Travel and Exploration

Talking BooksThe titles in this booklist are just a selection of the titles available for loan from the RNIB National Library Talking Book Service.

Don’t forget you are allowed to have up to 6 books on loan. When you return a title, you will then receive another one.

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Historical accounts

Barr, Pat A curious life for a lady: the story of Isabella Bird. 1970. Read by Gretel Davis, 16 hours 5 minutes. TB 2173.The story of Isabella Bird who at the age of 40 rebelled against the conventions of her Victorian middle-class background and set out on a series of adventurous travels in arduous conditions to many strange places. TB 2173.

Borrow, George Wild Wales: its people, language and scenery. 1984. Read by Ray Jones, 26 hours 35 minutes. TB 5270.Born and bred in Norfolk, George Borrow was already a well-known travel writer, having spent several years travelling about England, sometimes with the gypsies. Married, he still took time to travel, and this tour of Wales was in 1854. TB 5270.

Dickens, Charles American notes. 2000. Read by Peter Joyce, 11 hours 5 minutes. TB 12713.To the nineteenth-century Englishman, America was not unlike Russia or China or Cuba today - a new society, founded on new and revolutionary principles. Charles Dickens was only one of the more famous of those Englishmen who crossed the Atlantic to see democracy in action. Charles Dickens chronicles his five-month trip around the United States in 1842 and records his adventures as well as his impressions of American schools, prisons and slavery. TB 12713.

Douglas, Norman Siren land. 1911. Read by Derek Chandler, 10 hours 44 minutes. TB 4295.A travel book with all the elegance and style of the age in which it was first published. The "Siren Land" is the region around Naples and more especially the Sorrentine Peninsula and Capri. TB 4295.

Fleming, Peter Brazilian adventure. 1933. Read by Arthur Bush, 13 hours 30 minutes. TB 2102.A travel classic in which two young Englishmen explore unknown Amazon jungles in search of the lost expedition of Colonel Fawcett. TB 2102.

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Forster, E M Alexandria: a history and a guide. 1922. Read by George Hagan, 10 hours 13 minutes. TB 5106.The author wrote this book when, as a Red Cross volunteer during the First World War, he was stationed in Alexandria. He viewed the sights he saw through their history from the Pharoahs to the nineteenth century. He writes of the religions and heresies. Michael Haag, who visited the city in 1973, brings the history up to date. Lawrence Durrell used the book as he was writing the Alexandria Quartet and here contributes a foreword. TB 5106.

Fountaine, Margaret Love among the butterflies: the travels and adventures of a Victorian lady. 1980. Read by Judith Whale, 8 hours 52 minutes. TB 4068.The author, born in 1862, left this record of sixty years of her life in sealed boxes which were not to be opened until 1978. They contain a wonderful account of her life and travels, and her abiding passion for butterflies. TB 4068.

Grosvenor Myer, Valarie A Victorian lady in Africa. 1989. Read by Frances Jeater, 8 hours 46 minutes. TB 8162.Mary Kingsley was a fairly typical Victorian girl and young woman, apart perhaps from her avid interest in science and engineering. Her parents died in 1892, and Mary promptly set off for adventure in West Africa. Her experiences reveal much about attitudes to women and African societies in the last years of the nineteenth century. Mary Kingsley packed the remaining eight years of her life full of travel, trade, observation, debate and an unceasing search for knowledge. TB 8162.

Hall, Richard Lovers on the Nile. 1980. Read by Garard Green, 10 hours 34 minutes. TB 3648.An account of the two journeys made by Samuel and Florence Baker to the lake regions of Central Africa. TB 3648.

Horwitz, Tony Into the blue: boldly going where Captain Cook has gone before. 2002. Read by Jim McLarty, 21 hours 8 minutes. TB 15203.This tale of historic adventure retraces the eighteenth century voyages of Captain James Cook. The author vividly recounts Cook's exploration and relives his adventures by travelling in Cook's wake to such places as Tahiti, New Zealand, the Great Barrier Reef, Alaska and finally Hawaii. Along the way, he discovers Cook's legacy to the present day. TB 15203.

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Jeal, Tim Stanley: the impossible life of Africa's greatest explorer. 2007. Read by Bob Rollett, 23 hours 5 minutes. TB 15195.Henry Morton Stanley, so the story goes, was a cruel imperialist - a bad man of Africa - who connived with King Leopold II of Belgium in horrific crimes against the people of the Congo. He also conducted the most legendary celebrity interview in history, remembered in the words 'Dr Livingstone, I presume?'. The reality of Stanley's life - even by the exceptional standards of the Victorian age - is yet more extraordinary. Rejected by both parents at birth and consigned to a Welsh workhouse, he emigrated to America, fought in the Civil War - on both sides - before becoming a journalist and then an explorer. Contains violence. TB 15195.

Jerome, Jerome K Diary of a pilgrimage. 1891. Read by John Rye, 4 hours 10 minutes. TB 8495.Invited to the theatre on Monday next, Jerome discovers it is at Ober-Ammergau. He looked at his diary and saw that Aunt Emma was coming, calculated that he would miss her and decided that he would go! And so began an epic pilgrimage. TB 8495.

Keay, Julia With passport and parasol. 1989. Read by Anne White, 9 hours 53 minutes. TB 9074.The Victorians were nothing if not intrepid and this book, based on a Radio 4 series, brings together the adventures of seven "lady travellers". They include characters as diverse as a society hostess, a journalist and a mystic. Their travels took them as far afield as Russia, the Middle East and Central Asia. Each had a remarkable tale to tell. TB 9074.

Kinglsey, Mary Travels in West Africa. 1897. Read by Rosemary Davis, 33 hours 52 minutes. TB 4754.As a dutiful Victorian daughter, the author was thirty before being freed (by her parents' deaths) to do as she chose. She went to West Africa in 1893 and again in 1895, to investigate the beliefs and customs of the inland tribes and also to collect zoological specimens. She was appalled by the 'thin veneer of rubbishy white culture' imposed by British officials and was not afraid to say so. TB 4754.

Listowel, Judith Hare The other Livingstone. 1974. Read by Alvar Lidell, 11 hours 57 minutes. TB 2610.The story of the four men who played a crucial part in Livingstone's discoveries, and of the intrigue and rivalry which took place behind the scenes in Africa, away from the rapturous public gaze of the Victorians. TB 2610.

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MacLean, Alistair Captain Cook. 1972. Read by Garard Green, 4 hours 30 minutes. TB 2118.The story of James Cook, seaman, navigator and cartographer, and the three amazing voyages he made between 1768 and 1779. TB 2118.

Morton, Henry Vollam In the steps of St. Paul. 1936. Read by Alvar Lidell, 18 hours 22 minutes. TB 1393.The author follows the journeys of the apostle throughout his missionary work among the early Christians of Greece, Turkey and Syria. TB 1393.

Morton, Henry Vollam In the steps of the Master. 1934. Read by John Webster, 18 hours. TB 2013.A travel book composed of the thoughts and impressions of a traveller in Palestine with the New Testament in his hands. TB 2013.

Nicholls, C S David Livingstone. Read by Nigel Graham, 2 hours 20 minutes. TB 13134. Isis Pocket Biographies. Livingstone has been acclaimed a hero for his discovery of the Victoria Falls and he mapped out much of central Africa's waterways. In 1871 Henry Stanley went to Africa to find Livingstone leading to one of the most famous meetings in exploration history. This text provides an account of Livingstone's life, from his humble beginnings in Scotland, and his struggle to gain qualifications, to his employment with the London Missionary Society and his search for the source of the Nile. TB 13134.

Nichols, Peter Evolution's captain: the tragic fate of Robert Fitzroy, the man who sailed Charles Darwin around the world. 2003. Read by Jonathan Oliver, 12 hours 5 minutes. TB 14398.The early 19th century was a heroic age for British maritime exploits. Small naval vessels were sent around the world to make charts, plot the oceans and ease the way for empire. One such vessel was the Beagle. The Admiralty despatched it to Tierra del Fuego - some of the wildest and most dangerous seas in the world - to chart the waters. The first captain, Stokes, committed suicide, dying slowly and painfully from his gunshot wounds. The second, Robert Fitz Roy was little happier. He was a sailor in the heroic mould, but his plan to take four 'savages' hostage when one of the Beagle's dinghies was stolen went drastically wrong. York Minster, Jenny Button, and two others were taken to Britain to be educated as Christian gentlefolk. And then to be returned to their native lands on the next expedition - the one made famous by the presence on the boat of Charles Darwin. Like all the best

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made plans, it did not work out like that. This true story is intriguing history and it reveals great science in the making. TB 14398.

Priestley, J BEnglish journey: being a rambling but truthful account of what one man saw and heard and felt and thought during a journey through England during the autumn of the year 1933. 1977. Read by Brian Perkins, 14 hours 11 minutes. TB 4651.The author sub-titles this book 'a rambling but truthful account of what one man saw and heard and felt and thought during a journey through England during the autumn of the year 1933.' It gives a fair and rounded picture of England, its people and landscape, its towns and countryside with a bonus of unexpected events, amusing characters and his own racy comments. TB 4651.

Russell, Mary The blessings of a good thick skirt: women travellers and their world. 1986. Read by William Abney, 9 hours 21 minutes. TB 6637.From the early days of Christian pilgrimage, women have been escaping from the shackles of duty or domesticity and setting off on a variety of pretexts: to bring the Bible to China; to forget a broken love affair, to expiate a past guilt or study plant life - or simply to have fun. Some of the most remarkable journeys have been made by women who have not only pushed to the limit their own strength and endurance, but have sought to define their own identity by breaking down barriers. TB 6637.

Salmond, Anne The trial of the cannibal dog: Captain Cook in the South Seas. 2004. Read by Frances Edmond, 25 hours 48 minutes. TB 15289.This is an account of Cook's South Sea voyages, in which he plunges south to discover Antarctica and then veers north to discover Hawaii. Cook's ships, far from remaining little wooden islands of Englishness in a Polynesian sea, become tangled in the worlds they encounter. TB 15289.

Stevenson, Robert Louis Travels with a donkey in the Cevennes. 1879. Read by Robert Trotter, 2 hours 25 minutes. TB 9458.On 23 September 1878 Stevenson set out from Le Monastier in the Haut Loire, 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. His stylish and witty account was published in 1879. TB 9458.

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World travel

A book of travellers' tales. 1985. Read by Frank Duncan, 21 hours 51 minutes. TB 7013.One of the great travel writers in English presents an anthology of writings by his peers that spans the globe from Africa to Antarctica and from Penzance to Poona and covers over 2000 years. He uses the same eye for the curious and the unexpected that distinguishes his own writing. His travellers are brave and resourceful. The extracts are arranged by continent and within that scheme chronologically. TB 7013.

