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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 EXTBT50. Buy these 5 items as a set for $89 including shipping, 15% off the retail price.
With free shipping on anything else you order.

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Lonely Planet Tibet

Lonely Planet Tibet

by Lonely Planet

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 394 PAGES

A practical guide to Tibet with maps, features on Tibetan and Mandarin language, notes on Buddhism, Tibetan culture and its rich history. (TBT50, $28.99)

To a Mountain in Tibet

To a Mountain in Tibet

by Colin Thubron

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2011
  • HARD COVER
  • 288 PAGES

The intrepid, soulful Thubron journeys from Nepal to Kailas, the revered mountain, "source of the universe, created from cosmic waters and the mind of Brahma." (TBT134, $25.99)

Essential Tibetan Buddhism

Essential Tibetan Buddhism

by Robert Thurman

  • RELIGION
  • 1996
  • PAPER
  • 317 PAGES

The foremost Western scholar of Tibetan Buddhism, Thurman has chosen well from that tradition's sacred literature and helpfully includes suggested further reading, explanatory notes and a directory of sacred sites. (TBT15, $14.99)

Lonely Planet Tibetan Phrasebook

Lonely Planet Tibetan Phrasebook

by Sandup Tsering

  • LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 254 PAGES

A brief guide with place names, pronunciation and common phrases. (TBT52, $8.99)

Tibet Map

Tibet Map

by Gizi Map

  • 2011
  • MAP

A colorful map of Tibet at a scale of 1:2,000,000. (TBT17, $16.95)

 
The Lhasa Map

The Lhasa Map


by Gecko Maps

  • 2003
  • MAP

This fantastically detailed walking map (1:4,000) includes architecture and points of interest. (TBT126, $23.99)

Bradt Guide Tibet

Bradt Guide Tibet


by Michael Buckley

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 304 PAGES

A practical, detailed overview of Tibetan history, culture, attractions and natural life. Includes color photographs, local maps and excellent travel information. (TBT74, $22.95)

Learning Practical Tibetan

Learning Practical Tibetan


by Andrew Bloomfield | Yanki Tshering

  • LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS
  • 1998
  • PAPER
  • 202 PAGES

A guide to learning useful Tibetan phrases, designed with the traveler in mind. (TBT38, $19.95)

Trekking Tibet

Trekking Tibet


by Gary McCue | George Schaller

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 416 PAGES

An indispensable guide, featuring pre-trip planning, discussions of the most scenic routes and an overview of Tibetan culture and history. (TBT10, $29.95)

Buddha is as Buddha Does, The Ten Original Practices for Enlightened Living


by Surya Das

  • RELIGION
  • 2007
  • HARD COVER

The respected Tibetan Buddhist teacher illuminates the virtuous life through the paramitas or teachings, traditional stories, historical and modern examples. (TBT114, $23.95)

Happiness, A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill

Happiness, A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill


by Matthieu Ricard

  • RELIGION
  • 2007
  • PAPER

The scientist-turned-monk's primer on Buddhism as a journey to fulfillment and transformation. (GEN381, $14.99)

Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism

Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism


by John Powers

  • RELIGION
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 591 PAGES

A comprehensive study of the history and philosophy behind Tibetan Buddhism, suitable for the general reader. (TBT40, $22.95)

My Tibet

My Tibet


by Galen Rowell

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1995
  • PAPER
  • 162 PAGES

Rowell captures the spirit and powerful allure of Tibet in these striking color photographs of the people and landscapes. (TBT58, $49.95)

The Dragon in the Land of Snows

The Dragon in the Land of Snows


by Tsering Shakya

  • HISTORY
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 606 PAGES

A comprehensive account of the history and political development of Tibet since 1947, which includes eye-opening details of the American, British and Indian players involved in Tibet's struggle for sovereignty. (TBT32, $18.00)

The Open Road, The Global Journey of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama

The Open Road, The Global Journey of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama


by Pico Iyer

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 288 PAGES

Travel writer Pico Iyer, who has known the Dalai Lama since his days as a graduate student in Britain, draws on his long association with the man and his ideas for this remarkable portrait of the Tibetan people and the aspirations of their leader. He includes chapters on daily life in Dharamsala, travels with the Dalai Lama and incisive commentary on the history and future of Tibet. (TBT118, $14.95)

The Search for the Panchen Lama

The Search for the Panchen Lama


by Isabel Hilton

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 352 PAGES

A skillful and subtle story of the selection -- and kidnapping -- of the 11th incarnation of the Pachen Lama, revealing much of the current state of affairs between Tibet and China. (TBT43, $14.95)

Tibet, An Enduring Civilization

Tibet, An Enduring Civilization


by Francoise Pommaret

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 160 PAGES

This pocket-size encyclopedia, packed with hundreds of full-color illustrations and photos, highlights the culture and history of Tibet. Pommaret, who has written widely on the Himalayas, devotes a section to Tibet today, titled Invasion and Colonization. (TBT69, $12.95)

Trespassers on the Roof of the World

Trespassers on the Roof of the World


by Peter Hopkirk

  • HISTORY
  • 1995
  • PAPER
  • 288 PAGES

Hopkirk's spellbinding history of the uninvited exploration of Tibet from the 19th century to the present, including a fantastic array of Victorian adventurers. His wild tale has as its centerpiece the 1949-1951 invasion by China. (TBT08, $16.00)

Visions of Tibet: Outer, Inner, Secret


by Brian Kistler | Robert Thurman

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 2007
  • HARD COVER
  • 144 PAGES

Kistler's photographs, taken over a 15-year period, celebrate Tibet, its monuments, people and places. (TBT95, $49.95)

A Journey in Ladakh

A Journey in Ladakh


by Andrew Harvey

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 236 PAGES

The vivid account of a 1981 journey by a young English poet in search of ancient Buddhist traditions in remote Ladakh. (HML15, $18.95)

Freedom in Exile, The Autobiography of the Dalai Lama

Freedom in Exile, The Autobiography of the Dalai Lama


by Dalai Lama

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 1991
  • PAPER
  • 320 PAGES

A vivid self-portrait, told with optimism, great determination, humor and insight. (TBT25, $15.99)

From Heaven Lake, Travels Through Sinkiang and Tibet


by Vikram Seth

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 1987
  • PAPER
  • 178 PAGES

An unconventional, award-winning travelogue of a 1981 trip to India from China via the Himalayas by the marvelous Indian novelist Vikram Seth. (HML19, $15.00)

My Journey to Lhasa

My Journey to Lhasa


by Alexandra David-Neel

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 317 PAGES

Dressed as a humble pilgrim and traveling under the cover of night, the indomitable 55-year-old David-Neel and her young companion climbed mountains and tricked soldiers to ultimately reach Tibet's forbidden capital. Originally published in 1923, her account stands as a riveting portrait of early 20th-century Tibet. (TBT26, $14.99)

Seven Years in Tibet

Seven Years in Tibet


by Heinrich Harrer

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 352 PAGES

First published in 1953, this is the riveting account of a young Austrian adventurer and mountaineer who became tutor to the Dalai Lama. (TBT02, $14.95)

The Snow Leopard

The Snow Leopard


by Peter Matthiessen

  • EXPLORATION
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 368 PAGES
  • FAVORITE

The most perceptive, acutely observed and personal of all his books, Matthiessen's account of a five-week journey through Nepal with naturalist George Schaller combines their quest for the elusive cat with a moving introduction to Buddhism and the people and culture of the Himalayas. (NPL03, $16.00)

The Struggle for Modern Tibet, The Autobiography of Tashi Tsering

The Struggle for Modern Tibet, The Autobiography of Tashi Tsering


by Melvyn C. Goldstein | William Siebenschuh | Tashi Tsering

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 220 PAGES

The life story of an idealistic young man who juggled traditional hierarchy in traditional Tibet with the promise and poison of Mao's Cultural revolution. (TBT53, $26.95)

The Way of the White Clouds

The Way of the White Clouds


by Lama Anagarika Govinda | Robert Thurman

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 400 PAGES

The 40th anniversary edition of the remarkable German-born monk and interpreter of Tibetan Buddhism's account of travels and discoveries in Tibet before the 1950 Chinese invasion. (TBT87, $19.95)

Prayer of the Dragon

Prayer of the Dragon


by Eliot Pattison

  • MYSTERY
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 416 PAGES

In this fifth superb political thriller set in modern Tibet, former Beijing inspector Shan comes the aid of a Navajo visitor at a remote monastery. (TBT121, $14.00)

Red Poppies

Red Poppies


by Alai | Howard Goldblatt | Sylvia Li-Chun Lin

  • LITERATURE
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 433 PAGES

This family saga unfolds in the 1930s among the warlords of eastern Tibet. (TBT61, $24.95)

Sky Burial, An Epic Love Story of Tibet

Sky Burial, An Epic Love Story of Tibet


by Xinran

  • LITERATURE
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 206 PAGES

Xinran turns the tale of a young Chinese woman's lifelong search for her husband in Tibet, based on an 1994 interview, into a powerful, gut-wrenching tale, evoking the customs, traditions and challenges of contemporary Tibet. (CHN282, $14.95)

Tales of Tibet: Sky Burials, Wind Horses and Prayer Wheels

Tales of Tibet: Sky Burials, Wind Horses and Prayer Wheels


by Herbert J. Batt | Tsering Shakya

  • LITERATURE
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 240 PAGES

A collection of short fiction by contemporary Tibetan authors. The stories, many imbued with a Buddhist perspective, depict traditional ritual and rites. (TBT57, $33.95)

Travelers' Tales Tibet

Travelers' Tales Tibet


by James O'Reilly | Larry Habegger

  • ANTHOLOGY
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 320 PAGES
  • OUT OF PRINT

An engaging, insightful and entertaining selection of eyewitness reports. (TBT65, $18.95)

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.