Enter the life and remarkable times of the lovable Samuel Pepys (pronounced "peeps"). Born in London in 1633, the son of a tailor, he began keeping a diary on January 1, 1660, and continued for nine years, faithfully recording the rich and varied details of seventeenth-century London life. Writing in a form of shorthand-which was not deciphered until 1825-he also painted a vivid picture of Pepys the man. In entries from 1660 through 1663, Pepys strives to establish himself...
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...