A taste for travel: an anthology. 1985. Read by Gene Foad, 25 hours 47 minutes. TB 6369.An anthology of nearly 400 extracts from the huge diversity of travel literature, grouped not in time or by country but according to aspects or themes of travel. They represent the experiences of leaving and homecoming, of encounters and perils, of seasons and terrains - in short, all the many meanings of being abroad. TB 6369.

Bryson, Bill The lost continent: travels in small town America, and, Neither here nor there: travels in Europe. 1992. Read by John Chancer, 22 hours 20 minutes. TB 10290.Here in one volume are two comic masterpieces by Bill Bryson, the books that have brought him acclaim as one of the funniest writers at work today. "The Lost Continent" is the story of Bryson's return to America, the land of his youth, after ten years in England. He borrowed his mother's car and set out, and his account of his journey has become a classic. In "Neither here nor there" Bryson is in Europe, travelling from Hammerfest in Norway to Istanbul. Fluent in at least one language, a backpack on his shoulders and a tight fist on his wallet, Bryson is an hilarious guide. Contains strong language. TB 10290.

Cahill, Tim Pecked to death by ducks. 2008. Read by Jeff Harding, 13 hours 43 minutes. TB 16077.From the waters of Antarctica to the blazing oil fields of Kuwait, Cahill offers a tour of the Earth's remote, exotic, and dismal places, learning valuable life lessons along the way. TB 16077.

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Cahill, Tim Pass the butterworms. 2008. Read by Jeff Harding, 11 hours 26 minutes. TB 15725.Cahill takes us to the steppes of Mongolia, where he spends weeks on horseback alongside the descendants of Genghis Khan and masters the Mongolian death trot; to the North Pole, where he goes for a pleasure dip in 36-degree water; to Irian Jaya New Guinea, where he spends an evening with members of one of the last head-hunting tribes. Contains strong language. TB 15725.

Chatwin, Bruce What am I doing here? 1989. Read by Nigel Graham, 12 hours 12 minutes. TB 7679.A collection, selected by the author, of his own stories, profiles of fascinating people, and travelogues covering his visits to Russia, China and Afghanistan, amongst other places. A wide variety of pieces, all written with great depth and the author's unique and penetrating perception of the world around him. TB 7679.

Coleridge, Nicholas Around the world in 78 days. 1984. Read by Gordon Dulieu, 8 hours 5 minutes. TB 5713.For a writer who arrives in one country only to start planning how to get to the next, the idea of following the legendary route taken for a bet by Phileas Fogg had immediate appeal. He was to find that travel had become an hilariously more complicated matter. TB 5713.

Fiennes, William Snow geese. 2001. Read by Steve Hodson, 9 hours 30 minutes. TB 12601.Snow geese spend their summers in the Canadian Arctic. Each autumn they migrate south, to Delaware and the Gulf of Mexico. In the spring they fly out north again. William Fiennes decided to go with them and to write about his travels. TB 12601.

Gellhorn, Martha Travels with myself and another. 1983. Read by Liza Ross, 12 hours 21 minutes. TB 12657.This text describes the travels of Martha Gellhorn, and could more aptly be described as an account of 'best horror journeys' than a travel book. Contains strong language. TB 12657.

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Keay, JohnEccentric travellers. 1982. Read by John Richmond, 8 hours 51 minutes. TB 4415.The stories of seven extraordinary figures whose thirst for travel and exploration led them into adventures in remote parts of the world: including that of James Holman who travelled further than all the others put together, yet was completely blind. TB 4415.

Knox Mawer, Ronnie A case of bananas: and other South sea trials. 1992. Read by Ronald Markham, 5 hours 23 minutes. TB 9900.No doubt Ronnie Knox Mawer did his best to uphold the dignity of British justice in the South Seas, but his best was often not good enough. Trying to cope with the manic eccentricities of the District Commissioner and the curious customs of the Polynesians, he inevitable fell short of the standards demanded by Mr Pandit Raj Sharma, his Court Registrar. Noel Coward, visiting him, observed that "social life in the South Pacific has its limits", but Ronnie could never find out what they were. TB 9900.

McCarthy, Pete The road to McCarthy. 2002. Read by Christopher Scott, 16 hours 41 minutes. TB 12754.Setting off from Ireland, Pete McCarthy takes us on a journey around the weird and wonderful Irish communities of the world. He recounts his adventures and escapades as, in Morocco he meets the head of Clan McCarthy, and then goes on to visit the renowned Irish peoples of New York. He journeys to the southern hemisphere and then back again to the United States before ending up in a small town called McCarthy in Alaska. Contains strong language. TB 12754.

McGregor, Ewan Long way round: chasing shadows across the world. 2004. Read by Peter Kenny and Alistair Petrie, 9 hours 53 minutes. TB 13927.In this book, fellow film actors and bike enthusiasts Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman travel 20,000 miles around the world by motorbike. They will encounter many troublesome situations on the way, ranging from extreme and threatening weather to impenetrable terrain, and will face challenges such as caviar fishing in the Caspian sea, wrestling with the Mongolian Olympic team and riding with the Canadian Mounties. Whilst throwing themselves enthusiastically into the culture of each new country - from Alaska to Mongolia, from Canada to Kazakhstan - the two friends will also have to rely on each other's good humour, as the journey tests their relationship and their stamina to the limits. Contains strong language. TB 13927.

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Mitchison, Naomi Mucking around: five continents over fifty years. 1981. Read by Judith Whale, 5 hours 55 minutes. TB 4052.These memoirs, based on letters written home during her travels, provide an entertaining and outspoken guide to the many places the author has visited. TB 4052.

Morris, Jan Among the cities. 1985. Read by David Sinclair, 18 hours 11 minutes. TB 5858.During three decades of more or less constant travel Jan Morris has probably described more of the world, and especially the urban world, than almost any other writer. This is a retrospective selection of travel pieces, ranging from the 1950s to the 1980s and including such diverse places as Berlin, Shanghai and Swaziland. TB 5858.

Myers, Wendy Seven league boots: the story of my seven-year hitch-hike round the world. 1969. Read by Carol Marsh, 10 hours 43 minutes. TB 1049.Wendy Myers gave up her job in a bank and set off, at the age of 18, to hitchhike her way around the world. She describes her travels, which took her seven years. TB 1049.

Naipaul, V S The middle passage: impressions of five societies, British, French and Dutch, the West Indies and South America. 1962. Read by Duncan Carse, 9 hours 15 minutes. TB 126.Naipul's first work of travel writing is an account of his journey in 1950 from London to his birthplace, Trinidad. He offers a record of his impressions there and elsewhere in the West Indies and South America, and examines their common heritage of colonialism and slavery. TB 126.

Newby, EricA traveller's life. 1982. Read by Brian Perkins, 11 hours 8 minutes. TB 4508.Although the author insists that this is a book about travel and not an autobiography, his own personality inevitably colours the story of a lifetime of journeys, from darkest Hammersmith, through Harrods to Africa, America and the Orient. TB 4508.

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Packer, Joy The world is a proud place. 1966. Read by Elizabeth Proud, 9 hours 45 minutes. TB 192.A world tour with a difference. Miss Packer is more interested in the people she meets than in the sights of the guide books. TB 192.

Palin, Michael Full circle. 1997. Read by Michael Palin, 12 hours. TB 11292.The author circumnavigated the Pacific Rim, travelling through the eighteen countries bordering this ocean. Volcanoes marked the journey, as well as mountains and gorges, glaciers and icebergs, great rivers and windswept beaches. From visiting a Gulag camp in Siberia to eating maggots in Mexico, rustling camels in Australia to singing with a choir in Vladivostok, he reveals a colourful, often hair-raising but almost always beautiful world. TB 11292.

Palin, Michael Around the world in 80 days. 1989. Read by Michael Palin, 7 hours 38 minutes. TB 7880.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. TB 7880.

Palin, Michael Pole to pole. 1992. Read by Michael Palin, 10 hours. TB 9434.The second of Michael Palin's Great Twentieth Century Adventures. He and his team set out to travel from one end of the earth to another, following the 30 degree east line of longitude, using aircraft only as a last resort and enduring extremes of heat and cold as they crossed 17 countries on trains, trucks, ships, rafts, ski-doos, buses, barges, bicycles and balloons. TB 9434.

Roberts, Jason A sense of the world: how a blind man became history's greatest traveller. 2006. Read by Jonathan Oliver, 13 hours 41 minutes. TB 15493.He was known simply as "The Blind Traveller" - a solitary, sightless adventurer who, astonishingly, fought the slave trade in Africa, survived a frozen captivity in Siberia, hunted rogue elephants in Ceylon and helped chart the Australian Outback. James Holman became 'one of the greatest wonders of the world he so sagaciously explored', triumphing not over only blindness but crippling pain, poverty and the interference of well-meaning authorities. This book relives his life of exploration. TB 15493.

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Snow, Sebastian The rucksack man. 1976. Read by Alvar Liddell, 7 hours 15 minutes. TB 3036.The author is a determined, if somewhat unorthodox walker. This journey took him from Ushuaia, the most southerly city in the world, right through South America to Panama City. TB 3036.

Wilson, John Travelling blind. 1963. Read by Corbett Woodall, 7 hours 37 minutes. TB 1290.An account of journeys in African countries and the West Indies undertaken on behalf of the Royal Commonwealth Society for the Blind by the blind director of the Society. TB 1290.

Wood, Victoria Victoria's empire. 2008. Read by Victoria Wood, Adjoa Andoh and Stephen Thorne, 7 hours 40 minutes. TB 16032.Victoria Wood was named after Queen Victoria. So who better to take us on a journey through the British Empire? The story of the Empire is a key part of the story of Queen Victoria's reign and the Empire was the largest the world had ever known, covering a fifth of the earth's surface and including a quarter of its population. Victoria's mammoth journey takes in the beauty and splendour of Hong Kong, Borneo, Ghana, Jamaica, Newfoundland, New Zealand and Australia before she finishes at the Victoria Falls in Zambia. TB 16032.

Antarctic and Arctic

Bertram, Colin Antartica sixty years ago: a re-appraisal of the British Graham Land Expedition 1934-1937. 1996. Read by Duncan Carse, 8 hours 58 minutes. TB 11358.This article describes a mapping expedition to Antarctica sixty years ago. The expedition was limited to 16 men in a small wooden schooner. They worked three summers and two winters, using almost a hundred working dogs. It was a triumph in the exploration of an unknown area, with no element of great drama but full of adventure and danger. TB 11358.

