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/SB12265. You may also call 800-342-2164 to order or request a catalog.

These 5 items are available for $79, including U.S. shipping, a 20% discount (Item no. EXCHN553)

Lonely Planet Discover China  •  Lonely Planet GUIDEBOOK •  2011 •  PAPER  • 448 PAGES Focusing on must-see and memorable places and experiences, this all color guide by the discerning editors at Lonely Planet, featuring hundreds of color photographs and maps, includes suggested tours and itineraries along with not-to-be-missed places to stay, eat, shop and see. (CHN674, $27.99)
Understanding China  •  John Bryan Starr HISTORY •  2010 •  PAPER  • 400 PAGES Yale professor John Bryan Starr brings us up to date in this just published third edition (the last one was ten years old) of his succinct and refreshingly forthright best-selling guide to China's economy, history and politics. With all the frothing over the role of China in the world, this is the essential primer. (CHN196, $17.95)
The Forbidden City, Center of Imperial China  •  Gilles Beguin  •  Dominique Morel HISTORY •  1997 •  PAPER  • 144 PAGES This slim volume is packed with maps, archival photographs and illustrations. A surprisingly effective overview of Beijing's Imperial Court, with a useful chronology, and a carefully chosen selection of writings over the ages. Part of the acclaimed "Discoveries" series of references that fit in your pocket, for travelers it's an indispensable and handy guide to the Forbidden City and the history of Imperial China. (CHN32, $15.95)
Wild Swans, Three Daughters of China  •  Jung Chang BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2003 •  PAPER  • 524 PAGES • FAVORITE A riveting tale of three generations spanning the end of Old China, Mao's regime and the Japanese occupation. Chang chronicles the enormous changes in China since 1929 through her family's story, which includes arrest during the Cultural Revolution, exile to the Sichuan wilderness and coming to terms with the bewildering state of China today. It's quite a tale, wonderfully told without a trace of rancor or bitterness. Living in London since 1978, Chang visits her mother back in China every year. You can imagine Chang with notebook in hand back in the family apartment absorbed in the stories of her much-loved mother. The book opens with the statement, "At the age of 15 my grandmother became the concubine of a warlord general. It was 1929 and China was in chaos." (CHN04, $16.99)
China Map  •  International Travel Maps 2006 •  MAP A fine, double-sided map of China, at a useful scale of 1:3,800,000, featuring colorful shaded relief, indexed with an inset map of central Beijing. Fifth edition. It also shows parts of Korea, Mongolia, Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan and Burma. Two Sides. 39x27 inches. (CHN06, $11.95)

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