COUNTRY WALKERS
France, Italy & Switzerland: The Mont Blanc Hiking Circuit   |   READING AND TRAVEL GUIDE

Here's a page from Longitude, the specialty bookseller for travelers. To order online, and to see the latest, most comprehensive selection of books and maps, go to http://reading.longitudebooks.com/TV12132. You may also call 800-342-2164 to order or request a catalog.


Essential Books These 4 items are available for $73, including
U.S. shipping, a 15% discount (Item no. EXALP71)
 
Tour of Mont Blanc, Complete Trekking Guide  •  Kev Reynolds
GUIDEBOOK •  2012 •  PAPER  • 243 PAGES
A compact guide to the 11-day, 120-mile classic walk encircling Mont Blanc. With color and black-and-white photos, maps and elevations. The heart of the book is a detailed kilometer-by-kilometer guide to each section of the tour including timings, distances and the author's encouraging, personable remarks on the route. Revised. (ALP24, $24.95)
  Tour of Mont Blanc, Complete Trekking Guide
Killing Dragons, The Conquest of the Alps  •  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)
  Killing Dragons, The Conquest of the Alps
Chamonix, Mont Blanc Massif (East)  •  IGN
MAP
This fabulously detailed topographic map (scale 1:25,000) shows the eastern portion of the Mont Blanc group. In combination with the same publisher's map of the western part of the range (Item FRN315), it's the best map for hikers doing the Mont Blanc circuit. One Side. 48x38 inches. (FRN314, $19.95)
  Chamonix, Mont Blanc Massif (East)
St Gervais les Bains, Mont Blanc (West)  •  IGN
MAP
This fabulously detailed topographic map (scale 1:25,000) shows the western portion of the Mont Blanc group. In combination with the same publisher's map of the eastern part of the range (Item FRN314), it's the best map for hikers doing the Mont Blanc circuit. One Side. 52x38 inches. (FRN315, $19.95)
  St Gervais les Bains, Mont Blanc (West)



Also Recommended

Alps Map  •  Freytag & Berndt    •  This regional map (1:500,000), centered on the Alps, includes portions of Austria, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and France. (ALP07, $14.95)
 
 
Explore Mont Blanc  •  Gareth McCormack   • GUIDEBOOK  •  A compact, practical guide in the "Rucksack Reader" series, this book features a route map, photographs and practical details for the classic 11-day Mont Blanc circuit though France, Italy and Switzerland. (ALP27, $15.95)
 
 
Eyewitness Guide Switzerland  •  Eyewitness Guides   • GUIDEBOOK  •  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)
 
 
La Place de la Concorde Suisse  •  John McPhee   • CULTURAL PORTRAIT  •  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)
 
 
The Alps, A Cultural History  •  Andrew Beattie   • HISTORY  •  Beattie explores the turbulent past and vibrant present of the Alps, where early pioneers of tourism, mountaineering and scientific research have all left their mark. (ALP30, $35.00)
 
 
The Best of the Alps  •  Jay Cowan   • HISTORY  •  A tour of 11 well known resorts throughout the Alps, illustrated in full-color photos. With descriptions of popular activities, events and a short history of each resort. (ALP18, $19.95)
 
 
Why Switzerland?  •  Jonathan Steinberg   • CULTURAL PORTRAIT  •  A masterly overview of the idiosyncrasies of Switzerland, its history, language, politics and identity as a naysayer at the center of Europe. (SWZ04, $37.99)
 
 
Eiger Dreams, Ventures Among Men and Mountains  •  Jon Krakauer   • EXPLORATION  •  A collection of some of Krakauer's (Into Thin Air) best journalism, these stories and essays focus on the mindset and determination of world-class mountaineers, including Alpine and Himalayan climbers. (ALP10, $14.95)
 
 
Iceman: Uncovering the Life and Times of a Prehistoric Man Found in an Alpine Glacier  •  Brenda Fowler   • ARCHAEOLOGY  •  The complete story of the discovery of and controversy surrounding the frozen corpse of a prehistoric man found in the Tyrolian Alps. (ALP20, $20.00)
 
 
Seven Summits  •  Dick Bass  •  Frank Wells  •  Rick Ridgeway   • EXPLORATION  •  For those heading to Africa, this book about two men trying to conquer the world's seven summit includes a detailed description of the (non-technical) Machame route on Kilimanjaro. (EXP48, $15.99)
 
 
Storm Over Mont Blanc  •  Arnold Fanck   • EXPLORATION  •  Starring Leni Riefenstahl (Triumph of the Will), Fanck's celebrated film (1930) is a masterful example of the Bergfilm (Mountain Film). (ALP38, $29.95)
 
 
A Tramp Abroad  •  Mark Twain  •  David Eggers  •  Kerry Driscoll   • TRAVEL NARRATIVE  •  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)
 
 
Cham  •  Jonathan Trigell   • LITERATURE  •  A young British author who lives in Chamonix, Trigell captures the beauty of the region, the allure of the slopes and the decadent vibe of the ski bum sub-culture in this edgy thriller. (ALP39, $16.95)
 
 
Homestead  •  Rosini Lippi   • LITERATURE  •  Set firmly in a small village in the Austrian Alps, these 12 interlinking stories are almost ethnographic in their rich detail of small town life. The stories range from the turn-of-the-century to the present, accurately charting change in the remote village. (ALP11, $13.95)
 
 
Hotel du Lac  •  Anita Brookner   • LITERATURE  •  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, $13.95)
 
 
Solo Faces  •  James Salter   • LITERATURE  •  The story of an American climber who, dissatisfied with his everyday life, travels to the Alps of southern France to tackle mountain peaks. The prose is glorious and the mountain-climbing scenes are as vivid as they get. (ALP14, $15.00)
 
 
Glacier Ice  •  Austin Post  •  Edward R. LaChapelle   • NATURAL HISTORY  •  A classic book of extraordinary black-and-white aerial photographs of mountains and glaciers by two devoted men of ice. Ed LaChapelle's text is paired with Austin Post's stunning aerial photographs of glaciers from Alaska and Chile to Switzerland, the Himalayas and other parts of the world. (SCI07, $27.95)
 
 
Birds of Europe  •  Lars Svensson   • FIELD GUIDE • 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)
 
 
 
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