At age fifty-eight, John Steinbeck and his poodle, Charley, embarked on a journey across America. This chronicle of their trip meanders from small towns to growing cities to glorious wilderness oases. Written during a time of upheaval and racial tension in the South-which Steinbeck witnessed firsthand-Travels with Charley is a stunning evocation of America on the eve of a tumultuous decade.

An inspiring and eye-opening tour of one of the world's oldest and most enigmatic cities. Destroyed and rebuilt countless times over 5,000 years, the city's enduring appeal remains a mystery. What made it so important to so many different cultures? How did it become the center of the world for three major religions? Why does it still matter to people?

From its hot molten core to the mega sized waves battering its coast, Hawaii is an untamed and very wild bit of paradise that continues to transform itself and challenge expectations.