Travel Writing
	Arabesques: A Tale of Double Lives, Encounters with Andre Gide Dessaix, Robert Picador PB 9780330425162 $35.00 You can count on Robert Dessaix’s books to be perfectly weighted mixes of travelogue, lively storytelling, reminiscing and contemplation. With Arabesques he doesn’t let us down. Ambling from North Africa to the Cévennes, to Naples and Oporto, Dessaix ponders parallels between his own life and that of André Gide, another great literary traveller and thinker. Dessaix’s concise prose brilliantly evokes the lesser-known landscapes and cityscapes of the Mediterranean littoral; he has an eye for minute and telling detail and an ear for conversation. Continually chancing upon the wraith of Gide, and parleying with old friends and new, Dessaix gives shape to his thoughts on love, religion and the very nature of travel.
	The Cities Book: A Journey Through the Best Cities in the World Lonely Planet Lonely Planet HB 9781741798876 $45.00 This ‘tempting cocktail for the urban adventurer’ selects the world’s top 200 cities, nominated by travellers from around the globe. From Abuja to Zanzibar Town, each double-page entry features photographs, basic statistics, layout, idiosyncrasies and must-dos. Lonely Planet co-founder Tony Wheeler selects his personal top 10, including the Falklands’ Stanley and motor city, Detroit, plus there’s an overview of cities from the past, present and future. The glossy reference joins a series of other Lonely Planet destination-focused pictorials on the USA, Europe, Africa and Asia. And in case you’re wondering which cities made it to the top 10, here they are: 1. Paris; 2. New York City; 3. Sydney; 4. Barcelona; 5. London; 6. Rome; 7. San Francisco; 8. Bangkok; 9. Cape Town; and 10. Istanbul.
	French Essence: Customs, Culture & Style in Provence Archer, Vicky Lantern HB 9781921382031 $59.95 Having told the story of how she restored her 17th-century home in Provence in My French Life (Lantern. HB. $59.95), fortunate Francophile Vicki Archer continues her French romance with French Essence. Archer identifies Provence as the source of that classic French ambience and style we all covet, and the lyrical text and evocative images by Carla Coulson featuring artfully styled photographs of the author’s gorgeous Provençal home and garden make it hard to disagree. With chapters focusing on the seasons and the backstreet beauty of Aixen- Provence and Avignon, there’s oodles of inspiration for those who wish to emulate the lifestyle and much-copied decorating style of the famous French region.
	Legends of Surfing Boyd, Duke Voyageur HB 9780760335994 $50.00 Who better to compile a who’s who of surfing than the founder of Hang Ten surfwear, Duke Boyd? From the Hawaiian father of surfing, Duke Kahanamoku, to today’s legends Kelly Slater and Layne Beachley, Boyd introduces us to the surfing world’s pantheon of heroes from around the globe. We meet the pioneers of the first half of the 20th century, and surfers like Australia’s Midget Farrelly and Nat Young from the golden era of the 1950s to ’70s. Innovative manoeuvres and radical new equipment have been the hallmarks of more-recent decades, bringing the focus to the changing design of surfboards and the board builders who made them – many are included here. Jeff Divine’s dramatic images throughout the book convey the thrill of catching that perfect wave.
	Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2010 Ianson, Richard Lonely Planet PB 9781741792706 $25.00 A magazine-style spin-off from ubiquitous guidebook publisher Lonely Planet, Best in Travel 2010 is a lively globetrotting snippet of what’s hot and what’s not in world travel for the coming year. As always, Lonely Planet likes to inspire travellers to get under the skin of a destination, and this title stays true to the publisher’s independent traveller ethos with plenty of left-of-field recommendations and suggestions. As well as listing the top 10 countries, regions and cities to visit, the editors have also supplied a comprehensive travel list of quirky best-ofs from around the world – a Virgin Galactic space flight made it into the top 10 things to do for 2010, but at US$200,000, it’s unlikely to be on many to-do lists!
	The Road Less Travelled: 1000 Amazing Places off the Tourist Trail Dorling Kindersley Dorling Kindersley HB 9781405344272 $69.95 This guide to the world’s unspoilt sights and experiences is an indispensable resource for travellers – both actual and armchair. The book’s team of experts tell us why we should avoid the holiday clichés, escape the everyday and embrace the new. After delving into its lavishly illustrated pages you’ll be convinced to visit Fez rather than Marrakesh when in Morocco, to cruise Lake Nasser in Egypt instead of the Nile and to make a pilgrimage to Rome rather than follow the Camino de Santiago in Spain. Destinations are presented by theme and include Ancient and Historical Sights, Festivals and Parties, Great Journeys, Architectural Marvels, Natural Wonders, Beaches, Sports and Activities, Art and Culture, and Cities.