Fiennes, Ranulph Mind over matter: the epic crossing of the Antarctic Continent. 1993. Read by Stephen Thorne, 10 hours 19 minutes. TB 10007.On 9 November, 1992, Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Dr Michael Stroud set out from the Filchner ice shelf, to attempt the first unassisted crossing of the Antarctic continent. It was to be a journey of epic proportions which captured the imagination of the

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entire world. When they were finally lifted out, more dead than alive, they had completed by far the longest unsupported journey in polar history. TB 10007.

Huntford, Roland Shackleton. 1985. Read by Andrew Timothy, 33 hours 37 minutes. TB 6379.An Anglo-Irishman, Ernest Shackleton left school at 16 and joined the Merchant Marine. In 1900 he applied to join the "Discovery" expedition under Scott, and together with Edward Wilson, the three men achieved a new "Furthest South". The stigma of being invalided home, however, sowed the seeds of his rivalry with Scott, and of his determination to make his own attempt at the South Pole. TB 6379.

Johnson, Stanley Antarctica: the last great wilderness. 1985. Read by Gordon Dulieu, 9 hours 49 minutes. TB 6323.The author believes that Antarctica, the last great wilderness, should be designated the first world park, covering one-tenth of the Earth's surface. He made the 5000 mile journey aboard the British Antarctic Survey vessel, the "John Briscoe", and found a land of awesome physical beauty, rich in living resources. TB 6323.

Lashly, William Under Scott's command: Lashly's Antarctic diaries. 1969. Read by Derek Chandler, 5 hours 23 minutes. TB 2193.The diaries kept by William Lashly, during the expeditions in 'Discovery' and 'Terra Nova' form the basis of a vivid account of Captain Scott and contemporary life in the Navy. TB 2193.

Lindsay, Martin The epic of Captain Scott. 1962. Read by William Abney, 3 hours 26 minutes. TB 3907.A straightforward account of Captain Scott's tragic but inspiring last journey, written by an author familiar with Arctic conditions at first hand. TB 3907.

Ludlam, Harry Captain Scott: The full story. 1965. Read by Robert Gladwell, 11 hours 45 minutes. TB 2204.The story of Scott of the Antarctic. TB 2204.

Parfit, Michael South light: a journey to Antarctica. 1988. Read by George Hagan, 12 hours 31 minutes. TB 7308.Vast, remote, otherworldly - its terrain more moonscape than landscape - Antarctica is the last unchartered territory, the end of the world. Most of us will never set foot

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on it. Yet in this evocative account we take a journey that is utterly memorable. One of the few writers ever to have spent a full season in Antarctica, Michael Parfit conveys "the unearthly beauty of the place and the exhilaration of simply being alive that takes hold there". TB 7308.

Scott, R F Scott's last expedition: the journals. 1983. Read by Duncan Carse, 17 hours 45 minutes. TB 1344.This is an account, taken from Captain Scott's own journals, of the work of the Antarctic expedition of 1910-1912, and of the heroic sledge journey to the South Pole which cost him his life. TB 1344.

Scott, R F Scott of the Antarctic. Read by Edward Fox, 2 hours 18 minutes. TB 12402.In 1911 Captain Robert Falcon Scott went back to the frozen wasteland of the Antarctic with the intention of reaching the South Pole, by a long and arduous trek across the ice. On reaching the pole Scott and his comrades were devastated to find that they had been beaten by the Norwegian explorer Amundsen. With temperatures of minus 30, they began their slow journey back to their base; coming within eleven miles of safety, they finally succumbed to the elements and were found eight months later frozen to death. Captain Scott's diary was discovered under his shoulder, stored inside a little wallet. TB 12402.

Shackleton, Ernest South. 1919. Read by Sean Barrett, 8 hours 55 minutes. TB 9460.Sir Ernest Shackleton was determined to lead the first expedition to cross Antarctica via the South Pole. Setting off in 1914, the expedition failed in its grand design, but in failure they recorded one of the great stories of human endurance. TB 9460.

Sea voyages

Blyth, Chay The impossible voyage. 1971. Read by William Jack, 6 hours 29 minutes. TB 2205.The author's own story of the first ever solo non-stop wrong way round the world sail against winds and current. TB 2205.

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Callahan, Steven Adrift: Seventy-six days lost at sea. 1987. Read by Crawford Logan, 7 hours 33 minutes. TB 6715.When Steven Callahan's small yacht sank west of the Canaries, he found himself adrift in a five-foot inflatable raft, pounded by storms, scorched by the tropical sun and attacked by sharks. This is his own account of that 76-day ordeal as he drifted 1,800 miles across the Atlantic in 1983. "Although the sea was my greatest enemy, it was also my greatest ally." TB 6715.

Chichester, Francis The lonely sea and the sky. 1964. Read by Peter Reynolds, 18 hours. TB 1991.A lone-hander's many adventures include a solo flight from London to Sydney in a Gypsy-Moth and a single-handed crossing of the Atlantic by yacht. TB 1991.

Chichester, Francis "Gipsy Moth" circles the world. 1967. Read by Robert Gladwell, 12 hours 8 minutes. TB 355.Sir Francis' own account of his unique feat - sailing the ketch Gipsy Moth IV single-handed round the world. TB 355.

Connelly, CharlieAttention all shipping: a journey around the shipping forecast. 2004. Read by Daniel Philpott, 13 hours 53 minutes. TB 14885.This solemn, rhythmic intonation of the shipping forecast on BBC radio is as familiar as the sound of Big Ben chiming the hour. Since its first broadcast in the 1920s it has inspired poems, songs and novels in addition to its intended objective of warning generations of seafarers of impending storms and gales. Yet familiar though the sea areas are by name, few people give much thought to where they are or what they contain. In Attention all shipping, Charlie Connelly wittily explores the places behind the voice, those mysterious regions whose names seem often to bear no relation to conventional geography. Contains strong language. TB 14885.

Heyerdahl, Thor The 'Tigris' expedition: in search of our beginnings. 1980. Read by Jonathan Oliver, 14 hours 43 minutes. TB 9261.The true story of an epic voyage in a boat made of reeds from the Gulf into the Indian Ocean. It tells of terrifying encounters with supertankers and bandits, and of the political dispute which led to the ceremonial burning of the boat. At the heart of the expedition is an anthropological theory which gives an added edge to this real life adventure. TB 9261.

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Heyerdahl, Thor The Ra expeditions. 1971. Read by Alvar Lidell, 14 hours. TB 1564.In a boat built of papyrus reeds the author set out to test the theory that the ancient Egyptians could have reached America thousands of years before Columbus. He recounts the dangers and excitement he and his international crew encountered on the high seas. TB 1564.

Innes, Hammond Sea and islands. 1967. Read by Andrew Gemmill, 11 hours 38 minutes. TB 306.The author's impression of sailing as a way of travel, and his account of the places to which the boat took him. TB 306.

James, Naomi At one with the sea. 1979. Read by Elizabeth Proud, 7 hours 7 minutes. TB 3498.The author was the first woman to sail single-handed round the globe via Cape Horn - and in the fastest time ever. TB 3498.

Jones, TristanIce! 1979. Read by Gabriel Woolf, 9 hours 5 minutes. TB 3634. Tristan Jones series; book 3. Sequel to: Heart of oak, TB 3634. The author aimed to set a new record for taking a sailing boat as close as possible to the North Pole. Trapped for a year in drift ice, his harrowing adventures included an encounter with a hungry polar bear and a narrow escape from capsizing iceberg. TB 3634.

Newby, Eric The last grain race. 1990. Read by Nigel Graham, 11 hours. TB 14090.At the age of eighteen, Eric Newby signed on as an apprentice on the four-masted sailing ship Moshulu of the Erikson line for the round trip from Europe to Australia and back, outwards by way of the Cape of Good Hope in ballast and homewards round Cape Horn with a cargo of grain. Moshulu was the largest of the dozen or so sailing ships still engaged in the grain trade which strove annually to make the shortest passage home. Newby signed on in the autumn of 1928. This was to be an historic voyage, a dramatic personal adventure. Contains strong language. TB 14090.

Rose, Alec My 'Lively Lady'. 1968. Read by Alvar Lidell, 8 hours 15 minutes. TB 2592.An account of a single-handed voyage around the world. Alec Rose describes how he gradually built up his plans for the trip; the disasters, gales and loneliness of the

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trip itself, the eventual arrival at Portsmouth, 318 days after setting out and his knighthood a few days after his return. TB 2592.

Severin, Timothy The Sinbad voyage. 1982. Read by Gordon Dulieu, 10 hours 25 minutes. TB 4793.Already known as an explorer and writer, the author set out in 1980 to follow the voyages of Sinbad the Sailor recounted in the `Thousand and One Nights.' His ship, the `Sohar', was a replica of an Arab sailing ship in the Middle Ages and with it he proved that myth and legend were securely based on the exploits of real Arab sea-faring merchants of over a thousand years ago. TB 4793.

Severin, Timothy The Jason voyage: the quest for the golden fleece. 1985. Read by Ian Craig, 9 hours 35 minutes. TB 5929.When Jason and the Argonauts set out in search of the Golden Fleece, their journey took them from present-day Greece across the Aegean Sea, through the Dardanelles and the Sea of Marmara; then via the Bosphorus, into the Black Sea, and along the north coast of Turkey to the state of Georgia in the USSR. The author not only proves that the journey could have been made in an oared galley, but along the route investigates many of the adventures attributed to the Argonauts. TB 5929.

Slocum, JoshuaSailing alone around the world. 1969. Read by Hayward Morse, 7 hours 13 minutes. TB 11142.Challenged by an expert who said it couldn't be done, Joshua Slocum, an indomitable New England sea captain, set out in April of 1895 to prove that a man could sail alone around the world. 46,000 miles and a little over 3 years later, the proof was complete: Captain Slocum had performed the epic "first" single-handedly in a trusty 34-foot sloop called the "Spray". This is Slocum's own account of his remarkable adventures during the historic voyage. TB 11142.

Young, Gavin Slow boats to China. 1981. Read by William Abney, 20 hours 35 minutes. TB 4081.The author's love of the sea, inspired by Conrad, led him to set off on a voyage that was to take him halfway round the world on small, local boats of every kind. TB 4081.

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Britain and Europe

The traveller's gazette: home. 1999. Read by Various Narrators, 2 hours 15 minutes. TB 12042.A ramble through the towns and villages of the British Isles with Jane Austen, William Cobbett, Daniel Defoe, Sir Walter Scott, Virginia Woolf and others. Travel by steamship, mail-coach and hot air balloon from Cornwall to the Scottish Highlands. Mr Punch's Gazettes are portraits of British life through the centuries, as lived by the generations of men and women who took part. We eavesdrop on some of history's most turbulent and colourful events in the company of over 300 chroniclers, diarists and letter writers. TB 12042.

