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SMITHSONIAN JOURNEYS

Great Journey Through Europe

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

Item EXEUR760. Buy these 6 items as a set for $98 including shipping, 15% off the retail price.
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A Time of Gifts

A Time of Gifts

by Patrick Leigh Fermor

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 384 PAGES

Fermor effortlessly interweaves anecdote, history and culture in this exuberant account of a walk from Holland, up the Rhine and down the Danube, through Germany, Prague and Austria in 1933. Written not in the moment, but 40 years later, the accumulation of time and experience give the book particular poignancy. (CEU30, $16.95)

The German Way

The German Way

by Hyde Flippo

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1997
  • PAPER
  • 138 PAGES
  • BEST SELLER

This clever A-to-Z guide to quirks, attitudes, behavior and customs is a terrific resource for travelers seeking insight into why the Germans, Austrians and Swiss do what they do. (GER12, $18.00)

Fodor's Amsterdam's 25 Best

Fodor's Amsterdam's 25 Best

by Fodor's

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 128 PAGES
  • BEST SELLER

This slim guide to essential highlights includes an excellent map of the city center and can easily be slipped in your pocket. (NTH16, $11.99)

Eyewitness Guide Germany

Eyewitness Guide Germany

by Eyewitness Guides

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2012
  • PAPER
  • 608 PAGES

Featuring color photography, excellent local maps and a region-by-region synopsis of the country's attractions. (GER133, $30.00)

La Place de la Concorde Suisse

La Place de la Concorde Suisse

by John McPhee

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1994
  • PAPER
  • 150 PAGES

In the company of a Swiss patrol leader on a training mission, McPhee deploys his usual insight and wonderful prose on the phenomenon of the army of Switzerland. (SWZ14, $16.00)

Germany, Benelux, Austria Czech Republic Map

Germany, Benelux, Austria Czech Republic Map

by Michelin Travel Publications

  • 2012
  • MAP

This handy map shows road and river routes from Amsterdam and Berlin to Prague, Vienna, Munich and Salzburg at a scale of 1:1,000,000. (EUR100, $12.95)

 
Eyewitness Guide France

Eyewitness Guide France


by Eyewitness Guides

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2012
  • PAPER
  • 720 PAGES

This superb guide to all of France features color photography, dozens of excellent local maps and a region-by-region synopsis of the country's attractions. Handsome, convenient and up-to-date, this is the guide to carry. (FRN01, $30.00)

Eyewitness Guide Switzerland

Eyewitness Guide Switzerland


by Eyewitness Guides

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2010
  • FLEXI-BOUND
  • 328 PAGES

A compact, thoroughly illustrated guide, featuring over 900 photographs, good maps, and plenty of information on hiking in the Swiss Alps, natural and tourist attractions, and the history and arts of Switzerland. (SWZ45, $25.00)

Lonely Planet Central Europe

Lonely Planet Central Europe


by Lonely Planet

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 662 PAGES
  • BEST SELLER

With dozens of maps, color photographs and sections on history and culture, this practical guide introduces Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland and their neighbors. (EUR94, $29.99)

Prost! The Story of German Beer

Prost! The Story of German Beer


by Horst D. Dornbusch

  • FOOD
  • 1997
  • PAPER
  • 160 PAGES
  • FAVORITE

The Munich-based aficionado weaves history and culture with the marvels and mysteries of German beer in this brief, authoritative guide. (GER99, $14.95)

A Concise History of Germany

A Concise History of Germany


by Mary Fulbrook

  • HISTORY
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 277 PAGES

This essential short history of Germany -- a whirlwind survey in less than 300 pages -- explores the relationships between social, political and cultural factors in this land located in the center of Europe. (GER13, $29.99)

All Along the Rhine: Recipes, Wine and Lore from Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein and Holland

All Along the Rhine: Recipes, Wine and Lore from Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein and Holland


by Kay Shaw Nelson

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 211 PAGES

A tribute to the Rhine Valley, its history, culture and especially its food in 130 authentic recipes. (GER111, $14.95)

Germania, In Wayward Pursuit of the Germans and Their History

Germania, In Wayward Pursuit of the Germans and Their History


by Simon Winder

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 480 PAGES

Winder's witty, entertaining and opinionated portrait of German culture is both an illuminating history and a wonderfully digressive exploration of the powerful and often confounding nation. (GER270, $18.00)

