Search Results: Adventure, Travel & Exploration from Louise Aird

This is an unread copy of African Kingdoms, part of the Great Ages of Man series which Time-Life Books began publishing in the 60s. This book was written in 1967 by the British historian Basil Davidson (1914-2010); Time-Life's editors updated it and it was republished in 1980.

This book was well received. Reviews say it's very progressive and takes pains to point out the flaws in many traditional ideas about African culture and history, including the perspective that Africa is one large monolithic culture. It's a good place to start if you're someone who wants a basic grasp of African history.

It's 8 3/4" x 10 3/4". 191 pages, including loads of photos.
Pristine condition.

This is a first edition of Anatomy of the Titanic, a thorough tour of the ship which includes 250 photographs, plans and drawings of the vessel's details and mechanics. It was written by Tom McCluskie, the Archive Manager for the ship's builders. He was also the firm's liaison to the producers of the film.
The book was published in London in 1998. 160 pages. Slight waving of the pages at the back. One tiny dogear. The dust jacket has some wear but the book is in fine condition.

This is a stated first edition of Ancient Mariner: The Amazing Adventures of Samuel Hearne, the Sailor Who Walked to the Arctic Ocean. It was written by the Canadian author Ken McGoogan and published in 2003.

Samuel Hearne was an 18th-century British sailor who, McGoogan proves, was the model for Samuel Coleridge's Rime of the Ancient Mariner. He served at sea during the Seven Years' War, then entered the service of the Hudson's Bay Company. For 17 years he was in the Arctic, and he became the first European to travel overland across the Arctic Circle. He also enjoyed good relations with the Indians, to the point of marrying a half-Indian wife; founded new fur-trading outposts; and was one of the first Europeans to adopt Indian and Inuit survival techniques in the Arctic. When he returned to England, he turned his diaries into one of the first major memoirs of Arctic exploration. This is a ripping yarn about the life of a relatively unknown hero of exploration and maritime history.

This book… Read More

This is an unread copy of Ancient Egypt, part of the Great Ages of Man series which Time-Life Books began publishing in the 60s. This book was written in 1965 by the American academic Lionel Casson (1914-2009); Time-Life's editors updated it and it was republished in 1978.

This book was well received. One review says it is "especially readable and fascinating with incredible illustrations and photographs of Ancient Egyptian major works of art. A very enjoyable read--I recommend it to anyone desiring to gain a better acquaintance with Ancient Egypt and its culture and history."

It's 8 3/4" x 10 3/4". 191 pages, including loads of photos.
There is an attractive bookplate on the inside front cover, which is already coming off on its own.
Pristine condition.

Note: Also listed here, I have three other books from this series: Ancient China, the Rise of Russia and Imperial Rome

Note: If you are outside of North America, the quoted shipping price is for surface mail without tracking. For other… Read More

This is an unread copy of Ancient China, part of the Great Ages of Man series which Time-Life Books began publishing in the 60s. This book was written in 1967 by the American academic Edward Schafer, Professor of Oriental Languages at Berkeley.

This is the first edition, sixth printing.
It's 8 3/4" x 10 3/4". 191 pages, including loads of photos, maps and drawings.

At some point, the front endpaper, which is green, became damp. There is a bookplate on the inside front cover. The green from the endpaper transferred to the bookplate. But you can remove the bookplate.

There is a little wear to the outside fabric edge and spine.
Otherwise pristine condition.

Note: Also here on Biblio, I have three other books from the same series: Ancient Egypt, Imperial Rome and the Rise of Russia


PLEASE NOTE: THE STATED EXPECTED SHIPPING DATE APPLIES ONLY WITHIN NORTH AMERICA. THE SHIPPING CHARGE APPLIES TO NORTH AMERICAN BUYERS, OR TO INTERNATIONAL BUYERS WHO ACCEPT SURFACE MAIL. DUE TO… Read More

See scans for full table of contents
204 Pages. No label.Pristine Condition.NOTE: My quoted price for shipping OUTSIDE of North America is for surface mail without tracking. For other shipping options, please contact me.

204 Pages. No Label.
See scans for full table of contents
Except for mark at the top of the cover (see photo), pristine condition.
NOTE: My quoted price for shipping OUTSIDE of North America is for surface mail without tracking. For other shipping options, please contact me.

This is a stated first edition of The Art of the Golden West, a presentation of American art from the 16th century to the 1980s. It covers the entire Western saga, including Spanish, English and French explorations, the Gold Rush, the fur trade, the great migrations etc. There are hundreds of very high-quality images, many of which could be framed.

418 pages, 11" x 13 1/2" x 2"
Much of the price of this book is taken up by the postage cost--the book weighs 8 lbs.


This book has not been read. Both top corners of the dust jacket have a tiny bump.
Aside from that, it is in mint condition.
A pristine, lovely book.