Armitage, Simon All points North. 1998. Read by David Thorpe, 6 hours 33 minutes. TB 11676.In a series of funny and perceptive pieces, the author reports on Yorkshire and its people. It's an area of extraordinary landscapes - fizzing pylons and swaying television masts on the skyline, moorland like a soggy version of the moon - and vibrant cities where Harvey Nichols looks sideways at Saturday night clubbers, drinkers, dossers and druggies. He mentions the village pantomime on tour in Bridlington, tyre trading around local farms and 'watching' cricket on Ceefax. This is Yorkshire - that bit on the map 'where England tucks its shirt into its underpants'. TB 11676.

Bainbridge, Beryl English journey: or the road to Milton Keynes. 1984. Read by Judith Whale, 5 hours 31 minutes. TB 5273.Fifty years ago J.B. Priestley wrote an "English Journey", a "rambling but truthful account of what one man saw and heard and felt on his travels through the country." To assess the changes wrought by a half century of progress since the thirties, BBC TV commissioned Beryl Bainbridge to follow in Priestley's footsteps. This is the diary of the documentary they made. TB 5273.

Banks, IainRaw spirit: in search of the perfect dram. 2004. Read by Allan Tall, 12 hours. TB 14051.In a bid to uncover the unique spirit of the single malt whisky, author Iain Banks has decided to undertake a tour of the distilleries of his homeland. His tour of Scotland combines history, literature and landscape in an entertaining and informative account. Contains strong language. TB 14051.

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Bryson, Bill Notes from a small island. 1995. Read by John Chancer, 11 hours 53 minutes. TB 10500.After nearly two decades in Britain, Bill Bryson recently took the decision to move back to the States for a while. But before leaving North Yorkshire, he insisted on taking one last trip around Britain. Here he turns a laconic but affectionate eye on his adopted country, analysing precisely what it is he loves about the country. TB 10500.

Chetwode, Penelope Two middle-aged ladies in Andalusia. 1985. Read by Rosemary Davis, 6 hours 1 minute. TB 5752. The century travellers. The author makes her tour of the most inaccessible region of Spain riding on the back of the second middle-aged lady in the title: her mare, La Marquesa. Together they encounter the people, the architecture and the sanitation. TB 5752.

Darlington, Terry Narrow dog to Carcassonne. 2005. Read by Steve Hodson, 11 hours 23 minutes. TB 14454.Terry and Monica Darlington are intrepid pensioners who made the surprising decision to sail their canal narrowboat Phillis May, sixteen hundred miles across France and down to the Mediterranean, accompanied only by their whippet Jim. They took advice from nautical experts, who told them they would lose their boat and their lives (and, indeed, Jim). It is a true story of high adventure in France, England, Belgium and out at sea, as experienced by two innocents and a reluctant dog. Contains strong language. TB 14454.

Davies, Hunter A walk along the wall. 1974. Read by Derek Chandler, 17 hours 15 minutes. TB 2508.The story of Hadrian's Wall - its remarkable history, the archaeology which uncovered it and is still taking place, and the varied people who live along it today. TB 2508.

Davies, HunterA walk around the Lakes.... 1979. Read by John Richmond, 15 hours 4 minutes. TB 3592.Observations for those desirous of being guided to the Lake District, and a consideration of the many eminent literary personages associated with Cumbria. TB 3592.

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Dibnah, FredFred Dibnah's industrial age: a guide to Britain's industrial heritage - where to go, what to see. 1999. Read by Peter Barker, 5 hours 7 minutes. TB 13464.Fred Dibnah recounts the history of Britain's industrial past and its mechanical relics, bringing to life landmark events from the eighteenth century up to the early twentieth century in his typically anecdotal manner. He introduces the great inventors from the age of steam, describes the day-to-day operation of different mills and paints a vivid picture of what life was like for all mill-hands and colliers who laboured in industrial Britain. TB 13464.

Doerflinger, Frederick Slow boat through Pennine waters. 1971. Read by Gabriel Woolf, 10 hours 45 minutes. TB 2333.The author explores the least known of our navigable rivers and canals. TB 2333.

Doerflinger, Frederick Slow boat through England. 1970. Read by Gabriel Woolf, 8 hours 18 minutes. TB 1596.About canals, rivers, and locks; how to choose a boat; how to handle it; and descriptions of some of the author's own experiences. TB 1596.

Du Maurier, DaphneVanishing Cornwall. 1967. Read by Garard Green, 6 hours 15 minutes. TB 276.Portrait of a wild and beautiful land, its history and people, their customs, superstitions and legends. TB 276.

Ebdon, John Near myths: a love affair with Greece. 1989. Read by John Ebdon, 5 hours 21 minutes. TB 8689.John Ebdon's affection for the Greeks is without stint, and his curiosity about them and their beautiful surroundings is boundless. As a wise old man from the island of Siphos once said to him, "You see Yanni, when a Greek is born, he follows life - and wins it. And then, Yanni, he enjoys life! Endaxi? OK? Bravo!". Not a bad lesson for any of us! TB 8689.

Fermor, Patrick Leigh A time of gifts: on foot to Constantinople: from the Hook of Holland to the Middle Danube. 1977? Read by Peter Gray, 15 hours 45 minutes. TB 3200.A prizewinning account of the author's journey on foot from the Hook of Holland to the Middle Danube, for him an introduction to the languages, arts and histories, but above all the people of a dozen civilisations. TB 3200.

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Fermor, Patrick Leigh Between the woods and the water: on foot to Constantinople from the Hook of Holland: the Middle Danube to the Iron Gates. 1986. Read by Raymond Adamson, 10 hours 18 minutes. TB 6693.The author continues on his journey down the Danube from Budapest; on horseback across the Great Hungarian Plain, and over the Rumanian border into Transylvania, a wild beautiful region of forests and mountains secluded from Western eyes during centuries of religious and national complexity. He planned to live "like a tramp, a pilgrim or a wandering scholar" but found instead leisurely sojourns in castles. TB 6693.

Hanbury-Tenison, RobinWhite horses over France: from the Camargue to Cornwall. 1990. Read by Robin Hanbury-Tenison, 5 hours 38 minutes. TB 10217.For many years, the explorer Robin Hanbury-Tenison has nursed an ambition to bring home to his farm in Cornwall two of the white horses of the Camargue. He and his wife, Louella, finally achieved this ambition. They bought two horses and rode them, from the open lagoons and wild terrain of the Camargue to the moors of Cornwall. The journey was a magical one, in which they met a whole range of interesting and delightful people. TB 10217.

Harrod, Wilhelmine Norfolk. 1982. Read by Peter Baker, 11 hours 23 minutes. TB 6388.Despite the changes brought by an increase in population twice the national average, there are still 659 glorious medieval churches to look at, many historic houses and the rare birds of marsh and shore, and the countryside still retains its own character. TB 6388.

Hauxwell, HannahInnocent abroad: the travels of Miss Hannah Hauxwell. 1991. Read by Maggie Jones, 4 hours 3 minutes. TB 9037.In May 1991 Hannah set out on a Grand Tour of Europe. From her tentative first step onto a channel ferry it was an exhilarating experience, through France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy and amongst all her experiences, she fell in love with Venice. Accompanying her, Barry Cockcroft faithfully records every encounter and experience. TB 9037.

Hawks, TonyRound Ireland with a fridge. 1999. Read by Tony Hawks, 9 hours 47 minutes. TB 13500.While in Ireland for an international song competition, comedian Tony Hawks was amazed to see a hitch-hiker trying to thumb a lift with a fridge. Years later, following

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an alcohol-fuelled evening, he was bet that he couldn't hitch around the coast of Ireland with a fridge. This is what happened. Contains strong language. TB 13500.

Hillaby, John Journey home. 1983. Read by Stanley McGeagh, 10 hours 6 minutes. TB 5079.The author and his wife set out from Ravenglass, a place "that gives the impression it fell asleep on a bed of shingle centuries ago" and end their journey on Hampstead Heath. Tapping an inexhaustible seam of natural history, archaeology and folklore, John Hillaby blends his allusions to the past with topical commonplace things to create a unique mixture. TB 5079.

Holmes, RichardFootsteps: adventures of a Romantic biographer. 1985. Read by Antony Higginson, 13 hours 26 minutes. TB 6205.A young English biographer travels alone across Europe in search of the romantic writers of the past. His journey becomes a combination of biography, travel and detection until at the end, he is 30 and reluctantly leaving his attic room in Paris for home. His travel book has become a journey of initiation into the magic landscape of imagination. TB 6205.

Kanga, Firdaus Heaven on wheels. 1991. Read by Sam Dastor, 9 hours 21 minutes. TB 9281.To see Britain through the eyes of Firdaus Kanga is a rare revelation. It is a view, he says, "from one eye misted with Anglophilia, and the other clear and wide open." He arrived in London prior to the publication of his autobiographical novel "Trying to grow", an account of a Parsee childhood in Bombay, in which a congenital condition left him disabled but undaunted, and outrageously good company. Contains strong language. TB 9281.

Kelly, Susie A perfect circle. 2006. Read by Rebecca Blech, 11 hours 10 minutes. TB 14758.Keen to discover some of France's lesser-known attractions, Susie Kelly, her husband Terry and their two dogs embarked on a 10,000-kilometre journey, where they encounter exploding gherkins, killer waves, chilli-flavoured chocolates and sinister submarines. TB 14758.

Leavitt, David Florence, a delicate case. 2002. Read by Paul Barrett, 3 hours 32 minutes. TB 15222. The writer and the city. The author provides a literary guide to the lives and impressions of the many British and Americans who lived and wrote in Florence. The narrative considers such diverse figures as Tchaikovsky, Henry James and

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Henry Labouchere. Aside from descriptions of art, light, landscape, and history, Leavitt finds many traces within the literary sources of Florence's active gay culture during the 19th and early 20th centuries. TB 15222.

Lloyd, Martin The trouble with France. 2004. Read by Martin Lloyd, 5 hours 8 minutes. TB 15323.Martin Lloyd set out on a holiday to Suffolk and ended up in Boulogne! Martin attempts an uneventful ride on a mundane bicycle through an interesting part of France - and failing with outstanding success. Martin reveals just what can happen when you use a passport. TB 15323.

McCarthy, Pete McCarthy's Bar: a journey of discovery in the west of Ireland. 2000. Read by Stephen Thorne, 11 hours 28 minutes. TB 12537.This is an account of a journey in Ireland from Cork to Donegal. Pete McCarthy challenges his idyllic memories of childhood summers spent in Ireland, and finds that despite many changes, the charm of the Irish people still remains. TB 12537.

