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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 EXWLD189. Buy these 6 items as a set for $109 including shipping, 15% off the retail price.
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Rapa Nui, Island of Memory

by Georgia Lee

• BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
• 2006
• PAPER
• 212 PAGES

Full of anecdote and incident, Lee's lively memoir of fieldwork on Rapa Nui celebrates the people and life on the island since the 1980s. (EIL20, $25.00)

Down the Nile, Alone in a Fisherman's Skiff

by Rosemary Mahoney

• TRAVEL NARRATIVE
• 2008
• PAPER
• 273 PAGES

Mahoney weaves the tale of her quest to row the Nile with deft portraits of the people she meets in this marvelously engaging chronicle. (EGY207, $14.99)

The Incas

by Carmen Bernard | Paul Bahn

• ARCHAEOLOGY
• 1994
• PAPER
• 192 PAGES

Featuring hundreds of archival drawings and photographs, a chronology and chapters on Atahualpa, the Conquistadors and Hiram Bingham, this handy book (previously published as "People of the Sun") illuminates the daily life, monuments and history of the Inca. (AND03, $14.95)

Taj Mahal

by Giles Tillotson | Mary Beard

• ART & ARCHITECTURE
• 2008
• PAPER
• 190 PAGES

An enlightening pocket guide to the myth, meaning and legends of the celebrated tomb, "the queen of architecture." (IDA528, $14.95)

Aboriginal Australians

by Stephen Muecke

• CULTURAL PORTRAIT
• 2004
• PAPER
• 127 PAGES

A lively shirt-pocket encyclopedia, illustrating the culture, history and art of the Aborigines. (AUS230, $15.95)

Angkor Map

by Dawn Rooney

• GUIDEBOOK
• 2007
• PAPER

A site plan and pocket guide to the city of Angkor at a scale of 1:40,000. (CBD16, $12.95)

 

Also Recommended

Archaeological Map of Machu Picchu

by Wright Water Engineers

• 2008
• MAP

Ken Wright's foldout color site plan shows the monuments, topography and physical features of the Inca sanctuary with exquisite clarity. (PRU23, $6.95)

Atlas of World History

by Patric O'Brien

• REFERENCE
• 2010
• HARD COVER
• 312 PAGES

This fully revised second edition traces religions, populations, languages, trade, people and places from the first civilizations of Mesopotamia to the 21st century in hundreds of charts and maps, color illustrations and essays. (REF32, $49.95)

Bradt Safari Guide Northern Tanzania

by Philip Briggs

• GUIDEBOOK
• 2009
• PAPER
• 296 PAGES

A compact, practical overview of the history, wildlife and attractions of the Serengeti and surrounding parks, including Zanzibar. (EAF143, $24.99)

Eyewitness Guide Delhi, Agra and Jaipur

by Anuradha Chaturvedi

• GUIDEBOOK
• 2010
• PAPER
• 320 PAGES

With chapters on Taj Mahal, Amber Fort Palace, Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Red Fort and dozens of other highlights for the traveler, this compact, gorgeously illustrated guide to Delhi and its environs features 900 color photographs, maps and site plans. (IDA151, $25.00)

Eyewitness Guide Egypt

by Eyewitness Guides

• GUIDEBOOK
• 2011
• PAPER
• 352 PAGES

A visually rich guide to the history, culture and monuments of Egypt. (EGY90, $25.00)

Eyewitness Guide Vietnam and Angkor Wat

by Eyewitness Guides

• GUIDEBOOK
• 2011
• PAPER
• 312 PAGES

Featuring innovative site diagrams, local maps and hundreds of color photographs, this handy companion introduces the culture, history and attractions of Vietnam. (VNM102, $25.00)

Make the Most of Your Time on Earth, 1000 Ultimate Travel Experiences

by Rough Guides

• GUIDEBOOK
• 2010
• PAPER
• 608 PAGES

The well-traveled editors at Rough Guides assembled this sumptuously illustrated, savvy roundup of not-to-be-missed activities, festivals, food, experiences and worldwide adventures. (WLD100, $30.00)

National Geographic Australia

by Roff Smith

• GUIDEBOOK
• 2010
• PAPER
• 400 PAGES

A thoroughly illustrated travel guide by National Geographic expert and adventurer Roff Smith, who has written extensively about his travels in Australia. (AUS132, $27.95)

