RNIB National Library Service

Giant Print 24

Non Fiction

Animals

Clunes, Martin A dog's life. 2008. 2v.Martin embarked on a worldwide quest to look into the history of dogs, and link the pampered pets of today with their wild ancestors painted dogs in Tanzania, dingoes in Australia and wolves in Yellowstone National Park, USA. He also explores how humans have shaped the dog breeds of today.

Gardner, NualaA friend like Henry. 2008. 3v.This is the inspiring account of a family's struggle to break into their son's autistic world. The Gardner's lives were transformed when they welcomed a gorgeous golden retriever into the family. From taking a bath to saying 'I love you', Henry helped introduce Dale to all the normal activities most parents take for granted, and set him on the road to being the charming and well-adjusted young man he is today.

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Grogan, JohnMarley and me: life and love with the world's worst dog. 2006. 3v.Follows the life story of an exuberant Labrador retriever who gets into perpetual trouble and experiences a range of inspiring adventures, from shutting down an entire beach to guarding a seventeen-year-old neighbour after a stabbing attack.

Katz, JonA home for Rose: how my life turned upside down for the love of a dog. 2008. 3v.Jon Katz leaves the suburbs for a remote farm in order to give Border Collie puppy Rose - along with our friend Devon from A Dog Year - a true taste of herding life. Rose's adventures start early, going head to head with a head-butting ram the day the sheep arrive. She soon establishes a routine for the sheep, chickens and donkeys - and Jon - that makes everything run like clockwork.

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Myron, VickiDewey: the small town library cat who touched the world. 2008. 2v.Vicki Myron, the new head librarian in Spencer, Iowa, found a tiny kitten almost frozen to death in the night drop box. Dewey, as the townspeople named the kitten, quickly grew into a strutting, adorable library cat whose antics kept patrons in stitches, and whose sixth sense about those in need created hundreds of deep and loving

Summers, JudithMy life with George: the inspirational story of how a wilful dog brought joy to a bereaved family. 2008. 3v. When Judith Summers' husband and father both died within the space of two weeks, life for her and her eight-year-old son Joshua seemed relentlessly bleak. Then George a loving Cavalier King Charles Spanielbounced into their lives. Yet Judith soon discovered that living with George had its drawbacks.

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Biography

Acorah, Derek.The psychic adventures of Derek Acorah: TV's number one psychic. 2004. 2v.Derek Acorah tells of his experiences with the spirit world, from his one-to-one readings and consultations to international performances and renowned investigations for Living TV's reputedly most haunted historical sites.

Angelou, Maya. I know why the caged bird sings. 1995. 2v.Growing up in the southern states of America in the 1920s was a chancy business for a black child. The author and her brother Bailey - who gave her the nickname "Maya", meaning "mine" - led a varied, colourful and at times frightening existence, but her joy somehow survived.

Athill, DianaSomewhere towards the end. 2009. 2v.Diana Athill made her reputation as a writer with the candour of her memoirs. This is a lively narrative of events, lovers and friendships: the

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people and experiences that have taught her to regret very little, to resist despondency and to question the beliefs and customs of her own generation.

Barnes, Julian. Arthur & George. 2006. 5v. Arthur and George grow up worlds apart in late nineteenth century Britain: Arthur in shabby-genteel Edinburgh, George in the vicarage of a small Staffordshire village. Arthur becomes a doctor, hen a writer; George a solicitor in Birmingham. Arthur is to become one of the most famous men of his age, while George remains in hard-working obscurity. However as the new century begins, they are brought together by a sequence of events which made sensational headlines at the time as The Great Wyrley Outrages.

Bauby, Jean-DominiqueThe diving-bell and the butterfly. 2002. 1v.The author, a father of two and editor-in-chief of "Elle" magazine, suffered a massive stroke. When he regained consciousness, he was only able to

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move one muscle: his left eyelid. Yet his mind remained as active as ever. Signalling with his eyelid, he "dictated" this book. His dispatches are poignant and humorous.