Mayle, Peter Provence A-Z. 2007. Read by Andrew Sachs, 8 hours 50 minutes. TB 15508.Provence; 4. Sequel to: Encore Provence, TB 15088. This is a guide of Provence organised by A-Z, but it is far from a conventional work of reference, this is a selection of those aspects of Provence that Peter Mayle has found in his twenty years there to be the most interesting, delicious, or downright fun. In more than 200 entries, he writes about subjects as diverse as architecture, expatriates, lavender, linguistic oddities and the museum of the corkscrew. TB 15508.

Mitchell, W RA Dalesman's diary. 1990. Read by Nick Hague, 6 hours 4 minutes. TB 8584.Bill Mitchell was born, grew up and has worked all his life in the Yorkshire Dales. He takes the reader on a nostalgic and enthralling journey which records intimate memories of this beautiful land still unsullied by modern urban society, and the simple traditional lifestyle of its natives. TB 8584.

Montaigne, Fen Hooked: Fly-fishing through Russia. 1998. Read by Garrick Hagon, 12 hours 50 minutes. TB 12711.Fen Montaigne, an American journalist, and ex-Moscow correspondent, decided to fly-fish right across Russia. His voyage (which is more of a direction than a road) in search of fish such as lenok, grayling, steelhead and the legendary taimen, takes him from infamous gulags set in the stark beauty of the Solovetsky Islands, to the

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deserted gold mines at Kolyma, where starving inmates literally walked on gold, and the pristine waters of tundra rivers. Contains strong language. TB 12711.

Moore, Peter Vroom with a view. 2003. Read by Andrew Laing, 7 hours 42 minutes. TB 15287.Stirred by his approaching fortieth birthday, the author decides to pursue a dream, to explore Italy from the seat of a 1961 Vespa. Once the perfect motor scooter is found, and finally made as road worthy as possible, he is off, travelling the back roads from Milan to Rome. This is a travel adventure with a wonderful twist. TB 15287.

Moore, Tim Do not pass 'go': from the Old Kent Road to Mayfair. 2002. Read by Merv Smith, 11 hours 44 minutes. TB 15204.The author tells the story of London since the 1930s through the Monopoly board's twenty-eight streets, stations and utilities. Sampling both rags and riches, the author stays in hotels in Mayfair and in the Old Kent Road; reveals how Pall Mall got its name; and which three addresses you won't find in your A-Z. TB 15204.

Newby, EricOn the shores of the Mediterranean. 1984. Read by Andrew Timothy, 18 hours 23 minutes. TB 5363.The author and his wife set out from Tuscany to investigate the Mediterranean as it was and as it is now. They travel via tough Naples with its Camorra murders and eight-horse hearses to Venice, Yugoslavia and a dull bus tour of Albania. He climbs Mount Olympus in a cloud, takes a Turkish bath in Istanbul and is fined for climbing the Great Pyramid. TB 5363.

Nimmo, Ben In Forkbeard's wake: coasting in Scandinavia. 2003. Read by Dominic Blaazer, 8 hours 35 minutes. TB 15270.Svein Forkbeard invaded England in 1014 and became Britain's least known and shortest reigning king. Fascinated by his exploits and armed with a degree in heroic literature, the author decides to reverse the steps of Forkbeard's journey. He soon discovered that the blood-soaked poetry of the sagas doesn't offer an infallible guide to present-day Scandinavia. TB 15270.

O'Brien, Kate Farewell Spain. 1985. Read by Rosemary Davis, 6 hours 24 minutes. TB 6444.Written during the early days of the Spanish Civil War, this is a series of reminiscences, impressions and quick, vivid insights which evoke the spirit of a lost world. Starting at the northern port of Santander, the author crosses the Peninsula,

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each stop offering something unique. But her awareness of the war presses in upon her, striking "not merely for the death of Spain, but at every decent dream or effort for humanity everywhere." TB 6444.

Palin, Michael New Europe. 2007. Read by Michael Palin, 11 hours 35 minutes. TB 15389.Palin's New Europe takes the form of a journey through countries which have rich and complex cultures. Few have survived intact, as the ebb and flow of warring armies has continually changed the map of Europe. Starting in the mountains of Slovenia he travels down through Croatia and the former Yugoslavia to Albania before turning northwards to embrace Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, The Ukraine, The Czech Republic, Slovakia, the former East Germany, Poland, the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, opening up a new and undiscovered world to millions of viewers and readers. TB 15389.

Pitt-Kethley, Fiona Journeys to the underworld. 1988. Read by Patricia Hughes, 9 hours 44 minutes. TB 7650.Ignoring advice about travelling alone and taking lifts with strangers, the author set off on her travels through Italy, researching her fascination with the legend of the Sibyls. She tells of her journeys on night trains, tours through caves and catacombs, and encounters with men. Legends and facts of the Sibyls are mentioned, together with the nature of local traditions. Contains passages of a sexual nature. TB 7650.

Ritchie, HarryHere we go: a summer in the Costa del Sol. 1993. Read by Michael McStay, 7 hours 22 minutes. TB 10070.An intrepid arduous adventure to the last place on earth unvisited by travel writers: the Costa del Sol. This fearless expose of one of the world's most popular holiday destinations depicts life among the package tourists of Fuengirola, the ravers of Torremolinos, the medallion men of Marbella and the time sharers and villa owners of Calahonda. Among the rigours faced in the pursuit of truth have been Sunday roast and three veg in 100 degrees heat, the effect of amphetamine sulphate and trying to acquire an underarm tan. Contains strong language. TB 10070.

Rolt, L T C.Narrow boat. 1978. Read by Alistair Maydon, 7 hours 34 minutes. TB 8141.An engineer by profession and almost a poet by temperament, Mr Rolt has long loved the English canals, and adapted and fitted up the narrow boat Cressy as a home for himself and his wife, and in it they made a journey of some 400 miles along the network of waterways in the Midlands. The book mingles description and anecdote with much fascinating lore about canal life and tradition. TB 8141.

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Stace, Christopher.Florence: city of the lily. 1989. Read by Peter Barker, 18 hours 24 minutes. TB 8579.The author takes the reader to familiar and unfamiliar places, searching and reflecting. He encounters all manner of characters and incidents, and combines anecdote with information, insight with reflection, discovery with experience. He shares the comings and goings of a market, the spirit of a fresco, the antiquity of a villa, the pleasure of good food and the excitement of seeing a particular painting for the first time. TB 8579.

Sutherland, Douglas Against the wind: an Orkney idyll. 1966. Read by Stanley Pritchard, 7 hours 31 minutes. TB 430.The author describes this book as an affectionate biography of the Orkneys, and a tribute to changeless values in a world where everything is change. TB 430.

Theroux, Paul The kingdom by the sea: a journey around the coast of Great Britain. 1983. Read by Brian Perkins, 13 hours 18 minutes. TB 5172.An American writer explores Britain via her coastline, mainly by train, at times on foot - a sort of backyard odyssey. He finds candour as well as secrecy, moments of pure pleasure and some doubtful experiences but always conveys the intoxication of travelling, even on a mundane route. TB 5172.

Thomas, Edward A literary pilgrim: an illustrated guide to Britain's literary heritage. 1985. Read by Gordon Dulieu, 7 hours 7 minutes. TB 5753.Edward Thomas goes in search of the homes and landscapes of some of our four famous writers. Shelley is seen eating "hard eggs and radishes and rolls at Eton", Blake's chimney-sweep's cry is heard on the London Streets and Burns walks forth"to view the corn an'snuff the caller air"in the Western Lowlands of Scotland. TB 5753.

Thubron, Colin Among the Russians. 1983. Read by Frank Duncan, 11 hours 1 minute. TB 6886.Colin Thubron learned Russian and entered the Soviet Union in an old Morris Marina in which he camped and drove for almost 10,000 miles between the Baltic and Caucasus. Everywhere he went he encountered and listened to people of all ages, occupations and interests. He met dissidents and was dogged by the KGB. The result is a fascinating and revealing picture of the many races who inhabit a giant country. TB 6886.

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Trueman, Fred Fred Trueman's Yorkshire. 1984. Read by Derek Chandler, 11 hours. TB 6634.From the ribbons of water which trickle down the fellsides of the northwest to the great estuary of the Humber in the southeast, and from the wild and inhospitable moorlands of the high Pennines to the fertile farmlands of the Vale of York, this is a land of contrasts. It is land that has housed a Roman and a Viking capital and the author, possibly England's greatest fast bowler, sets out to capture the essence of Yorkshire, its people, traditions, culture and sport. TB 6634.

Vernon, Tom Fat man on a bicycle: a discovery of France. 1981. Read by Denys Hawthorne, 10 hours 55 minutes. TB 4378.The book of the programmes Tom Vernon made for BBC Radio 4 about his 886 mile trip through the enchanted summer of pastoral France. Not just a travel book but a voyage of discovery about England and France and the French as he pedals along the wheel-ruts of Henry V. TB 4378.

Vernon, Tom Fat man on a Roman road: a bicycle exploration of Britain and the British from the bottom left-hand corner to the top right-hand corner of the Roman roads: Topsham to Musselburgh, the full story of the journey of the BBC Radio 4 series Fat man on a Roman road and episodes in Fat man at work. 1983. Read by Gene Foad, 11 hours 49 minutes. TB 5175.This is the story of Tom Vernon's summer bicycle ride diagonally across Britain over six hundred miles of Roman roads from Topsham in Devon to Musselburgh near Edinburgh. As he cycles along he catches tantalising glimpses of people and places. Some of the four hundred individuals he met on his journey include a crossing-keeper playing on his trumpet and dreaming of stardom, and an expert on socks. TB 5175.

White, A J A journey with God: Don the architect. 2005. Read by A J White, 4 hours 21 minutes. TB 14724.This is the story of two elderly men Don (aged 81) and John (aged 72) who set out from the Folkestone Rainbow Centre in May 2002 to circumnavigate the boundaries of England on foot and by bicycle to raise funds for two charities. This is John's diary of this journey. It's a story of the wonder of the every day - foals in the New Forest, a 'high speed' crash, of a bicycle stolen, and the generosity of the gift of a replacement by a stranger. But most of all it is the story of a great generosity shown by unknown strangers right across England. TB 14724.

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Asia, Orient and the Far East

Bonington, Chris Annapurna South Face. 1971. Read by Eric Gillett, 16 hours 5 minutes. TB 1646.An account of the expedition led by the author to conquer the 26,000-foot peak by the South Face - thousands of feet of rock and ice and one of the most formidable mountain walls in the world. TB 1646.

