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BELGIUM

A Worldly Art

Mariet Westermann

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A Pig in Provence: Good Food and Simple Pleasures in the South of France

Georgeanne Brennan

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Barry Lopez

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The Log from the Sea of Cortez

John Steinbeck

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The Mekong

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 EXSEA211. Buy these 6 items as a set for $109 including shipping, 15% off the retail price.
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The River's Tale, A Year on the Mekong

The River's Tale, A Year on the Mekong

by Edward Gargan

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 352 PAGES

A personal, probing chronicle of a 3,000 mile journey on the river from its source in China through Tibet, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia to the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. (SEA33, $15.95)

The Mekong, Turbulent Past, Uncertain Future

The Mekong, Turbulent Past, Uncertain Future

by Milton Osborne

  • HISTORY
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 320 PAGES

A cultural history of the great river from prehistory to European exploration, colonial tensions and modern challenges. It's an engaging introduction to the history of Southeast Asia. (SEA28, $16.00)

South of the Clouds, Tales from Yunnan

South of the Clouds, Tales from Yunnan

by Lucien Miller

  • ANTHOLOGY
  • 1997
  • PAPER
  • 342 PAGES

Featuring memorable tales from throughout the Yunnan Province, this book showcases 54 wonderfully insightful and entertaining stories. (CHN45, $32.95)

Footprint Vietnam, Cambodia & Laos

Footprint Vietnam, Cambodia & Laos

by Jack O'Tailan | Claire Boobbyer | John Colet | Andrew Spooner

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 576 PAGES

With practical information on attractions, transportation, food, activities and lodgings. Includes Bangkok. (SEA52, $25.95)

China South Map

China South Map

by Nelles

  • 2005
  • MAP

A detailed travel map of Southern China, from Taiwan to Hong Kong and the Yunnan Province, at a 1:1,500,000 scale. (CHN27, $13.95)

Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia Map

Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia Map

by Nelles

  • 2010
  • MAP

A convenient, double-sided map of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam at a scale of 1:1,500,000, with city maps of Hanoi, Vientiane, Ho Chi Minh City, Luang Prabang and Phnom Penh. (SEA75, $13.95)

 
Mekong River Map

Mekong River Map


by Odyssey Maps

  • 2011
  • MAP

This color map-guide shows the course of the Mekong from mountains to the sea on one side and a detailed map of Laos on the reverse. (LAO28, $14.95)

Ancient Angkor

Ancient Angkor


by Claude Jacques | Michael Freeman

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 239 PAGES
  • COMING IN MAY

Organized geographically, this indispensable guide to the monuments, architecture, culture, religion and history of Angkor features hundreds of color photographs, site plans and maps. (CBD15, $25.00)

Bradt Guide Yunnan Province

Bradt Guide Yunnan Province


by Martin Walters | Stephen Mansfield

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 288 PAGES

A compact guide to geography, cultures and nature of Yunnan, with sketch maps, photographs and practical information. (CHN73, $23.95)

Insight Guide Thailand

Insight Guide Thailand


by Insight Guides

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 432 PAGES

This handsome guide brings Thailand to life in hundreds of color photographs and vividly written essays by a team of experts. Panoramic in scope, the book takes us from the crowded streets of modern Bangkok to the beaches to the rural north. (TLD16, $23.99)

A History of Cambodia

A History of Cambodia


by David Chandler

  • HISTORY
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 312 PAGES

An excellent, scholarly history from early civilization through the rise of Angkor, French colonial period, Vietnamization of Cambodia, Khmer Rouge and Coup de Force of 1997. (CBD27, $38.00)

A Traveller's History of Southeast Asia

A Traveller's History of Southeast Asia


by J.M. Barwise | Nicholas J. White

  • HISTORY
  • 2012
  • PAPER
  • 352 PAGES
  • COMING IN JUNE

A compact history of the region, including the Khmer and the various ancient kingdoms that produced Borobudur, Angkor and other architectural marvels. (SEA36, $14.95)

Blooming in the Desert, Favorite Teachings of the Wildflower Monk Taungpulu Sayadaw


by Anne Teich | Andrew Harvey

  • RELIGION
  • 1996
  • PAPER
  • 90 PAGES

A collection of the straightforward teachings of the venerable Burmese monk Taungpulu Sayadaw, as recorded by Anne Teich (who also provides an overview of Buddhist practices and history). (BMA35, $11.95)

In the Naga's Wake, The First Man to Navigate the Mekong, from Tibet to the South China Sea

In the Naga's Wake, The First Man to Navigate the Mekong, from Tibet to the South China Sea


by Mick O'Shea

  • HISTORY
  • 2007
  • PAPER

Upon first seeing its unforgiving rapids, 20-year-old traveler Mick O'Shea began dreaming of a solo expedition down the Mekong River, from its source in Tibet to the South China Sea. (SEA57, $16.95)

