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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 West of the West Dreamers, Believers, Builders, and Killers in the Golden State Mark Arax With his reportage and essays, Arax is mining territory somewhere between Rebecca Solnit and James Ellroy—here you'll find both thoughtful musings on geography and intense crime investigations. Written with real vitality and engagement, this book makes... 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. Escape From Alcatraz J. Campbell Bruce In 1963, just weeks before the original publication of this book, the last prisoner was escorted off Devil's Island and Alcatraz ceased to be a prison. Author J.Campbell Bruce chronicles in spellbinding detail the Rock's transition from a Spanish fort... 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. 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 After the Ruins, 1906 and 2006 Rephotographing the San Francisco Earthquake and Fire Mark Klett How exactly has San Francisco's urban landscape changed in the hundred years since the earthquake and cataclysmic firestorms that destroyed three-quarters of the city in 1906? For this provocative rephotography project, bringing past and present into... 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... Beat Atlas A State by State Guide to the Beat Generation in America Bill Morgan The ultimate tour guide for those interested in the Beats and their travels "on the road." San Francisco's Telegraph Hill Revised and Updated Edition David F. Myrick The City Lights Foundation has collaborated with the Telegraph Hill Dwellers Association to update and reprint David Myrick's classic Telegraph Hill, a beautiful, lavishly illustrated book that is an invaluable community resource documenting the story... Packing for Mars The Curious Science of Life in the Void Mary Roach Mary Roach returns to explore the irresistibly strange universe of life without gravity. From the space shuttle training toilet to a crash test of NASA's new space capsule (cadaver filling in for astronaut), Roach takes us on a surreally entertaining trip 1 2 >>>