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In early March 1867, Muir was injured while working at a wagon wheels factory: a tool he was using slipped and struck him in the eye. This accident changed the course of his life. He was confined to a darkened room for six weeks, worried he'd lost his sight forever. When he did recover, the world looked completely different and life had taken on a new meaning for him. Muir later said, "This affliction has driven me to the sweet fields. God has to nearly kill us sometimes, to teach us lessons." From that point on, he determined to "be true to myself" and follow his dream of exploring and studying plants.
A Thousand Mile Walk to the Gulf recounts Muir's walk of approximately 1,000 miles (1,600 km) from Indiana to Florida. He did not follow a specific route, only going by the "wildest, leafiest, and least trodden way I could find." This journal is the earliest of Muir's writings and autobiographically bridges the period between "The Story of my Boyhood and Youth" and "My First Summer in the Sierra."
John Muir (1838-1914) was a Scottish-American author and naturalist, who is traditionally considered to be the "Father of the National Parks". Born in Dunbar (East Lothian), he spent his childhood exploring the area, and that is where his love of nature first bloomed. In 1849, his family emigrated to Portage, Wisconsin for religious reasons. At 22, he joined the University of Wisconsin-Madison, from which he never graduated, as he preferred to take a multitude of different classes in the variety of subjects he was interested him, such as chemistry, botany and geology. In 1866, whilst working at an Indianapolis wagon wheel factory, he got into a serious accident and almost lost his sight. When he recovered, he decided to follow his dreams and explore nature. In September 1867, he walked from Kentucky to Florida, later describing the trip in his "A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf." In 1868, he boarded a ship to Cuba, then later on sailed to New York City, from whence he travelled to California. From there, he decided to visit Yosemite, which he had long read about. He was one of the first to infer that the landscape there must have been formed by glaciers, a widely disputed theory at the time. Muir wrote countless essays, books and letters recounting his adventures out in nature, especially in the Sierra Nevada, which have been read by millions. He played a vital role in the preservation of natural areas, and the creations of Yosemite and Sequoia National Park, amongst many others. -
How do you handle a basket case at 7000 metres height?
That is the question an accomplished and esteemed aeronaut is forced to ask himself in 1850 after his hot air balloon is hijacked by a young, idealistic admirer in the skies above Frankfurt, Germany.
A fellow countryman well-versed in aeronautical science and its history, the newcomer's abrupt arrival is soon forgotten, although his companion's soaring aspirations and numerous tales of historical balloon expeditions leave the narrator with a sense of unease.
But how much room is there for honest debate when you're of inferior physique, several kilometers
above ground and a few feet below considerable volumes of highly flammable gas?
Originally titled "A Drama in the Air", Jules Verne takes suspense and air balloons to new heights in this 1852 short story, while also providing insight into the technical aspects and oftentimes grim history of hot air balloon travel.
Most famous for his 54-volume "Extraordinary Voyages" series, French writer Jules Verne (1828-1905) was a pioneer of fantastical journeys propelled by science, most notably "Journey to the Center of the Earth" (1864), "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" (1870) and "Around the World in Eighty Days" (1872) .
Popular with both children and adults, Verne's works have had an incalculable impact on scientists the world over. He is credited as one of the inventors of the science fiction genre. -
France - Delicious food, beautiful buildings and an elegance of people rarely seen anywhere else!
Dear reader, take my hand and enjoy this tour de France - with Henry James as your guide. Written as a first person narrative, "A Little Tour in France" is one of James' most influential and interesting travel guides. Of course, the tour is not that "little" for the reader is invited to visit the Loire Valley, Britanny, the Bordeaux region, Provence, and Paris. And, in a typical Jamesian style, he never fails to describe the people he meets and their view of life and nature. A valuable book from James' priceless treasure.
Henry James (1843-1916) is regarded as one of the greatest novelists in the English language. Born in the United States, but mainly living and working in Europe, he was largely occupied with the clash of personalities and cultures between the Old World and the New World.
He explored this topic in his famous novels 'The Portrait of a Lady' and 'The Wings of the Dove'. James was thrice nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature.
"The Portrait of a Lady" has been adapted for the big screen many times with the most notable being from 1996 starring Nicole Kidman and John Malkovich.