National Geographic Concise Atlas of the World

by National Geographic Society

• REFERENCE
• 2012
• PAPER
• 160 PAGES

With 450 maps, illustrations, photos and satellite images, this compact atlas includes features on population, climate, economy and environment. (MAP27, $26.95)

National Geographic Egypt

by Andrew Humphreys

• GUIDEBOOK
• 2009
• PAPER
• 400 PAGES

This detailed guide to Egypt, published in National Geographic's attractive visual style, features hundreds of photographs, 30 full-color maps, and good information history, culture, archaeology and travel in Egypt. (EGY97, $27.95)

National Geographic India

by Louise Nicholson

• GUIDEBOOK
• 2010
• PAPER
• 400 PAGES

Veteran guidebook author Louise Nicholson teamed up with National Geographic photographers for this profusely illustrated travel guide. (IDA208, $27.95)

Odyssey Guide Angkor

by Dawn Rooney

• GUIDEBOOK
• 2011
• PAPER
• 496 PAGES

The sixth edition of Rooney's indispensable guide to Khmer culture and history. Includes monuments, temple plans, color photographs and practical information about Siem Reap. (CBD05, $27.95)

The Pocket World Atlas

by Oxford Univ. Press

• REFERENCE
• 2008
• PAPER
• 160 PAGES

You can't go wrong with this inexpensive pocket atlas, which includes city plans, country maps, gazetteer, index, time zones and basic statistical information on countries worldwide. (GEN104, $16.95)

A Traveller's History of Southeast Asia

by J.M. Barwise | Nicholas J. White

• HISTORY
• 2012
• PAPER
• 352 PAGES
• COMING IN OCTOBER

A compact history of the region, including the Khmer and the various ancient kingdoms that produced Borobudur, Angkor and other architectural marvels. (SEA36, $14.95)

Collapse, How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed

by Jared Diamond

• HISTORY
• 2011
• PAPER
• 575 PAGES

Diamond tackles nothing less than the history and fate of civilization in this compelling book in which he offers case studies, present and past, of societies that work and societies that do not, devoting 100 carefully reasoned pages, for example, to the fate of the Norse settlements in Greenland (climatic change, Inuit) and another big section on Easter Island (deforestation, hubris). This revised edition includes a new afterword. (GEN324, $18.00)

Coming of Age in Samoa

by Margaret Mead

• CULTURAL PORTRAIT
• 2001
• PAPER
• 223 PAGES

A much-debated ethnographic classic, well worth reading for its evocation of life in the American Samoa in the 1920s. (PAC12, $14.99)

Conquest of the Incas

by John Hemming

• HISTORY
• 1970
• PAPER
• 641 PAGES

This classic prize-winning history of the Inca struggle against the Spanish invasion weaves wide-ranging, scholarly material in to a gripping narrative. (AND04, $25.00)

Egypt, A Short History

by Robert L. Tignor

• HISTORY
• 2011
• PAPER
• 371 PAGES

Princeton historian Tignor distills five decades of study and travel for this vivid account of the sweep and tumult of Egyptian history from the settlement of the Nile to the present. (EGY370, $19.95)

Egypt, A View from Above

by Philip Plisson | Christian Jacq

• CULTURAL PORTRAIT
• 2010
• HARD COVER
• 336 PAGES

From sand-swept desert ruins and fishing boats along the Nile to bustling Cairo and modern Alexandria, photographer Philip Plisson and Egyptologist Christian Jacq document in stunning color the many places and faces of this spectacular land. (EGY323, $55.00)

Guns, Germs and Steel

by Jared Diamond

• HISTORY
• 1999
• PAPER
• 480 PAGES

An expert on Papua New Guinea, Diamond looks at geography, environment, economics and disease in this provocative, Pulitzer Prize-winning survey of human history and ecology. (GEN86, $18.95)

In Spite of the Gods, The Strange Rise of Modern India

by Edward Luce

• HISTORY
• 2008
• PAPER
• 346 PAGES

Luce tackles the challenges and reality of the world's largest democracy with insight and balance in this portrait of a nation in transition. (IDA349, $16.95)

India

by Stanley Wolpert

• HISTORY
• 2009
• PAPER
• 281 PAGES

Reflections on India - its religion and philosophy, its art, culture and politics - by the dean of the country's American historians: beautifully written and provocative as well as evocative. (IDA04, $26.95)

