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There Is No Planet B: A Handbook for the Make or Break Years
by Mike Berners-lee
What it's about: Almost every year since records began, our species has had more energy at its disposal than it had the year before. For the last 50 years, the growth rate has averaged 2.4% per year, more than tripling in total over that time. For the century before that it was more like 1% per year, and as we go back through history, the growth rate looks lower still but nevertheless positive, give or take the odd blip.
We have been getting continually more powerful, not just by growing our energy supply, but by using it with ever more efficiency and inventiveness. In doing so, we have been increasingly affecting our world, through a mixture of accident and design. The restorative powers of our planet, meanwhile, have remained broadly the same, so the balance of power has been shifting - and it has now tipped.
Why you should read it: Throughout history, the dominant cultures have treated the planet as a big and robust place, compared to everything we could throw at it--and that approach has not, generally speaking, come back to bite us.
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| Horizon by Barry LopezWhat it is: an eloquent essay collection combining nature writing, travelogue, and memoir that covers some of the award-winning author's travels (mostly while he was in his 40s and 50s) as well as his encounters with people, animals, and landscapes.
Places visited include: the Galápagos Islands, Antarctica, Australia, Kenya, and the Canadian Arctic.
Reviewers say: "Exemplary writing about the world and a welcome gift to readers" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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Curiosities and Splendour: An Anthology of Classic Travel Literature
by Mark Mackenzie (editor)
What it's about: Journey back in time with this collection of classic travel writing from great authors and adventurers. These extraordinary odysseys over land and sea captivated audiences and gave them a glimpse into countries, cities and cultures like never before.
What's in it: Tales include Robert Falcon Scotts doomed Antarctic expedition of 1910-13; Robert Byrons ten-month journey through Persia to Afghanistan in the early 30s; Jack Londons 1907 sailing adventure across the south Pacific; and Teddy Roosevelts scientific exploration of the Brazilian jungles exotic flora and fauna. Each author and their piece of writing is introduced by editor Mark Mackenzie, who gives context to the work and provides an insightful look into how travel has changed since they were originally published.
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| The Sun Is a Compass: A 4,000-Mile Journey into the Alaskan Wilds by Caroline Van HemertFeaturing: wildlife biologist Caroline Van Hemert, who'd spent years working on a Ph.D., and her builder husband, both of whom needed a break after toiling away without taking time to enjoy the outdoors.
What it's about: The couple traveled 4,000 miles through vast wilderness from Washington state's Pacific rainforest to a remote part of the Alaskan Arctic via skis, rowboats, canoes, rafts, and foot.
Why you should read it: With vivid prose, Van Hemert documents the physical perils of the trip (like being stalked a bear) and contemplates her father's health troubles, her relationship with nature, and more. |
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| The City of Falling Angels by John BerendtWhat happened: The famed Fenice Opera House in Venice dramatically burned just days before author John Berendt's arrival in 1996. Wondering if it could have been arson, Berendt talked to a variety of Venetians.
Who it's for: those who love Venice or enjoy atmospheric travelogues with fascinating people, politics, and city lore.
About the author: John Berendt is the bestselling author of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, which examined a shocking murder in Savannah, Georgia. |
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| Notes From a Small Island by Bill BrysonWhat it is: a laugh-out-loud tour of the sceptred isle, led by witty American travel writer extraordinaire Bill Bryson.
What happened: In 1995, Bryson, who was planning on returning home to the United States, traveled by foot and public transport, over hill and dale, throughout his beloved adopted home of the last 20 years.
Read this next: For another American's amusing trip around England, check out Paul Theroux's The Kingdom by the Sea. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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