The Age of Wild Ghosts: Memory, Violence, and Place in Southwest China

The Age of Wild Ghosts: Memory, Violence, and Place in Southwest China


by Erik Mueggler

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 361 PAGES

A groundbreaking ethnography of the Yi, 7 million of whom live in China's Yunnan province. It's also an illuminating study of the wages of communism on China's minority peoples. (CHN168, $28.95)

The Civilization of Angkor

The Civilization of Angkor


by Charles Higham

  • HISTORY
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 207 PAGES
  • OUT OF PRINT

A concise history of the origins, development and rise of the kingdom of Angkor by a leading archaeologist. It's an up-to-date, accessible overview of the civilization from prehistory through the fall of Angkor in 1431. (CBD26, $24.95)

Art & Architecture of Cambodia

Art & Architecture of Cambodia


by Helen Ibbitson Jessup

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 224 PAGES

Jessup includes not just Angkor Wat and Banteay Srei but also lesser-known recent discoveries in the surrounding jungle in this illustrated overview in the World of Art series. (CBD41, $16.95)

Buddhist Art and Architecture

Buddhist Art and Architecture


by Robert Fisher

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 1993
  • PAPER
  • 216 PAGES

A wide-ranging, illustrated survey of Buddhist art, architecture and iconography in the excellent World of Art series. It includes examples from throughout Asia. (ASA30, $19.95)

Sanctuary, The Temples of Angkor

Sanctuary, The Temples of Angkor


by Steve McCurry

  • ARCHAEOLOGY
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 144 PAGES

A selection of 100 stunning color photographs of the monks and the monuments of Angkor, the extraordinary carvings, and the forest surrounding the temples by a popular Magnum photographer. (CBD28, $35.00)

A Dragon Apparent, Travels in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam

A Dragon Apparent, Travels in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam


by Norman Lewis

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 358 PAGES
  • FAVORITE
  • HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE

A classic account of travels and adventure during the last years of French Indochina, strong on atmosphere and including wonderfully detailed descriptions of local cultures and archaeological treasures. First published in 1951. (SEA40, $33.95)

First They Killed My Father, A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers

First They Killed My Father, A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers


by Loung Ung

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 240 PAGES

An eye-opening eyewitness account of the atrocities suffered by millions of Cambodians from the perspective of a young girl who survived the reign of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. (CBD13, $14.99)

Leaving Mother Lake

Leaving Mother Lake


by Yang Erche Namu | Christine Mathieu

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 320 PAGES

In this entrancing memoir, Chinese singing sensation Namu recounts her coming-of-age among the matriarchal Mosuo people in Southwest China near the Chinese-Tibetan border. (CHN270, $14.99)

Mr. China's Son, A Villager's Life

Mr. China's Son, A Villager's Life


by He Liyi

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 336 PAGES

Written with warmth, humor and an admirable lack of bitterness, this autobiography by a villager from Yunnan is a poignant glimpse into the rural experience in China over 50 years, including the Japanese invasion, Communist revolution, and time in reeducation camps. (CHN399, $40.00)

The Sacred Willow, Four Generations in the Life of a Vietnamese Family

The Sacred Willow, Four Generations in the Life of a Vietnamese Family


by Duong Van Mai Elliott

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 506 PAGES

This vivid family saga, beginning with the author's great-grandfather, captures the life and momentous history of Vietnam over the last 100 years. (VNM39, $24.99)

The Quiet American

The Quiet American


by Graham Greene

  • LITERATURE
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 180 PAGES
  • FAVORITE

A classic, this is the most famous Western work of fiction on Vietnam. Greene writes of a love triangle between a war correspondent, his Vietnamese consort and an optimistic young American during the last days of French rule. (VNM08, $16.00)

Travelers' Tales Thailand

Travelers' Tales Thailand


by Larry Habegger | James O'Reilly

  • ANTHOLOGY
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 488 PAGES
  • OUT OF PRINT

Organized around broad themes, this terrific anthology -- mixing travelogue, journalism, essays and fiction -- offers an astute glimpse into Thai culture by writers including Norman Lewis and Pico Iyer. (TLD04, $18.95)

A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Southeast Asia

A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Southeast Asia


by Morten Strange

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 40 PAGES

A compact photographic guide to almost 700 species of birds in the region, featuring concise descriptions and distribution maps. (SEA39, $38.95)

Chinese Wildlife

Chinese Wildlife


by Martin Walters

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 208 PAGES

This compact introduction to birds, mammals, reptiles, insects and plants found from the Tibetan plateau to the deserts, tropical forests and mountains includes 200 color photographs. (CHN440, $26.99)

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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.