Book Towns by Alex Johnson

$33.00 NZD

Category: Travel

The so-called "Book Towns" of the world are dedicated havens of literature, and the ultimate dream of book lovers everywhere. Book Towns takes readers on a richly illustrated tour of the 40 semi-officially recognized literary towns around the world and outlines the history and development of each commun ity, and offers practical travel advice. Many Book Towns have emerged in areas of marked attraction, such as Ure a in Spain or Fjaerland in Norway, where bookshops have been set up in buildings including former ferry waiting rooms and banks. While the UK has the best-known examples at Hay, Wigtown and Sedbergh, the book has a broad international appeal, featuring locations such as Jimbochu in Japan, College Street in Calcutta, and major unofficial "book cities" such as Buenos Aires. ...Show more

New York is... by Metropolitan Museum of Art

$33.00 NZD

Category: Travel

What is New York in the eyes of artists? This engaging book from the Metropolitan Museum of Art offers myriad answers to that question, pairing selected works in the museum's collection with simple, concise observations. The Flatiron Building is shape; the Empire State Building is line. Washington Squar e Park is joyous; Times Square is spectacle. Among the enduring images are paintings by Edward Hopper, Stuart Davis, Winslow Homer, Jacob Lawrence and Charles Demuth; photographs by Walker Evans, Berenice Abbott, Alfred Stieglitz, Garry Winogrand and Cindy Sherman and drawings, lithograph and posters. Some of the words and images speak to our experiences of the city while others relate to a point of view expressed by the artist. All are simple reflections that encourage readers to observe, to think and to develop their own definitions of this endlessly fascinating metropolis. ...Show more

Travelling Light

$25.00 NZD

Category: Travel

Atlas of Untamed Places: An extraordinary journey through our wild world by Chris Fitch

$45.00 NZD

Category: Travel

In a world that has increasingly become tamed by human activity, the true wild holds a growing mysticism. Rugged landscapes with unspoilt scenery invoke romantic visions of paradise, but there are also intense and powerful wildernesses that produce fear and awe alike and unexplored zones where feral wil dlife roams in the shadows. Chris Fitch takes you on a journey through the world's most wild places, visiting immensely diverse floral kingdoms, remote jungles abundant with exotic birds, and both freezing cold and scorching hot inhospitable environments. From these natural havens we travel to the extreme and the incredible: lightening inducing lakes, acidic mud baths, and man-eating tiger kingdoms. As well as those wildernesses being reclaimed by nature, such as Chernobyl, that after being left abandoned for years has returned to a natural wild habitat, free from human intervention. Not forgetting those most bizarre of destinations, such as the tidal surges of the Qiantang River, the bridge to Modo Island that emerges from the sea, and the strange magnetic pull of Jubuka rock. With beautiful maps and stunning photography, An Atlas of Untamed Places is an intrepid voyage to nature's most unusual, unpredictable, and extraordinarily wild destinations. ...Show more

Galapagos: Preserving Darwin's Legacy by Tui De Roy

$80.00 NZD

Category: Travel

2009 marks 50 years since the Galapagos National Park and the international Charles Darwin Foundation was created; a bold vision to preserve for future generations the very special international treasure that is the Galapagos Islands. This is a celebration of the islands that since Darwin's time have he ld the public's interest worldwide and which are for many a flagship of the conservation movement. The fascinating stories from a number of writers and researchers about the Galapagos, its habitats and wildlife are supported by spectacular photographs. Tui de Roy grew up on the Galapagos Islands, and it was there she hones her sklls in observation and photography. She has been based in Golden Bay, New Zealand for over 20 years. ...Show more

A-Z London: Panorama Pops by Anonymous

$15.00 NZD

Category: Travel

The immediately recognizable London A-Z map is brought to life with bold colours and striking graphic design in this stylish souvenir. The book unfolds to reveal ten official A-Z maps of famous London areas, each accompanied by a 3-D pop-up of the area's most famous sight, including Buckingham Palace, t he Tower of London, St Paul's and the Houses of Parliament. ...Show more

The New Zealand Cycle Trails Nga Haerenga by Jonatha Kennett

$50.00 NZD

Category: Travel

How to enjoy New Zealand's cycle trail network, by a writer who knows them like the back of his hand. Nga Haerenga - the New Zealand Cycle Trails - began as a vision to inspire people to experience New Zealand's great outdoors by bike. This book is stuffed full of useful information on the different t rails - how to get there, what you will see, level of difficulty, things to take, places to eat and places to stay. There is fascinating background information on each area - its history and the local flora and fauna - as well as on the ride itself. This new edition covers several new sections of the trails, and provides updates on any on-going construction work. There is also a highly practical section full of advice on choosing the right bike, gear to take, cell phone coverage in the different areas, weather and the best times of year for each trail, environmental care and useful websites. Written by New Zealand's top cycling writer, the book is aimed at family groups and first-time cyclists as well as more experienced groups. It's accompanied by colour photos, elevation profiles and maps of each trail. This new fully revised edition also provides an introduction to Tour Aotearoa which goes from Cape Reinga to Bluff. It's a 3000-km length of New Zealand ride, taking in many of the Great Rides, and connecting them together with the safest and most enjoyable roads and tracks available. The route is fully open to the public. It can be done in one highly adventurous hit, or divided up into shorter lengths and completed over a period of time. Don't put your bike on the bike rack without this book! ...Show more

