The German freighter Ergenstrasse is lying in Sydney harbour when war breaks out. Her master, Karl Ehrlich, has two options. To scuttle his battered old vessel, or to pit his skill and her rusty eight thousand tons against the British naval blockade—and run for home. For Ehrlich there is no choice, and the Ergenstrasse begins her impossible voyage. Across the Pacific to Norway, via Chile, Cape Horn and Greenland. Ehrlich’s indomitable spirit and brilliant seamanship are nearly a match for the tremendous odds against him. But he has not reckoned on the enemy within... “One long thrill...the clash of character is convincing and the variety of incident remarkable. A grand story.”—Sir Compton Mackenzie “A tough, exciting adventure story.”—Observer

Chosen for inclusion in the reading list for the 2006 Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Award Nominated for the 2005 Arthur Ellis Award for Best Juvenile Crime Book Fifteen-year-old Brodie and his father are sailing aboard their small yacht in the Caribbean, just off Colombia, when his father is lost overboard in the middle of the night. By the time Brodie discovers what has happened, he realizes he is all alone. If his father is to survive, Brodie must find him. He soon learns that his father is being held captive by kidnappers who believe him to be a rich businessman, instead of the poor single dad he is. The suspenseful, fast-paced story of Brodie’s quest will take him and readers into the dark world of Colombian drug traffickers, guerillas, and paramilitaries set against jungle, mountain, and sea. Brodie’s wild adventure grips the reader from the first moment to the satisfying conclusion.

In Life at Sea, anthropologist Monique Layton draws on her experiences on modern cruise ships to examine the evolution of sailing from the Age of Exploration to the Age of Tourism. Using historical records and the reports of people who once went to sea through necessity, curiosity, or adventure, she shows the common events that have shaped their voyages and the ingenuity, courage, and determination that characterize mankind's connection with the all-surrounding sea. The book's topics range from the dependence on the wind and manpower through the invention of devices to determine location at sea to modern maritime technology, from the devastation of scurvy and starvation on early ships of exploration and trade to the luxuries of omnipresent food, on-board medical treatment, and professional entertainment available on behemoth cruise ships. The book also delves into the deeper meaning of seafarers' rituals and their harsh lives with severe discipline and few rewards. These aspects along with the horrors of the slave trade and naval warfare, the harrowing crossings of emigrants and convicts, the ambiguities of piracy, and economics of global trade all show the contradictory elements that have consistently shaped travel by sea....

A selection of essays and reviews published over the past twenty-five years in the Berkshire Eagle, Chicago Review, the Chicago Tribune, Magill's Literary Annual, The World & I, and other journals and collections, Voices and Visions offers engaging discussions of a wide range ...

This set comprises 40 volumes covering nineteenth and twentieth century European and American authors. These volumes will be available as a complete set, mini boxed sets (by theme) or as individual volumes. This second set compliments the first 68 volume set of Critical Heritage published by Routledge in October 1995.

When Eagles Dared is a salute to the men and women who participated in World War II and the filmmakers who have immortalised their stories on screen. It tells both the story of the historical events of this first truly 'world war' and of the films that have depicted these events - comparing the cinematic myth with the historical reality - as a guide to history through cinema. When Eagles Dared portrays the people who participated in the war, from the evacuation of the Allied forces from France at Dunkirk through to the battle for Berlin and beyond. Each chapter discusses a theatre of war, an event, a campaign or battle by explaining the historical events as they unfold and then examines how filmmakers have represented them. Chapters discuss the war in the skies (Battle of Britain and The Dam Busters), the sea (Sink the Bismarck! and The Cruel Sea) and the North African desert (The Battle of El Alamein and Tobruk). There are 'special mission' movies including Where Eagles Dare and The Dirty Dozen, classic tales of ingenuity (The Great Escape), valour (Saving Private Ryan), and human endurance (The Bridge on the River Kwai). Offering a unique view of war through the lenses of over 150 diverse films that have shaped our perceptions of the conflict, When Eagles Dared is illustrated with rare stills and posters from this ever popular genre.

The Second World War was the greatest social, political, and economic upheaval of the 20th century. As a popular Hollywood subject, WWII still enthralls viewers six decades after Allied commanders affixed their signatures on the victory document in Tokyo Bay. Recreating flag-waving charges, frontal beachhead assaults, commando raids, and even home front heroics, these motion pictures_for better or worse_provide the primary learning experience for postwar generations. After scrutinizing hundreds of screenplays, Robert Fyne has written an in-depth study of World War II films, analyzing the different storylines, points-of-view, and contemporary events found in each. In Long Ago and Far Away: Hollywood and the Second World War, Fyne examines WWII films from 1941 to the present, explaining how the content and mood in these productions paralleled national mores and politics. Some titles are laudatory, even chauvinistic, while others are frivolous or sophomoric. Biographical screenplays both glorify and damn various leaders. Some films bombard viewers with horrific experiences, while others, such as goofy science fiction titles with their wraiths and flying saucers, seem inappropriate. Love stories are examined, as well as films revealing Japanese prisoner of war deprivations and Nazi concentration camp atrocities. From Above and Beyond to Zone Troopers and The Best Years of Our Lives to Flags of Our Fathers, this is a compelling look at how filmmakers have dramatized this pivotal period in history. For historians, movie watchers, or social commentators, Long Ago and Far Away, complete with an elaborate filmography, offers new information about Hollywood's diverse interpretations of the Good War.

After the death of Marion Morrison, known as John Wayne, in 1979, President Jimmy Carter said that Wayne "was bigger than life. In an age of few heroes, he was the genuine article. But he was more than a hero; he was a symbol of many of the qualities that made America great." The first section of this study concentrates on Wayne's style of work and sphere of action as an actor: The man who works for a living and is concerned with his audience and the constraints of his immediate environment. The second section examines the artist: the man who lives in his art, who disappears into his character as an archetype of human fears and desires. Analyses of films that have made Wayne a hero are presented in the third section. A comprehensive filmography and numerous photographs are included.