Espaces de solitude, de liberté, refuges mais aussi prisons, les îles nous fascinent. Mais cette obsession des îles, que dit-elle de notre manière d’habiter le monde ? Cet ouvrage magnifiquement illustré de cartes anciennes dessine une réflexion qui confronte les îles mythiques et les figures qu’elles abritent, d’Ulysse à Robinson Crusoé en passant par Thomas More et Virginia Woolf, à l’expérience du voyage, de l’isolement et de la vie sauvage. Sinuant entre fiction et exploration, c’est u...

**THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER: an uplifting account of hope and healing by GP Gavin Francis'I cannot think of anybody - patient or doctor - who will not be helped by reading this short and profound book'** - Henry Marsh'Such a wise, gentle, quietly hopeful book. Exactly what I needed' - Rachel Clarke'A lovely little book' - Michael RosenWhen it comes to illness, sometimes the end is...

'I thought Gavin Francis couldn't get any better, but I was wrong. This is his best and most important book' Bill Bryson'Francis combines the precision of science with a profound insight into the human condition' GUARDIAN'This is a book to change lives - and save them.' Ian RankinFROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF ADVENTURES IN HUMAN BEING AND RECOVERYBetween a quarter...

The current global order appears to be collapsing. Long forgotten challenges, such as the return of great power competition and the specter of nuclear war, demand fresh attention, while novel, complex, and menacing planetary crises ranging from climate and disease to emerging technology loom. Meanwhile, the United States—the most consequential nation in the international system, behaves erratically and seems willing to abandon its decades-long strategy of building strong alliances, counter...

Driven by a yearning to experience the vast skies and frozen beauty of the North, Gavin Francis goes in search of the people living along the northern limits of Europe. From the first Greek explorers to the Vikings to modern polar adventurers, he travels through history and legend to find out why – and how – we are drawn to the North.Francis's encounters in the Arctic teach him as much about that sense of longing for the North, and of belonging to the North as the seafarers, warrio...

WINNER OF THE SCOTTISH BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARDGavin Francis spent fourteen months in one of the remotest places in the world: Halley, a research station in Antarctica. Storm-locked and frozen, it is said to be easier to evacuate a casualty from the International Space Station than it is to bring someone out of Halley in winter.In the icy emptiness of Antarctica, where one misstep outdoors can mean death but the confined corridors of Halley can drive you mad,...

«Oportuno, sugerente y elocuente... rebosante de humanidad y agudeza, Francis se suma a las filas de esos médicos de elegante pluma, entre los que se encuentran Oliver Sacks y Atul Gawande, y que a pesar de su sabiduría son capaces de conservar una profunda humildad». The TimesEstar vivo significa estar inmerso en un constante proceso de transformación: crecer, curarse, aprender, envejecer. Nuestro margen de decisión es escaso en lo referente a algunos cambios: no podemos ...

In a world preoccupied by borders, bridges celebrate the possibility of connectionDr Gavin Francis crosses bridges both actual and metaphorical on a journey through six continents, twenty countries and four decades of travel, exploring answers to questions of peace and conflict, connection and community.From Rome’s Ponte Sant’Angelo to Brooklyn, Victoria Falls to London, Singapore to Siberia, Francis’s tour of bridges around the world demon...

Sunday Times bestsellerWe have a lifetime's association with our bodies, but for many of us they remain uncharted territory. In Adventures in Human Being, Gavin Francis leads the reader on a journey through health and illness, offering insights on everything from the ribbed surface of the brain to the secret workings of the heart and the womb; from the pulse of life at the wrist to the unique engineering of the foot.Drawing on his own experiences a...

'Needle-sharp analysis from the front line' Ian Rankin'Utterly compelling' Henry Marsh'Wonderful ... A heartbreaking chronicle of the NHS's near-demise, and a call to action' Leah Hazard'A reminder of what is important, what we hold dear, and who we are' Christie Watson'Compassionate, clever, curious, principled, humane ... A succinct, elegant and beautifully written account of what ...

It seems obvious that we should use history to improve policy. If we have a good understanding of the past, it should enable better decisions in the present, especially in the extraordinarily consequential worlds of statecraft and strategy. But how do we gain that knowledge? How should history be used? Sadly, it is rarely done well, and historians and decision-makers seldom interact. But in this remarkable book, Francis J. Gavin explains the many ways historical knowledge can help us under...

Meet the majestic Emperor Penguins of Antarctica in this “mesmerizing and memorable” travel memoir about a doctor’s year-long appointment to the remote Halley Research Station (The Economist).Gavin Francis fulfilled a lifetime’s ambition when he spent 14 months as the basecamp doctor at Halley, a profoundly isolated British research station on the Caird Coast of Antarctica. So remote, it is said to be easier to evacuate a casualty from the International Sp...