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(Photo credit: John Blake Publishing Ltd.)

In 2006, Jonny Muir made a new year’s resolution to cycle the length of the country while climbing the highest peak of every county in the UK. The resulting adventure took him from Cornwall to Shetland, culminating in reaching the top of Ben Nevis 92 days later.

This 5000 mile epic journey is brought to life in Heights of Madness. Along the way Muir battles against the worst the British countryside can throw at him, from unexploded shells to herds of menacing cows and swarms of unrelenting midges.

This is a personal tale of an extraordinary journey, the kind of adventure that many of us would talk about but never dream of actually undertaking. Inspirational and unenviable in equal measure, the reader is taken over hills, moors and mountains and through sunshine and rain, as a passenger on Muir’s quest.

Jonny Muir has written a British travelogue with a difference. An adventurer at heart, his words are reassurance that escape from the 9 to 5 grind is possible, and we don’t have to go very far to find it.

You can find further details of Heights of Madness on our catalogue.

(Photo credit: Antique Collectors’ Club, ACC Editions)

Lost Worlds explores the most distinctive sites in Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean.

This stunning publication represents the culmination of a three-year project by award-winning photographer Arthur Drooker. Drooker captures the magic and mystery of more than thirty ruins in sixteen countries.

His lumious images, shot in infra red format on a specially adapted digital camera, expose crumbling, overgrown walls, broken columns, and cracked arches in ways most readers will have never seen before.

These inspired photographs comprise a powerful visual meditation on the cultures, conflicts and conquests that forged the New World. He offers readers a new way of viewing the landscape as well as an enhanced vision of the collective identity of the Americas.

This extraordinary collection perfectly portrays the architectural, geographic and historical significance of ruins that are considered world wonders alongside little known gems.  It transports the reader on a journey to ancient temples, abandoned palaces and lofty citadels.

Included are

• monumental temples of Mexico’s Mayan civilization
• a Colonial era palace on the island of Haiti
• earthquake-ravaged cathedrals in Guatemala
• astonishing Incan citadels in Peru’s Sacred Valley – culminating with the breathtaking beauty of Machu Picchu.

In addition to the more than one hundred photographs, Lost Worlds features a foreword by noted writer Pico Iyer and brief text detailing the rise, fall and lasting significance of each ruin.

Evocative and enlightening, Lost Worlds will stir the imagination of those with a passion for photography, travel, history, architecture, and archaeology.

You can find further details of Lost Worlds on our catalogue.

As summer reaches its height in Europe, people continue to arrive from all over the world for holidays. If you are preparing for such a break, or have fond memories of a past trip, you might enjoy reading “The smell of the continent : the British discover Europe”.

This entertaining history looks at the beginning of “mass tourism” to European shores. Focussing on the stories of individual British travellers, it gives us a real insight into the time.

 Amusing tales of a demand for comfort and cleanliness and adventures with “foreign” food are all described here.

British pride in their nation is also examined and the feelings of resentment this sometimes aroused. We also find, however, that in some cases peoples’ way of thinking changed through travel.

From 1814 to 1914 the number of British tourists visiting Europe increased from a few thousand to over 1 million. Find out how such a momentous change and its impact have influenced the way in which people from the UK, and beyond, travel today.

You can find details of The smell of the continent : the British discover Europe on our catalogue.