Many people are put off by the sheer length of Charles Dickens' novels. Great Expectations is one of the most accessible of his works. If you've been unwilling to try Dickens before, this is the place to start! In what may be Dickens's best novel, humble, orphaned Pip is apprenticed to the dirty work of the forge but...
Arctic explorer, survival expert and naturalist Freddy Spencer Chapman was trapped behind enemy lines when the Japanese overran Malaya in 1942. His response was to begin a commando campaign of such lethal effectiveness that the Japanese deployed an entire regiment against him, hunting for him as they did for no other. He was wounded, and racked by tropical disease. His companions were killed, or captured...