Considers the global impact of the 1883 eruption of the Krakatoa volcano, documenting its cause of an immense tsunami that killed 40,000 people, its impact on the weather for several years, and its role in anti-Western Islamic fundamentalism.

When "Lord Jim" first appeared in 1900, many took Joseph Conrad to task for couching an entire novel in the form of an extended conversation - a ripping good yarn, if you like (one critic in The Academy complained that the narrator 'was telling that after-dinner story to his companions for eleven solid hours'). Conrad defended his method, insisting that people really do talk for that long, and listen as well. In fact his chatty masterwork requires...

In Fifty Places to Paddle Before You Die, the newest addition to the Fifty Places series, Chris Santella explores the best destinations for the diverse sport of paddling. The book features the world's top spots for kayaking, rafting, canoeing, and stand-up paddleboarding. Destinations include the Grand Canyon, Alaska's Kenai Peninsula, Baja California, Indonesia's Komodo Islands, and the Antarctic Peninsula, as recommended by paddling experts. Compelling...

"Fascinated by our pervasive fear of dead bodies, mortician Caitlin Doughty set out to discover how other cultures care for the dead. From Here to Eternity is an immersive global journey that introduces compelling, powerful rituals almost entirely unknown in America. In rural Indonesia, she watches a man clean and dress his grandfather's mummified body, which has resided in the family home for two years. In La Paz, she meets Bolivian natitas (cigarette-smoking,...