Books like A Russian journal by John Steinbeck

With bold adventure and biographical insight, Candice Millard recounts Theodore Roosevelt’s perilous 1913–14 descent of an uncharted Amazon tributary, exposing the harsh jungle, violent rapids, and personal trials that reshaped a nation’s map.

An engaging blend of river history, Twain’s early steamboat memories, and humorous sketches that inspired his classic "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," offering readers a lively portrait of the Mississippi and its people.

A collection of Mark Twain’s tales featuring Tom Sawyer adventures abroad, detective work, and other humorous and adventurous stories set in varied locales.

Henry David Thoreau’s vivid account of Maine’s wilderness, exploring its landscapes, wildlife, and people while warning against commercial exploitation, captures a vital perspective on nature’s preservation.

Frank Worsley, captain of Shackleton’s Endurance, narrates the ship’s wrecking in pack ice, the crew’s survival on drifting ice floes, and their daring 800‑mile boat voyage to South Georgia and inland rescue in Antarctica.

Contains primary source material.

A memoir of Peter Godwin’s pilgrimages back to Zimbabwe, revealing his family’s steadfast loyalty amid the country’s descent into chaos and uncovering a secret that explains their devotion.

A humorous and true account of Susan Jane Gilman and friend Claire’s 1986 backpacking adventure in China, detailing their encounters with culture, government surveillance, and unexpected challenges while exploring Shanghai and beyond.

Ernest Mason Satow’s memoir, drawn from his diaries and firsthand encounters, offers a vivid record of Japan’s transition during the Meiji Restoration and its early diplomatic engagements with the West.

Available for the first time in enriched e-book format, this edition offers visual and historical insights into Susanna Moodie's writing via electronic weblinks. Like a full-colour footnote, select words and phrases throughout the book are links to websites that contain a wealth of additional information, pictures, definitions and historical information that gives context to the text. Now, with the click of a mouse, you can investigate the world of Moodie's Upper Canada without having to leave your screen.Roughing It in the Bush, first published in 1852, helped to destroy British illusions about life in Upper Canada. Susanna Moodie described a life of backbreaking labour, poverty, and hardship on a pioneer farm in the colonial wilderness. Her sharp observations, satirical character sketches, and moments of despair and terror were a startling contrast to the widely circulated optimistic accounts of life in British North America, written to entice readers across the Atlantic.The spontaneity, wit, and candour of Moodie's account of life on a backwoods farm give Roughing It in the Bush enduring appeal."Roughing It in the Bush" is an extraordinarily detailed record of pioneer life. It is also a journey of exploration and revelation into Moodie's own character, as we watch her grow from ill-prepared immigrant to spirited survivor."—Charlotte Gray

When I finished reading-I felt my soul had been altered' Amy TanFor eight groundbreaking years, Xinran presented a radio programme in China during which she invited women to call in and talk about themselves. Broadcast every evening, Words on the Night Breeze became famous through the country for its unflinching portrayal of what it meant to be a woman in modern China. Centuries of obedience to their fathers, husbands and sons, followed by years of political turmoil had made women terrified of talking openly about their feelings. Xinran won their trust and, through her compassion and ability to listen, became the first woman to hear their true stories. This unforgettable book is the story of how Xinran negotiated the minefield of restrictions imposed on Chinese journalists to reach out to women across the country. Through the vivid intimacy of her writing, the women's voices confide in the reader, sharing their deepest secrets for the first time. Their stories changed Xinran's understanding of China forever. Her book will reveal the lives of Chinese women to the West as never before.