Stanfords are hosting an author's presentation by Christopher Somerville of his book, 'The Geography We've Lost and How to Find it Again' on Wednesday September 8th at 7pm at Stanfords, 29 Corn Street, BS1 1HT.

An increasing number of people don't have a basic geographical notion of the British Isles. Blame it on a decline of formal geography teaching, or Sat-Nav and other 'A-Z and nothing in between' devices that make us lazy. 'Never Eat Shredded Wheat' is a timely and entertaining reminder of all the fascinating British geography that brings our islands vividly to life – geography we have forgotten or perhaps never even knew.

Christopher Somerville is a prolific writer having written over 30 books including the bestselling 'Coast' books based on the BBC hit series.

Tickets £5.00 and includes a glass of wine or fruit juice. Tickets should be reserved in advance from Stanfords, 29 Corn St, Bristol BS1 1HT, T:0117 9299966 stanfordsbristol@gmail.com

We're delighted to offer our congratulations to Ed Stafford for his successful epic journey along the whole length of the Amazon.

Ed applied for a Wilderness Award a couple of years ago but we regrettfully turned him down. This wasn't a lack of faith in Ed but because his trip was going to take longer than a year and thus didn't fit our criteria.

In fact his 6400km journey took him 859 days, for much of the time accompanied by Peruvian forestry worker Gadiel "Cho" Sanchez Rivera.

The next Bristol Explorers social session will be on September 8th. Further details to follow.

The Rolex Awards for Enterprise are open for applications for 2012. Applications may be submitted in any of the 5 categories.

• Cultural Heritage, Conserving or contributing to our common cultural heritage
• Environment, Protecting or improving our natural and physical surroundings
• Exploration and Discovery, Expanding our knowledge of the world
• Science and Health, Contributing to human health and welfare
• Applied Technology, Finding new ways to improve life

This week 'Missing Lives' is published in London, written by Rory McLean and illustrated by Nick Danziger, its launch is marked by a month-long outdoor exhibition on the South Bank (Gabriel’s Wharf).

The book — and exhibition -- tell the true stories of 15 families whose loved ones went missing during the Yugoslav wars. ‘Missing Lives’ tells of the tragedy of the disappearance of tens of thousands of Europeans — usually civilians -- during the Yugoslav wars. In a desperate need for news, their families prayed for a message, begged for the truth and fell for blackmail.  In almost every case, the missing had been murdered.  But without word, witness or body, the bereaved could not accept their loss. Their torment was drawn out as long as ten, even eighteen years – for many it continues still.  Children waited for parents to return from the grave.  Mothers made up their dead son’s beds.  Old men couldn't bury their descendants.  The living also lost their lives.

For the first time in war DNA has been used to match blood and bone, reuniting families divided by death, enabling survivors to find closure and to begin to live again.  These fifteen, heartbreaking Balkan stories represent a tiny proportion of an immense tragedy.  The book tries to give a voice to the unacknowledged suffering of these families, to all who went missing by force, and reminds us that in war – whatever the technological advances -- there is no greater loss than the disappearance of those we love.

The publisher's profile of 'Missing Lives' appears here: