We are delighted to announce that the GeoCollective, Can of Worms and Workshop collaboration for a GeoVation award has been shortlisted. Presentation of our MISSION:EXPLORE based London iPhone application venture will be made to judges on January 26th at the Royal Geographic Society. To find out more about the GeoVation awards and our entry visit their site here: https://challenge.geovation.org.uk/ventures/54 . Fantastic news!

Many of you who are fans of extreme adventure may have been watching the new series: On Thin Ice which follows Ben Fogle and James Cracknell as they prepare to take part in the 2009 Race to the South Pole. It’s cracking stuff! The challenges, the imminent dangers that such an adventure entails, and the emotional roller coaster that these two “fit” men go through in order to prepare for a most daunting task.

Tess Burrows at the South Pole issuing forth her peace messages

Of course they did not go alone, there were other teams. Teams we have yet to meet. One member of another team is our very own Eye Books author – Tess Burrows. I would like to argue that Tess is the better story in this. She is not a former Olympian, SAS trooper or TV celebrity. Tess, if she does not mind my mentioning it, has her bus pass and is a grandmother. What Tess had to accomplish in order to meet the challenge of racing to the South Pole far surpasses anything that our Ben and James had to muster. Her story demonstrates yet again what humankind is capable of physically and mentally whatever your age. Happily for Eye Books Tess is finishing up writing about her adventure – challenging the way we see things! Next time you tune in to the BBC for On Thin Ice spare a thought for Tess, and when the book is out – we’ll let you know – we expect an avalanche of sales.

Tom Holman kindly acknowledged the heroics of our intrepid duo in yesterday’s Bookseller (16th October):

“The most committed visitors I’ve met so far are the intrepid duo from Can of Worms Press (that would be Paul and Helen), who set out by car from London late on Monday, crossed the Channel during the night, drove across France though Tuesday morning and set up their stand by late afternoon. About 40 hours since they last slept, they were still going strong on Tuesday night. Go easy on them if you meet them.”

Do of course visit the intrepid duo at our stand: Hall 8.0 L972 before they make their way back across La Manche.

We have a great array of new titles:
The Inkspot Monologues written and illustrated by Keith Pointing
Good Morning Afghanistan written by Waseem Mahmood
The Tempest illustrated by Oscar Grillo
Ten Lessons from the Road (by another intrepid traveller – this one cycled around the world) Alastair Humphreys
100 Ways to Change the World by Michael Meegan photos by Manuel Scrima
Each Day A Small Victory by Chips Hardy

And a tremendous back list of titles and services for other like minded publishers. Have a great Fair!

Alastair Humphreys, author of Moods of Future Joys and Thunder and Sunshine, is embarking on a new expedition. SOUTH will be the longest unsupported polar journey in history, with Alastair and his friend Ben Saunders making the first return journey to the South pole on foot. This pdf brochure summarises the project. This extraordinary and inspirational pair have been training for over four years in order to be able to face the extreme conditions they will have to survive. Alastair’s blog goes into more detail about this incredible challenge, and you can find out more about Ben Saunders, youngest person to ski solo to the North Pole and British record holder for the longest Arctic journey, on his blog.