A Taste of Paris: A History of the Parisian Love Affair with Food by David Downie

$45.00 NZD

Category: Travel

In his trademark witty and informative style, David Downie embarks on a quest to discover "What is it about the history of Paris that has made it a food lover's paradise?" Long before Marie Antoinette said, "Let them eat cake!" (actually, it was brioche), the Romans of Paris devoured foie gras, and live oysters rushed in from the Atlantic; one Medieval cookbook describes a thirty-two part meal featuring hare stew, eel soup, and honeyed wine; during the last great banquet at Versailles a year before the Revolution the gourmand Louis XVI savored thirty-two main dishes and sixteen desserts; yet, in 1812, Grimod de la Reyniere, the father of French gastronomy, regaled guests with fifty-two courses, fifteen wines, three types of coffee, and seventeen liqueurs.Following the contours of history and the geography of the city, Downie sweeps readers on an insider's gourmet walking tour of Paris and its environs in A Taste of Paris, revealing the locations of Roman butcher shops, classic Belle Epoque bistros serving diners today and Marie Antoinette's exquisite vegetable garden that still supplies produce, no longer to the unfortunate queen, but to the legendary Alain Ducasse and his stylish restaurant inside the palace of Versailles. Along the way, readers learn why the rich culinary heritage of France still makes Paris the ultimate arbiter in the world of food. ...Show more

New Zealand White Water: 180 Great Kayak Runs by Graham Charles

$35.00 NZD

Category: Travel

New Zealand is a whitewater paradise. Known the world over for its great variety of challenging adventure runs in pristine wilderness, it offers fantastic scope for beginners and experts alike. In this fully revised and expanded fifth edition of New Zealand Whitewater, Graham Charles presents informatio n on over 180 great kayaking runs, from easy float trips to full-on hairball unscoutable gorge waterfall runs. Information is provided for each run about what to expect on the river, including grades, flow information, gradients, times, access details and shuttle distances - without taking away that most important element: adventure! The river descriptions are spiced with dry humour, cautionary tips and tales, anecdotes and kayaking history along with a strong message on river conservation. New Zealand Whitewater is an essential part of any kayaker's kit and will open a door to the extraordinary range of kayaking and river recreation opportunities available in New Zealand. ...Show more

A Time of Gifts: On Foot to Constantinople - From the Hook of Holland to the Middle Danube by Patrick Leigh Fermor

$28.00 NZD

Category: Travel

In 1933, at the age of 18, Patrick Leigh Fermor set out on an extraordinary journey by foot - from the Hook of Holland to Constantinople. A Time of Gifts is the first volume in a trilogy recounting the trip, and takes the reader with him as far as Hungary. It is a book of compelling glimpses - not only of the events which were curdling Europe at that time, but also of its resplendent domes and monasteries, its great rivers, the sun on the Bavarian snow, the storks and frogs, the hospitable burgomasters who welcomed him, and that world's grandeurs and courtesies. His powers of recollection have astonishing sweep and verve, and the scope is majestic. First published to enormous acclaim, it confirmed Fermor's reputation as the greatest living travel writer of his reputation, and has, together with its sequel Between the Woods and the Water (the third volume is famously yet to be published), been a perennial seller for 25 years. ...Show more

More Places to Stay - Hotels of the World by Shelley-Maree Cassidy

$50.00 NZD

Category: Travel

Travel with photographs and text through an eclectic collection of hotels; each with an X-factor and on every continent. Places to stay both classic,contemporary,and unusual, in off-the- beaten track locations, towns and cities. Choose from rural retreats like the Daintree Eco-Lodge deep in the rainfore st of Australia,the romantic Cavas Wine Lodge in Argentina, gracious Greenhill Lodge in New Zealand, stunning safari camps in Africa's Botswana, the historic National Hotel in Moscow's Red Square and more. A stunning resource for deciding where to go and where to stay next; for actual and armchair travellers alike. ...Show more

The 500 Hidden Secrets of London by Tom Greig

$40.00 NZD

Category: Travel | Series: 500 Hidden Secrets

Where are the 5 best places to find street food? Which are the 5 best restaurants to grab your lunch at in Soho? Which pubs have the most amazing interiors? Where are the best places to discover vintage vinyl? Which are the most innovative theatre companies? Where will you find the most unusual museums? The best places for an outdoor swim? The 500 Hidden Secrets of London reveals these good-to-know places and many more. Discover a diverse range of under-the-radar yet outstanding addresses that will allow you to explore the best of the city away from the crowds. An affectionate and informed guide to London, written by a true local. This is a book for visitors who want to avoid the usual tourist spots and for residents who are keen to track down the city's best-kept secrets. Photography by Sam Mellish. ...Show more