Welcome!

Enrich Your Travels with Longitude

We've got the classic, new and hard-to-find books and maps to help you get the most out of your adventures.

SIGN UP FOR

Longitude News

Get our monthly e-mail update

GET A

Catalog

BEST OF 2011

Wild Coast

John Gimlette

SEE ALL >

FOR THE HOLIDAYS

To the Arctic

Florian Schultz

SEE ALL >

OUR FAVORITES

Arctic Dreams

Barry Lopez

SEE ALL >

GLOBES

The Pioneer

Replogle

SEE ALL >

Ireland and Great Britain

READING AND TRAVEL GUIDE

  • E-MAIL
  • PRINT

Kids

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 EXGBR169. Buy these 5 items as a set for $92 including shipping, 15% off the retail price.
With free shipping on anything else you order.

ADD SET
TO BOOKBAG
Eyewitness Guide Great Britain

Eyewitness Guide Great Britain

by Eyewitness Guides

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 720 PAGES

With 1,400 photos, maps and excellent introductory chapters, this guide is both a general introduction to Great Britain and a region-by-region look at its attractions. (GBR01, $30.00)

The Story of England

The Story of England

by Christopher Hibbert

  • HISTORY
  • 1992
  • PAPER
  • 224 PAGES

Beautifully illustrated with color pictures, chronological charts, royal genealogies and maps, this popular history of English politics, economics and culture from the Neolithic age to the 1990s is an excellent traveler's companion. (GBR02, $19.95)

The Reader's Companion to Ireland

The Reader's Companion to Ireland

by Alan Ryan

  • ANTHOLOGY
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 352 PAGES

A wonderful collection of stories and excerpts from classic and modern authors such as Eric Newby, Jan Morris, Heinrich Boll and Paul Theroux. (IRE41, $23.95)

The Mother Tongue, English and How it Got That Way

The Mother Tongue, English and How it Got That Way

by Bill Bryson

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1996
  • PAPER
  • 270 PAGES

An indispensable guide to the language that divides us, this book is an informative linguistic history which showcases Bryson's wry wit. (GBR15, $14.99)

Great Britain and Ireland Map

Great Britain and Ireland Map

by HEMA Maps

  • MAP

A nicely detailed map showing both Great Britain and Ireland at a scale of 1:750,000. (GBR31, $10.95)

 
Fodor's Dublin's 25 Best

Fodor's Dublin's 25 Best


by Fodor's

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 128 PAGES

Take along this handy pocket guide, which includes a map and information on city highlights. (IRE30, $11.99)

Fodor's London's 25 Best

Fodor's London's 25 Best


by Fodor's

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 128 PAGES

This slim guide to London (with handy full-color maps) has everything you need to know for a short visit to the city, including recommended sightseeing, restaurants, hotels and shops. (GBR08, $11.95)

Highlanders, A History of the Highland Clans

Highlanders, A History of the Highland Clans


by Fitzroy MacLean

  • HISTORY
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 276 PAGES

A marvelous storyteller, Maclean recounts the origins, uprisings and personalities of Highland Scotland from Celtic legends to the bloody defeat of Bonnie Prince Charles at Culloden Moors in this vivid, beautifully illustrated history. (SCT33, $35.00)

Ireland, A Concise History

Ireland, A Concise History


by Maire O'Brien | Conor Cruise O'Brien

  • HISTORY
  • 1985
  • PAPER
  • 192 PAGES
  • OUT OF PRINT

With its lively, even-handed tone and hundreds of photographs, this grand history by scholar and statesman O'Brien conveys the essence of the Irish experience. (IRE20, $19.95)

London Perceived

London Perceived


by Evelyn Hofer | V. S. Pritchett

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 214 PAGES

A classic, lyrical celebration of the palaces, parks, people and everyday experience of London. Pritchett's eloquent riffs on the character of the city are accompanied by evocative black-and-white photographs by the superb Evelyn Hofer. (GBR310, $19.95)

Most Beautiful Villages of Ireland

Most Beautiful Villages of Ireland


by Hugh Palmer | Christopher Fitz-Simon

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 200 PAGES

With hundreds of color photographs, this illustrated portrait of Ireland, its landscape, architecture and people includes maps and a travel guide. (IRE136, $26.95)

Scotland, A Concise History

Scotland, A Concise History


by Fitzroy MacLean | Magnus Linklater

  • HISTORY
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 248 PAGES

With 250 well-integrated illustrations, this lively and authoritative history covers the romantic figures and bloody battles from the early clans up to the present. (SCT15, $19.95)

The Age of Shakespeare

The Age of Shakespeare


by Francois Laroque

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1993
  • PAPER
  • 175 PAGES

This pocket-size encyclopedia, an excellent introduction to Elizabethan England, presents Shakespeare, his life, times and legacy in concise essays and well-chosen illustrations. (GBR11, $12.95)

The Encyclopedia of Ireland

The Encyclopedia of Ireland


by Brian Lalor

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 2003
  • HARD COVER
  • 1200 PAGES

A gloriously detailed, magisterial encyclopedia of Irish life, culture, and history. Featuring full-color illustrations, maps, and an impressive range of biographical entries. (IRE137, $65.00)

The Lives of the Kings and Queens of England

The Lives of the Kings and Queens of England


by Antonia Fraser

  • HISTORY
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 384 PAGES

Lady Fraser gathers eight British historians for this engaging, illustrated history of the monarchy from 1066 to the House of Windsor, chock full of personality, incident and scandal. (GBR160, $34.95)

