The Silverado Squatters (1883) is Robert Louis Stevenson's travel memoir of his two-month honeymoon trip with Fanny Vandegrift (and her son Lloyd Osbourne) to Napa Valley, California, in 1880. In July 1879, Stevenson received word that his future American wife's divorce was almost complete, but that she was seriously ill. He left Scotland right away and travelled to meet her in Monterey, California, (his trip detailed in The Amateur Emigrant (1894) and Across the Plains (1892)). Broken financially, suffering from a lifelong fibrinous bronchitis condition, and with his writing career at a dead end, he was nursed back to health by his doctor, his nurse, and his future wife, while living briefly in Monterey, San Francisco, and Oakland. His father having provided money to help, on May 19, 1880, he married the San Francisco native, whom he had first met in France in 1875, soon after the events of An Inland Voyage. Still too weak to undertake the journey back to Scotland, friends suggested Calistoga, in the upper Napa Valley, with its healthy mountain air. They first went to the Hot Springs Hotel in Calistoga, but unable to afford the 10 dollars a week, they spent an unconventional honeymoon in an abandoned three-story bunkhouse at a derelict mining camp called "Silverado" on the shoulder of Mount Saint Helena in the Mayacamas Mountains. There they managed to "squat" for two months during a pleasant California summer, putting up makeshift cloth windows and hauling water in by hand from a nearby stream while dodging rattlesnakes and the occasional fog banks so detrimental to Stevenson's health. The Silverado Squatters provides some interesting views of California during the late 19th century. Stevenson uses the first telephone of his life. He meets a number of wine growers in Napa Valley, an enterprise he deemed "experimental", with growers sometimes even mislabelling the bottles as originating from Spain in order to sell their product to sceptical Americans. He visits the oldest wine grower in the valley, Jacob Schram, who had been experimenting for 18 years at his Schramsberg Winery, and had recently expanded the wine cellar in his backyard. Stevenson also visits a petrified forest owned by an old Swedish ex-sailor who had stumbled upon it while clearing farmland-the precise nature of the petrified forest remained for everyone a source of curiosity. Stevenson also details his encounters with a local Jewish merchant, whom he compares to a character in a Charles Dickens novel (probably Fagin from Oliver Twist), and portrays as happy-go-lucky but always scheming to earn a dollar. Like Dickens in American Notes (1842), Stevenson found the American habit of spitting on the floor hard to get used to. His experiences at Silverado were recorded in a journal he called "Silverado Sketches", parts of which he incorporated into Silverado Squatters in 1883 while living in Bournemouth, England, with other tales appearing in "Essays of Travel" and "Across the Plains". Many of his notes on the scenery around him later provided much of the descriptive detail for Treasure Island (1883). The Robert Louis Stevenson State Park now encompasses the area where the Stevensons stayed. The entrance to the park is at the summit of State Route 29. A new trail has been constructed in recent years. The "Silverado Museum" in St. Helena, California, is dedicated to Stevenson.... Joseph Dwight Strong, Jr. (1853-1899) was an artist from the United States.... Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson (13 November 1850 - 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist, and travel writer. His most famous works are Treasure Island, Kidnapped, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and A Child's Garden of Verses....
Fine Art, Antiques, Americana and Advertising Featuring Two Important Collections, as well as property from various owners. *The Collection of Bob and Jan Weekes: Early Advertising, Americana Art & Furniture *The Estate of Steve Millard, of Peterborough, NH
I am the protagonist of the short stories in this book, which are based on a wide variety of life experiences accumulated along a long life-path. I hope the reader will discover commonality between myself and themselves, journeying together through the contradictions and themes of our lives which make up the rich tapestry of all I have experienced. I have sailed in the ship of life to many ports in my mind and I have written my 67 most exciting and most poignant true stories that have made up my personal evolution. My stories sum up my wonderment of how things are connected: ... a pfennig and a beloved Greek writer? ... the wisdom of a life's lesson with an intoxicating elixir of youth? ... Belgian ladies with Piraeus Runners Club? ... a Minister of Tourism and Commerce with a beloved captain? ... a seagull with a long-term respected citizen of Piraeus? ... Geneva with Greenwich village? ... a Prime Minister with 415 women? ... a cup of coffee with the unforgettable laugh of the Swiss? ... the yacht Christina with a revolver? ... Marcus of archipelagos with a psychologist? ... a business woman with old classmates? ... standing guard at Mikra with the auntie Malamo? All above are connected by a thinker of the past - looking back over 45 years, who sails on in his mind to ports of his memory. That thinker puts his thoughts into 67 true and favorite stories which have left their mark on his life.
This study is an attempt to bring genetics and evolution more into the public domain. It looks at genetic engineering and the social issues it raises, as well as considerations of cultural, demographic and linguistic history.
This humorous diary gives children an insight into the life and times of Henry VIII as seen by his executioner, Chopper Smith. It includes factually correct anecdotes.
Erik Bloodaxe was a vicious Viking but he loved poetry! This humorous diary gives children an insight into the life and times of the Vikings as seen by one of their warriors. Factually correct anecdotes are included.
How could a man so busy with life in Elizabethan England have had time to write all those plays and poems? Enter stage right, Egbert Noah Bacon - one of his writing group who, quill in hand, gives us a new perspective on the Bard himself and of a fascinating period of English history.
