Dartmoor & Exmoor - September 26-October 3, 2010

What's the truth behind the legend of the hound of the Baskervilles? Is it really a devil-beast that's haunting the lonely moors? Enter Sherlock Holmes to find the answer, in this, the only full-length novel ever written by the creator of one of the most popular and enduring detective series ever written.

This is an illustrious historical romance set in the backdrop of the Monmouth Rebellion in the 17th century during the reign of Charles II. John Ridd and his family are threatened by the Doones, the family of outlaws. The young boy explores a new world and meets a beautiful girl with whom he falls in love. The twists and turns of the plot and striking landscapes of Badgworthy valley are pleasant.

Before his return to the U.S. after a 20-year residence in England, journalist Bryson embarked on a farewell tour of his adopted homeland. His trenchant, witty and detailed observations of life in a variety of towns and villages will delight Anglophiles. Traveling only on public transportation and hiking whenever possible, Bryson wandered along the coast through Bournemouth and neighboring villages that reinforced his image of Britons as a people who rarely complain and are delighted by such small pleasures as a good tea. In Liverpool, the author's favorite English city, he visited the Merseyside Maritime Museum to experience its past as a great port. Interweaving descriptions of landscapes and everyday encounters with shopkeepers, pub customers and fellow travelers, Bryson shares what he loves best about the idiosyncrasies of everyday English life in this immensely entertaining travel memoir.

"You are very lucky in England. The English Landscape is a stunning volume of essays and photographs celebrating the breadth, diversity, and delicacy of the English countryside. A distinguished selection of writers such as the Duchess of Devonshire, Richard Mabey, Anna Parord, Christopher Lloyd, Robin Hanbury-Tenbison, Marina Warner, Dame Jennifer Jenkins, and David Bellamy pay homage to their favorite parts of the English landscape. Complete with color photographs and maps, The English Landscape will engage Anglophiles, travel enthusiasts, and literature buffs alike.

14th century Devon and a gang of mercenaries are becoming a nuisance to the local villages. Mercenaries are a common enough site in these troublesome times but this group are particularly troublesome, showing no respect for anyone and seducing what local girls they can get hold of. Then one of the young girls is found murdered and hidden in a chest. Is the killer one of the mercenaries, or is it one of the locals? Sir Baldwin needs to find out as quickly as possible before another murder is committed.

What does it mean to be English these days? That's what journalist and TV quiz master Paxman wonders in this study of British identity. A humorous, ironic, nostalgic, skeptical, dilettantish, mildly eccentric, self-deprecating and proud account (like its subject), the book surveys the various aspects of stereotypical English identity one by one in realms ranging from sex to food. Although he occasionally gives too much credence to flimsy stereotypes and is unnecessarily harsh on the subject of the cult of the English countryside, on the whole, Paxman offers an intriguing investigation. His sociohistorical survey rambles through characteristic attitudes toward foreigners, the weather, religion, the home, sport, language and the countryside. Based on book research, personal observation and Paxman's interviews with Brits including John Cleese and the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, this odd collection of theoretical musings, historical tidbits and quirky observations should serve as both a corrective and a comfort for Anglophiles in Britain and elsewhere.

The moving history of the US. Army Assault Training Centre where troops prepared for the D-Day landings on Slapton Sands in Devon with tragic consequences.

In 1066 William the Conqueror captured the English throne, and since that time 39 kings and queens have reigned over the British dominions. Their lives, alliances, whims, delusions, and intrigues have had an incalculable influence on the culture, politics, and very boundaries of the entire world. The names and dates come fast and furiously, but here are a few facts: Over half of France was in England's possession during the reign of Henry II. Richard III was the last English monarch to die on the battlefield. And, as a 19-year-old princess, Queen Elizabeth II joined the Auxiliary Transport Service as a mechanic in the final days of WWII.

The best introduction to the evolution of the the English landscape. For professionals, students, travelers and all who seek to understand the processes - natural and human - behind the scenery, this is the best place to start. Erudite and readable with great photos and illustrations. Must take it with you on your next visit.

It's 1553, and, with England's teenaged King Edward VI near death, Northumberland is the country's de facto ruler. Next in line for the throne are Edward's sisters, first Mary and then Elizabeth. But Northumberland doesn't intend to relinquish his power; he determines to keep control of the throne for himself, and no expediency is beneath him. Once you step into the luxurious pages of The Secret Lion, you will find yourself on an excursion full of intricate plots, rich settings and historical themes. The time is sixteenth century Tudor England, during the riveting and exquisite renaissance period. Brendan Prescott is ordered as squire to pompous Lord Robert Dudley, a position he soon finds filled with peril. Trust and honor are fiercely tested when those who hold an esteemed position in the high court serve most prominently as a threat. It would seem the castle walls have eyes and ears. As a series of lies and secrets unravel, the young squire must change the course of events placed before him to ensure Princess Elizabeth's future while facing haunting elements about his past.

The story takes place in the spring of 1322, the setting a tournament held by Lord Hugh de Courtenay. The money lenders of Oakhampton see this as a great opportunity to fill their coffers. When the knights who are defeated find themselves unable to pay the ransoms to their opponents they will require the services of the money lenders, but one of the money lenders will not get the opportunity to do business. Benjamin Dudenay is found beaten to death before the tournament begins. Sir Baldwin and his friend Simon have the task of completing the preparations for the tournament before Lord Hugh arrives but when the man commissioned to build the stands is found dead in an identical way to Benjamin, Sir Baldwin and Simon Puttock find themselves embroiled in the search for a killer.

There's no shortage of good Shakespearean biographies. But Stephen Greenblatt, brilliant scholar and author, reminds us that the "surviving traces" are "abundant but thin" as to known facts. Greenblatt uses the "verbal traces" in Shakespeare's work to take us "back into the life he lived and into the world to which he was so open." Whenever possible, he also ushers us from the extraordinary life into the luminous work. The result is a marvelous blend of scholarship, insight, observation, and, yes, conjecture--but conjecture always based on the most convincing and inspired reasoning and evidence. Particularly compelling are Greenblatt's discussions of the playwright's relationship with the university wit Robert Greene (discussed as a chief source for the character of Falstaff) and of Hamlet in relation to the death of Shakespeare's son Hamnet, his aging father, and the "world of damaged rituals" that England's Catholics were forced to endure. It is the story, too, of 16th- and 17th-century England writ large, the story of religious upheaval and political intrigue, of country festivals and brutal public executions, of the court and the theater, of Stratford and London, of martyrdom and recusancy, of witchcraft and magic, of love and death: in short, of the private but engaged William Shakespeare in his remarkable world.