COLLETTE VACATIONS

Western Wonders

READING AND TRAVEL GUIDE

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Books for

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

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Eyewitness Guide California

Eyewitness Guide California

by Eyewitness Guides

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 660 PAGES

A literate, visually rich guide to the Golden State, featuring color photography, dozens of excellent local maps and a region-by-region synopsis of California's attractions with a particular focus on San Francisco and Los Angeles. (USW146, $30.00)

Desert Solitaire

Desert Solitaire

by Edward Abbey

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 1990
  • PAPER
  • 303 PAGES
  • FAVORITE

One of the great works on the value of the desert, eloquent and laugh-out-loud funny. Although Abbey writes specifically about his experiences as a ranger at Arches National Park outside Moab, Utah, his message is universal. (DES02, $7.99)

Assembling California

Assembling California

by John McPhee

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 1994
  • PAPER
  • 304 PAGES

Another fine book on geology and natural history from John McPhee, this time in the company of Eldridge Moores, on travels throughout California. (USW187, $16.00)

California Map

by Borch Maps

  • 2008
  • MAP

A laminated, folded map of California, shown at a scale of 1:1,100,000. (CAL55, $9.95)

 
Grand Canyon National Park Map 207

Grand Canyon National Park Map 207


by Trails Illustrated

  • 2009
  • MAP

A detailed hiker's map (1:35,000) of Colorado River miles 60-98, perfect for those hiking to Bright Angel and Indian Gardens campgrounds. (USW332, $11.95)

Tucson Southeast Arizona Map

Tucson Southeast Arizona Map


by North Star Maps

  • MAP

A map of Southeast Arizona covering Saguaro National Park, Tucson and the Chiricahua Mountains. (USW123, $3.95)

Frommer's San Francisco Day by Day

Frommer's San Francisco Day by Day


by Noelle Salmi

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 192 PAGES

A compact shirt pocket guide, ideal for a short visit, featuring remarkably good suggestions for everything from food, hotels and neighborhoods to shopping. With a separate foldout map of the city center. (SFO29, $12.99)

Moon Handbook Grand Canyon

Moon Handbook Grand Canyon


by Bill Weir

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 232 PAGES

A handy, practical guide to the Grand Canyon and nearby regions, this book is a good resource for planning a trip, featuring extensive, up-to-date listings, maps and other background information. (SWU175, $17.95)

The Accidental Connoisseur, An Irreverent Journey Through the Wine World

The Accidental Connoisseur, An Irreverent Journey Through the Wine World


by Lawrence Osborne

  • FOOD
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 262 PAGES

With a winning wit and not a drop of pretense, Osborne sets out to discover what's what with wine, traveling through Sonoma and Napa, France, Italy and other European wine meccas, 11 adventures in all. He meets plenty of interesting characters along the way, revealing much about the pleasures of wine (and travel!). (TVL31, $15.00)

A Crack in the Edge of the World, America and the Great California Earthquake of 1906

A Crack in the Edge of the World, America and the Great California Earthquake of 1906


by Simon Winchester

  • HISTORY
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 448 PAGES

Geologist, master storyteller, traveler and journalist, Simon Winchester succeeds again in this fast-paced, utterly fascinating account of the great 1906 earthquake that devastated San Francisco. (CAL193, $15.99)

California, A History

California, A History


by Kevin Starr

  • HISTORY
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 400 PAGES

A lively short history in the excellent Modern Library Chronicles series, written by a renowned historian. (CAL204, $14.95)

How the Canyon Became Grand, A Short History

How the Canyon Became Grand, A Short History


by Stephen J. Pyne

  • HISTORY
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 199 PAGES

The history of the idea and allure of the Grand Canyon, and its transformation from worthless real estate to marvel of nature. (USW76, $15.00)

Rush for Riches, Gold Fever and the Making of California

Rush for Riches, Gold Fever and the Making of California


by J. S. Holliday

  • HISTORY
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 336 PAGES

An illustrated, oversize history of the California Gold Rush and its effects by a noted expert, covering the 1830's through the 1890's and packed with more than 200 illustrations and archival photographs. (USW190, $39.95)

Beyond the Hundredth Meridian, John Wesley Powell and the Second Opening of the West