Steve Hislop was one of the most famous motorcycle racers in the world. He had always been a controversial and outspoken character having had many famous clashes and splits with teams and riders over the years, not always to his advantage. Season 2003 was no different. Steve’s life was incredible, funny and ultimately tragic. Hislop made his debut in 1979 on a bike paid for by his father, but when the latter died of a heart-attack, he embarked on a self-destructive quest that resulted in more crashed bikes and cars than he can remember. Three years later his brother Garry was killed racing at Silloth. It looked as if he would never race again but while on holiday at the Isle of Man TT races in 1983, he was mesmerised by the sight of Joey Dunlop and he knew he had to try it. He took to the roads immediately, amassing an amazing career record of 11 wins and was the first rider in history to lap the course at an average speed of over 120mph. Hizzy's TT victories over big name rivals like Joey Dunlop and Carl Fogarty made him a living legend beyond the confines of just the UK. He turned his back on the Isle of Man in 1994, claiming it was too fast and dangerous for modern superbikes. However, he had already proved he was just as fast on purpose-built short circuits having won the British 250cc championship in 1990 and then went on to win the British Superbike (BSB) title in 1995 and 2002. Defending a title is always difficult and made even harder when your current team doesn't give you a new contract. However, season 2003 started positively for Steve, inasmuch as he found a new team, but he was sacked half way through the season after a string of poor results on an uncompetitive bike. These events, however, paled into insignificance when Steve was killed in July 2003 when the helicopter he was flying crashed in a remote Scottish border region. His book is a fitting tribute to a motor racing legend.
Child psychologist Steve Biddulph tells parents everything they need to know about raising happy, healthy, confident children from babyhood to teens. This book shows parents how to be true to themselves while also bringing up secure children who feel loved, with self-esteem and responsibility.
This patterned picture story follows Ben on his trip to the park. The text describes the park visit, while the illustrations delve into Benâ??s imagination and reveal the adventures of â??Super Ben.â?? He encounters a shark in the duck pond, a spaceship roundabout and puddles containing monsters!
Bestselling authors and communication and parenting experts Steve and Shaaron Biddulph bring you a humorous, loving guide to creating a successful long-term relationship. This highly readable book guides you through the ups and downs of life as a couple or family and gives you the skills you need to survive as a loving partner and parent. Everybody wants to find love, but in the real world love is something you learn one day at a time. Being a good partner or parent takes courage, honesty and a sense of humour – this book will help you with all three. The message of this entertaining and informative book is that ALL healthy couples have clashes, and sexual and communication problems can act as sparks that ignite new honesty and closeness – you just need to learn how to deal with them in the right way. This essential guide for anyone looking for advice on how to deal with life as a couple or a family includes:• How to grow commitment in small, safe steps.• Love, Lust and Liking – telling them apart and bringing them together.• Diagnosing your ‘couple style’.• The ‘make-or-break’ crises that every marriage or partnership has – and how to use them to make your relationship stronger.• The Sex-Romance alliance – love that gets better.• How children can help us grow up and develop a more fulfilling relationship.
Steve Biddulph, the favourite number one name in parenting psychology – and bestselling author of Raising Boys – examines how different childcare options are likely to affect you and your child in this rivetting and highly topical book This topical book tackles a key issue all new parents face. Steve Biddulph looks at childcare choices and the dilemmas that so often arise:- ‘I want to stay at home with my child but don’t know how I can’- ‘I don’t know what is better: nursery, creche or childminder’- ‘if other people look after my child will it affect its development and happiness?’ It examines the two-income ‘slaves to work’ culture in the UK and how in the past ten years, the number of babies and toddlers under three who are spending all day (8am to 6pm) in nurseries has quadrupled. Biddulph urges caution and warns that the hurried and disconnected way that families now live their lives could be damaging to a whole new generation’s mental stability and development. The book is an eye-opener in terms of child development and provides useful case studies from parents who are stay-at-home and those using all-day or part-time childcare – groups sociologists have named ‘slammers’ and ‘sliders’ respectively.
Britney Spears – the princess of pop – is making a comeback, and there isn't a person out there who hasn't heard about it. In this fully up-to-date and authoritative biography, Steve Dennis reveals all there is to know about the much-loved star. Hitting our radios for the first time in 1998 with '…Baby One More Time', Britney Spears quickly became a pop idol. Now, at just 27 years of age, she has racked up five number one albums, seven top-ten singles and seven sell-out world tours, as well having performed on stage with both Madonna and Michael Jackson. Just a decade after breaking onto to scene, she has become nothing short of a pop legend. Her private life, however, has not been so easy. In 2004 Britney famously married a childhood friend at The Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas; since then her personal life has seemingly been thrown into turmoil. In the last five years she has had numerous failed relationships and endured a very public divorce and custody battle – all in the full glare of the international media. Drawing on exclusive interviews with those closest to the superstar, Britney: Inside the Dream is a engrossing portrait of fascinating star. A frank biography, with no detail spared, it reveals the real Britney Spears, like you’ve never known her before.
The definitive account of New Labour's rise and fall. On 11 May 2010 Gordon Brown resigned as Prime Minister; it marked the end of thirteen dramatic years of Labour government. When he finally released his grip on power, many questions remained about the most intriguing and complex political figure of modern times and co-architect of New Labour. Leading commentator Steve Richards watched every step of the stormy political journey from 1992, when Brown became shadow chancellor, to the day he left Number Ten, and narrates it here for the first time. Steve Richards has gained access to all levels of Westminster to explain this complex party and its leadership, reflecting on the outcome of the 2010 general election and what the fall of New Labour means for our nation’s political future.