Brook, Elaine The windhorse. 1986. Read by Anne Jameson, 7 hours 41 minutes. TB 6082.Julie Donnelly has been blind since the age of eight - the result of glaucoma. She is a switchboard operator in a London bank and travels to and from work with her yellow labrador guide dog, Bruno, her first release from the prison of blindness. She met Elaine Brook, an experienced mountaineer, and her horizons took another great leap. After learning to climb in this country they began to plan the impossible: the trek, in winter, to the 18,000 foot summit of Kala Patthar. TB 6082.

Chetwode, Penelope Kulu: the end of the habitable world. 1972. Read by Garard Green, 9 hours 45 minutes. TB 2043.An account of the author's return to Kulu, an ancient Rajput kingdom in the Western Himalayas. TB 2043.

Dalrymple, William In Xanadu: a quest. 1989. Read by Michael Tudor Barnes, 10 hours 14 minutes. TB 8860.This is an account of a quest, a journey which began in the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem and took William Dalrymple and his companions across the width of Asia, along dusty, forgotten roads, through villages and cities full of unexpected hospitality and wildly improbable escapades, to Coleridge's Xanadu itself. At once funny and knowledgeable, this account tells the story of the expedition in the best tradition of English travel writing. TB 8860.

Dalrymple, William From the holy mountain: a journey in the shadow of Byzantium. 1998. Read by Nigel Graham, 19 hours 26 minutes. TB 13781.In the spring of 587 AD, two monks set off on an extraordinary journey that would take them in an arc across the entire Byzantine world. More than a thousand years later, the author set off to retrace their footsteps. Despite centuries of isolation, a surprising number of the monasteries and churches visited by the two monks still survive today, surrounded by often hostile populations. Dalrymple's pilgrimage took

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him through a bloody civil war in eastern Turkey, the ruins of Beirut, the vicious tensions of the West Bank and a fundamentalist uprising in southern Egypt. TB 13781.

Evans, Polly Fried eggs with chopsticks. 2005. Read by Lucy Scott, 9 hours 29 minutes. TB 14811.When she learnt that the Chinese had built enough new roads to circle the equator 16 times, Polly Evans decided to go and witness for herself the way this vast nation was hurtling into the technological age. But on arriving in China she found the building work wasn't quite finished. And as she travelled, she attempted to solve the ultimate gastronomic conundrum: just how does one eat a soft-fried egg with chopsticks? TB 14811.

Geraghty, David A snake in the shrine: journeys with Nobby through middle Japan. 2001. Read by Tim Faville, 9 hours 8 minutes. TB 15257.The author taught English and travelled in Japan in the late 1990s. This book is an entertaining account of his experiences. It offers cultural insights and intelligent discussion of issues in contemporary Japanese life. TB 15257.

Harding, Mike Footloose in the Himalaya. 1989. Read by Garard Green, 8 hours 56 minutes. TB 9233.Mike Harding is best known as an entertainer, but he is also passionately involved in conservation issues. While making a film for television on the effects of deforestation, Mike made several treks through the mountains of northern India and Nepal. Filled with his inimitable brand of humour, this book portrays the people, mountains, lakes and monasteries of these fascinating countries. TB 9233.

Hemmleb, Jochen Ghosts of Everest: the authorised story of the search for Mallory & Irvine. 1999. Read by David Banks, 7 hours 48 minutes. TB 12575.This is the dramatic inside story of the 1999 expedition to find the bodies and solve the enigma of George Mallory and Andrew Irvin, who tragically and mysteriously died on Everest on 8th June 1924, in an attempt to reach the peak. TB 12575.

Hillary, EdmundFrom the ocean to the sky. 1979. Read by Derek Chandler, 13 hours 30 minutes. TB 3505.A jet boat expedition up the Ganges from the Bay of Bengal to its Himalayan source. TB 3505.

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Holt, Peter In Clive's footsteps. 1990. Read by John Livesey, 7 hours 16 minutes. TB 9116.The author, a direct descendant of Clive of India, retraces his ancestor's journeys around South Eastern India. Contains strong language. TB 9116.

Loseby, RichardBlue is the colour of heaven: a journey into Afghanistan. 2002. Read by Kiel McNaughton, 8 hours 20 minutes. TB 15248.This is the story of a man fulfilling his childhood dream. Avoiding land mines and bullets he spent months travelling through Iraq and Iran negotiating a way into Afghanistan. Joining forces with the war-weary Mujahedeen, he found unexpected allies and unforgettable friends. TB 15248.

Lumley, Joanna In the kingdom of the thunder dragon. 1997. Read by Joanna Lumley, 2 hours 47 minutes. TB 11594.In 1931 Joanna Lumley's grandparents undertook a three and a half month journey across the small and secret Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, to honour the King with an award. Joanna retraces their steps to meet the King's descendants and discover for herself the charm of this forgotten land. Trekking on foot and pony across remote mountain passes and valleys, she visits the rural villages and the towering monasteries. She finds that little has changed since her forebears passed through, and is overwhelmed by the magic and beauty of Bhutan. TB 11594.

Ma, Jian Red dust: a path through China. 2002. Read by Paul Barrett, 10 hours 38 minutes. TB 15318.In 1983, at the age of thirty, Jian wanted to rebel and escape the confines of Beijing. His three year journey to find himself leads through deserts, overpopulated cities, past scenes of barbarity to havens of tranquillity and beauty. This account of his journey provides an insight into the contradictions that make up China. TB 15318.

Moorhouse, Geoffrey To the frontier. 1984. Read by Christopher Scott, 15 hours 25 minutes. TB 5632.The author travelled up through Sind, Baluchistan and the Punjab to the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan, finally coming to the high Hindu Kush mountains in the North. He crossed the Baluchistan desert, lingered in Lahore and was one of the few foreigners to penetrate the Khyber Pass as far as the border of Afghanistan. TB 5632.

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Murphy, Dervla The waiting land: a spell in Nepal. 1990. Read by Kate Binchy, 8 hours 31 minutes. TB 9157. Century travellers. "The Waiting Land" is an account of the author's visit to Nepal, a place where poverty and illness combine with a fascinating culture and beautiful landscape. During her time there Dervla Murphy helps out in a Tibetan refugee camp in Pokhara, meditates with the Dalai Lama and conducts dangerous treks into the highlands. TB 9157.

Murphy, Dervla On a shoestring to Coorg: an experience of South India. 1976. Read by Garard Green, 11 hours. TB 3088.Returning to India in an attempt to improve her feelings about the country, the author arrived with her small daughter, in the tiny province of Coorg. Here they settled down happily to learn something about its customs, ceremonies and attitudes. TB 3088.

Murphy, Dervla Where the Indus is young: a winter in Baltistan. 1977. Read by Robert Ashby, 10 hours 44 minutes. TB 5373.The author travels through the gorges of Baltisan with her six-year-old daughter. The wanderer from Waterford is a citizen of the world in the widest sense and believes that in order to see how the other half lives it is essential to seek amongst those who are still uncontaminated by this half. TB 5373.

Naipaul, V SAn area of darkness. 1964. Read by Alvar Lidell, 12 hours 35 minutes. TB 1253.The author visits India, country of his father, for the first time and describes the peoples, their problems and the poverty of the teeming sub-continent. TB 1253.

Naylor, Nicola Jasmine and arnica. 2001. Read by Rachel Bavidge, 10 hours 28 minutes. TB 14370.Throughout her childhood Nicola had been fascinated by images of the Sub-Continent and was determined both to realise her dream and to push back the stifling constraints imposed by perceptions of her disability. Depending on her third eye, or sixth sense, she explores India from the inside, her account is both sensuous and enormously visual as she gradually rebuilds her shattered self-confidence, regains her desire to live life, and rediscovers her almost forgotten love of writing. TB 14370.

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Newby, Eric The big red train ride. 1978. Read by Garard Green, 10 hours 27 minutes. TB 4494.The author made the 6,000 mile journey from Moscow to the Pacific, on the Trans-Siberian railway in 1977. He was accompanied by a Slovene (his wife), a German (photographer) and the official Russian guide. The result is a very individual travel book. TB 4494.

Palin, Michael Himalaya. 2004. Read by Michael Palin, 11 hours 26 minutes. TB 13774.In his most challenging journey, Michael Palin tackles the Himalaya, the greatest mountain range on earth, a virtually unbroken wall of rock stretching 1800 miles from the borders of Afghanistan to south-west China. In a journey rarely, if ever, attempted before, in 6 months of hard travelling Palin takes on the full length of the Himalaya including the Khyber Pass, the hidden valleys of the Hindu Kush, ancient cities like Peshawar and Lahore, the mighty peaks of K2, Annapurna and Everest, the bleak and barren plateau of Tibet, the gorges of the Yangtze, the tribal lands of the Indo-Burmese border and the vast Brahmaputra delta in Bangladesh. This book, compiled from his diaries, records the pleasure and pain of an extraordinary journey. TB 13774.

Pan, Lynn China's sorrow: journeys around the Yellow River. 1985. Read by Crawford Logan, 10 hours 5 minutes. TB 6346.Hoping to see China in all its diversity and to learn something of the transformation of its imperial past into communist present, Lynn Pan made three trips to the valleys of the Yellow River. She found a land of anomalies, where awesome dams and irrigation schemes juxtapose attempts to hold back the invading desert with hand woven straw mats. TB 6346.

Riordan, Peter Motorcycle masala: travels through India. 1999. Read by Phil Harris, 11 hours. TB 15244.During their travels around India on a motorcycle Peter and his friend Stephanie braved murderous truck drivers, were troubled by breakdowns and saw much of the backwaters of India often missed by tourists. TB 15244.

Schaller, George BStones of silence: journeys in the Himalaya. 1980. Read by John Rye, 12 hours. TB 3793.For six years the author, who is a field biologist, explored the Himalayas in order to study the wildlife of the area and to determine what locations would make good reserves and national parks. TB 3793.

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Selby, Bettina Riding the mountains down. 1984. Read by Elizabeth de Silva, 10 hours 32 minutes. TB 5880.A colourful account of the sights, sounds and smells on Bettina Selby's gruelling cycle-ride from Karachi to Katmandu. TB 5880.

Severin, Timothy In search of Genghis Khan. 1991. Read by Nigel Graham, 9 hours 37 minutes. TB 9811.The text retraces the tracks of Genghis Khan's horde as they established history's largest empire, and tells of the legends surrounding the Great Khan's life, and explains how Mongolian culture has changed little since the Middle Ages. TB 9811.

