In an exhilarating tale of historic adventure, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Confederates in the Attic retraces the voyages of Captain James Cook, the Yorkshire farm boy who drew the map of the modern world Captain James Cook's three epic journeys in the 18th century were the last great voyages of discovery. His ships sailed 150,000 miles, from the Artic to the Antarctic, from Tasmania to Oregon, from Easter Island to Siberia. When Cook set off for the Pacific in 1768, a third of the globe remained blank. By the time he died in Hawaii in 1779, the map of the world was substantially complete. Tony Horwitz vividly recounts Cook's voyages and the exotic scenes the captain encountered: tropical orgies, taboo rituals, cannibal feasts, human sacrifice. He also relives Cook's adventures by following in the captain's wake to places such as Tahiti, Savage Island, and the Great Barrier Reef to discover Cook's embattled legacy in the present day. Signing on as a working crewman aboard a replica of Cook's vessel, Horwitz experiences the thrill and terror of sailing a tall ship. He also explores Cook the man: an impoverished farmboy who broke through the barriers of his class and time to become the greatest navigator in British history. By turns harrowing and hilarious, insightful and entertaining, BLUE LATITUDES brings to life a man whose voyages helped create the 'global village' we know today.

It has been said that the only warriors who do not suffer after combat are those who were killed. I cannot attest to that for all battle tested warriors but I certainly can for one---me. Some years ago a young, 13 year old eighth grade student from the Fairfield, Iowa Middle School once asked me, "Were you wounded in the war? I had been invited to speak in Mrs. Broz's class for many years to talk about my wartime experiences. I had been asked and answered many questions but this one was different. I paused, thought deeply and quickly, and replied. "Yes I was wounded, seriously wounded but not a wound that anyone could see and fix." His question gave me pause to quickly think about warriors in all the wars that have been fought, including mine, whose wounds were unseen, untreated and debilitating even though no blood was shed. I spent a sleepless night wondering if my answer had satisfied him...or me. What was there about my military service that left me so hopeless and so helpless when I returned home to civilian life? Was it me? The military itself? The combat? This is what I recalled; perhaps the answers would come as I wrote my experiences down. "I've been practicing Transcendental Meditation for 40 years. It's a great tool for reducing stress ... especially the stress our men and women of the Armed Forces are going through now." --Clint Eastwood, Academy Award-Winning Film Director "Stress causes, anxiety, depression, and violent behavior. Transcendental Meditation is a remarkable process for reducing stress-it can help people live a long and better life." --Mehemet Oz, MD, America's Doctor "In this riveting memoir, a true American hero describes how Transcendental Meditation changed his life for good. A must-read for those struggling with the aftershocks of combat, and their loved ones." --Norman Rosenthal, M.D. Author of Transcendence: Healing and Transformation Through Meditation "The hidden cost of war includes long-term pain and suffering for may veterans and their families. This wonderful book shows how meditation can be a practical, simple, and effective way for our returning warriors to find peace." --Professor Linda Bilmes, Harvard University, co-author of The Three Trillion Dollar War "The Resilient warrior is a riveting read. What is especially impressive is how Jerry Yellin conflates his own war and PTSD experiences, and those experiences of other veterans, with the powerful compelling evidence of the benefits of using meditation as a means to overcome this disorder. I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking relief from stress, regardless of the source of the trauma." --Donald Mikkleson, Vietnam Veteran "My son, Dory, was an eight-year Army veteran who committed suicide early this year and I have suffered terribly. On a really bad day, a few weeks after Dory's death, Jerry Yellin suggested that I read The Resilient Warrior and learn to meditate. Since starting to meditate I can feel the stress leaving me, and my days and nights are getting a little better day-by-day, week-by-week. I strongly recommend Jerry's book to veterans and families of veterans, and anyone who is looking for a way of the nightmare of PTSD." --Lin Klock, Vero Beach, Florida Author Jerry Yellin Jerry was a WW 2 fighter pilot from Hillside, NJ. He flew P-51's over Japan from Iwo Jima. Married to Helene for 60 years, they have four sons and six grandchildren. Jerry is the author of the award winning historical fiction book The Blackened Canteen and his memoir Of War and Weddings . The soldier above all other people prays for peace, for he must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war." --General Douglas Macarthur

Time in Africa: Flying and Fun from 1963 to 1983 covers 20 amazing years of David Price’s life as a pilot, working primarily in Africa. Although filled with personal adventures and humorous anecdotes, Time in Africa is much more than an autobiography. It is also an amazing glimpse of a time in aviation before computerized flight controls and when some older planes were still made of plywood and canvas. Having flown planes such as a DC3, Dove, Comet 4, Viscount, B737 and B707, the author shares stories of near disaster, having to make mechanical repairs and adjustments while flying—including once with a fire ax, and landing and taking off in the desert without a runway. Adding further interest to these stories is the setting: Libya, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Cameroon, Zambia, Guinea, and Nigeria in their early days of independence post colonization. A natural storyteller, David portrays what life was like in Africa—both for the privileged Whites and the native Blacks—along with providing insight into the politics and attitudes of the time. From starting an airplane with car batteries strapped to a baggage trolley to having to put out a charcoal fire started in the aisle of a plane to brew a cup of tea, it is clear that there were few dull moments during David’s time as a pilot in Africa. It is also evident that he enjoyed every minute there, as will his readers as he takes them back to an amazing place in an interesting time.