Portugal is both a celebrated and an unknown land. Millions come to enjoy its beaches and the fashionable coastal cities of Lisbon and Porto. In this sense it looms large in the minds of many. But its out-of-the-way places, its turbulent history and contemporary challenges are little-known outside of the country's boundaries. From autumn 2018 to spring 2019, British journalist Stephen Powell travelled the length of Portugal, following a zigzag path of nearly 1,500 kilometres on foot. Away from the mass tourism, he wanted to form his own unhurried impressions of this very distinctive country. He discovered a very mixed reality. The dark side was the blight of rural exodus that is emptying so many villages. But he also found a profoundly generous, warm-hearted people with time to converse - a gift that is not found everywhere. "Stephen Powell's beautifully written account of his life-changing walk through Portugal enriches the reader with his insights and impressions of the country's history, culture, scenery and spirit. For me, the book was a fascinating journey of discovery through Portugal's lesser-known provinces, further enhanced with exquisite illustrations by two of his daughters, Megan and Rachel. Simply wonderful." Valerie Poore, memoir author

In Outlandish, acclaimed travel writer Nick Hunt takes us across landscapes that should not be there, wildernesses found in Europe yet seemingly belonging to far-off continents: a patch of Arctic tundra in Scotland; the continent's largest surviving remnant of primeval forest in Poland and Belarus; Europe's only true desert in Spain; and the fathomless grassland steppes of Hungary. From snow-capped mountain range to dense green forest, desert ravines to threadbare, yellow open grassland, these anomalies transport us to faraway regions of the world. More like pockets of Africa, Asia, the Poles or North America, they make our own continent seem larger, stranger and more filled with secrets. Against the rapid climate breakdown of deserts, steppes and primeval jungles across the world, this book discovers the outlandish environments so much closer to home - along with their abundant wildlife: reindeer; bison; ibex; wolves and herds of wild horses. Blending sublime travel writing, nature writing and history - by way of Paleolithic cave art, reindeer nomads, desert wanderers, shamans, Slavic forest gods, European bison, Wild West fantasists, eco-activists, horseback archers, Big Grey Men and other unlikely spirits of place - these desolate and rich environments show us that the strange has always been near.

“Remarkable: a book about borders that makes the reader feel sumptuously free.” —Peter Pomerantsev In this extraordinary work of narrative reportage, Kapka Kassabova returns to Bulgaria, from where she emigrated as a girl twenty-five years previously, to explore the border it shares with Turkey and Greece. When she was a child, the border zone was rumored to be an easier crossing point into the West than the Berlin Wall, and it swarmed with soldiers and spies. On holidays in the “Red Riviera” on the Black Sea, she remembers playing on the beach only miles from a bristling electrified fence whose barbs pointed inward toward the enemy: the citizens of the totalitarian regime. Kassabova discovers a place that has been shaped by successive forces of history: the Soviet and Ottoman empires, and, older still, myth and legend. Her exquisite portraits of fire walkers, smugglers, treasure hunters, botanists, and border guards populate the book. There are also the ragged men and women who have walked across Turkey from Syria and Iraq. But there seem to be nonhuman forces at work here too: This densely forested landscape is rich with curative springs and Thracian tombs, and the tug of the ancient world, of circular time and animism, is never far off. Border is a scintillating, immersive travel narrative that is also a shadow history of the Cold War, a sideways look at the migration crisis troubling Europe, and a deep, witchy descent into interior and exterior geographies.

12 writers from Washington and Oregon write about their relationship to the place they call home.

Part history, part autobiography, Eksteins relates the tragic story of the Baltic nations before, during, and after World War II through personal stories from his family. Photos and map.

The remarkable true story of one man's inspiring journey through his 3,000 mile walk across the country 'A great and inspirational read' MATT HAIG, bestselling author of Reasons to Stay Alive 'Inspiring' INDEPENDENT 'An uplifting and inspirational journey through raw emotion' RAYNOR WINN, bestselling author of The Salt Path AS SEEN ON BBC BREAKFAST ______ Jake Tyler had forgotten how to feel alive. With only a pair of boots and a backpack, he set off on a 3000-mile walk around Britain - along coastal paths, over mountains, through every national park. His journey became his road to recovery. On it he rediscovered the British landscape, the extraordinary kindness of strangers and most importantly, his place in the world. This is his inspiring story, away from the wild edge. ______ 'Jake you have changed people's lives . . . we are all fans!' Chris Evans, Virgin Radio 'An incredible journey, an inspirational memoir . . . beautiful' Zoe Ball, BBC Radio 2 'Inspiring . . . It's something that will help many through these dark times' Bryony Gordon 'This book is a tonic. Until we can all get out and explore Britain's beauty for ourselves again, this is the ideal substitute' Mirror 'So compelling in his honesty . . . very poignant' Express 'A tale told with courageous honesty. There's much to learn here about how reconnecting with nature and trusting others can rekindle the joy of being alive' BBC Countryfile 'A testament to the power of human connection, this is a physical and mental journey to inspire hope even in the darkest of times' National Geographic