Andrea di Robilant on Venetian Navigators

In his new book, Venetian Navigators, Andrea di Robilant sets out to investigate how much, if any, truth there is to the story that Antonio and Nicolò Zen really discovered the New World before Columbus.

Read our Q & A with the author…

July non-fiction round-up

This month, Bookhugger’s publishers have a wide-ranging selection of non-fiction titles – from classical, pop and jazz music to exploration in hot and cold extremes, from a must-read history of philosophy to observations on the soul-sapping world of work, and countries in economic and environmental crisis.

Explore The Lost City of Z!

David Grann discusses his ventures into the hazardous wild world of the Amazon to retrace the footsteps of the great Colonel Fawcett and his followers, in a bracing attempt to solve one of the greatest mysteries.

The Booklist: Where I went on my holidays

As the holiday season is here, Bookhugger has compiled a selection of books on places where you may or may not wish to take your children…

Alexander Maitland on Speke and the Discovery of the Source of the Nile

John Hanning Speke was among the greatest British explorers of the Victorian era, whose greatest achievement was the discovery of the source of the White Nile – the holy grail of Victorian exploration. Following expeditions with Sir Richard Burton, Speke died in mysterious circumstances, at the age of 37.

Andrew Lambert on Franklin

Andrew Lambert re-examines the life of Captain Sir John Franklin with his customary brilliance and authority. In this riveting story of the Arctic, he discovers a new Franklin: a character far more complex, and more truly heroic, than previous histories have allowed.

To the Limit

John Geiger explores encounters with a mysterious presence, The Third Man…

He then felt a sudden, strange sensation of an invisible being very close at hand. The presence communicated mentally, and its message was clear: ‘You can’t give up, you have to try.’