Lonely Planet Unpacked Again: Travel Disaster Stories Tony Wheeler, 2001

Bears, busted bikes and failing brakes on a mountain bus - these and other travel disasters are retold in this collection of tales of life on the road.

Lonely Planet - On the Edge: Adventurous Escapades from Around the World Cecil Kuhne, 2000

This collection of adventures of the world's best travel writers follows their fortunes and misfortunes off the beaten track into jungles and on the seas.

Kon-Tiki: Across the Pacific by Raft Thor Heyerdahl, 1984

The story of the Pacific journey by six men on a raft in search of the path taken by Kon-Tiki, a white voyager, 1500 years before.

The Art Of Rough Travel: From the Peculiar to the Practical: Advice from a 19th Century Explorer Sir Francis Galton, 2006

A reprinted survival guide from the 1800s, which would prove most useful today.

Fire Sebastian Junger, 2001

Whether describing the trials of airborne forest firefighters or the hazards of old-fashioned harpoon-and-rope whale hunting, Junger challenges readers to reconsider their fondness for ease.

Wave of Destruction: The Stories of Four Families and History's Deadliest Tsunami Erich Krauss, 2006

Krauss tells the stories of four families who escaped the tsunami but not the horror it sowed.

Apocalypse Chow!: How To Eat Well When the Power Goes Out Jon Robertson, 2005

Supply lists and practical advice provide reassurance when the power is off, for whatever reason, as long as there is a heat source handy.

Ice Bound: A Doctor's Incredible Battle for Survival at the South Pole. Jerri Nielsen, 2001

Nielsen does not present a memoir about illness; instead, this book is about life, work and the depth of human resiliency and love.

The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook Joshua Piven, 2006

Everything from surviving bird-droppings in your hair to surfing through an avalanche are covered in a somewhat tongue-in-cheek guide of practical advice.

Miracle in the Andes: 72 Days on the Mountain and My Long Trek Home Nando Parrado, 2006

This is a fresh, gripping page-turner that will satisfy adventure readers, and a complex reflection on camaraderie, family and love.