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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 EXSEA243. Buy these 6 items as a set for $105 including shipping, 15% off the retail price.
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In Buddha's Land

In Buddha's Land

by Moe Min

  • RELIGION
  • 2007
  • HARD COVER
  • 208 PAGES

This beautiful, illustrated portrait of monuments, monasteries and rituals is both a striking visual overview of Buddhism as practiced in Burma, and a splendid introduction to the country. (BMA52, $30.00)

What the Buddha Taught

What the Buddha Taught

by Walpola Sri Rahula

  • RELIGION
  • 1972
  • PAPER
  • 151 PAGES

A classic account of Theravada Buddhism by a respected monk and scholar from Sri Lanka. Provides translations from original texts with explanations for Western readers. A good foundation for any visitor to Southeast Asia. (SEA41, $14.95)

Ancient Luang Prabang

Ancient Luang Prabang

by Denise Heywood

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 224 PAGES
  • COMING IN MARCH

An illustrated guide to the sacred art, traditional architecture and colonial legacy of this UNESCO World Heritage Site, capital of the Kingdom of Laos. With 300 color photographs. (LAO24, $30.00)

Finding George Orwell in Burma

Finding George Orwell in Burma

by Emma Larkin

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 304 PAGES

An American journalist fluent in Burmese, Emma Larkin (a pseudonym) masterfully interweaves her travels in the footsteps of the British colonial officer and writer with interviews and an astute, moving history of modern Burma. (BMA40, $16.00)

Myanmar (Burma) Map

Myanmar (Burma) Map

by Nelles

  • 2011
  • MAP

A double-sided map of Burma at a scale of 1:1,500,000, with an inset of Rangoon. (BMA02, $13.95)

Laos Map

Laos Map

by Periplus Maps

  • MAP

A traveler's map of Laos, with topographical relief at a scale 1: 600,000. Prepared by the World Mapping Project. (LAO11, $9.00)

 
Culture Shock! Laos

Culture Shock! Laos


by Robert Cooper

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 211 PAGES

A practical guide to Laotian customs, etiquette and culture, perfect for the business traveler, casual visitor or resident. (LAO13, $15.95)

Culture Shock! Myanmar

Culture Shock! Myanmar


by Saw Myat Yin

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 234 PAGES

A lively guide to customs and business etiquette, culture and manners in Burma. (BMA53, $15.95)

A Traveller's History of Southeast Asia

A Traveller's History of Southeast Asia


by J.M. Barwise | Nicholas J. White

  • HISTORY
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 352 PAGES
  • COMING IN MARCH

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)

Shooting at the Moon, The Story of America's Clandestine War in Laos

Shooting at the Moon, The Story of America's Clandestine War in Laos


by Roger Warner

  • HISTORY
  • 1997
  • PAPER
  • 436 PAGES

Soldiers, diplomats, Hmong villagers and CIA strategists are all depicted fully in this engrossing, well-reported history of the secret war in Laos. (LAO05, $24.95)

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)

The River of Lost Footsteps, Histories of Burma

The River of Lost Footsteps, Histories of Burma


by Thant Myint-U

  • HISTORY
  • 2007
  • PAPER

In this stimulating and important book, Myint-U (grandson of the late UN Secretary General U Thant and author of The Making of Modern Burma) uses Burmese history as a lens for understanding Myanmar today. (BMA51, $15.00)

The Voice of Hope

The Voice of Hope


by Aung San Suu Kyi

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 304 PAGES

Leader of Burma's struggle for democracy, Aung San Suu Kyi speaks her mind with wisdom and humor on personal, religious and political topics in this new edition of conversations with Alan Clements. The dialogues are especially enlightening on the notion of politically engaged Buddhism. (BMA09, $18.95)

Arts of Southeast Asia

Arts of Southeast Asia


by Fiona Kerlogue

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 224 PAGES

A handsome guide to the art, architecture, textiles and crafts of Southeast Asia. (SEA45, $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)

Shwedagon, Golden Pagoda of Myanmar

Shwedagon, Golden Pagoda of Myanmar


by Elizabeth Moore | U Win Pe | Hansjorg Mayer

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 1999
  • HARD COVER
  • 192 PAGES

The Shwedagon, the golden Buddhist shrine of Myanmar, is the subject of this photographic journey. (BMA17, $40.00)

