Ben Donald

With no apparent sense of humour and their excessive speed when securing sunloungers, the German people and their country have had a terrible reputation among the British since time immemorial (or 1914). So, going where very few travel-writers and holidaymakers have gone before, Ben Donald has visited Germany in order to overturn stereotypes and, at the same time, fall back in love with travel. From the massed ranks on the nudist beaches of Germany's north coast (they have a reputation for liking uniform, but they'd much rather be naked), via intimate encounters in the steam-rooms of Baden-Baden and the brothels of Hamburg (where he makes his excuses and leaves), to the rite of passage that is wearing Lederhosen to the Oktoberfest (which takes place in September), the author has put his body and his dignity on the line to get beneath the skin of this most maligned of countries. He even goes to see a German stand-up comedian. In - where else? - England. And what emerges is a Germany that will surprise many who thought they knew the country and its people; an eye-opener in other words - especially those nudist beaches.

or How I Learned to Love Lederhosen

Springtime For Germany

Philip Dodd

The Book Of Islands is an exhilarating journey to some of the most extraordinary and isolated places on earth. From tropical paradises such as Mauritius and Bali, to prison islands like Alcatraz and Robben Island, from the far-flung snowy Kerguelen in Antarctica and Tierra del Fuego at the tip of Latin America to islands in the middle of cities the Ile St-Louis in Paris and Manhattan and those that are cities in their own right, like Venice and Singapore each island has a unique and very distinct character. Included here are places of refuge, escape, exile and mystery the unblinking primitive statues of Easter Island and the dragons of Komodo; islands that have been sanctuaries and monasteries; the homes of hermits, mutineers, emperors and artists; the sites of battles, vendettas and revolutions. Some of the islands featured are under desperate threat from the forces of global warming: rising sea levels and an increase in severe weather conditions. Unless things change dramatically, many of these unique and diverse mini cultures will simply disappear. The Book of Islands presents what could be a last chance to celebrate these diverse and extraordinary places.

Ben Donald

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