Shand, Mark Queen of the elephants. 1995. Read by Paul Shelley, 6 hours 43 minutes. TB 10876.In the tiny aristocratic figure of Parbati Barua, Mark Shand finds his ultimate guru. He seeks her out to take part in a film about the wild elephants in north east India, which are threatened by India's population explosion. They follow the elephant's ancient migratory route through the tea gardens of West Bengal and along the Himalayan corridor to Parbati's ancestral home in Assam. TB 10876.

Somerville-Large, Peter To the navel of the world: yaks and unheroic travels in Nepal and Tibet. 1987. Read by Garard Green, 10 hours 39 minutes. TB 7331.The author decided to travel through Nepal and Tibet on a yak's back. With him went a very determined photographer, Carole; both were resolved to face whatever the weather and the authorities could throw at them. The yaks were called Mucker and Sod, and lived up to their names. It turned out to be an extraordinary journey, filled with misadventure, danger, and a goodly amount of humour. Contains strong language. TB 7331.

Stark, Freya The southern gates of Arabia: a journey to the Hadhramaut. 1990. Read by Judith Whale, 11 hours 33 minutes. TB 9704.In 1935, Freya Stark set out to travel the Incense Route inland from the southern shores of Arabia. She encountered sultans and Bedouin, harem women of Do'an, the Mansab of Meshed, cheerful distributor of peppermints, cloves and chewing gum and Hasan, overheard describing her as "one of the sultanas of England". TB 9704.

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Terzani, Tiziano Behind the forbidden door: travels in China. 1987. Read by Garard Green, 10 hours 26 minutes. TB 6378.Tiziano Terzani was one of the first Western journalists to be accredited after Den Xiaoping opened China's doors and, taking a Chinese name, he went through that door and told the world what modern China was really like. But events caught up with him - arrest and interrogation, re-education and expulsion. TB 6378.

Theroux, Paul The great railway bazaar: by train through Asia. 1975. Read by Robin Holmes, 14 hours 30 minutes. TB 2898.The author set out to board every train that chugged into view between London and Tokyo, and eventually made his way back on the Trans-Siberian Express. TB 2898.

Theroux, PaulRiding the iron rooster: by train through China. 1988. Read by Garard Green, 20 hours 8 minutes. TB 7436.Faithful to his love of train travel, the author travelled to China by rail from London to Mongolia, stopping in Paris, Warsaw and the Soviet Union. The Iron Rooster is an aged rattling train that continues to shudder along a four-day route between Peking and distant Urumchi in the far west of China. Unsuitable for family reading. TB 7436.

Thubron, Colin In Siberia. 2000. Read by Stephen Thorne, 10 hours 35 minutes. TB 12439.Travelling through exotic cities and deserted villages by truck, boat and bus, this is a travel writer's account of his meetings with nostalgic old Stalinists, and aggressive Orthodox churchmen while interweaving Siberia's history with a vivid description of the place today. TB 12439.

Thubron, Colin Behind the wall: a journey through China. 1987. Read by Garard Green, 15 hours 10 minutes. TB 7137.A picture of a country which stretches from the Burmese frontier to the Gobi Desert and from the Yellow Sea to the edge of Tibet. It is written by a descendant of the poet John Dryden and the almost lyrical prose is illuminated by the author's eye for detail and his gift for listening to the ordinary people he meets. His experiences range from a tour of a mental hospital in Shanghai to an evening in a floating fun palace. TB 7137.

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Tully, MarkIndia in slow motion. 2003. Read by Mark Tully, 11 hours 10 minutes. TB 15422.The authors provide an account of a journey which, to them, has no true beginning or end. Covering a diverse range of subjects - from Hindu extremism to child labour, Sufi mysticism to the crisis in agriculture and the persistence of political corruption to the problem of Kashmir, this book challenges the preconceptions others have about India, as well as those India has about itself. TB 15422.

Vardy, Anne Twelve wheels from Turkey. 1988. Read by Norma West, 6 hours 15 minutes. TB 9014.Armed with 6 bicycles, 21 pairs of socks and naked determination, Peter and Anne (plus their 5 children) went to Turkey to begin a pilgrimage to the major centres of the Christian faith - Istanbul, Rome and Canterbury. This is a personal account of a journey that tested their faith in each other and in God. TB 9014.

Waugh, LouisaHearing birds fly: a nomadic year in Mongolia. 2003. Read by Candida Gubbins, 10 hours 11 minutes. TB 14061.This book is about the year the author spent living and working in a remote village called Tsengel, which lies in the extreme west of Mongolia. The author describes how she slowly learns to fend for herself in a world where life is dominated by the seasons. From the long hard winter, through a drought-stricken spring, into a lush summer spent in the mountains beyond Tsengel with a family of nomads, and the return to the village for the 'short golden season', Mongolia's autumn. Contains strong language. TB 14061.

Africa

Allen, Benedict The skeleton coast: a journey through the Namib Desert. 1997. Read by David Thorpe, 6 hours 41 minutes. TB 11100.This is the story of explorer Benedict Allen's expedition across this remote, desolate yet beautiful desert. A gruelling three-week training period, attempting to mould his camels into a workable team, was followed by the start of the journey. The diamond-mining Forbidden Zone, ghost towns and shipwrecks, mile upon mile of unforgiving desert, the risk of attack in lion and rhino country, all formed part of his journey. TB 11100.

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Butcher, Tim Blood river: a journey to Africa's broken heart. 2008. Read by Greg Wagland, 11 hours 44 minutes. TB 15661.Ever since Stanley first charted its mighty river in the 1870s, the Congo has epitomised the dark and turbulent history of a failed continent. However, its troubles only served to increase the interest of "Daily Telegraph" correspondent Tim Butcher, who was sent to cover Africa in 2000. Butcher retraced Stanley's steps and this is what he found. Contains strong language. TB 15661.

Dodwell, Christina Travels with Pegasus: a microlight journey across West Africa. 1989. Read by Norma West, 8 hours 32 minutes. TB 7750.Microlight flying is an exhilarating activity, and Christina Dodwell - an habitual traveller - uses one to make an air trek across West Africa, visiting Cameroon, Nigeria, Niger, Mali, Mauritania and Senegal. Her leisurely journey gave ample time to study the sights of Africa, both ancient and modern, and the story of her trip is a fascinating delight. TB 7750.

Gallmann, KukiNight of the lions. Read by Helen Bourne, 6 hours 11 minutes. TB 13204.Africa evokes in travellers a deep recognition and an inexplicable yearning to return. It is a place which retains what most of the world has lost: space, roots, traditions, awesome beauty, true wilderness, rare animals, extraordinary people. It will always attract those who can still dream. In this wonderful and haunting collection of stories, Kuki Gallmann rediscovers the Kenya that she knows and loves. TB 13204.

Greene, Barbara Too late to turn back: Barbara and Graham Greene in Liberia. 1990. Read by Di Langford, 6 hours 33 minutes. TB 8862. Penguin travel library. It had been Graham Greene's idea to explore tropical West Africa. His cousin Barbara had agreed to go with him, and was making notes in the jungle. The humorous, foot-sore and evocative adventure of a young woman who set out from the world of Saki and the Savoy Grill and returned profoundly changed. TB 8862.

Hillaby, John Journey to the Jade Sea. 1964. Read by John Hillaby, 8 hours 35 minutes. TB 10102.Another fascinating account of one of John Hillaby's travels. Becoming tired of city life and ashamed of his tolerance of boredom, John set off on a three month safari in the northern frontier district of Kenya. With him he took five Kenyans, six camels, 1400 pounds of baggage, twelve pairs of gym shoes, a shotgun, a Swahili phrase

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book and a floppy hat. His travels took him from Wamba to Lake Rudolf and back. TB 10102.

Laurd, Nicholas The last wilderness: a journey across the great Kalahari Desert. 1981. Read by Christopher Saul, 10 hours 3 minutes. TB 4093.A journey across the great Kalahari Desert, described vividly by the author who found the trip in turn dangerous, happy, frightening and profoundly satisfying. TB 4093.

Moorhouse, Geoffrey The fearful void. 1974. Read by Eric Gillett, 12 hours 30 minutes. TB 2485.The author set out in 1972 to cross the Sahara by camel and by himself. This story of his journey, fraught with disaster from the outset, is a moving account of his battle with fear and loneliness, and conquest of the many hazards of the desert. TB 2485.

Murphy, Dervla Muddling through in Madagascar. 1985. Read by Kate Binchy, 12 hours 11 minutes. TB 6175.Dervla Murphy and her 14-year-old daughter, Rachel, make their most accident-prone journey amongst "the most lovable people". The travellers set out on foot to Antsirable through the Ankaratra Mountains, then on by bush taxi and truck to discover that in Madagascar motoring is much more gruelling than walking. TB 6175.

Palin, MichaelSahara. 2002. Read by Michael Palin, 9 hours 52 minutes. TB 12634.Michael Palin's latest adventure finds him crossing the vast and merciless Sahara Desert. 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 civilisation, trade, commerce and conquest stretching from the ancient Egyptians to the oil-rich Islamic republics of today. TB 12634.

Selby, Bettina Riding the desert trail. 1988. Read by Bettina Selby, 10 hours 13 minutes. TB 7967.One wet and windy day in the British Museum, Bettina Selby decided, almost on an impulse, to travel the length of the Nile Valley. She designed a special, bright red 'all terrain' bicycle for the journey; and suitably equipped with insect repellents, sun hat, an invaluable filter pump for purifying the waters of the Nile, a Swiss army penknife and an impracticable aerosol spray for keeping rabid dogs at bay, she set off on her 4,500 mile adventure. TB 7967.

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Stevens, Stuart Malaria dreams: an African adventure. 1990. Read by Garrick Hagon, 8 hours 28 minutes. TB 9224.The story begins when a "geologist" friend mentions that he has a Land Rover in the Central African Republic which he'd like to get back to Europe. It's only later, when Stevens discovers that half of Africa thinks his friend is a spy and the other half is convinced he's a diamond smuggler, that he realises he should have asked a few more questions before leaving home. TB 9224.

Theroux, PaulDark star safari: overland from Cairo to Cape Town. 2003. Read by Jim McLarty, 20 hours 59 minutes. TB 15205.Paul Theroux travels from Cairo to Cape Town by train, boat and cattle truck, passing some of the most beautiful and life threatening landscapes on earth. This is in part a sentimental journey, as Theroux first travelled in Africa almost forty years ago as a teacher in the Malawi bush. Now, he visits his old school, sees former students and visits friends. TB 15205.

