The Falklands, at the time of this story, were a little known group of islands miles away from anywhere that most people hadn't even heard of. Of course, nearly everyone has now heard of them and most even have a good idea where they are. Back in the late 60's and early 70's they were a sleepy spot on the map where nothing much happened. They didn't bother anyone and no-one bothered them. For two hundred years nothing much had changed in that respect and the modern world had only just begun to impinge on the islanders' way of life. There was no TV and, of course, no internet. Telephone communications to "Home", as the UK was called, were limited to a few minutes per day when a particular satellite passed by and then only from a special room in Port Stanley, its capital. The author was pitched into a way of life that was completely unlike anything most Brits ever experience and this book describes his struggle to adapt to a new way of life at the same time as learning how to teach in extraordinary circumstances. The things that happened to him were unusual, often very funny (in retrospect) and his story gives the reader a unique insight to the Falklands at that time, the place and its people. The islands have, of course, changed dramatically since the war of 1982 and the advent of fishing licences, tourism and, latterly, oil exploration have had a major impact, not to mention the presence of thousands of military personnel. The sovereignty row with Argentina rumbles on and the islanders' future has a dark cloud looming over the horizon. It is in the hands of politicians outside of their homeland. This book depicts an altogether more innocent, unspoilt and peaceful time.

Homer provides an enormous challenge to the student; the potentialities of these lengthy texts are legion and the scholarship vast. The author has relied upon her knowledge of symbolic discourse to make a fresh study of the Odyssey, prioritising early neighbouring religions, their mythology, and shamanic practice. The latter has yielded particularly rich material concerning the axis of the world (axis mundi) as a route to the stars and the world of the gods. Man’s shared experience of the night skies has also provided some remarkably consistent patterns for the geography of an Otherworld in the skies and the means to reach the gods residing there. By applying world-wide motifs of the soul journey, the initiatory process and established points of transformation along a solar path, it has been possible to recast the hero’s sea voyage in cosmic terms and give a celestial homeland to the many islands visited by Odysseus and his companions. The result gives a surprising twist to the meaning of the epic and reveals Homer the poet as both philosopher and student of the cosmos. The ‘wine-dark sea’ is revealed as none other than the night sky which serves as backdrop to the hero’s adventures among the stars, and Ithaka itself with its many conflicts finds a place at the very centre of the known universe of Bronze Age Greece.

When young Roy Malcolm won the aviation quiz contest, his prize should have meant an ordinary sight-seeing jaunt on one of the man-made space stations that circled the earth. But instead the trip turned into a terrifying journey as misadventure after misadventure plagued the artificial satellite. The climatic moment came when one of the crew pushed the wrong button and rocketed the runaway ship into outer space...

This compilation from one of Canada's most acclaimed writers spans four decades and six volumes. Often bittersweet and occasionally enigmatic, these poems represent Pittman's infinite talent. Targeted at a wide circle of readers, this book gives poetry back to the people, where it truly belongs.

An Island Garden by Celia Thaxter, first published in 1894, is a rare manuscript, the original residing in one of the great libraries of the world. This book is a reproduction of that original, which has been scanned and cleaned by state-of-the-art publishing tools for better readability and enhanced appreciation. Restoration Editors' mission is to bring long out of print manuscripts back to life. Some smudges, annotations or unclear text may still exist, due to permanent damage to the original work. We believe the literary significance of the text justifies offering this reproduction, allowing a new generation to appreciate it.