Islam, A Short History

by Karen Armstrong

• HISTORY
• 2002
• PAPER
• 230 PAGES

Armstrong brings authority and experience to this vivid, clear-headed survey of the history and impact of Islam from the birth of Muhammad to present-day challenges. The best short introduction to the subject. (ISL15, $15.95)

Living in Morocco

by Stoeltie, Barbara and Rene

• CULTURAL PORTRAIT
• 2011
• HARD COVER
• 280 PAGES

From exquisite rugs and textiles to vibrant mosaics, courtyards and homes, this gorgeous photographic collection celebrates the beauty and allure of Morocco's architecture, with a particular focus on interiors. (MRC71, $29.99)

The Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Civilizations

by John Haywood | Simon Hall

• HISTORY
• 2005
• PAPER
• 144 PAGES

A slim, informative history of ancient civilizations tracing the development of cultures in Mesopotamia and the Near East, China and India, Egypt and Africa, Greece and Rome, Peru and Mexico through excellent color maps. With color photographs, illustrations and succinct accompanying text. (WLD71, $22.00)

The Songlines

by Bruce Chatwin

• CULTURAL PORTRAIT
• 2012
• PAPER
• 320 PAGES
• FAVORITE

Rory Stewart provides the introduction to this 25th anniversary edition of Bruce Chatwin's celebrated travelogue, which is as much about its gifted author -- and the meaning of travel -- as about the Aboriginal people and their ways of life. Chatwin transforms a journey through the Outback into an exhilarating, semi-fictional meditation on our place in the world. (AUS01, $16.00)

Angkor Cities and Temples

by Claude Jacques | Michael Freeman

• ART & ARCHITECTURE
• 2000
• HARD COVER
• 319 PAGES

One of the nicest books of its kind, this is a gorgeous, oversized portrait of the monuments, temples and exquisite sculptures of Angkor. Claude Jacques, who directed much of the site excavation, writes with authority about individual temples, inscriptions and Khmer culture. (CBD18, $80.00)

Art of the Andes, from Chavin to Inca

by Rebecca Stone-Miller

• ARCHAEOLOGY
• 2012
• PAPER
• 224 PAGES

This authoritative and concise illustrated survey of Andean art and architecture covers not only Machu Picchu and additional Inca monuments, but also Chan Chan, Nasca and other archaeological sites and cultures. (PRU05, $21.95)

Petra, The Rose-Red City

by Christian Auge | Jean-Marie Dentzer

• ART & ARCHITECTURE
• 2000
• PAPER
• 144 PAGES

Jam-packed with color illustrations, archival material, maps and site plans, this shirt-pocket encyclopedia is our best-selling book on Petra. (JRD13, $15.95)

Stone Offerings

by Mike Torrey

• ART & ARCHITECTURE
• 2009
• HARD COVER
• 143 PAGES

Torrey captures the dramatic setting, solitude and intricate construction of the Inca site of Machu Picchu in 100 striking color photographs, taken over a few days at summer and winter solstice. (AND76, $40.00)

Taj Mahal

by M.C. Joshi | Jean-Louis Nou | Amina Okada

• ART & ARCHITECTURE
• 1993
• HARD COVER
• 231 PAGES

This lavish portrait features 158 full-color photographs (including four magnificent foldout panels) by the extraordinary Jean-Louis Nou. With grand exterior views, filigreed inscriptions and bejeweled floral mosaics. (IDA108, $75.00)

Taj Mahal, Passion and Genius at the Heart of the Moghul Empire

by Diana Preston | Michael Preston

• ART & ARCHITECTURE
• 2007
• PAPER
• 317 PAGES

A vivid narrative history of the creation of the Taj Mahal, a memorial created by Moghul emperor Shah Jahan for his beloved wife. (IDA340, $16.95)

The Art of Ancient Egypt

by Gay Robins

• ART & ARCHITECTURE
• 2008
• PAPER
• 272 PAGES

Organized chronologically, this authoritative survey of the tombs, temples and sanctuaries of ancient Egypt features 300 illustrations. (EGY52, $31.50)

The Great Pyramids

by Jean-Pierre Corteggiani

• ARCHAEOLOGY
• 2007
• PAPER
• 128 PAGES

The newest addition to the acclaimed Discoveries series, this lavishly illustrated pocket encyclopedia illuminates the archaeology, history and splendor of Giza, last of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. (EGY221, $12.95)