Beyond the Hundredth Meridian, John Wesley Powell and the Second Opening of the West


by Wallace Stegner

  • EXPLORATION
  • 1992
  • PAPER
  • 438 PAGES

The classic, Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of explorer John Wesley Powell by the great Wallace Stegner, first published in 1954. It's both an adventure and an insightful look at the politics of development in the American West. (USW78, $17.00)

Grand Canyon, Travelers' Tales

Grand Canyon, Travelers' Tales


by James O'Reilly | Larry Habegger

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 281 PAGES

A diverse collection of excellent stories and essays on the nature, history and people of the Grand Canyon. Organized by topic, the selection includes Barry Lopez, Terry Tempest Williams, Ann Zwinger, Colin Fletcher, Edward Abbey and other greats. (USW333, $17.95)

The Amateur Emigrant

The Amateur Emigrant


by Robert Louis Stevenson

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 172 PAGES

The famed novelist's 1896 account of travels in the American West -- in pursuit of his future wife and featuring his impressions of this still wild and untamed land. (USW481, $13.00)

The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons

The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons


by John Wesley Powell

  • EXPLORATION
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 397 PAGES

The classic tale of adventure and exploration of the rivers and canyonlands of the Colorado Plateau, originally published in 1875 -- and still terrific reading for any traveler to the Grand Canyon. (USW80, $16.00)

The Man Who Walked Through Time

The Man Who Walked Through Time


by Colin Fletcher

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 1989
  • PAPER
  • 247 PAGES

Fletcher's much-loved account of a remarkable two-month odyssey below the rim of the Grand Canyon, first published in 1967. (USW94, $16.00)

Natural State, A Literary Anthology of California Nature Writing


by Steven Gilbar

  • ANTHOLOGY
  • 1998
  • PAPER
  • 400 PAGES

Divided by ecological region, this book is a literary tour of California's unrivaled natural diversity, featuring essays and excerpts by such great writers as Barry Lopez, Gretel Ehrlich and John McPhee. Gary Snyder provided the afterword. (CAL101, $26.95)

The Literature of California, Vol. 1

The Literature of California, Vol. 1


by Jack Hicks | Al Young | James D. Houston | Maxine Hong Kingston

  • ANTHOLOGY
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 653 PAGES

A best-of anthology of California writing, pre-1945. (CAL102, $29.95)

Travelers' Tales San Francisco

Travelers' Tales San Francisco


by James O'Reilly | Larry Habegger | Sean O'Reilly

  • ANTHOLOGY
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 496 PAGES

Experience San Francisco from the inside out with this engaging, insightful and entertaining selection of mostly contemporary eyewitness reports -- a terrific literary profile of a dynamic city. (SFO15, $18.95)

An Island Called California, An Ecological Introduction to Its Natural Communities

An Island Called California, An Ecological Introduction to Its Natural Communities


by Elna S. Bakker

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 1984
  • PAPER
  • 484 PAGES

An introduction to the ecology and wildlife of the Golden State, this volume is filled with photographs illustrating a variety plants, animals and geological features found throughout the deserts, forests and coastline of California. (CAL11, $25.95)

Cadillac Desert, The American West and Its Disappearing Water

Cadillac Desert, The American West and Its Disappearing Water


by Marc Reisner

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 1993
  • PAPER
  • 582 PAGES

A definitive history of water development in the American desert -- and a now-classic chronicle of wrong-headed policies and misadventures controlling the great rivers of the West. (USW246, $18.00)

My First Summer in the Sierra

My First Summer in the Sierra


by John Muir

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 353 PAGES

Muir's original account of a summer in Yosemite and surrounding High Sierras, based on his youthful notebooks of the summer of 1869. (CAL47, $13.00)

Red: Passion and Patience in the Desert

Red: Passion and Patience in the Desert


by Terry Tempest Williams

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 240 PAGES

A series of lyrical, thoughtful essays on the power and beauty of the Red Rock Wilderness of southern Utah, including Grand Staircase, Canyonlands, Glen Canyon, Moab and the Great Basin. (USW398, $15.00)

A Field Guide to the Grand Canyon

A Field Guide to the Grand Canyon


by Stephen Whitney

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 1996
  • PAPER
  • 268 PAGES

A compact guide to the natural history of the Grand Canyon with 71 handsome color plates, maps and illustrations. (USW06, $19.95)

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