Van der Post, Laurens The lost world of the Kalahari. 1958. Read by Gene Foad, 9 hours 32 minutes. TB 5517.In 1957 the author led an expedition over the Kalahari Desert to find its inhabitants, the Bush people. The search became as much a spiritual exploration as a physical test of endurance but after countless setbacks he reached his goal. In this book he describes the Bushmen's customs, lore and nature, conveying the remarkable qualities of these archaic, doomed, yet vibrant survivors from an ancient civilisation. TB 5517.

Van der Post, Laurens Venture to the interior. 1952. Read by George Hagan, 8 hours 17 minutes. TB 681.The author visited Nyasaland in 1949 and gives us here a vivid picture of Africa's vastness and magnificence, with a sympathetic understanding of the people. TB 681.

Willoughby, Annette Innocent in Africa. 2001. Read by Annette Willoughby, 16 hours 16 minutes. TB 12752.In June 1996 an unexpected journey took the author to Southern Africa to join her partner who was working on the Highland Water Scheme, in the Maltuti Mountains of Lesotho. From that moment her life changed course dramatically. Here she describes life on both sides of the South African border. TB 12752.

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North America

Bryson, Bill A walk in the woods. 1997. Read by William Roberts, 10 hours 2 minutes. TB 11837.The longest continuous footpath in the world, the Appalachian Trail, stretches along the East Coast of the United States through some of the most arresting landscapes in America. In the remote mountain wilderness filled with bears, rattlesnakes and poisonous plants, facing savage weather and unreliable maps, Bryson gamely struggled through the wilderness to achieve a lifetime's ambition - not to die outdoors. Contains strong language. TB 11837.

Chiang, Lynette The handsomest man in Cuba: an escapade. 2003. Read by Maggie Maxwell, 7 hours 4 minutes. TB 15288.The author takes her small folding bicycle and discovers a Cuba that is a strange mixture of Communism, Caribbean culture, poverty, and sophistication. During her travels she describes the good and the bad, the beauty and the ugliness, that makes Cuba what it is today. TB 15288.

Cooke, Alistair Alistair Cooke's America. 1973. Read by Andrew Timothy, 13 hours 15 minutes. TB 3022.In this greatly expanded version of his acclaimed television series, the author tells the story of the USA from before its discovery by Columbus to the present day. TB 3022.

De Vries, ClareI & Claudius: travels with my cat. 1999. Read by Laurence Bouvard, 10 hours. TB 12572.Clare de Vries travels around the United States with her nineteen-year-old chocolate-brown Burmese cat Claudius. Both parties benefit from the experience, Clare learns to let go of the past and of the future, while Claudius learns to love Kentucky Fried Chicken and to snore at speeds of 90 mph. Contains strong language. TB 12572.

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Grant, Richard Ghost riders: travels with American nomads. 2003. Read by Jonathan Oliver, 13 hours 35 minutes. TB 13953.In this book, Richard Grant, a restless Englishman and something of an itinerant himself seeks out the wanderers, the rootless, the "legion of drifters, grifters, hoboes and tramps". Grant traces their historical antecedents (the ghosts of the title are the nomadic horsemen of the American West) and ponders what drives a man to spend his life in motion. Contains strong language. TB 13953.

Moffat, Gwen Hard road West: alone on the California trail. 1981. Read by Carol Marsh, 11 hours 29 minutes. TB 3981.The author spent six months alone on the California Trail, camping rough, exploring side trails, climbing mountains, meeting all kinds of people and, at time, risking her life. TB 3981.

Moorhouse, Geoffrey Imperial city: the rise and fall of New York. 1988. Read by Arthur Blake, 14 hours 22 minutes. TB 7247.The author has been visiting this city of contradictions for years and beginning with "the most sensational city walk in the world" - crossing the Brooklyn Bridge - he illuminates the past and present of Manhattan and writes about life in the lesser known boroughs of New York: Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island. It is a city of superlatives, both high and low, a place of infinite variety, powerful urges, insatiable energy and boundless appetite. TB 7247.

Nicolson, Nigel Two roads to Dodge City. 1986. Read by Stephen Thorne and Gene Foad, 14 hours 26 minutes. TB 6741.Earlier this year, Nigel Nicholson (69) and his son Adam (28), set out separately to explore America and parts of Canada. Nigel began his trip in Florida on the day that Adam started in California. After three months they met in Dodge City Kansas. Their almost daily letters to each other compare their very different adventures and impressions. In all they drove 30,000 miles and between them touched on most aspects of American life. TB 6741.

Steinbeck, John Travels with Charley. 2000. Read by William Roberts, 8 hours 35 minutes. TB 13732.Steinbeck and his French poodle Charley travel across the states of America from Maine to California. Moving through woods and forests, dirt tracks and highways to large cities and glorious wildernesses, Steinbeck observed America and the Americans with humorous and sometimes sceptical eye. What he sees is a lonely,

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generous nation too packed with individuals for single judgements. His vision of how the world was changing, however, speaks to us warningly and prophetically through the decades. TB 13732.

Young, Gavin From sea to shining sea: a present-day journey through America's past. 1996. Read by Robbie McNab, 13 hours 34 minutes. TB 11817.Gavin Young's journey takes him from Central Park and the old Atlantic whaling ports, all the way to a tiny cabin in the Yukon, where Jack London heard `the call of the wild'. Young uses the past to illustrate the present, showing the way great battles still shape our lives, including Sherman's terrible march through Atlanta and Savannah ending the civil war, and visits the site of Custer's last stand at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. TB 11817.

South America

Allen, Benedict Mad white giant: a journey to the heart of the Amazon jungle. 1985. Read by George Hagan, 10 hours 28 minutes. TB 5957.Benedict Allen travelled alone through the lands between the Orinoco and the Amazon, learning from the Indians who adopted him how to live in the jungle. As he was taken deeper he was made to undertake various tests to prove his worth as an "Indian". Eventually he was accepted as an equal and awarded the prize daughter of the village. Later (as he fled for his life) he had to make the month-long journey alone, the greatest test of all. TB 5957.

Chatwin, BruceIn Patagonia. 1977. Read by Alvar Lidell, 9 hours 30 minutes. TB 3307.The author went to Patagonia in search of a prehistoric monster and a sea-faring ancestor; he found a refuge of forlorn desolation and breathtaking beauty. He describes the exotic landscape and the strange life-histories of the of the eccentrics who live there. TB 3307.

O'Hanlon, Redmond Into the heart of Borneo: an account of a journey made in 1983 to the mountains of Batu Tiban with James Fenton. 1984. Read by George Hagan, 8 hours 42 minutes. TB 5549.Armed with equipment and advice from the SAS and accompanied by Sea Dyak trackers, the author, a naturalist, and James Fenton, a poet, set out on a long river voyage into the far interior of a tropical jungle hoping to reach the Tiban massif. This book records their adventures. TB 5549.

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O'Hanlon, Redmond In trouble again: a journey between the Orinoco and the Amazon. 1989. Read by Richard Mitchley, 9 hours 44 minutes. TB 9746.Having travelled through Borneo for two months, Redmond O'Hanlon embarked on a trip up the Amazon, which turned out to be just as hazardous. With his travelling companion Simon Stockton, a casino manager from Kensington, he met with many dangerous obstacles, disease, fever, prowling wild animals and the Yanomami tribesmen. Simon, in the end, leaves the expedition and O'Hanlon continues his eccentric journey, conquering the lurking dangers to finish with many hilarious tales to tell. TB 9746.

Theroux, PaulThe old Patagonian express: by train through the Americas. 1979. Read by Marvin Kane, 17 hours 8 minutes. TB 4523.The Old Patagonian Express was the last train the author took on the long journey south which began in Boston, Massachusetts, on the subway with people going to work. It is only one of a list of fascinating names such as the Aztec Eagle, the Balboa Bullet and the Tren de la Sierra. Equally individual were the people he met on the journey and the places he saw, both squalid and beautiful. For Paul Theroux, Patagonia, with its vast empty space, is an ending - the journey is all. TB 4523.

Thomsen, MoritzThe saddest pleasure: a journey on two rivers. 1991. Read by William Roberts, 13 hours 23 minutes. TB 9945.Driven off his Ecuador farm, the author set off on a trip down the Amazon, and in prose which is angry, humorous, coarse and lyrical, he travels the two rivers of reality and recollection. He takes us to the heart of Latin America and its poverty, corruption, beauty and violence, and describes with astonishing candour his own guilt, confusion and loneliness in this, his final step in a lifelong rebellion against his rich and conservative father. Contains strong language. TB 9945.

Vernon, Tom Fat man in Argentina. 1990. Read by Raymond Sawyer, 9 hours 8 minutes. TB 9038.The traveller best-known for his acclaimed radio series "Fat man on a bicycle" tells how this risky form of transport again took him on a voyage of discovery - this time through the exotic landscape and diverse communities of this fascinating Latin country. TB 9038.

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Waugh, Evelyn Ninety-two days. 1991. Read by Garard Green, 7 hours 17 minutes. TB 10087.Chronicle of a South American journey, describing the isolated cattle country of Guiana, sparsely populated by a bizarre collection of visionaries, rogues and ranches. Waugh records his nightmarish travels, on foot, by horse and boat through the jungle into Brazil and debunks the romantic notions attached to rough travelling. His trip is difficult, dangerous and uncomfortable and his witty and acute observations give the reader a "share in the experience of travel". TB 10087.

Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Ocean Islands

Bryson, Bill Down under. 2000. Read by William Roberts, 12 hours 14 minutes. TB 12564.Bryson recounts his escapades in Australia, the only island that is also a continent and the only continent that is also a country. TB 12564.

Davidson, Robyn Tracks. 1980. Read by Carol Marsh, 10 hours 31 minutes. TB 3873.The author set out to trek west by camel from the dead heart of the Australian continent. She was to become known as the `Australian Camel Lady'. TB 3873.

Kavanagh, P JFinding connections. 1991. Read by Ronald Markham, 7 hours 47 minutes. TB 9599.Thirty years after "The Perfect Stranger", his first volume of autobiography, Kavanagh broadens his perspective with an examination of his family history. Taking him from Ireland to Tasmania, and on to New Zealand, part-English, part-Irish, he appraises this mixed patrimony, assessing the importance of religion, tradition and myth in shaping our lives. TB 9599.

Kent, JanetThe Solomon Islands. 1972. Read by John Richmond, 7 hours 45 minutes. TB 2298. The islands series. The author moves confidently about this Pacific backwater and candidly describes its people, customs, attractions and detractions. TB 2298.

Priestley, J BA visit to New Zealand. 1974. Read by John Richmond, 4 hours 30 minutes. TB 2540.Described by the author as 'a reasonably honest and fairly intimate account of a visit'. TB 2540.

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