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The Shadow of the Sun: My African Life

Childrens Toy Shop > Travel > General
by: Ryszard Kapuscinski

March 28, 2002
It was the colourful front cover showing a map of Africa that made me pick up this book in the store.

Ryszard Kapuscinski was a polish journalist who spent long periods of time travelling in Africa, reporting for his paper. This book contains articles from the late 1950's until the 1990's.

He writes about sub-saharan Africa: The lands in the west, the centre and the east of the continent. North Africa and southern Africa are not covered.

He writes about the African concept of time. He writes about their spiritual world. He describes the way they greet each other and about their laughter. He describes how thieves could be deterred by a few feathers strategically arranged above the door. He writes about ... Read More:

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The Rough Guide to the First-Time Around the World - Edition 2

Childrens Toy Shop > Travel > General
by: Doug Lansky

March 30, 2006
I got this book while I was thinking about doing some travelling, it is full of usefull information and is clearly organised. I found it a good read even if you weren't planning on a trip.

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London Through a Lens (Time Out London)

Childrens Toy Shop > Travel > General
by: Time Out Guides Ltd

September 04, 2008
I was so disappointed to have missed Getty Images Gallery's exhibition of London Through a Lens and so this was the next best thing. This book is a simply wonderful glance at times gone by with some truly magical and nostalgic photographs (237 altogether) capturing some great moments in London with one in particular going back as far as 1843 as well as some images which serve to remind you just how hard life was at times.

I think this book would make a fantastic gift for anyone who lives in or particularly likes London or indeed anyone who would like to see some truly amazing and provocative imagery of times gone by.

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The Bookseller of Kabul

Childrens Toy Shop > Travel > General
by: Asne Seierstad

March 04, 2004
This account of an Afghan middle class family in the period immediately after the fall of the Taliban gives some acute and depressing insights into the routine and unthinking oppression that is the lot of many Afghan women. The bookseller - head of a large family - dragoons his sons into working long hours in his various bookshops and cruelly disregards the feelings of the female members of his family. He takes a young, uneducated second wife after he tires of his older, educated first wife. She is left to languish in Pakistan for years, cut off from her sons and daughters, until Sultan relents and allows her to return to Kabul. Sultan's younger sister is reduced to the role of a domestic servant, and her desire to teach is thwarted. The treatment of the male ... Read More:

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Great Britain Super Scale Road Atlas

Childrens Toy Shop > Travel > General
by: Geographers' A-Z Map Company

July 01, 2008
This account of an Afghan middle class family in the period immediately after the fall of the Taliban gives some acute and depressing insights into the routine and unthinking oppression that is the lot of many Afghan women. The bookseller - head of a large family - dragoons his sons into working long hours in his various bookshops and cruelly disregards the feelings of the female members of his family. He takes a young, uneducated second wife after he tires of his older, educated first wife. She is left to languish in Pakistan for years, cut off from her sons and daughters, until Sultan relents and allows her to return to Kabul. Sultan's younger sister is reduced to the role of a domestic servant, and her desire to teach is thwarted. The treatment of the male ... Read More:

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Cuba (Lonely Planet Country Guide)

Childrens Toy Shop > Travel > General
by: Brendan Sainsbury

November 01, 2006
For my first trip to Cuba, this book was pretty accurate, up to date and informative in terms of places to visit, tourist attractions, what to do and where to go. It gives you useful advice on how much you are expected to tip, what to expect of the country and how to get around and where to go which was very useful. The only negative aspect of this book was probably the design layout. It covers a vast majority of aspects of Cuba which can be a lot to get through, the layout is quite difficult to read and its mostly black and white columns of writing do not make it appealing. As it is written from first hand experience it is definitely a very useful book for first time traveller's however a lot of the entertainment they had suggested for Havana, no one had heard of ... Read More:

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Collins World Atlas

Childrens Toy Shop > Travel > General
from: Collins

September 04, 2006
For my first trip to Cuba, this book was pretty accurate, up to date and informative in terms of places to visit, tourist attractions, what to do and where to go. It gives you useful advice on how much you are expected to tip, what to expect of the country and how to get around and where to go which was very useful. The only negative aspect of this book was probably the design layout. It covers a vast majority of aspects of Cuba which can be a lot to get through, the layout is quite difficult to read and its mostly black and white columns of writing do not make it appealing. As it is written from first hand experience it is definitely a very useful book for first time traveller's however a lot of the entertainment they had suggested for Havana, no one had heard of ... Read More:

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These are the Days That Must Happen to You

Childrens Toy Shop > Travel > General
by: Dan Walsh

July 03, 2008
To be fair a different take on a RTW travel journal but the writing and attempts at ladish humour let the book down terribly. Finishing what feels like every other paragraph with the tagline `......I was so drunk', `...in the dark...drunk' `.....did I mention how drunk I was?' might appeal to teenagers still stuck in a world where how much you can down equates heroism but to anyone with half a brain and 25 or more years behind them it becomes tiresome. The writing itself shows little professionalism considering the guy is a journo and lacks flow and detail, I regularly had to go back and re-read large parts as I was lost on some tangent - see the beginning of chapter 7 for an example of this. No doubt Walsh fans take this to be part of the charm of his writing style, ... Read More:

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The Best of Wainwright

Childrens Toy Shop > Travel > General
by: Alfred Wainwright

November 01, 2004
This is an absolute must-have if you have any interest walking. Even if you have no interest in walking you can't fail to be taken in by the consistently detailed drawings and conversational prose. Each and every page contains the most beautiful pen drawn maps, views and very accurate drawings of the Lakeland fells themselves. Further, Wainwright takes the reader through each fell climb in his own handwriting which, startlingly, justifies to both margins with not a hyphenated word in sight - a feat in itself which I've not seen elsewhere. Perhaps I'm impressed because I'm a graphic designer but I really don't see how anyone could be disappointed with this fascinating book.

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Notes from a Big Country

Childrens Toy Shop > Travel > General
by: Bill Bryson

September 16, 1999
This is guaranteed to put a smile on virtually anyone's face.

Bryson's dry humour & witty observations of life's absurdity coupled with Kerry Shale's excellent delivery make this an easy winner.

The basic material is also very interesting so a wining combination all round.

I had this in the car & found myself sitting listening to it long after I had arrived at my destination - it's that good!