical, and the value of this knowledge is hard to assess. But the certainty is absolute as every one of us looks into a meadow of waving flowers, gazes at the surf and the sea, or looks deep into the night sky at the stars and beyond. God's Art explores the grace, the texture and the colors of this beautiful universe, and asks a lot of questions along the way: Why isn't the universe gray instead of such a rich incredible range of colors; Why is there so much variety in all things from snowflakes to galaxies; Why are we blessed with an appreciation for all this wonder if it does not contribute to our survival? Questions are more fun than answers, and a well-phrased quandary will keep us occupied longer than a stark fact. This is a beautifully illustrated book of questions.

Experience the best of Hungary with Lonely Planet's 6thedition. Discover the quiet beauty and fascinating culture of thischarming country - relax in Art Nouveau splendour at a thermalbath, treat your palate to the excellent local wines or watchhistory unfold as you drift down the Danube. Lonely Planet guides are written by experts who get to theheart of every destination they visit. This fully updated editionis packed with accurate, practical and honest advice, designed togive you the information you need to make the most of yourtrip. In This Guide: Essential color section illustrating Hungary'shighlights Unique interviews with a potter, Klezmer band and a cyclingspecialist Activities chapter includes horse riding, hiking, caving andmore