Bennett, Alan. Untold stories. 2006. 7v.The book provides a collection of prose. The title piece is a poignant family memoir with an account of the marriage of the authors parents, the lives and deaths of his aunts and the uncovering of a long-held family secret. Also included are his diaries from 1996 to 2004, as well as essays, reviews, lectures and reminiscences ranging from childhood trips to the local cinema and a tour around Leeds City Art Gallery to reflections on writing, honours and his Westminster Abbey eulogy for Thora Hird.

Brand, Jo. Look back in hunger: the autobiography. 2009. 2v.Raised in middle class comfort, she left home in her teens to live with someone entirely inappropriate. Her parents were aghast at her

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behaviour and attempted to rein in her excesses, finally giving up when she demonstrated that she was not headed for the life of a nun. From her early years growing up in a small south coast town with two brothers who toughened her up, to emerging on stage as 'The Sea Monster', Jo Brand tells it like it is.

Brooke, Rupert. Letters from America: travels in the USA and Canada. 2008. 1v.In May 1913, Rupert Brooke embarked on a year-long expedition of North America. He sent his impressions home in a series of letters, describing all his various experiences and reflections. He is blunt in his judgements on society, business and cities, playful in his accounts of Anglo-American relations, and finally humbled by the vastness of the landscape in which he finds himself.

Canoville, Paul. Black and blue: how racism, drugs and Cancer almost destroyed me. 2008. 3v.Canoville was Chelsea's first black first-team player, making his debut in 1982. But as he

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warmed up on the touchline, his own supporters began chanting 'We don't want the nigger!' The racist bile continued whenever he played, but within a year he had won over the terraces with his explosive pace and skill. Canoville fell out with the Chelsea board and moved to Reading in 1986, where injury suddenly ended his career at the age of 24. This started a downward spiral including the death of his baby in his arms, two bouts of life-threatening lymph cancer, drug abuse and homelessness. But Canoville fought back. In this book, Paul explains why, despite everything, he is more positive than ever and has remained a fervent Chelsea fan all his life.

Church, Charlotte. Keep smiling: the autobiography. 2008. 3v.Candid to the last, in this autobiography Charlotte reveals herself as never before. She talks of her life, career, family and loves and impending motherhood with surprising intimacy and, being true to her outspoken reputation, complete honesty.

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Elliott, Jane.The little prisoner: how a childhood was stolen and a trust betrayed. 2005. 2v.An inspirational true story of a four-year-old girl who fell into the power of a man whose evil knew no bounds. She encountered terrifying mental and physical torture from her psychopathic stepfather for a period of 17 years until she managed to break free, her spirit still unbroken.

Frank, Anne. The diary of a young girl. 1998. 3v.In July 1942, thirteen year old Anne Frank and her family fled from the horrors of Nazi occupation, and went into hiding in an Amsterdam warehouse. Over the next two years Anne vividly describes in her diary the frustration of living in such confined quarters.

French, Dawn Dear Fatty. 2008. 3v.This is a memoir of an event-packed life in the form of a series of letters by French, conjuring her transformation from a West Country RAF girl to a star of the cult alternative comedy group The

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Comic Strip. We are invited into her most personal relationships with (among others) her mother and father, her husband (fellow comedian Lenny Henry), and her comedic ally, Jennifer Saunders.

Goodman, Len. Better late than never: the autobiography. 2008. 3v.This is the story of how a man born into poverty in London's East End went on to find stardom late in life when he was chosen to be head judge on BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing. Len will be telling all about his new found fame, not only his experiences on Strictly Come Dancing, but also on the no.1 US show Dancing with Stars and his encounters with the likes of Heather Mills-McCartney. But the real story is in his East End roots.

Graves, Robert. Goodbye to all that. 1960. 4v.This book has been described as one of the great autobiographies of the 20th century. The text was written when the author was about to leave

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England after much personal turmoil. In it the intractable experience of the First World War is digested by Graves' poetic imagination into literature. At the same time, it is one of the most candid self portraits ever drawn, while containing vivid portraits of his close friends.

