{"title":"Books by Sara Wheeler","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781408716731","title":"Glowing Still","description":"\u003cb\u003eBritain's foremost woman travel writer Sara Wheeler records her life of adventure, from the Antarctic to Zanzibar\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Funny, furious writing from the queen of intrepid travel' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eDaily Telegraph\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Intrepid and sparky, full of canny quips and lightly poetic observations'\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eMail on Sunday\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Magnificent and unusual'\u003c\/b\u003e Viv Groskop, \u003ci\u003eSpectator\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Sara Wheeler is Britain's foremost woman travel writer. Glowing Still is the story of her travelling life - what is 'important, revealing or funny' - in a notoriously testosterone-laden field. Growing up among blue-collar Conservatives in Bristol where 'we didn't know anyone who wasn't like us', Wheeler knew she needed to get away. In her twenties she began a dramatic escape: Pole to Pole, via Poland. Glowing Still recalls happy days on India's Puri Express; an Antarctic lavatory through which a seal popped up (hot fishy breath!); and the louche life of a Parisian shopgirl. Corralling reindeer with the Sámi in Arctic Sweden and towing her baby on a sledge, a helpful herdsman advised her to put foil down her bra to facilitate nursing.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Launching at Nubility, Wheeler voyages, via small children, to the welcoming port of Invisibility (she leaves Immobility for the next volume). As she writes in the introduction, when she set sail 'Role models were scarce in the travel-writing game.' But advancing years usher in unheralded freedoms, and journey's end finds Wheeler at peace among Zanzibar dhows, contemplating our connection with other lives - the irreplaceable value that travel brings - and paying homage to her heroines, among them Martha Gellhorn, the ineffable war correspondent who furnishes Wheeler's epigraph: 'I do not wish to be good. I wish to be hell on wheels, or dead.'","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":57685667709301,"sku":"9780349145105","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":43128720785586,"sku":"9781408716731","price":22.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780349145105.jpg?v=1792598807"},{"product_id":"9780099450276","title":"Too Close To The Sun","description":"\u003cp\u003eConservationist, scholar, soldier, white hunter and fabled lover - Denys Finch Hatton was an aristocrat of leonine nonchalance. After a dazzling career at Eton and Oxford, he sailed in 1910 for British East Africa - still then the land of the pioneer. Sara Wheeler reveals the truth behind his love affairs with the glamorous aviatrix Beryl Markham, and - famously - with Karen Blixen, a romance immortalised in her memoir \u003ci\u003eOut of Africa\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'No one who ever met him', his \u003ci\u003eTimes \u003c\/i\u003eobituary concluded, 'whether man or woman, old or young, white or black, failed to come under his spell'.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43201391394994,"sku":"9780099450276","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780099450276_513e023f-0a05-49ea-a236-41999fdf2d9f.jpg?v=1786011038"},{"product_id":"9780099516880","title":"The Magnetic North","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Sara Wheeler is the literary maestro of the earth's frozen regions... The prose is startling and sharp-edged as the icy landscapes themselves' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eFinancial Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSmashing through the Arctic Ocean with the crew of a Russian icebreaker, herding reindeer across the tundra with Lapps and shadowing the Trans-Alaskan pipeline with truckers, Sara Wheeler discovers a complex and ambiguous land belonging both to ancient myth and modern controversy. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eThe Magnetic North\u003c\/i\u003e is an adroit combination of history, science and reflection in which Wheeler meditates on the role of the Arctic: fragmented lands which fed imaginations long before the scientists and oilmen showed up (not to mention desperado explorers who ate their own shoes). \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Magnetic North\u003c\/i\u003e tells of all this, plus gulag ghosts, old and new Russia, colliding cultures and bioaccumulated toxins in polar bears.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A stylish and engaging account of some of the world's most mysterious, unknowable spots and, like the best travel writing, is infused with the writer's reflections on growing up, life and death' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDaily Telegraph\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56223138939253,"sku":"9780099516880","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780099516880_b65d850f-bf32-4e76-aacc-54ea62336ac6.jpg?v=1786011001"},{"product_id":"9780099437536","title":"Cherry","description":"\u003cp\u003eApsley Cherry-Garrard (1886-1959) was one of the youngest members of Captain Scott's final expedition to the Antarctic. Cherry undertook an epic journey in the Antarctic winter to collect the eggs of the Emperor penguin. The temperature fell to seventy below, it was dark all the time, his teeth shattered in the cold and the tent blew away. 'But we kept our tempers,' Cherry wrote, 'even with God.'\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAfter serving in the First War Cherry was invalided home, and with the zealous encouragement of his neighbour Bernard Shaw he wrote a masterpiece. In \u003ci\u003eThe Worst Journey in the World\u003c\/i\u003e Cherry transformed tragedy and grief into something fine. But as the years unravelled he faced a terrible struggle against depression, breakdown and despair, haunted by the possibility that he could have saved Scott and his companions. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is the first biography of Cherry. Sara Wheeler, who has travelled extensively in the Antarctic, has had unrestricted access to new material and the full co-operation of Cherry's family.