Madcap journeys: the Middle East

Cahill, Tim, Pecked to death by ducks. Fourth Estate, 1993. 910.4 CAH

Tim's adventures include spending two weeks on his belly in a cave, taking a nap while observing a grizzly bear, joining the crews fighting oil-well fires in Kuwait and taking up the ancient art of chariot racing.

Forbes, Duncan, Travels in the Holy Land: from Baedeker to Begin. Book Guild, 1994. 956.94 FOR

A fresh and exciting exploration of a region we mistakenly thought was old hat. Duncan Forbes follows the footsteps of Baedeker and Burton and belies anyone thinking there is nothing new to see in the dramatic landscapes of the Holy Land.

Laube, Lydia, The long way home: nobody goes that way. Wakefield Press, 1994. 960 LAU

The author of "Behind the veil" returned to Saudi Arabia, collected her pay, then decided to take the long way home to Australia via Egypt, Sudan, Kenya and India.

Marsden-Smedley, Philip, The crossing place: a journey among the Armenians. Harper Collins, 1993. 956 MAR

The account of a remarkable journey through the Middle East, Eastern Europe and the Caucasus, a quest to discover the secret of one of the world's most extraordinary peoples.

Paine, Sheila, The Afghan amulet : travels from the Hindu Kush to Razgrad. M Joseph, 1994. 956 PAI

A highly entertaining account of the author's adventures through the valleys of the Hindu Kush in Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq to the Black Sea in search of an intriguing amuletic embroidery pattern.

Praill, David, Return to the desert: a journey from Mount Herman to Mount Sinai. Fount, 1995. 956.94 PRA

In the autumn of 1993, David Praill made a forty day journey on foot and camel from Mt Hermon on the Sinai/Lebanon border - the length of the Holy Land to Mt Sinai in Egypt. It was the fulfilment of a dream to return to the desert, which for him is a place of unparalleled beauty and adventure.

Seal, Jeremy, A fez of the heart: travels around Turkey in search of a hat. Picador, 1995. 956.1 SEA

An agile mix of history and travel, politics and reportage, this book is an instructive piece of social history as well as a highly entertaining insight into the bizarre struggle for the soul of contemporary Turkey.