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Oman

READING AND TRAVEL GUIDE

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Get the featured set of Essential Reading, our top picks of what to read, and get free shipping on anything else you order.

Essential Reading

Item EXARB61. Buy these 5 items as a set for $100 including shipping, 15% off the retail price.
With free shipping on anything else you order.

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Empty Quarter

Empty Quarter

by George Steinmetz

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 2009
  • HARD COVER
  • 208 PAGES

In an amazing feat of politics and derring-do, photographer George Steinmetz crossed the Arabian Peninsula in a motorized paraglider, capturing the drama and allure of the remarkable Rub'al-Khali, largest and hottest desert in the world, in glorious color. With maps, essays and a tribute to Wilfred Thesiger and the explorers who have come before. (ARB122, $40.00)

Arabian Sands

Arabian Sands

by Wilfred Thesiger

  • EXPLORATION
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 400 PAGES
  • FAVORITE

The last of the great British traveler-explorers, Thesiger (1910-2003) journeyed among the nomadic camel-breeding peoples of Southern Arabia in the late 1940s, falling in love with the desert and ways of life of the Bedouin. This eloquent book is his tribute to them. (ARB15, $16.00)

Culture Smart! Oman

Culture Smart! Oman

by Simone Nowell

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 168 PAGES

This handy introduction to local attitudes, beliefs and culture includes tips for travelers. (ARB114, $9.95)

Odyssey Oman

Odyssey Oman

by Georg Popp

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 416 PAGES

A fact-filled, beautifully illustrated and authoritative introduction to Oman, with maps, photographs and essays. (ARB127, $27.95)

Oman, United Arab Emirates Map

Oman, United Arab Emirates Map

by Gizi Map

  • MAP

Oman and the UAE at a scale of 1:1,250,000. (ARB48, $15.95)

 
Bradt Guide Oman

Bradt Guide Oman


by Diana Darke | Sandra Shields

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 288 PAGES

A comprehensive guide in the popular Bradt series. (ARB80, $25.99)

A History of the Arab Peoples

A History of the Arab Peoples


by Albert Hourani

  • HISTORY
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 624 PAGES

Called a landmark, masterpiece and essential to understanding the Middle East, Hourani's acclaimed chronicle of the political, spiritual, religious and cultural traditions of the Arab peoples is brought up to date with an afterword by noted Islamic scholar Malise Ruthven. (MDE11, $18.95)

A Peace to End All Peace

A Peace to End All Peace


by David Fromkin

  • HISTORY
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 688 PAGES

Indispensable to understanding current tensions, alliances and the colonial legacy of the region, Fromkin's vivid tale of the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the making of the modern Middle East is out in a 20th anniversary edition. (ARB13, $22.00)

Arab Seafaring


by George F. Hourani | John Carswell

  • HISTORY
  • 1996
  • PAPER
  • 140 PAGES

An expanded edition of the classic authoritative history of Arab sea trade in the Indian Ocean from its earliest origins through trade with China and East Africa in Middle Ages. (ARB47, $26.95)

Behind the Veil in Arabia, Women in Oman

Behind the Veil in Arabia, Women in Oman


by Unni Wikan

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1991
  • PAPER
  • 314 PAGES

An insightful and remarkable look at the role of women in Oman based on Wikan's fieldwork as well as her personal experiences and impressions of the place. (ARB05, $25.00)

Islam, A Short History

Islam, A Short History


by Karen Armstrong

  • HISTORY
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 230 PAGES

Armstrong brings authority and experience to this vivid, clear-headed survey of the history and impact of Islam from the birth of Muhammad to present-day challenges. (ISL15, $15.95)

Nine Parts of Desire, The Hidden World of Islamic Women

Nine Parts of Desire, The Hidden World of Islamic Women


by Geraldine Brooks

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1996
  • PAPER
  • 256 PAGES

A highly readable overview of the role of women in Islamic society, drawn from the author's many interviews with women throughout the Arab World. (ARB06, $15.00)

The Arab World, Forty Years of Change

The Arab World, Forty Years of Change


by Elizabeth Warnock and Rob Fernea | Thomas Hartwell

  • HISTORY
  • 1997
  • PAPER
  • 432 PAGES

An award-winning look at life in the Middle East, updated in the 1990s. The authors revisit towns and cities, paying close attention to how changes such as the Gulf War and Arab-Israeli peace negotiations have impacted daily life. (ARB33, $17.95)

The Heritage of Oman, A Celebration in Photographs

The Heritage of Oman, A Celebration in Photographs


by Ozzie Newcombe

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1996
  • HARD COVER
  • 160 PAGES

A Muscat resident for 20 years, Newcombe captures the austere, surprisingly diverse landscapes, people and traditions of Oman in dozens of beautiful color photographs. (MDE136, $65.00)

The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money and Power

The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money and Power


by Daniel Yergin

  • HISTORY
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 908 PAGES

Master storyteller Yergin conjures a large and fascinating cast of tycoons, sheiks and politicians in this monumental and thoroughly researched history examining the story of petroleum and the West's dependence on the oil-rich Middle East. (ARB36, $22.00)

The Sultan's Shadow, One Family's Rule at the Crossroads of East and West

The Sultan's Shadow, One Family's Rule at the Crossroads of East and West


by Christiane Bird

  • HISTORY
  • 2010
  • HARD COVER
  • 400 PAGES

Oman's Sultan Said and his rebellious daughter come to life in this tale of 19th-century Oman, Zanzibar and the Arab slave trade. (EAF364, $28.00)

Islamic Arts

Islamic Arts


by Jonathan Bloom | Sheila Blair

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 1997
  • PAPER
  • 445 PAGES

A comprehensive survey of 1,000 years of Islamic architecture, design and decoration. Illustrated throughout with color photographs, maps and site plans. (ISL01, $27.95)

Misadventure in the Middle East

Misadventure in the Middle East


by Henry Hemming

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 298 PAGES

Hemming's self-styled youthful exploits "as a tramp, artist and spy" through Iran, Iraq, Lebanon and other hot spots in the region. (MDE177, $19.95)

Sultan in Oman

Sultan in Oman


by Jan Morris

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 166 PAGES

Morris richly evokes the culture, people and rhythms of Oman before the discovery of oil and modernization by Sultan Qaboos in this insightful portrait, originally published in 1957. (ARB73, $32.95)

The Road to Ubar, Finding the Atlantis of the Sands

The Road to Ubar, Finding the Atlantis of the Sands


by Nicholas Clapp

  • EXPLORATION
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 342 PAGES

A fascinating day-by-day account of Clapp's search in the 1980s for the ruins of Ubar, an ancient Arabian trading center on the frankincense route in Oman's Empty Quarter. (ARB49, $19.95)

More Recommendations

Here are some other groups of books that might be of interest

Longitude provides recommended reading for travelers in partnership with the leading tour operators and travel programs for hundreds of destinations worldwide. We've got the classic, new and hard-to-find books and maps to help you get the most out of your adventures.