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Enrich your travels with reading! Here's a hand-picked list prepared for your journey in conjunction with the book experts at Longitude.

Essential Reading

Item EXBHU35. Buy these 5 items as a set for $124 including shipping, 15% off the retail price.
With free shipping on anything else you order.

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Odyssey Guide Bhutan

Odyssey Guide Bhutan

by Francoise Pommaret

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 326 PAGES

A compact overview of the kingdom, its culture, history, flora and fauna by a resident scholar, enhanced by color photographs and maps. (BHU03, $23.95)

Bhutan, A Trekker's Guide

Bhutan, A Trekker's Guide

by Bart Jordans

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2008
  • FLEXI-BOUND
  • 332 PAGES

A compact, practical guide to 27 treks and walks throughout the mountain kingdom with color photographs and detailed sketch maps throughout. (BHU23, $24.95)

The Raven Crown

The Raven Crown

by Michael Aris

  • HISTORY
  • 2005
  • HARD COVER
  • 160 PAGES

Aris chronicles the rise of the Wangchuk dynasty in this beautifully illustrated history of the kingdom and its 20th-century monarchy, featuring 106 rare photographs. (BHU02, $60.00)

So Close to Heaven, The Vanishing Buddhist Kingdoms of the Himalayas

So Close to Heaven, The Vanishing Buddhist Kingdoms of the Himalayas

by Barbara Crossette

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 1996
  • PAPER
  • 297 PAGES
  • FAVORITE

Asia correspondent for the New York Times, Crossette portrays Bhutan and neighboring Ladakh and Sikkim as strongholds of Tantric Buddhism in an increasingly homogenized world. (NPL04, $16.00)

Bhutan Map

Bhutan Map

by ITMB

  • 2008
  • MAP

A double-sided traveler's map at an excellent scale of 1:380,000. (BHU06, $12.95)

 
Footprint Bhutan Handbook

Footprint Bhutan Handbook


by Gyurme Dorje

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 352 PAGES

An up-to-date practical guide by a Buddhist scholar and expert in the region, nicely balanced between a cultural and historical overview and travel detail. (BHU18, $25.95)

Lonely Planet Bhutan

Lonely Planet Bhutan


by Lonely Planet

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 284 PAGES

A compact travel guide to Bhutan with a good overview of culture, history and nature, sketch maps, a section of color photographs and plenty of practical detail on sightseeing and treks. (BHU11, $26.99)

Bhutan, Land of the Thunder Dragon

Bhutan, Land of the Thunder Dragon


by John Berthold

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 2005
  • HARD COVER
  • 162 PAGES
  • OUT OF PRINT

A striking portfolio of color photographs of the people, villages, annual religious festivals, landscapes and Buddhist traditions of Bhutan. (BHU21, $29.95)

Essential Tibetan Buddhism

Essential Tibetan Buddhism


by Robert Thurman

  • RELIGION
  • 1996
  • PAPER
  • 317 PAGES

The foremost Western scholar of Tibetan Buddhism, Thurman has chosen well from that tradition's sacred literature and helpfully includes suggested further reading, explanatory notes and a directory of sacred sites. (TBT15, $14.99)

The Blessings of Bhutan

The Blessings of Bhutan


by Russ and Blyth Carpenter

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 192 PAGES
  • HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE

Head-over-heels in love with Bhutan, the Carpenters introduce their adopted home, its people, customs, religion and history. (BHU16, $26.99)

The Life and Revelations of Pema Lingpa

The Life and Revelations of Pema Lingpa


by Sarah Harding

  • RELIGION
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 200 PAGES

A translation of the stories, meditations and discussions of Pema Lingpa (1450-1521), an important figure in Bhutanese religious history. (BHU24, $14.95)

The Tibetan Book of the Dead

The Tibetan Book of the Dead


by Graham Coleman | Gyurme Dorje

  • RELIGION
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 496 PAGES

The first complete English translation of an indispensable work on Tibetan religious beliefs. (TBT88, $21.00)

Tibetan Buddhism from the Ground Up, A Practical Approach for Modern Life

Tibetan Buddhism from the Ground Up, A Practical Approach for Modern Life


by B. Alan Wallace

  • RELIGION
  • 1993
  • PAPER
  • 214 PAGES

A straightforward primer on the essentials of Buddhism as practiced in Tibet. The book is the result of a lecture series introducing the practice of Buddhism to the general public. (TBT19, $15.95)

Turning the Mind Into an Ally

Turning the Mind Into an Ally


by Sakyong Mipham

  • RELIGION
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 234 PAGES

A guide to meditation and practical introduction to teachings of the Shambhala Buddhist community, which has strong ties to Bhutan. (BHU25, $16.00)

Beyond the Sky and the Earth

Beyond the Sky and the Earth


by Jamie Zeppa

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 303 PAGES

Zeppa's memoir of her time as teacher in a remote village shows her growing love and commitment to the people and culture. (BHU08, $16.00)

Seeing with the Third Eye

Seeing with the Third Eye


by T. Sangay Wangchuk

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 176 PAGES
  • OUT OF PRINT

Wangchuk recalls with warmth and earthy detail the daily rhythms, festivals and traditional ways of life in rural Bhutan in this affectionate tribute to his grandmother, a superb overview of Bhutanese beliefs and culture. (BHU29, $16.00)

Travels in the East

Travels in the East


by Donald Richie | Stephen Mansfield

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 180 PAGES

The unmatchable, exuberant Richie (who winningly writes "New countries are like new clothes") muses on Egypt, India, Bhutan, Mongolia, China, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Borneo, Thailand, Yap, Korea, and Japan in this kaleidoscope of travel essays. (ASA63, $14.95)

Treasures of the Thunder Dragon, A Portrait of Bhutan

Treasures of the Thunder Dragon, A Portrait of Bhutan


by Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2007
  • HARD COVER
  • 224 PAGES

Her majesty Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck's vivid portrait of Bhutan, its history and folklore, villages, palaces and monasteries. (BHU28, $19.95)

The Circle of Karma, A Novel

The Circle of Karma, A Novel


by Kunzang Choden

  • LITERATURE
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 328 PAGES

The first novel by a Bhutanese woman, this lyrical coming-of-age story explores the rituals of daily life in Bhutan. When Tsomo's mother suddenly dies, the young girl must travel alone across Bhutan and into India. (BHU26, $14.00)

Travellers and Magicians

Travellers and Magicians


by Khyentse Norbu

  • LITERATURE
  • 2005
  • DVD

The first feature shot on location in Bhutan, this film, directed by a respected lama, follows a young official on his odyssey across the country. Along the way he is joined by a mischievous monk, an elderly peddler and an old man with his daughter. (BHU22, $29.99)

Photographic Guide to Birds of the Himalayas

Photographic Guide to Birds of the Himalayas


by Bikram Grewal

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 144 PAGES

A pocket guide to 250 birds found from the foothills up to high elevations ranging from the Hindu Kush and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh in the Eastern Himalayas. With brief descriptive information, maps and 260 full-color illustrations. (HML31, $15.95)

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.