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56223355928949,"sku":"9780099437536","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780099437536_dda15980-46b5-4f39-b86b-d5e0bd408070.jpg?v=1786011688"},{"product_id":"9780099584131","title":"Mud and Stars","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA wonderfully original book about contemporary Russia as seen on journeys in search of Pushkin, Tolstoy, Lermontov, Chekhov, Gogol and Turgenev.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSHORTLISTED FOR THE EDWARD STANDFORD TRAVEL WRITING AWARD 2020\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith the writers of the Golden Age as her guides – Pushkin, Tolstoy, Gogol and Turgenev, among others – Wheeler travels the length and breadth of Russia to make connections between then and now. On the Trans-Siberian railway, at sail on the Black Sea, or while watching television with her hosts in Soviet apartment blocks, Wheeler searches for a Russia not in the news  – a Russia of humanity and daily struggles.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt a time of deteriorating relations between Russia and the West, Wheeler gives a voice to the 'ordinary' people of Russia and discovers how the writers of the past continue to represent their country today.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56223896994165,"sku":"9780099584131","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780099584131_8810a830-f39f-4a95-809c-5a72f72a5f5a.jpg?v=1786011381"},{"product_id":"9780099731818","title":"Terra Incognita","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA modern classic on exploring and understanding the Antarctic, the most uncharted place on our planet.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eTerra Incognita \u003c\/i\u003eis a meditation on the landscape, myths and history of one of the remotest parts of the globe, as well as an encounter with the international temporary residents of the region - living in close confinement despite the surrounding acres of white space - and the mechanics of day-to-day life in extraordinary conditions. Through Sara Wheeler, the Antarctic is revealed, in all its seductive mystery.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Antarctica could hope for no better chronicler: spirited, humorous and highly intelligent, she is also a writer of rare talent' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eObserver\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56223944638837,"sku":"9780099731818","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780099731818_0a98124a-1d80-47d5-9173-760b47bd068c.jpg?v=1786011794"},{"product_id":"9780349120010","title":"Chile: Travels In A Thin Country","description":"\u003cp\u003eSqueezed in between a vast ocean and the longest mountain range on earth, Chile is 2,600 miles long and never more than 110 miles wide - not a country which lends itself to maps, as Sara Wheeler found out when she travelled alone with two carpetbags from the top to the bottom, form the driest desert in the world to the sepulchral wastes of Antarctica.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is Sara Wheeler's account of a six-month odyssey which included Christmas Day at 13,000 feet with a llama sandwich, a sex hotel in Santiago and a trip round Cape Horn delivering a coffin. Eloquent, astute and amusing, CHILE: TRAVELS IN A THIN COUNTRY confirms Sara Wheeler's place in the front rank of today's travel writers.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56286095638901,"sku":"9780349120010","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780349120010_6a1ee878-962a-45be-a63f-f56c95eedc8b.jpg?v=1786013916"},{"product_id":"jan-morris","title":"Jan Morris","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Brave, beautifully written and shrewdly researched . . . this is a riveting read by a writer at the top of her game.' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Times\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Seldom have I read such an enthralling biography.'\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eLiterary Review\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e'An exemplary Life, about a strange English writer of rare gifts and peculiar greatness.’\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eIndependent\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'As adventurous and intelligent as its roving subject.'\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eTelegraph\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Superb.'\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eSpectator\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA captivating authorised biography of the legendary writer Jan Morris.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eShe was the twentieth century. Who wouldn’t want to write her biography?\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen Jan Morris joined the 1953 Everest expedition and was first to get news of the ascent back to London, she became the most famous journalist in the world. So began a glittering career covering the Eichmann trial, interviewing Che Guevara and scooping the story of Suez collusion. Morris transitioned in the early seventies and documented the experience in \u003ci\u003eConundrum\u003c\/i\u003e. She was a pioneer and her books, including \u003ci\u003eVenice\u003c\/i\u003e and the \u003ci\u003ePax Britannica\u003c\/i\u003e trilogy, have inspired readers across the globe.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHere, renowned travel writer and biographer Sara Wheeler uncovers the complexity of this twentieth-century icon to reveal a mosaic of contradictions. Morris's work conjured the spirit of place, yet her late masterpiece \u003ci\u003eTrieste\u003c\/i\u003e celebrates ‘the meaning of nowhere’; she was a Welsh nationalist who wasn’t Welsh; a preacher of kindness with a cruel side. This is a portrait of an astonishing life, and a scintillating story of longing, travel and never reaching home.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Wonderful.'\u003c\/b\u003e Paul Theroux\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Brilliant.' \u003c\/b\u003eSimon Jenkins\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Superb.' \u003c\/b\u003eColin Thubron\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Breathtakingly good.'\u003c\/b\u003e Michael Palin\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":57481481322869,"sku":"9780571379453","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":57682611339637,"sku":"9780571379460","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780571379453.jpg?v=1792511531"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-sara-wheeler.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}