This is a gorgeous coffee table book--The Art of Cruising, Fine Art & Antiques of Holland America Line, published 2007.Holland America Line ships are renowned for their collections of fine art and antiques from around the globe. Now selections from the premium line's art treasures have been assembled here, along with explanatory text.It is packed with photographs of a diverse collection that ranges in scale from contemporary pieces such as a saxophone signed by former President Bill Clinton and Waterford crystal atrium centerpieces, to Andy Warhol, Man Ray, mural artistsIan Cairnie, Barbara Broekman and Wout Muller; Captain Stephen J. Card's acclaimed marine oil paintings; contemporary Norwegian artist Nicolaus Widerberg's abstract marble sculpture of a Viking ship, Susanna Holt's life-size bronze sculptures of wildlife and pre-Columbian artifacts and original paintings from a variety of artists and epochs.I don't think this copy has been opened. It is pristine with no marks inside, no marks on the… Read More

This is a first edition of the revised edition of Autumns in Skye, Ross and Sutherland, a travel chronicle written by the Reverend Thomas Ratcliffe Burnett (1868-1946). Burnett was a Presbyterian minister, mountaineer and lecturer in English Literature who wrote several travel chronicles on various parts of Scotland.He wrote this book in the 1920s and it was first published in 1930. He then continually updated and revised it. When he died in 1946, the son of his original publisher issued the revised version.Other copies of this revised version state 'London 1946'; this one is the original, published in Edinburgh.It is a travel book, 'exploring the Glens, Castles and towns within Skye, Ross and Sutherland'.It has black and white plates, and maps to the endpapers.198 pages. Blue boards. I don't have the dust jacket.The exterior of this book is not in the best of shape, because the person who gave it to me went on his own tour of Skye, Ross and Sutherland, and took the book with him, following… Read More

The full title of this book is The Backwoods of Canada: Being the Letters of the Wife of an Emigrant Officer, Illustrative of the Domestic Economy of British America. It was first published, in the UK, in 1836. This is a facsimile reprint. Catharine Parr Traill (1802-1899) was a successful English writer when she married a British officer who, in 1832, was posted to Canada. She was wholly unprepared for the struggles they endured while establishing themselves in the vast, still unexplored, wilderness. But she remained positive and upbeat, wrote many letters to her mother about her experiences, and they became this book. The book was meant to serve as guidance and advice for other immigrants, but it became a best-seller, and a classic, of both social history and nature writing. This is a trade paperback, 351 pages with many illustrations. It has one dogear, on page 19. Unread after that. It is otherwise perfect.PLEASE NOTE: THE STATED EXPECTED SHIPPING DATE APPLIES ONLY WITHIN NORTH AMERICA.… Read More

This is a copy of Bartholomew's Clan Map, produced in 1975 by the Scots genealogist Sir Iain Moncreiffe of That Ilk (1919-1985). It was produced from an original painting by the Scottish artist Don Pottinger (1919-1986).
The map features 'The Lands', 'The Arms', and 'The Crests'. The central map delineates the clan territories and is framed by an array of 170 heraldic shields along with their crests and mottoes. It is based on the clan map as it was around the time of King James VI (1566-1625).
I haven't opened this map completely--just enough to take the photos shown. Photo #2 is taken from a collector's site, which says that it's appr 38" x 29".
This map has been sitting in a drawer since 1975. There are little bits of wear to the covers and the original price tag is on it, but you can steam that off. As far as I can tell, it's in perfect condition.

This is a copy of the first reprint, cloth edition, of The Boat Who Wouldn't Float, A Ribald Personal Misadventure, by the Canadian author Farley Mowat. It was first printed in 1969; this edition was issued in 1973 and copies of it now sell for about $50.00.
Publisher's Description:
Legendary adventurer and author Farley Mowat dreamed of setting sail from the shores of Newfoundland to roam the seven seas.
Unfortunately, the boat he found was the worst in the world. The Happy Adventure, despite all that Mowat and his Newfoundland helpers could do, leaked like a sieve. Her engine only worked when she felt like it. Typically, on her maiden voyage, with the engine stuck in reverse, she backed out of the harbor under full sail. And she sank, regularly.
How Mowat, his wife, and a varied crew coaxed the boat from Newfoundland to Lake Ontario (encountering sharks, rum-runners, rum and a host of unforgettable characters along the way) makes for a marvelous, and very funny, story. Perfect reading for anyone… Read More

This is a first edition of Byron of the Wager, written by the British historian Peter Shankland in 1975.

The wreck of the Wager stands next to the mutiny on the Bounty
as one of the most powerful and gripping stories in maritime history. The HMS Wager was a square-rigged Royal Navy ship of 28 guns, which was detailed to accompany George Anson in his famous 1740 voyage in search of Spanish treasure ships. Wrecked in the terrible weather in the middle of a Patagonian winter, many of the ship's crew survived (including the future grandfather of Lord Byron) but there were terrible personal tensions. Incredibly, the two sides managed to work together to get themselves home. Five years later, nine out of 300 reached England after adventures and privations that tested the limits of human endurance.