Hainsworth, Tessa. Up with the larks: starting again in Cornwall. 2009. 3v.Having given up a high-powered job and the lifestyle to match, Tessa Hainsworth had no idea how hard she would struggle when, full of optimism, she fulfilled her dream of moving to rural Cornwall with her young family one September. Within months, she is almost ready to return to London, tail between her legs: her husband is still out of work, her children are struggling in a cold, damp, tumbledown house and the family is running out of money - fast. But a chance encounter in the local post office leads her to accept the unlikeliest of job offers.

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Hayden, Torey The tiger's child. 2005. 3v.Sheila was a deeply disturbed six-year old when she came into Torey Hayden's life - then Torey lost touch with the child she had helped to free from a hellish inner prison of rage and silence. Seven years later, Sheila was back, no longer broken and lost but still troubled and searching for answers.

Herriot, James.If only they could talk. 1970. 2v.When newly qualified vet James Herriot arrives in the small Yorkshire village of Darrowby, he has no idea what to expect. How will he get on with his new boss?

Hewitt, Paolo.The looked after kid. 2003. 2v.A true story of Paolo Hewitt's deeply moving tale of his life in care during the 70's. Often humorous, perceptive and entertaining, this is the book about chance and luck, promises and anger, loyalty amongst friends, love amongst the loveless.

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Contains language that some readers may find offensive.

Johnson, Martin.Martin Johnson. 2003. 4v.Martin Johnson has achieved all there is to achieve in rugby since making his England debut in 1992. He has captained his club, Leicester, he's led England with huge success, he looks at how the sport has changed since going professional in 1995 and the issues this has raised.

Kay, Peter. Saturday night Peter. 2009. 3v.Picking up from where Peter's autobiography "The Sound of Laughter" left off, "Saturday Night Peter" charts the hilarious journey his career took as he developed and honed his comedy skills by taking to the road and trying out his stand up material in pubs and clubs across the country. Each Saturday night would present Peter with a new venue, a new audience to win over, other acts appearing and the ever changing and all important performance itself. But behind the

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scenes there were the digs and landladies, the preparation for the show, the anxious drive there and of course the inspiration for the material itself.

Lee, Laurie.Cider with Rosie. 2002. 2v.Growing up amongst the fields and woods and characters of the place, this memoir is about the authors childhood in a remote Cotswold village, a village before electricity or cars, a timeless place on the verge of change.

Madeley, Richard. Fathers and sons. 2008. 3v.Richard Madeley is fascinated by the speed of change in family life and how being a father has changed since the time of his father and grandfather. Richard's grandfather had a childhood of betrayal and sadness. His family abandoned him as a child to older relatives and emigrated without telling him. Without any positive parenting role models, he passed on to his son a sense of his discomfort and occasional frustration and anger. He remembers no affection, or endearments from his dad and was packed off to

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a desolate boarding school in an echo of his own father's betrayal. In a bucking of the family trend, Richard's mother, a Canadian, introduced more loving and demonstrative relationships which Richard has continued with his own son and step-sons.

McCourt, Frank.Angela’s ashes: a memoir of a childhood. 1997. 3v.In this memoir Frank McCourt tells of his first eighteen years growing up in New York in the 1930s and Ireland in the 1940s. It is story of hunger, poverty and social deprivation - too many children, too little money, his mother barely coping as his father's drinking bouts brought the family close to disaster. But it is also about the celebration of the human spirit, laughter and human kindness.

Niven, David. The moon's a balloon. 2005. 4v.Takes readers back to David Niven's childhood days, his humiliating expulsion from school and to his army years and wartime service. After the war,

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he returned to America and there came his Hollywood success in films such as "Wuthering Heights" and "Around the World in 80 Days".

Ralston, Aron.Between a rock and a hard place:my survival in Blue John Canyon. 2004. 4v.A mountaineer who survived a near-fatal accident by amputating his arm when it became trapped behind a boulder in Utah describes how he endured five days of hypothermia, dehydration, and hallucinations before managing his own rescue.

Thatcher, Carol. A swim-on part in the goldfish bowl: a memoir. 2008. 3v.Carol Thatcher has one of the most famous surnames in the world. In this memoir, she tells us about what it was like to grow up as The Milk Snatcher's daughter, to be the sister of the more (in)famous Mark, and to live a life that she describes as a 'swim-on part in the goldfish bowl'. As a schoolgirl, student, journalist and now TV

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personality and indefatigable world traveller, she lives life to the full.