The Steel Bonnets

The Steel Bonnets


by George MacDonald Fraser

  • HISTORY
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 416 PAGES

MacDonald Fraser captures the celebrated mayhem, blood and glory of the Anglo-Scottish border raids in rich and entertaining detail. (SCT04, $14.95)

The Victorians

The Victorians


by A.N. Wilson

  • HISTORY
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 724 PAGES

A dazzling survey of the personalities, obessions and follies of an imperial age. (GBR396, $24.95)

All Creatures Great and Small

All Creatures Great and Small


by James Herriot

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 1998
  • PAPER
  • 437 PAGES

The first volume in the series of wildly popular tales by a country veterinarian -- and born storyteller -- set among the folk of the Yorkshire Dales. (GBR104, $7.99)

Churchill, A Biography


by Roy Jenkins

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 1002 PAGES

An elegant, vivid portrait of Churchill and especially his life in politics. (GBR356, $25.00)

Following Hadrian, A Second-Century Journey Through the Roman Empire

Following Hadrian, A Second-Century Journey Through the Roman Empire


by Elizabeth Speller

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 328 PAGES

A portrait of the emperor and his world, (ITL456, $29.95)

In Search of England

In Search of England


by H.V. Morton | James Morris

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 274 PAGES

The much-beloved, enduring account of Morton's ramblings through the English countryside in the early days of the motorcar. Morton charmingly mixes a deep appreciation of the art, culture and history of the place with his own keen observations. (GBR368, $16.00)

Mary Queen of Scots

Mary Queen of Scots


by Antonia Fraser

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 1993
  • PAPER
  • 613 PAGES

This richly readable biography, the story of a legend who was loved even en route to her death, illuminates Mary's age as well as the figure herself. (SCT01, $20.00)

Round Ireland in Low Gear

Round Ireland in Low Gear


by Eric Newby

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 328 PAGES

This time much closer to home and on a bicycle, in the winter, Newby applies his wit on his neighbors on the Emerald Isle, the perfect opportunity to comment on ancient history, hermits and the lack of dry accommodations. (IRE29, $18.95)

Shakespeare


by Michael Wood

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 352 PAGES

Companion to a popular PBS documentary series, this lavishly illustrated investigation of the Bard is a nice introduction to the man and his times, delving into his personal life, his influences and his most notable works. (GBR473, $17.95)

Winston Spencer Churchill, The Last Lion: Visions of Glory, 1874-1932


by William Manchester

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 1983
  • PAPER
  • 973 PAGES

This impressive volume, which covers the first 58 years of the monumental figure who guided England from the pinnacle of world empire through the catastrophe of World War II, ends in 1932. (GBR18, $25.00)

84 Charing Cross Road


by Helene Hanff

  • LITERATURE
  • 1990
  • PAPER
  • 97 PAGES

This charming novel of bibliophilia tells of a love triangle between a New York writer, the owner of a London bookstore and the books he sells. (GBR231, $13.00)

Dubliners

Dubliners


by James Joyce

  • LITERATURE
  • 1992
  • PAPER
  • 317 PAGES

James Joyce's unsurpassed collection of short stories depicting ordinary life in Dublin among the lower middle class -- a milestone in the history of prose fiction. (IRE15, $11.00)

Irish Fairy and Folk Tales

Irish Fairy and Folk Tales


by W.B. Yeats

  • LITERATURE
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 380 PAGES

Edited by the Nobel Prize-winning poet who spearheaded the Celtic Renaissance in the early 20th century, these enchanting stories introduce a cast of changelings, ghosts, mermaids, demons, saints, priests and fairies. (IRE04, $16.00)

London, The Novel


by Edward Rutherfurd

  • LITERATURE
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 1126 PAGES

This novel marches through 2,000 years of London history. (GBR98, $18.95)

Rob Roy

Rob Roy


by Sir Walter Scott

  • LITERATURE
  • 1995
  • PAPER
  • 501 PAGES

Adventure in the highlands of 18th-century Scotland starring the dashing outlaw Rob Roy MacGregor. Part of the "Penguin Classics" series, this book contains explanatory notes and an introduction that sets it in its historical context. (SCT20, $11.00)

The Hill Bachelors

The Hill Bachelors


by William Trevor

  • LITERATURE
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 256 PAGES

No one writes better short fiction than William Trevor. This collection of 12 stories captures the life and people of rural Ireland. (IRE42, $15.00)

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie


by Muriel Spark

  • LITERATURE
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 150 PAGES

A terribly witty novel from the incomparable Dame Muriel. Miss Jean Brodie is an unorthodox teacher at an Edinburgh girls' boarding school who wins the hearts and minds of her students, only to discover that girls from the provinces are ill-prepared for progressive thought. (SCT42, $13.99)

The Teapots Are Out and Other Eccentric Tales from Ireland

The Teapots Are Out and Other Eccentric Tales from Ireland


by John B. Keane

  • LITERATURE
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 192 PAGES

A collection of 17 sentimental, sad, outrageous and just plain fun stories by the prolific North Kerry saloon-keeper, balladeer, playwright and novelist. Keane, who died in 2002, had an eye (and ear) for Irish rural life. (IRE144, $13.95)

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.