Burmese Looking Glass

Burmese Looking Glass


by Edith Mirante

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 1994
  • PAPER
  • 333 PAGES
  • HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE

A moving story of resistance in the highlands by a dedicated writer with the soul of a poet and the passion of a revolutionary. Deported to Thailand in 1988, Mirante was the first westerner to march with the rebels. (BMA05, $12.00)

From the Land of Green Ghosts, a Burmese Odyssey

From the Land of Green Ghosts, a Burmese Odyssey


by Pascal Khoo Thwe

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 304 PAGES

The young Burmese author, a member of a remote hill-tribe in the Shan hills, captures the traditions and challenges of the Padaung people in this astonishing memoir. (BMA29, $13.99)

Golden Earth, Travels in Burma

Golden Earth, Travels in Burma


by Norman Lewis

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 275 PAGES

The classic, mesmerizing account of the people and country of Burma as recorded by the author during a visit shortly after independence in 1951. (BMA33, $32.95)

The Gentleman in the Parlour

The Gentleman in the Parlour


by Somerset Maugham

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 300 PAGES

Maugham's much-loved portrait of the land and people of Burma circa 1925. (SEA05, $18.95)

The Gods Drink Whiskey

The Gods Drink Whiskey


by Stephen T. Asma

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 288 PAGES

Asma writes with verve and wit in this eye-opening account of his yearlong stint teaching at the Buddhist Institute in Phnom Penh. His account is both an overview of Theravada Buddhism and a down-to-earth portrait of contemporary Cambodia. (CBD46, $14.99)

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)

Under the Dragon, A Journey Through Burma

Under the Dragon, A Journey Through Burma


by Rory MacLean | William Dalrymple

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 224 PAGES

Maclean's perceptive and heartbreaking portrait of contemporary Burma, originally published in 1999, focuses on the ordinary people he met on travels from Rangoon and Mandalay to Pagan and the Golden Triangle. (BMA56, $15.95)

Burmese Days

Burmese Days


by George Orwell

  • LITERATURE
  • 1989
  • PAPER
  • 287 PAGES

Orwell, a veteran of the Colonial police force in Rangoon, writes with irony and insight in this sharp novel of politics, folly and the British. (BMA03, $14.00)

Curse of the Pogo Stick

Curse of the Pogo Stick


by Colin Cotterill

  • LITERATURE
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 240 PAGES

A pogo stick brings a curse on a Hmong village (which our hero, the septuagenarian national coroner Dr. Siri is improbably asked to remove) in this thrilling fifth quirky mystery set in Laos. (LAO18, $14.00)

Saving Fish from Drowning

Saving Fish from Drowning


by Amy Tan

  • LITERATURE
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 474 PAGES

Tan interweaves history, incident and magic in this beguiling novel of Americans on tour who disappear into the jungles of Burma. (BMA44, $15.00)

The Glass Palace

The Glass Palace


by Amitav Ghosh

  • LITERATURE
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 474 PAGES

In this panoramic novel full of tales and anecdote, Ghosh follows the lives and fortunes of Rajkumar and his family over three eventful generations in Burma, India and Malaysia. (IDA173, $15.00)

The Piano Tuner

The Piano Tuner


by Daniel Mason

  • LITERATURE
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 336 PAGES

In this transporting first novel, a mild-mannered tradesman is seduced by late Victorian Burma. Mason's complex, absorbing tale dives into the world of 19th-century colonial Burma, its traditions, trappings, personalities and politics. (BMA31, $14.95)

Thirty-Three Teeth

Thirty-Three Teeth


by Colin Cotterill

  • MYSTERY
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 256 PAGES

Dr. Siri heads to the old royal capital of Luang Prabang, where he gets mixed up with not only communists and killings but also ghosts in this second book in the atmospheric series. (LAO20, $14.00)

Birds of Myanmar

Birds of Myanmar


by Kyaw Nyunt Lwin | Khin Ma Ma Thwin | Aung Thant

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 165 PAGES

A slim field guide to 350 birds of Burma, featuring 74 full-color plates, descriptive information, and a comprehensive checklist. (BMA42, $37.95)

Birds of Southeast Asia

Birds of Southeast Asia


by Craig Robson

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 304 PAGES

This authoritative, masterfully illustrated guide, featuring 140 color plates covering 1,270 species throughout the region, also includes Malaysia, Burma, Borneo and Indonesia. (SEA49, $35.00)

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.