Pelzer, Dave.A child called ‘It’. 1995. 1v. Book 1. Dave Pelzer's story is the story of a child brutally beaten and starved by his emotionally unstable, alcoholic mother, a mother who played tortuous, unpredictable games - games that left one of her sons nearly dead. The outside world knew nothing of the nightmare played out behind closed doors. But throughout Dave kept alive dreams of finding a family to love him. Contains violence.

Pelzer, Dave.The lost boy. 2001. 2v. Book 2. Dave Pelzer describes his life in foster care. He moves through five different homes and describes his heart-rending encounters with other foster parents and children, some of whom resent his presence, some of whom help him. Through it all he is pursued by his mother. Eventually he finds a life for himself, having come to terms with the terrible things inflicted on him.

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Contains violence.

Pelzer, Dave.A man named Dave. 2001. 2v. Book 3. The conclusion to Dave Pelzer's trilogy of memoirs. With extraordinary generosity of spirit, Dave takes us on his journey confronting his past. In a dramatic reunion he confronts his father and ultimately faces the mother who so brutally abused him. Finally Dave finds the courage to break the chains of the past and learn to love, trust and live for the future.

Price, Katie.Jordan: a whole new world. 2006. 3v.This book takes up where the last ended, detailing what she really made of her jungle experiences, the truth behind the romance with Peter Andre, her excitement over their new baby, the glamour behind their up-coming wedding, and her heartbreak over the continuing medical traumas concerning her oldest son Harvey.

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Mah, Adeline Yen.Chinese Cinderella: the secret story of an unwanted daughter. 1999. 2v.The story of a Chinese woman and how she suffered appalling emotional deprivation and rejection by her family, as a child growing up in China and Hong Kong. She tells of the consequences in her adult life, which she rose above to make a happy marriage and become a successful doctor in the USA.

Obama, BarackDreams from my father: a story of race and inheritance. 2008. 5v.The son of a black African father and a white American mother, Obama was only two years old when his father walked out on the family. Many years later, Obama receives a phone call from Nairobi: his father is dead. This sudden news inspires an emotional odyssey for Obama, determined to learn the truth of his father's life and reconcile his divided inheritance.

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Parkinson, Michael Parky: my autobiography. 2009. 3v. Michael Parkinson's career spans over four decades the man from a humble but colourful Yorkshire mining family who can tease out the secrets of even the most reticent star guest, at last reveals his own story. His distinguished career has involved working on highly acclaimed current affairs and film programmes. His wide interests and expertise include jazz, film, football and cricket.

Seth, VikramTwo lives. 2006. 5v.The book is both a history of a violent century seen through eyes of two survivors as well as an intimate portrait of their friendship, marriage and abiding yet complex love. Shanti Behari Seth brought up in India in the late years of the Raj, was sent by his family in the 1930s to Berlin to study medicine and dentistry. It was here, before he migrated to Britain, that Shanti's path first crossed that of his future wife, Henny Gerda Caro.

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Stewart, Jackie Winning is not enough: the autobiography. 2007. 6v.Sir Jackie Stewart is winner of three F1 World Championships, 27 Grands Prix and ranked in the top five drivers of all time. On retiring from the circuit, he went on to build an equally impressive international business career. Beyond the sport his life is a compelling tale of battling against the odds and achieving world-wide recognition as an outstanding sportsman, a role model and a highly accomplished and respected businessman.

Strachey, Lytton. Eminent Victorians. 2008. 3v.Lytton Strachey approached his subjects with scepticism rather than reverence, and his iconoclastic wit and engaging narratives thrilled as well as shocked his contemporaries. Debunking Church, Public School and Empire, his portraits of Cardinal Manning, Florence Nightingale, Dr Arnold of Rugby, and General Gordon of Khartoum changed perceptions of the Victorians for a generation.

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Trollope, Anthony. Autobiography of Anthony Trollope. 2008. 3v.After education at Harrow and Winchester, his father's debts forced Trollope to take a job as a Post Office clerk. In his autobiography he reveals the amazing tasks he set himself in his determination to write, as well as work in the Post Office, and how later his novels brought him fame and fortune.