This copy is in mint condition. There is a small tear to the dust jacket and a little fading to the dust jacket (which is unclipped).
The book itself is pristine.

This is a first edition of Caesars of the Wilderness, written in 1987 by the Canadian journalist Peter C Newman. It is part two of his history of the Hudson's Bay Company; in this volume, we learn about the war for supremacy over the North American fur trade, and the territory ranging from San Francisco to the Beaufort Sea. The competition was between the Hudson's Bay's Fur Brigades, and their arch-rivals the Northwest Company, an incredible battle that remains the fiercest commercial feud in history. Note: Also listed here, I have a mint condition copy of part 1, Company of Adventurers, signed by the author (see last photos). If you want both, please message me.This is a beautiful book, elegantly designed with tons of photos, maps and drawings.450 pages.It has not been read, or even opened, until now.It is in mint condition.PLEASE NOTE: THE STATED EXPECTED SHIPPING DATE APPLIES ONLY WITHIN NORTH AMERICA. THE SHIPPING CHARGE APPLIES TO NORTH AMERICAN BUYERS, OR TO INTERNATIONAL BUYERS WHO… Read More

This is three books about the history of the Canadian Pacific Railway published by The Calgary Group of the British Railway Modellers of North America.
Each one is black and white, glossy, 11" x 8 1/2", soft cover.
1. Canadian Pacific's Bill Hill, by Floyd Yeats. Fourth printing 1995, 52 pages. Perfect condition except for a pencil mark on the cover and a price tag remnant on the back.
2. Canadian Pacific in the Rockies, Volume One, by D. M. Bain. Eighth printing 1986, 28 pages, Mint condition.
3. Canadian Pacific in the Rockies, Volume Five, by D. M. Bain. Second printing 1982, 28 pages. Perfect condition except for price tag remnant and a 2" crease on the cover.
PLUS
4. The Royal Hudson and the story of railroading in British Columbia, an undated B.C. government booklet full of photos. It fully tells the story of the Royal Hudson. 47 pages plus cover. There's a minor crease to the cover and someone wrote 'Glenbow Foundation' on the cover. Otherwise perfect.

This is a first edition (1994) of the Reader's Digest edition of Captains Courageous: A Story of the Grand Banks, by the English writer Rudyard Kipling. It is about a boy who is rescued from drowning off Newfoundland's Grand Banks, and how he survives trials and adventures.

It was originally published in installments in 1896-1897 and is the only Kipling novel set in North America. It was originally illustrated by the American daguerreotypist Isaiah West Taber, and all of his illustrations are in this book.

164 pages. It never had a dust jacket--it's pale green boards with gilt lettering and a gilt design on the cover.
The original owner read to page 25, dog-eared it, and didn't return to it. So near-mint condition. No shelfwear, no other marks in or on it. Lovely book.

This is a leather-bound copy of Catriona, Robert Louis Stevenson's sequel to Kidnapped, which was originally published in 1893. It has also been published under the title David Balfour.
This copy it un-dated but was published by Collins Clear-Type Press, likely between 1910 and 1918. It contains several illustrations by the British artist Archibald Webb.
It is 4" x 6", 363 pages. Covered in very soft burgundy leather. There is wear to the outside edges of the covers and the spine. But the book itself shows no sign of being read. Inside, it is in pristine condition.

This is a first edition of The Collected Rudyard Kipling, Illustrated, published by Avenel in 1982. It is 1000 pages, and includes his best-known works: Captains Courageous, Kim, The Jungle Books, Just So Stories for Little Children, Puck of Pook's Hill, Stalky & Co., and Plain Tales from the Hills. It then adds 11 short stories. See photo of that list.It doesn't say who the illustrators are but Kipling did a lot of his own illustrations, so I assume that some of the images are his. There are some photos too.This book does not appear to have been read.The paper has darkened at the edges. Other than that, and a tiny bit of shelfwear to the back of the dust jacket, it's in absolutely mint condition.PLEASE NOTE: THE STATED EXPECTED SHIPPING DATE APPLIES ONLY WITHIN NORTH AMERICA. THE SHIPPING CHARGE APPLIES TO NORTH AMERICAN BUYERS, OR TO INTERNATIONAL BUYERS WHO ACCEPT SURFACE MAIL. DUE TO PANDEMIC-RELATED SHIPPING ISSUES, UNLESS YOU PAY TO HAVE YOUR ITEM DELIVERED BY AIR, OR BY A PRIVATE CARRIER,… Read More

This is the Collins Encyclopaedia of Scotland, the first UK edition published in 1994.It contains a wealth of information about Scottish history, famous Scottish people, cities, castles, cathedrals, forts, sports and the Scottish way of life, past and present. 4000 entries, 500+ photographs.It is a big book--1046 pages.7" x 10" x 2.5"There's quite a lot of wear to the dust jacket, a touch of fading to the edges of the book and a sprinkling of fingerprints on the inside. Overall excellent condition.