The Burgermeister's Daughter, Scandal in a Sixteenth-Century German Town

The Burgermeister's Daughter, Scandal in a Sixteenth-Century German Town


by Steven Ozment

  • HISTORY
  • 1997
  • PAPER
  • 256 PAGES

Meticulously researched and absorbing, this narrative by a Harvard historian traces the legal battle of the daughter of a well-to-do family who was thrown out of her home and disinherited in 1525. (GER25, $13.99)

The Embarrassment of Riches

The Embarrassment of Riches


by Simon Schama

  • HISTORY
  • 1997
  • PAPER
  • 698 PAGES

An engaging cultural history and much more, this book is a study of the Dutch in the 17th century and their surprising challenge to Spanish rule. (NTH04, $25.00)

The Habsburgs, Embodying Empire

The Habsburgs, Embodying Empire


by Andrew Wheatcroft

  • HISTORY
  • 1995
  • PAPER
  • 384 PAGES

The Habsburgs ruled over more diverse peoples and cultures than any other European dynasty since the Roman period. With skillful scholarship and engaging style, Wheatcroft reveals the history of this family of eccentric monarchs. (AST11, $17.00)

The Penguin Historical Atlas of the Medieval World

The Penguin Historical Atlas of the Medieval World


by Andrew Jotischky

  • HISTORY
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 144 PAGES

Richly illustrated with photographs, illustrations and full-color maps, this compact atlas explores the empires, people, cultures and religions of the Middle Ages, providing an excellent introduction to European history. (EUR384, $22.00)

The Undutchables

The Undutchables


by Colin White

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 308 PAGES

A laugh-out-loud, irreverent guide to Dutch character and habits, including how to drink coffee and why you shouldn't even think about haggling over prices. (NTH12, $16.00)

Tulipomania

Tulipomania


by Mike Dash

  • HISTORY
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 288 PAGES

The story of the world's most coveted flower and the extraordinary passion it aroused, this vivid history traces the story of the tulip from its origins on the Turkish steppes to an absurdly coveted object in Europe and its key role in the financial follies of 17th-century Holland. (NTH30, $13.95)

Why Switzerland?

Why Switzerland?


by Jonathan Steinberg

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1996
  • PAPER
  • 300 PAGES

A masterly overview of the idiosyncrasies of Switzerland, its history, language, politics and identity as a naysayer at the center of Europe. (SWZ04, $39.99)

A Worldly Art

A Worldly Art


by Mariet Westermann

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 208 PAGES

This appreciative analysis of Dutch art in its Golden Age (1585-1718) features 100 exemplary illustrations by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Pieter de Hooch, Frans Hals and other masters. (NTH46, $25.00)

Cathedrals and Castles, The Cathedral Builders of the Middle Ages

Cathedrals and Castles, The Cathedral Builders of the Middle Ages


by Alain Erlande-Brandenburg

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 175 PAGES

This pocket-size encyclopedia of the art, architecture and culture of the Middle Ages features hundreds of drawings, color illustrations and a brief chronology. (MED07, $15.95)

Killing Dragons, The Conquest of the Alps

Killing Dragons, The Conquest of the Alps


by Fergus Fleming

  • EXPLORATION
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 398 PAGES

Fleming spins lively tales of man against nature in this entertaining history of the eccentrics, adventurers and publicity-hounds who sought to conquer the Alps, including Whymper and his first ascent of the Matterhorn (where four of the seven-man team perished). (ALP16, $14.00)

A Tramp Abroad

A Tramp Abroad


by Mark Twain | David Eggers | Kerry Driscoll

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 400 PAGES

Written 11 years after Innocents Abroad, this is Twain's second foray into European travel. Filled with his characteristic wit and humorous observations, it documents his journeys through Germany, Switzerland, France and Italy. Now with an introduction by Dave Eggers. (EUR78, $14.95)

Hotel du Lac

Hotel du Lac


by Anita Brookner

  • LITERATURE
  • 1995
  • PAPER
  • 184 PAGES

Funny, stylish and spellbinding, Brookner's novel tracks the story of a romance novelist, not quite finding peace and quiet at the quiet luxury of Hotel du Lac in Switzerland. (SWZ05, $14.95)

Birds of Europe

Birds of Europe


by Lars Svensson

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 416 PAGES
  • FAVORITE

Featuring 3,500 glorious paintings by Killian Mullarney and Dan Zetterstrom, the second revised edition of this exquisite guide has been brought up to date with revised text and maps. (FG47, $29.95)

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.