	Slow Journeys: The Pleasures of Travelling by Foot Souter, Gillian Allen & Unwin PB 9781741759655 $28.00 Stretching your legs is a better way to see the world than from a tour bus. As the author of several walking guides, Gillian Souter is the perfect advocate for strolling in the slow lane. She ambles through every aspect of travel on foot with comprehensive advice on how to choose your perfect walk, health along the trail and how to prepare yourself for the hike. Part guide for ramblers, part argument for travel that benefits health and the environment, Souter’s literate voice highlights great writers and thinkers who improved their lives and minds through perambulation. She also provides tips on photography and writing a journal, plus lists of clubs, web resources and even packing lists to plan the next jaunt. Before you strap on your boots, don’t forget this wise travel companion.
	Under the Huang Jiao Tree: Two Journeys in China Carswell, Jane Transit Lounge PB 9780980571721 $29.95 New Zealand music teacher Jane Carswell thinks she’s relaxed into her middle years until she begins yearning for something more – a personal longing that takes her to Chongqing in China. Hardly a religious person, Carswell finds herself teaching English at a Christian school and developing an interest in the writings of St Benedict. In China she begins her own monastic journey and strongly bonds to her new community. Writing as Western capitalism is questioning itself, Carswell’s meditative memoir suggests another way of living. She poignantly observes China during its own cultural shift away from tradition towards capitalism, and struggles with returning home after a life-changing time working and living in abroad. Spiritual, powerful and thought-provoking.
	SPECIAL PRICE - HIGHLIGHT The Africa Book Lonely Planet Lonely Planet HB 9781741046021 $29.95 Originally $55.00 Part of Lonely Planet’s continent series of pictorials, The Africa Book is an informative and inspirational call to travel. Highlighting the multifarious cultures, wildlife and landscapes of Africa, the book is divided into five regions, with the list of countries ordered according to the most logical travel routes. As we’ve grown to expect from Lonely Planet, The Africa Book is beautifully illustrated with vibrant photographs and jam-packed with pertinent facts, information and plenty of insider tips for potential travellers or stay-at-homers content to see the world from their armchair. Adding to the wealth of contributions from Lonely Planet authors and photographers, firsthand ‘from the traveller’ listings are also dotted throughout the text, highlighting the sense of place and wonder.
	HIGHLIGHT Brief Encounters: Literary Travellers in Australia 1836-1939 Fullerton, Susannah Picador PB 9781405039505 $35.00 Looks at famous literary visitors to Australia, telling us what they did when they got here and what their opinion was of Australia and Australians.
	HIGHLIGHT China Cuckoo: How I Lost A Fortune & Found a Life in China Kitto, Mark Pier 9 PB 9781741966589 $24.95 The true story of a witty and eccentric Sinophile Englishman and his Chinese tree-change.
	HIGHLIGHT The Heart of the Great Alone: Scott, Shackleton & Antarctic Photography Hempleman, Adam D et al Thames & Hudson HB 9781905686179 $75.00 A stunning, full-colour book presenting the ill-fated Antarctic explorations of Scott and Shackleton through the eyes of their official photographers.
	HIGHLIGHT The Lonely Planet's Guide to Travel Photography: 3rd edition Lonely Planet PB 9781741046892 $35.00 The third edition of this useful reference has been fully updated for the digital photographer and has an all-new section on the art of travel photography.
	SPECIAL PRICE - HIGHLIGHT Nine Lives: In Search of the Sacred in Modern India DALRYMPLE, WILLIAM Bloomsbury PB 9781408801536 $29.95 Originally $35.00 William Dalrymple is one of the world’s great travel writers. His writing is engaging, erudite and eternally curious. Nine Lives explores his country of residence, India, at a time of great transition, as it stands at a crossroads between developing nation and world superpower. He interviews nine people, each taking a different religious path, and draws out their individual stories, as well as news of how their religion is faring in the new India. Dalrymple describes this as ‘the Indian equivalent’ of his acclaimed book on the Middle East, From the Holy Mountain (HarperCollins. PB. $24.95). Here, he takes a deliberately different tack from his early travel writing, putting himself ‘firmly in the shadows’ and ‘bringing the lives of the people I have met to the fore’.
	HIGHLIGHT The Red Highway Rothwell, Nicholas Black Inc PB 9781863954211 $32.95 Foreign correspondent Nicolas Rothwell embarks upon an exploration of the deserts and towns, sleepy coastline and hidden worlds of Australia’s north.
	HIGHLIGHT Sahara Constant, Paula Bantam PB 9781741669299 $34.95 When her marriage breaks down, Paula Constant tries an unusual therapy: walking across the Sahara to Cairo.
	SPECIAL PRICE - HIGHLIGHT Slicing the Silence: Voyaging to Antarctica Griffiths, Tom UNSW PB 9780868409726 $19.95 Originally $34.95 Antarctic history, science and culture presented in a gripping and poetic narrative. Joint-winner of the 2008 PM’s Prize for Australian History.
	SPECIAL PRICE - HIGHLIGHT Trek: The Best Trekking in the World CLAES, GRUNDSTEN Simon & Schuster HB 9781844836895 $39.95 Originally $70.00 A lavishly illustrated tour of the 40 trekking routes that Grundsten, a renowned Swedish nature photographer, rates as the best in the world.