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Travel, Adventure & Sports Books in this online selection represent only a sliver of what we offer in the store. If you've got a particular book in mind and want to check on its availability, call us at 415-362-8193.

1 2 >>>     sort list by title | publication date The Barbary Coast An Informal History of the San Francisco Underworld Herbert Asbury You're standing right in it! The Barbary Coast. 150 years ago this area was a den of such vice and iniquity that it would've made even the Marquis de Sade blush. Find out why... Reclaiming San Francisco History, Politics, Culture James Brook, Chris Carlsson, Nancy J. Peters Reclaiming San Francisco is an anthology of fresh appraisals of the contrarian spirit of the city-a spirit "resistant to authority or control." The official story of San Francisco is one of progress, development, and growth. But there are other... Bicycle Diaries David Byrne David Byrne's travel diaries illuminate the amazing power that dislocating oneself from their homebase has on the senses. His work sends him to cities in the US and around the world, and the visits are anything but passive. San Francisco Chinatown A Guide to Its History and Architecture Philip P. Choy Both a history of America's oldest Chinese community and a guide to its significant sites and architecture San Francisco Chinatown is the first book of its kind, written by someone born and raised there. Departures Selected Writings Isabelle Eberhardt As usual, Isabelle Eberhardt's stormy love affair with the Algerian desert sets the physical and emotional scene in this collection of short stories. Written in French in the late 1800s and translated by Karim Hamdy and Laura Rice, her characters... Local Girl Makes History Exploring Northern California's Kitsch Monuments Dana Frank A Bay Area historian's nostalgic journey to childhood tourist attractions reveals their hidden stories and universal relevance. In an Antique Land History in the Guise of a Traveler's Tale Amitav Ghosh As he searches for information about the life of an Indian slave in twelfth-century Egypt, the author, a Hindu, comes face to face with the Muslim world and culture of modern Egypt, in a narrative that juxtaposes ancient history and modern... San Francisco The Unknown City Helene Goupil, Josh Krist Arsenal's Unknown City series of alternative guidebooks designed for tourists and hometowners alike turns its attention to the City by the Bay: San Francisco, where stories of notorious murders, city hall scandals, and untold tales of Chinatown... The Lost City of Z A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon David Grann A fascinating tale of travel, intrigue, and finding a lost city of gold in the Amazon jungle. The author tries to retrace the steps made by Percy Fawcett (the great explorer from the early 1900's), who went searching for the lost city with his son—neither The Dashiell Hammett Tour Thirtieth Anniversary Guidebook Don Herron Lovers of Hammett rejoice! The long out of print Dashiell Hammett tour book is back. Thanks to Vince Emmory Editions, a brand new, gorgeously produced, and reasonably priced 30th anniversary edition has now hit the shelves of City Lights. This volume... Into the Wild Jon Krakauer Jon Krakauer constructs a clarifying prism through which he reassembles the disquieting facts of McCandless's short life. Admitting an interst that borders on obsession, he searches for the clues to the dries and desires that propelled McCandless. Into Thin Air A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster Jon Krakauer A bank of clouds was assembling on the not-so-distant horizon, but journalist-mountaineer Jon Krakauer, standing on the summit of Mt. Everest, saw nothing that "suggested that a murderous storm was bearing down." He was wrong. The storm, which claimed... The Oil Road Journeys From The Caspian Sea To The City Of London James Marriott, Mika Minio-Paluello From Caspian drilling rigs and Caucasus mountain villages to Mediterranean fishing communities and European capitals, this is a journey through the heart of our oil-obsessed society. Blending travel writing and investigative journalism, it charts a... Born to Run A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen Christopher McDougall An epic adventure that began with one simple question: Why does my foot hurt?  Isolated by Mexico's deadly Copper Canyons, the blissful Tarahumara Indians have honed the ability to run hundreds of miles without rest or injury. In a riveting narrative... 1 2 >>>