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READING AND TRAVEL GUIDE

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Enrich your travels with reading! Here's a hand-picked list prepared for your journey in conjunction with the book experts at Longitude.

Item EXEUR601. Buy these 6 items as a set for $103 including shipping, 15% off the retail price.
With free shipping on anything else you order.

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Lonely Planet Central Europe

by Lonely Planet

• GUIDEBOOK
• 2011
• PAPER
• 662 PAGES
• BEST SELLER

With dozens of maps, color photographs and sections on history and culture, this practical guide introduces Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland and their neighbors. (EUR94, $29.99)

A Time of Gifts

by Patrick Leigh Fermor

• TRAVEL NARRATIVE
• 2005
• PAPER
• 384 PAGES
• BEST SELLER

Fermor effortlessly interweaves anecdote, history and culture in this exuberant account of a walk from Holland, up the Rhine and down the Danube, through Germany, Prague and Austria in 1933. Written not in the moment, but 40 years later, the accumulation of time and experience give the book particular poignancy. (CEU30, $16.95)

The German Way

by Hyde Flippo

• CULTURAL PORTRAIT
• 1997
• PAPER
• 138 PAGES
• BEST SELLER

This clever A-to-Z guide to quirks, attitudes, behavior and customs is a terrific resource for travelers seeking insight into why the Germans, Austrians and Swiss do what they do. (GER12, $17.00)

Budapest 1900

by John Lukacs

• HISTORY
• 1990
• PAPER
• 255 PAGES

Written by a distinguished historian and native son, this richly detailed portrait of the city at its zenith includes hundreds of illustrations. (HGR01, $16.95)

A Nervous Splendor, Vienna 1888-1889

by Frederic Morton

• HISTORY
• 1980
• PAPER
• 340 PAGES

A portrait of Vienna at the end of the 19th century, this book focuses on Crown Prince Rudolph, his devastating suicide and the rich texture of gossip and daily life at the Habsburg Court. It captures the political ferment, intellectual creativity, gaiety and despair of fin-de-siecle Austria. (AST16, $16.00)

Central Europe Map

by Freytag & Berndt

• 2010
• MAP

This colorful regional European map, like the sister map Europe Grand Tour (EUR185), covers from Paris and Amsterdam to Vienna, Prague, Warsaw, Budapest, Rome and Dubrovnik. (EUR12, $14.95)

 

Also Recommended

Frommer's Budapest Day by Day

by Robert Smyth

• GUIDEBOOK
• 2009
• PAPER

This illustrated pocket guide, ideal for a short visit, features excellent suggestions for everything from food and hotels to sightseeing and shopping. With a separate foldout map of the city center. (HGR65, $12.99)

All Along the Danube: Recipes from Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Romania, & Bulgaria

by Marina Polvay

• FOOD
• 2002
• PAPER
• 360 PAGES

A cookbook full of classic recipes from Central Europe, with some valuable morsels of culture. (EUR42, $16.95)

A Concise History of Germany

by Mary Fulbrook

• HISTORY
• 2004
• PAPER
• 277 PAGES

This essential short history of Germany -- a whirlwind survey in less than 300 pages -- explores the relationships between social, political and cultural factors in this land located in the center of Europe. (GER13, $28.99)

A History of Slovakia, The Struggle for Survival

by Stanislav K. Kirschbaum

• HISTORY
• 1996
• PAPER
• 350 PAGES

A historian from Bratislava traces his nation's roots from the first arrival on the Danubian Plain to Slovakia's declaration of independence in 1993. A particularly solid discussion of the Communist period and the nation's relationship with the Czechs and Hungary. (EUR93, $20.00)

All Along the Rhine: Recipes, Wine and Lore from Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein and Holland

by Kay Shaw Nelson

• CULTURAL PORTRAIT
• 2003
• PAPER
• 211 PAGES

A tribute to the Rhine Valley, its history, culture and especially its food in 130 authentic recipes. (GER111, $14.95)

Bury Me Standing

by Isabel Fonseca

• CULTURAL PORTRAIT
• 1996
• PAPER
• 322 PAGES

This marvelous portrait of the Roma, also known as the Gypsies, offers insight into their music, foods, religions and folk traditions, and also examines their influential but complex relationship with Eastern Europe. (EUR09, $14.95)

Danube

by Claudio Magris

• CULTURAL PORTRAIT
• 2008
• PAPER
• 416 PAGES

Mixing history, personalities and literature, Magris traces the course of the Danube from its source in the heart of the Austro-Hungarian empire through the Balkans to the Black Sea in this anything but conventional travelogue, first published in 1986. (EUR58, $17.00)

Europe Between the Oceans: 9000 BC-AD 1000

by Barry Cunliffe

• HISTORY
• 2011
• PAPER
• 520 PAGES

In this magnificent book, distinguished archaeologist Cunliffe boldly recasts European history through the lens of geography, showing its seas and rivers as the conduits to trade and culture. With lucid maps and choice illustrations. (EUR310, $30.00)

In Europe, Travels Through the Twentieth Century

by Geert Mak

• HISTORY
• 2008
• PAPER
• 896 PAGES

Don't be put off by the heft of Mak's eye-opening account of Europe on the brink of the millennium. The chapters originally appeared on the front page of a Dutch newspaper, and his deft reports from disparate locales are light in touch, bridging history, travel and opinion. (EUR254, $21.00)

The Burgermeister's Daughter, Scandal in a Sixteenth-Century German Town

by Steven Ozment

• HISTORY
• 1997
• PAPER
• 256 PAGES

Meticulously researched and absorbing, this narrative by a Harvard historian traces the legal battle of the daughter of a well-to-do family who was thrown out of her home and disinherited in 1525. (GER25, $13.99)

The Europe Book

by Lonely Planet Publications

• CULTURAL PORTRAIT
• 2010
• PAPER
• 256 PAGES

Each country in Europe gets a two-page spread in this glossy coffee table companion, full of arresting images, maps, and bits of information. (EUR317, $24.99)

The Germans

by Gordon A. Craig

• CULTURAL PORTRAIT
• 1991
• PAPER
• 361 PAGES

A gifted historian, Craig explores the complex paradoxes of German identity in this masterly portrait of German life, past and present, with chapters on religion, money, Jews, women, literature and society, Berlin and language. (GER10, $18.00)

The Habsburgs, Embodying Empire

by Andrew Wheatcroft

• HISTORY
• 1995
• PAPER
• 384 PAGES

The Habsburgs ruled over more diverse peoples and cultures than any other European dynasty since the Roman period. With skillful scholarship and engaging style, Wheatcroft reveals the history of this family of eccentric monarchs. (AST11, $17.00)

The Rhine, Culture and Landscape at the Heart of Europe

by Roland Recht

• CULTURAL PORTRAIT
• 2001
• HARD COVER
• 360 PAGES

This beautifully illustrated, oversized survey of the history, geography and culture of the Rhine shows cities, villages and sights along the river from its source in the Alps to the North Sea. (GER120, $75.00)

Baroque and Rococo Art

by Germain Bazin

• ART & ARCHITECTURE
• 1985
• PAPER
• 288 PAGES

An excellent illustrated survey of Baroque and Rococo art and architecture, this volume in the acclaimed "World of Art" series is a good companion to the golden age of Middle Europe. (EUR53, $21.95)

Cathedrals and Castles, The Cathedral Builders of the Middle Ages

by Alain Erlande-Brandenburg

• ART & ARCHITECTURE
• 2010
• PAPER
• 175 PAGES

This pocket-size encyclopedia of the art, architecture and culture of the Middle Ages features hundreds of drawings, color illustrations and a brief chronology. (MED07, $15.95)

The Gothic Enterprise, A Guide to Understanding the Medieval Cathedral

by Robert A. Scott

• ART & ARCHITECTURE
• 2005
• PAPER
• 294 PAGES

An enthusiast, Scott presents history, design, architecture and wonder of the medieval cathedral and the great Abbey churches. (EUR190, $21.95)

Eiger Dreams, Ventures Among Men and Mountains

by Jon Krakauer

• EXPLORATION
• 2009
• PAPER
• 192 PAGES

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)

Mozart

by Peter Gay

• BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
• 2006
• PAPER
• 177 PAGES

This concise, entertaining portrait delves into Mozart's complex relationship with his father, his daunting role as a child prodigy and his exploration of new musical territory. (AST43, $14.00)

Scrambles Amongst the Alps: In the Years 1860-69

by Edward Whymper

• EXPLORATION
• 2002
• PAPER
• 320 PAGES

Edward Wymper's vivid account of Victorian-era mountaineering, a classic, captures the geography, beauty and allure of the Alps. (ALP02, $16.00)

The Diary of a Young Girl, The Definitive Edition

by Anne Frank

• BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
• 1995
• PAPER
• 340 PAGES

The classic story of an adolescent Jewish girl's life and thoughts while in hiding with her family in Nazi-occupied Holland. A new edition with added material. (NTH05, $13.00)

The Blue Flower

by Penelope Fitzgerald

• LITERATURE
• 1995
• PAPER
• 225 PAGES

Set in the Age of Goethe, this exquisitely written short novel is a fictional account of the life of the Romantic poet Novalis. It paints a vivid picture of German intellectual and mercantile life in the late 1700s. (GER21, $13.00)

The Glance of Countess Hahn-Hahn (Down the Danube)

by Peter Esterhazy

• LITERATURE
• 2000
• PAPER
• 246 PAGES

A confounding, postmodern novel, this meditation on travel, the Danube, and its history is great fun for those with an appreciation for wordplay and intellectual games. (HGR11, $19.00)

The Radetzky March

by Joseph Roth | Joachim Neugroschel

• LITERATURE
• 2002
• PAPER
• 331 PAGES

Magnificently set against the backdrop of the twilight of the Habsburg empire, Roth's family saga takes in the sweep of history and empire in Central Europe. The richly textured novel opens at the battle of Solferino, when young Lieutenant Trotta saves the life of the Emperor. (AST17, $16.95)

The Tin Drum

by Gunter Grass

• LITERATURE
• 2010
• PAPER
• 582 PAGES

Probably the best German novel written since the end of World War II, this is the surreal story of a mute dwarf named Oskar who lives through Nazi Germany and finds himself in a mental institution. (GER33, $15.95)

Vienna, A Traveler's Literary Companion

by Donald Daviau

• ANTHOLOGY
• 2008
• PAPER
• 256 PAGES

Organized by neighborhood, these 15 alluring tales introduce both the city and its writers, including Arthur Schnitzler, Robert Musil, Stefan Zweig and even Franz Kafka, who had a long and complicated association with the city. (AST94, $14.95)

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)

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