Vonnegut, Kurt A man without a country. 2006. 1v. Written over five years in the form of a loose memoir, with the examples of Mark Twain, Jesus Christ, Abraham Lincoln, and a saintly doctor named Ignaz Semmelweis powerfully in mind, "A man without a country" is an intimate and tender communication from one individual to his fellow humans - sometimes kidding, at other times despairing, always searching.

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Crime

Capote, Truman. In cold blood: a true account of a multiple murder and its consequences. 1967. 4v.On a November night in 1959 a wealthy Kansas farmer, his wife and their 2 teenage daughters were shot and killed. The two young men who had murdered them were eventually hanged for the crime. In the 6 year interim, Truman Capote researched and wrote this book, an investigative classic which raises as many compelling and horrifying questions as it answers.

Childcare

Frost, Jo.Supernanny: how to get the best from your children. 2005. 2v. With over fifteen years' experience, Jo Frost knows exactly what to do - whether your ten-month-old won't sleep through the night, or your two-year-old is on the rampage.

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Drama

Russell, Willy Shirley Valentine. 1991. 2v.The filmscript specially adapted by Willy Russell into a full-length play. Shirley Valentine has no one to talk to but the kitchen wall. Surely there's more to life than egg and chips on Tuesdays and steak on Thursdays? On a Greek island, husband left behind, her dream of escape turns into reality.

Essays

Bacon, Francis, Viscount St Albans. Essays. 2008. 2v.Bacon's discourse on a wide range of subjects, from marriage to death, from truth to atheism, is written in prose of genuine beauty and clarity that made his work, for centuries after his death, an essential study for scholars of English literature. His insights remain pertinent to the reader even in the 21st Century.

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Historical

Cooke, Alistair. Alistair Cooke's American journey: life on the home front in the Second World War. 2007. 4v.Intertwined with his reflections on changing landscapes and cityscapes and with his unique storytelling skills and insight, his acute ability to define detail and catch the sounds and syntax of different regional accents, this is Alistair Cooke moving into his prime as a reporter and a writer. His prescient observations on what was happening and considerations on where America was headed provide a clearer understanding of a critical moment in world history just prior to the dropping of the Atomic bomb.

Procopius. The secret history. 2007. 2v."The secret history" portrays the great lawgiver Justinian as a rampant king of corruption and tyranny, the Empress Theodora as a sorceress and whore, and the brilliant general Belisarius as the pliable dupe of his scheming wife Antonina. A

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work of explosive energy, depicting holy Byzantium as a hell of murder and misrule.

Humour

Clarkson, Jeremy. The world according to Clarkson. 2005. 3v. In The World According to Clarkson, one of the country's funniest comic writers has free reign to expose absurdity, celebrate eccentricity and entertain richly in the process. And the net is cast wide: from the chronic unsuitability of men to look after children for long periods or as operators of 'white goods', Nimbyism, cricket and PlayStations, to astronomy, David Beckham, 70's rock, the demise of Concorde, the burden of an Eton education and the shocking failure of Tom Clancy to make it on to the Booker shortlist. The World According to Clarkson is a hilarious snapshot of the life in the 21st century that will have readers wincing with embarrassed recognition and crying with laughter.

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Phinn, Gervase. Twinkle, twinkle, little stars. 2008. 1v.A collection of Gervase Phinn's favourite stories about children from his bestselling Dales books, and some poems from his Puffin poetry books. The stories have one thing in common, the wonderfully funny (and usually innocent) things that children say. Whether they are stories about children who cannot read very well but know the names of many breeds of sheep, or children who are more privileged (coming to school in a Wolls Woyce) they will make you look at life through a child's eyes.

Literature

Mortimer, JohnIn other words. 2008. 1v.A book of verse, anecdotes and memories based on Mortimer's long-running one-man charity show. Stories of seedy criminals and the even seedier criminal justice system, of boyhood and Mortimer's remarkable father, of passion and politics, and most of all English eccentrics from Lord Byron to the present day.

