Tales from the Torrid Zone by Alexander Frater
Part memoir, part travelogue, Tales From the Torrid Zone is rooted in his birthplace, the tiny tropical republic of Vanuatu where his father ran its hospital and his mother, in her front garden, built its first school. From this obscure South Seas group he ranges over the hot, wet, beautiful swathe of the world that has haunted him ever since -- dines with a tropical queen in a leper colony, makes his way across tropical Africa (and two civil wars) in a forty-four-year-old flying boat, delivers a new church bell to a remote Oceanian island and visits scores of countries to learn about their history, politics, medicine, flora and fauna (including the remarkable role of the coconut in tropical life). But, as becomes plain, the torrid zone is not just a geographical phenomenon, it's also a state of mind. The result is a witty, entertaining and immensely readable book from a fine storyteller.
Alexander Frater has contributed to various UK publications - Miles Kington called him 'the funniest man who wrote for Punch since the war' - and as chief travel correspondent of the Observer, he won an unprecedented number of British Press Travel Awards. He lives in London though, whenever time and money allow, is likely to be found skulking deep in the hot, wet tropics.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780330375290 |
| ISBN 10 | 0330375296 |
| Title | Tales from the Torrid Zone |
| Author | Alexander Frater |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Pan Macmillan |
| Year published | 2005-05-06 |
| Number of pages | 400 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |