Ben Donald Books

From inedible bread to bad weather, no sense of humour and excessive speed at securing sun lounges, Germany and the German people have had a terrible reputation among British holiday makers for years. But all that is about to change.

Die deutschen Macken und Liebenswürdigkeiten augenzwinkernd beschrieben Gepflegter Reise-Talk auf einer britischen Dinnerparty: Wer da punkten will, braucht in Zeiten der globalen Travel-Nomaden ein ungewöhnliches Ziel. Ben Donald sorgt mit einem Wort für den Überraschungscoup: Germany, das No-go-Reiseland schlechthin. Ben Donald besichtigt das 'Land der Hunnen' vom Badestrand im Norden bis zu den schicken Lederhosen im Süden. Er macht sich mit der deutschen Philosophie des Nacktbadens vertraut, folgt den Spuren der deutschen Romantik durch Heidelberg und lässt sich – natürlich – zum Weißwurst-Essen auf dem Oktoberfest verführen. Klischees werden bedient – oder auch nicht. Nebenbei gibt’s ein bisschen Geschichte und Einblicke in den German Way der Lebenskunst. Britischer Humor vom Feinsten, skurril und amüsant, informativ und überraschend.

The Book of Cities is an inspirational gazetteer of 250 cities of all shapes, sizes and moods. Cities of dreaming spires, cities that never sleep. Cities of angels and street-urchins. Cities that are brash and vital, where the memories of glories past lie hidden behind ruined facades. The 250 cities are presented in longitudinal order - like a contemporary Phileas Fogg this round-the-world trip sets out from and returns to the Greenwich Meridian. Heading West from London (closely followed by Accra in Ghana at 0[degrees] 6' W) it visits the Americas and beyond. The book contains, of course, all the great metropolises - Paris, Rome, New York, Tokyo - but also those lesser known: Cordoba, an ancient city of trade and learning or Brasilia, an architect's plaything, alongside cities at the end of the world like Anchorage and sites of pilgrimage whether Jerusalem... or Memphis, Tennessee. Each city is portrayed by photographs capturing its essence, accompanied by succinct, funky texts that, like a postcard home, capture the vibe and soul of the place as though you were sitting at a corner street cafe watching the city's life flow by. Additional insights are provided by wise and wry quote