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Music and entertainment

Hornby, Nick. 31 songs. 2003. 2v.Here, Nick Hornby writes about 31 songs - most of them loved, some of them once loved, all of them significant to him, such as Van Morrison and Nelly Furtado, and songs as different as "Thunder Road" and "Puff the Magic Dragon" (reggae style). He discusses, among other things, guitar solos, singers whose teeth whistle and the sort of music you hear in the Body Shop.

Personal

Noseda, HollyAdoption & fostering: a parent's guide. 2008. 1v.Need-2-know series. Packed with practical advice and the latest information, this book takes you through the entire process of adoption and fostering: from making initial inquires and starting an application to the approval process and the first days at home. The legislative maze is fully

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explained and guidance is given on planning for your new family - both emotionally and practically.

Dragon's Den: your road to success. 2009. The Dragons' Den stars reveal their personal stories of success but also the failures they have overcome.

Philosophy

Descartes, Rene. Discourse on the method. 2008. 1v.Descartes was a central figure in the scientific revolution of the seventeenth century. In his Discourse on the method he outlines the contrast between mathematics and experimental sciences, Descartes developed the hypothetical method that characterizes modern science, and this soon came to replace the traditional techniques derived from Aristotle.

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Plays

Miller, Arthur.A view from the bridge/ All my sons. 2000. 2v.A play dealing with the problem of illegal immigration into America. The presence of two Italian immigrants brings to the surface the hidden tensions within an American family, and leads to eventual tragedy.

Shakespeare, William. Julius Caesar. 2010. 1v.A historic tragedy, leading up to the assassination of this Roman general.

Shakespeare, William. Measure for measure. 2010. 1v.Although "Measure for Measure" ends like a comedy, with reconciliations, forgiveness and marriages, it has often been regarded as one of Shakespeare's problem plays. The drama shows the difficulty of effecting an appropriate balance between judicial severity and mercy, between sexual repression and decadence, and between political vigilance and social manipulation.

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Shakespeare, William. Othello. 2010. 1v.One of the most staged of all Shakespeare's plays, Othello is a tale of love and betrayal, secrets, passions, and intrigue. Psychology and wit pit strength and virtue against jealousy and evil agendas. The results leave no winners, only tragedy in the lives of the jealous Moor, Othello, and his wife, Desdemona.

Shakespeare, William. Richard II. 2010. 1v.The historical tragedy begins with a quarrel and the exiling of Bolingbroke & Mowbray; it ends with Richard relinquishing his crown to Bolingbroke some years later.

Sheridan, Richard Brinsley.The school for scandal. 2004. 2v.Comedy of contrasts in which brothers Joseph and Charles Surface contend for Maria, with hilariously differing intentions and results. Also a work of acute comic irony.

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Wilde, Oscar. Lady Windermere's fan. 2010. 1v.Beautiful, aristocratic, an adored wife and young mother, Lady Windermere is 'a fascinating puritan' whose severe moral code leads her to the brink of social suicide. The only one who can save her is the mysterious Mrs Erlynne whose scandalous relationship with Lord Windermere has prompted her fatal impulse. And Mrs Erlynne has a secret - a secret Lady Windermere must never know if she is to retain her peace of mind.

Poetry

Burns, Robert. Poems and songs of Robert Burns. 2008. 5v.Angry or compassionate, sentimental or satirical, romantic or bawdy, Burns' poetry transcends the Scottish dialect in which it is written.

Foulds, AdamThe broken word. 2008. 1v.Set in the 1950s, "The broken word" is a poetic sequence that animates and illuminates a dark, terrifying period in British colonial history. Tom

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has returned to his family's farm in Kenya for the summer vacation between school and university when he is swept up by the events of the Mau Mau uprising.

Larkin, Philip.The Whitsun weddings.1964.1v.A collection of poems from a "tenderly observant" poet who writes about what all of us can understand. The title poem describes the poet's journey by train from Hull to London, using the tones and rhythms of ordinary speech and focusing on the urban landscape of the industrial north.

