So Close to Heaven (46 page)

Finally, thanks go to Jonathan Segal, vice president and senior editor at Alfred A. Knopf, who was willing to take a chance on the esoteric idea of the Himalayan Buddhist world and its endangered civilization.

B.C.

PECKED TO DEATH BY DUCKS
by Tim Cahill

In his latest grand tour of the earth’s remote, exotic, and dismal places, Tim Cahill sleeps with a grizzly bear, witnesses demonic possession in Bali, assesses the cuteness quotient of giant clams in the South Pacific, and survives a run-in with something called the Throne of Doom in Guatemala. The resulting travel pieces are at once vivid, nerve-wracking, and outrageously funny.

“Tim Cahill [has] the what-the-hell adventuresomeness of a T. E. Lawrence and the humor of a P. J. O’Rourke.”

—
Condé Nast Traveler

Travel/Adventure/0–679–74929–2

FALLING OFF THE MAP
SOME LONELY PLACES OF THE WORLD
by Pico Iyer

Pico Iyer voyages from the nostalgic elegance of Argentina to the raffish nonchalance of Australia, documents the cruising rites of Icelandic teenagers, gets interrogated by tipsy Cuban police, and attends a screening of Bhutan’s first feature film. Throughout, he remains both uncannily observant and hilarious.

“[Iyer is the] rightful heir to Jan Morris [and] Paul Theroux.… He writes the kind of lyrical, flowing prose that could make Des Moines sound beguiling.”

—
Los Angeles Times Book Review

Travel/Adventure/0–679–74612–9

RIDING THE WHITE HORSE HOME
A WESTERN FAMILY ALBUM
by Teresa Jordan

The daughter and granddaughter of Wyoming ranchers tells the stories of her forebears—men who saw broken bones as professional credentials and women who coped with physical hardship and killing loneliness. She acquaints us with the lore and science of ranching, and does so with a breathtaking immediacy that recalls the best writing of Wallace Stegner and Gretel Ehrlich.

“A haunting and elegant memoir.”

—Terry Tempest Williams, author of
Refuge

Memoir/Travel/0–679–75135–1

BALKAN GHOSTS
A JOURNEY THROUGH HISTORY
by Robert D. Kaplan

As Kaplan travels from the breakaway states of Yugoslavia to Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece, he reconstructs the Balkans’ history as a time warp in which ancient passions and hatreds are continually resurrected.

“Powerfully argued … the most insightful and timely work on the Balkans to date.”

—
Boston Globe

History/Current Affairs/Travel/0–679–74981–0

A YEAR IN PROVENCE
by Peter Mayle

An “engaging, funny and richly appreciative” (
The New York Times Book Review
) account of an English couple’s first year living in Provence, settling in amid the enchanting gardens and equally festive bistros of their new home.

“Stylish, witty, delightfully readable.”

—
The Sunday Times
(London)

Travel/0–679–73114–8

MAIDEN VOYAGES
THE WRITINGS OF WOMEN TRAVELERS
Edited and with an Introduction by Mary Morris

In this delightful anthology, women such as Beryl Markham, Willa Cather, Annie Dillard, and Joan Didion share their experiences traveling throughout the world. From the Rocky Mountains to a Marrakech palace, these women show as much of themselves as they do of the strange and wonderful places they visit.

A Vintage Original/Travel/Women’s Studies/0–679–74030–9

HOLIDAYS IN HELL
by PJ. O’Rourke

P.J. O’Rourke travels to hellholes around the globe looking for trouble, the truth, and a good time. After casually sightseeing in war-torn Lebanon and being peppergassed in Korea, P.J. checks out the night life in Poland and spends Christmas vacation in El Salvador.

“Whether you agree with him or not … he writes a helluva piece.”

—Richard Nixon

Humor/Travel/0–679–72422–2

IRON & SILK
by Mark Salzman

The critically acclaimed and bestselling adventures of a young American martial arts master in China.

“Dazzling … exhilarating … a joy to read from beginning to end.”

—
People

Travel/Adventure/0–394–75511–1

RIGHT ON THE EDGE OF CRAZY
ON TOUR WITH THE U.S. DOWNHILL SKI TEAM
by Mike Wilson

Mike Wilson follows the underfunded, underreported athletes of the U.S. downhill ski team through a World Cup season that culminates at the 1992 Winter Olympics in France.

“The best [book] ever written about ski-racing.”

—
Denver Post

Sports/Travel/0–679–74987-X