Literally Italian for "bad air," malaria once plagued Rome, tropical trade routes and colonial ventures into India and South America and the disease has no known antidote aside from the therapeutic effects of the "miraculous" quinine. This first book from journalist Honigsbaum is a rousing history of the search for febrifuge or, more specifically, the rare red cinchona tree, the bark from which quinine is derived.

It's called "White Blaze Fever" and although you will not find the fever mentioned in any medical journal, have no doubt in your mind - it does exist and no one is immune. Only the most casual, most minute contact with the Appalachian Trail is needed to catch the fever. I now welcome you to be my vicarious hiking partner as we pursue the two-inch by six-inch white blazes from Springer Mountain, Georgia to Mount Katahdin, Maine. Through my daily journal entries - revised only a little - you will share encounters with bear, moose, snakes and other wildlife. You will feel the thrill of viewing the most magnificent vistas east of the Mississippi and come to know a unique collection of individuals guaranteed to bring a smile to your face and warmth to your heart.

Have you ever imagined giving up your day job and heading for the hills in search of gold? Journalist Steve Boggan decided to do just that when the price of the precious metal scaled dizzying heights in the wake of the global financial crisis. Clueless, and with neither equipment nor experience, Boggan flew to California and followed in the footsteps of the '49ers', miners who fuelled the original Gold Rush of 1849. Along the way, terrified of bears, bubonic plague and rattlesnakes, he met a cast of colourful characters, including a former Navy Seal who risked his life every day and a man who once went on the run for five years in the mistaken belief that he was wanted by the law. In charming and witty prose, gold-fevered Boggan recaptures the excitement, the hopes and disappointments of the hunt, going beyond the story of modern prospectors to give a moving insight into the birth of modern America.

2020 Banff Mountain Book Competition Finalist in Adventure Travel In Journeys North, legendary trail angel, thru hiker, and former PCTA board member Barney Scout Mann spins a compelling tale of six hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail in 2007 as they walk from Mexico to Canada. This ensemble story unfolds as these half-dozen hikers--including Barney and his wife, Sandy--trod north, slowly forming relationships and revealing their deepest secrets and aspirations. They face a once-in-a-generation drought and early severe winter storms that test their will in this bare-knuckled adventure. In fact, only a third of all the hikers who set out on the trail that year would finish. As the group approaches Canada, a storm rages. How will these very different hikers, ranging in age, gender, and background, respond to the hardship and suffering ahead of them? Can they all make the final 60-mile push through freezing temperatures, sleet, and snow, or will some reach their breaking point? Journeys North is a story of grit, compassion, and the relationships people forge when they strive toward a common goal.

A wickedly funny and astute chronicle of the 1996 presidential campaign--and how we go about choosing our leaders at the turn of the century. In it Michael Lewis brings to the political scene the same brilliance that distinguished his celebrated best-seller about the financial world, Liar's Poker. Beginning with the primaries, Lewis traveled across America--a concerned citizen who happened to ride in candidates' airplanes (as well as rented cars in blinding New Hampshire blizzards) and write about their adventures. Among the contenders he observed: Pat Buchanan, a walking tour of American anger; Lamar Alexander, who appealed to people who pretend to be nice to get ahead; Steve Forbes, frozen in a smile and refusing to answer questions about his father's motorcycles; Alan Keyes, one of the great political speakers of our age, whom no one has ever heard of; Morry Taylor--"the Grizz"--the hugely successful businessman who became the refreshing embodiment of ordinary Americans' appetites and ambitions; Bob Dole, a man who set out to prove he would never be president; and Bill Clinton, the big snow goose who flew too high to be shot out of the sky. We watch the cliches of this peculiar subculture collide with characters from the real world: a pig farmer in Iowa; an evangelical preacher in Colorado Springs; a homeless person in Manhattan; a prospective illegal immigrant in Mexico. The politicians speak and speak, often reversing positions, denying direct quotations, mastering the sound bite, dodging hard questions, wreaking havoc on the English language. Spin doctors spin. Rented strangers (campaign workers) proliferate. One particular toe sucker goes awry. Ads are honed tomisrepresent and distort. Money makes the world go round. And the citizens are left dumbfounded or cheering empty platitudes. When trail fever breaks on Election Day, half of America's eligible voters stay home. This book offers a striking look at us and our politics and the mammoth unlikelihood of connection between the inauthentic modern candidate and the voter's passions, needs, and desires. In telling the story, Michael Lewis once again proves himself a masterful observer of the American scene.

Scorching novel from a star of Cuban fiction. The return of Mario Conde.

A new dynamic has been discovered concerning the relationship between God and the universe. You'll find it in the first verse essay of SOUNDINGS, beginning with a statement, followed by two questions: God, who is Ultimate Reality and Truth, would not bring into existence anything less than real or true, it would seem. With this in mind, could the newly created universe- the early space-time continuum- have been anything other than it was? Could the primordial light and elements, with their forces of electromagnetism and gravity, have been anything other than they were? Thus begins a spiritual quest, ranging from the dawn of time to the summit of contemporary civilization. Embark on a journey with Frank L. Jordan III as he unravels some of the oldest known mysteries pertaining to God and the universe-mysteries involving the problem of evil, and of God's role in connection with death, accidents, natural disasters, and disease. Equipped with a new philosophy called derivism*, Jordan methodically chips away at the barriers between us and God, while pointing to a true avenue of healing ... an exalted way. What People Are Saying About SOUNDINGS: "Frank Jordan's profound struggle to understand God and the world and the reality of evil have brought him to a path very like that of process theology. I congratulate him for finding it on his own ... What gives poignancy and power to Jordan's thinking is the way it has come out of his personal suffering and joy." Dr. John B. Cobb, Jr., process theologian and co-director of the Center for Process Studies "I read it all through in one night. What a strong and lovely and deep sharing " Dr. Pamela Anne Bro, pastor of Living Waters Sanctuary and author of SoulQuest: A Trail Guide to Life "Definitely worth reading." Lawrence William Kozoyed, USN Commander (Ret.) and founder/director of the Institute for Mentoring (+) Science * Art * Spirituality "A must read for any true spiritual seeker." Rev. Nicki Royall Peet, ecumenical minister and author of the upcoming book, The Medicine Man's Daughter "I have read SOUNDINGS and I feel Frank Jordan has been able to put into words some Universal Truths from his own experience." Dr. Eleanora Woloy, Jungian analyst and author of The Symbol of the Dog in the Human Psyche: A Study of the Human-Dog Bond *The philosophy of derivism introduced in SOUNDINGS is not the religious doctrine found at the website or in the book Derivism: A New Understanding in a New Age. Each author arrived at the term derivism independently.