Science

New Scientist.Does anything eat wasps? And 101 other questions. 2005. 2v.How long can I live on beer alone? Why do people have eyebrows? Has nature invented any wheels? Every year, readers send in thousands of questions to "New Scientist", the world's best-selling science weekly.

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O'Hare, Mick.Why don't penguins' feet freeze? And 114 other questions. 2006. 2v.This book includes recent answers never before published in book form, as well as old favourites from the columns early days.

Sport

McIlvanney, HughMcIlvanney on boxing. 2002. 5v.The book features in-depth analysis of the build-up, climax and aftermath of over 25 classic showdowns, tracing decades of boxing history and recreating the drama and spectacle of such encounters as Ali v. Cooper, Frazier v. Ali and Foreman v. Norton. It also covers clashes from more modern times, such as the epic contests of the '80s between Pedroza and McGuigan, and Tyson and Bruno.

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Society

Kyle, JeremyI'm only being honest. 2009. 3v.Jeremy Kyle takes a hard look at the social problems blighting modern Britain and seeks a route towards their solution. He stresses the need for the firm hand and unconditional love that seems so absent from certain young parents and questions the morals of those who see having children purely as a money-making exercise.

Travel

Blixen, Karen. Out of Africa. 2001. 4v.The author sets out in middle age to record the central experience of her life in which, with her husband, she went out to Kenya to manage a coffee plantation close to the Ngong Hills near Nairobi, and continued to do so for ten years after her divorce. The result is a poignant evocation of a vanishing land and its peoples, the destiny of whom seems almost to echo her own preoccupations.

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Fogle, Bruce A dog abroad: one man and his dog journey into the heart of Europe. 2007. 3v.Macy, an endearing and vivacious golden retriever, and her master, the bestselling vet Bruce Fogle, journey into the very heart of Europe in search of the Fogle ancestors.

Hawes, AnnieExtra virgin. 2001. 5v.When Annie Hawes buys a hillside cottage in Italy for no more than the price of a dodgy second-hand car, a capable young Englishwoman becomes a surprisingly incapable Ligurian "signorina" - in the overgrown garden of a small, stone house amongst the olive groves of Liguria. Fortunately the hard-core olive-farming folk of Diano San Pietro are on hand to ply her with huge meals, plenty of ridicule and all the old-fashioned know-how needed to get by.

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Hawes, AnnieRipe for the picking. 2003. 3v.Englishwoman Annie Hawes spent ten years living and working amongst the people of Diano San Pietro in northern Italy. She'd bought and renovated a house, tended her own olive grove, and spoke the Ligurian dialect like a native. But a decade is the blink of an eye in a land where rituals and customs go back hundreds, sometimes thousands of years.

Mayle, Peter. A year in Provence. 2000. 2v.First, a dream of life in Provence, and then a home to match the dream. Moving into an old farmhouse at the foot of the Luberon Mountains between Avignon and Aix was the beginning of an exotic and bewildering new life for Peter Mayle and his wife. "A year in Provence" is Peter Mayle's own hilarious description of their pleasurable and occasionally frustrating experiences.

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Palin, Michael. Around the world in 80 days. 1989. 3v.In the autumn of 1988, Michael Palin set out from the Reform Club to circumnavigate the world, following the route taken by Phileas Fogg 115 years earlier. Fogg brought back a Princess. Palin a lot of dirty laundry and a television series that stands as an unparalleled tribute to man's ability to make life difficult for himself.

Stevenson, Robert Louis. Travels with a donkey. 2008. 1v.In 1878 Stevenson set out from to tramp through the wild region of the Cevennes. His only companion was a small donkey to carry basic necessities, and a commodious sleeping sack. In the next 12 days, at a pace dictated by the donkey and carrying most of the supplies himself, he travelled 120 miles across rivers, mountains and forests.

Thubron, Colin. Shadow of the Silk Road. 2007. 4v.Shadow of the Silk Road records a journey along the greatest land route on earth. Out of the heart

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of China into the mountains of Central Asia, across northern Afghanistan and the plains of Iran and into Kurdish Turkey, Colin Thubron travels from the Tomb of the Yellow Emperor to the ancient Mediterranean port of Antioch, going by local bus, truck, car, donkey-cart or camel.

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