Colonial Small Wars, 1837-1901 by Donald Featherstone

Colonial Small Wars, 1837-1901 by Donald Featherstone lands on the shelves of my shop.

Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 1973, Hardback in dust wrapper.

Illustrated by way of: Diagrams; Maps; Plans;

From the cover: Queen Victorias long reign was constantly disturbed by almost ceaseless warfare that flared along the extending frontiers of the British Empire, indeed there was not a single year in which somewhere in the world British soldiers were not in action.

From 1837 to 1901 in Canada, Afghanistan, India, Africa, and elsewhere, military expeditions were undertaken to protect British interest, extend a frontier or repel an unprovoked attack. It became in the Victorian era an accepted way of life.

In this lively and useful study Donald Featherstone, after defining small wars and describing the Victorian soldier and his weapons, covers all these minor actions in detail. Most of the accounts are complemented by specially drawn maps and plans which have never before been collected together in a single volume.

Very Good in Very Good Dust Wrapper. Gently bruised at the spine ends and corners with commensurate wear to the dust wrapper which is lightly pulled at the head of the upper panel. Text complete, clean and tight.

Blue boards with Gilt titling to the Spine. 223 pages. Index. Bibliography. 9¾” x 7½”.

Of course, if you don’t like this one there are plenty more available here!

Sir Edmund Hillary and the People of Everest by Cynthia Russ Ramsay

Sir Edmund Hillary and the People of Everest by Cynthia Russ Ramsay lands on the shelves of my shop.

Kansas City: Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2002, Hardback in dust wrapper.

Illustrated by way of: Colour Photographs;

From the cover: At 11:30 A. M. on May 29, 1953, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay congratulated themselves with a handshake and then a hearty embrace. At 29,035 feet above sea level, they were standing on top of the world. They were the first men to summit Mount Everest.

The story of their perilous ascent including even Hillarys final exhortation to himself, Ed, my boy, this is Everest; youve got to push it a bit harder! is vividly recounted here, in both words and photographs. But unlike other accounts, Sir Edmund Hillary & The People of Everest takes the conquest of the mountain as the beginning of the story, not its culmination.

For the thirty-three-year-old Hillary, climbing Mount Everest was indeed the beginning the beginning of a lifelong relationship with the indigenous people whose courage, skill, and generosity of spirit made Himalayan exploration possible: the Sherpas.

Using intimate photographs and personal interviews, photographer Anne B. Keiser and writer Cynthia Russ Ramsay first re-create the Sherpa world as it was before the trekkers arrived a tough, hand-fashioned existence under the ice-covered roof of the world, isolated from the technological advances that the twentieth century had brought to the West.

Once he came to know these generous and kindly people and to acknowledge the huge debt he and other Himalayan explorers owed them Hillary took on the delicate job of improving their lives without destroying their culture. Using a strictly grassroots approach, doing only what the Sherpas wanted us to do, Hillary brought them schools and hospitals. Ultimately, through the work of disciples like Mingma Norbu Sherpa, director of the Himalayan Division of the World Wildlife Fund, Hillary has helped the Sherpas find a way to preserve their fragile world without being subjugated to it. For Keiser and Ramsay, this Edmund Hillary battling almost single-handedly on behalf of his beloved Sherpas is the hero of Everest.

Introduction by: HRH Prince Philip

Very Good in Very Good Dust Wrapper. A little rubbing to the edges of the dust wrapper which is lightly pulled at the head of the upper panel. Previous owners’ inscription to the first blank alongside a date. Text complete, clean and tight.

Navy Blue boards with Gilt titling to the Spine. 174 pages. 12¼” x 9½”.

Of course, if you don’t like this one there are plenty more available here!

The Red Snows: An Account of the British Caucasus Expedition, 1958 by Sir John Hunt & Christopher Brasher

The Red Snows: An Account of the British Caucasus Expedition, 1958 by Sir John Hunt & Christopher Brasher lands on the shelves of my shop.

The Travel Book Club, 1960, Hardback in dust wrapper.

From the cover: Five years after they first made application, a party of British mountaineers was given permission to climb in Soviet territory. Among them were Sir John Hunt, leader of the successful Everest expedition, and Christopher Brasher, Olympic athlete turned mountaineer.

Now their story of their visit to the picturesquely, and literally, named red snows of the Caucasus will fascinate all their fellow-mountaineers and everyone else as well who is looking for an unfamiliar view of modern Russia.

Very Good in Good Dust Wrapper. Unlaminated dust wrapper a little edgeworn and faded. Leans slightly. Edges of the text block lightly spotted.

Green boards with Black titling to the Spine. 176 pages. Index. 8½” x 5½”.

Of course, if you don’t like this one there are plenty more available here!

The Jungle And The Damned by Hassoldt Davis

The Jungle And The Damned by Hassoldt Davis lands on the shelves of my shop.

The Travel Book Club, 1954, Hardback in dust wrapper.

Illustrated by way of: Black & White Photographs; Maps [1];

From the cover: This is the true story of the Hassoldt Davis exploration of French Guiana, inland from St. Laurent to the Tumuc Humac mountains of the Brazilian border. He was accompanied by his wife, who combined the roles of honeymooner and expedition photographer. The first stop before the 300-mile trek along the Maroni River was Devils Island and the penal settlements of Cayenne. The reader cannot but be touched by the stories Mr. Davis has to tell of life among the condemned, where good and bad are mingled as in the world outside. The main part of the book is concerned with the Maroni River exploratory journey, and the author describes the fantastic plant and animal life of this region (some of it, in fact, still unexplored) and the hardly less fantastic tribes who inhabit it. There were, for instance, the bisexual Rouccuyennes, the unseen Oyaricoulets who stalked the boat and left their inviting white markers or threatening red ones to comfort or alarm the travellers.

This is a fascinating book, giving a unique picture of a little-known part of the world which still retains its menace and its mystery. The superb photographs taken by the Daviss share the honours with the engrossing story.

Good+ in Poor Dust Wrapper. Unlaminated dust wrapper a little edgeworn and faded with an untidy triangular nick to the spine. Edges of the text block lightly spotted. Pages lightly age-tanned.

Blue boards with Black titling to the Spine. 255 pages. 8¾” x 5½”.

Of course, if you don’t like this one there are plenty more available here!