World Heritage Sites

by UNESCO Publishing

• ARCHAEOLOGY
• 2012
• PAPER
• 872 PAGES
• NEW

How many have you visited? This beautifully illustrated compendium, just revised, includes color photographs, a map and succinct description of each of the 936 archaeological sites, monuments, cities or parks inscribed by UNESCO from 1978 to 2012. Organized by order or inscription (Galapagos was the first), this fourth edition includes the 25 sites added in 2011, from the villages and pastoral landscape of the Cevannes in south-central France (so eloquently described in Robert Louis Stevenson's Travels with a Donkey in the Cevannes) to historic Bridgetown in Barbados, the grand Cathedral in Leon, Nicaragua, Fort Jesus (Mombasa) and the Ningaloo coast of remote western Australia. (CON53, $29.95)

100 Journeys for the Spirit

by Pico Iyer

• TRAVEL NARRATIVE
• 2010
• HARD COVER
• 240 PAGES

Pico Iyer, Jan Morris, Paul Theroux, Alexander McCall Smith and Michael Ondaatje all contribute to this beautifully illustrated, hand-picked selection of temples, cathedrals and monasteries, parks and other soulful places. (TVL516, $29.95)

A Dragon Apparent, Travels in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam

by Norman Lewis

• TRAVEL NARRATIVE
• 2003
• PAPER
• 358 PAGES
• FAVORITE
• HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE

A classic account of travels and adventure during the last years of French Indochina, strong on atmosphere and including wonderfully detailed descriptions of local cultures and archaeological treasures. First published in 1951. (SEA40, $33.95)

Blue Latitudes, Boldly Going Where Captain Cook Has Gone Before

by Tony Horwitz

• TRAVEL NARRATIVE
• 2003
• PAPER
• 480 PAGES

Sailing on a replica of Endeavour, Horwitz mixes history, fun and adventure in this hilarious recap of Cook's daring voyages around the world. (EXP31, $18.00)

Dreams of Trespass, Tales of a Harem Girlhood

by Fatima Mernissi

• BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
• 1995
• PAPER
• 242 PAGES
• FAVORITE

This captivating memoir by one of Morocco's most outspoken women opens, "I was born in a harem in 1940 in Fez, a ninth-century Moroccan city." Mernissi captures not only the spirit of the place, but also the hierarchy and decorum of a Muslim family compound. (MRC10, $17.00)

Green Hills of Africa

by Ernest Hemingway

• BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
• 1935
• PAPER
• 295 PAGES

Hemingway paints the true story of his ramblings on safari in this classic, exquisitely written tale of hunting around Lake Manyara, which includes some of the best writing on the land itself and original pencil drawings. (EAF25, $16.00)

In a Sunburned Country

by Bill Bryson

• TRAVEL NARRATIVE
• 2001
• PAPER
• 335 PAGES
• FAVORITE

The intrepid, ever-resourceful Bryson revels in Australia's eccentric characters, dangerous flora and fauna, and other oddities in this wildly funny, effortlessly informative travelogue. (AUS83, $15.99)

The Caliph's House, A Year in Casablanca

by Tahir Shah

• TRAVEL NARRATIVE
• 2006
• PAPER
• 343 PAGES

Shah is a marvelous storyteller, weaving Moroccan customs and history with deft portraits of neighbors, craftsmen and others in this entertaining tale of the transformation of a crumbling palace in Casablanca. (MRC66, $16.00)

The Travel Book, A Journey Through Every Country in the World

by Lonely Planet Publications

• TRAVEL NARRATIVE
• 2010
• HARD COVER
• 448 PAGES

Bigger and better than ever (the second edition of the best-selling original), we can't keep our hands off this celebration of the world. Each country, no matter how big or small, gets a colorful double-page spread in this glossy A-to-Z of travel from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. (WLD193, $50.00)

The Worlds of a Maasai Warrior

by Ole Saitoti

• BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
• 1988
• PAPER
• 144 PAGES

Bridging several worlds with tremendous grace, Saitoti looks back on his life among the Maasai, both as spokesperson for his tribe and as one of the first Maasai safari guides. (EAF29, $27.95)

Midnight's Children

by Salman Rushdie

• LITERATURE
• 2006
• PAPER
• 533 PAGES
• FAVORITE

Crowned Best of the Booker in 2008, Rushdie's greatest novel is a madcap, comic take on the birth of modern India in all its splendid and unexpected manifestations. (IDA12, $16.00)

The Egyptologist, A Novel

by Arthur Phillips

• LITERATURE
• 2005
• PAPER
• 416 PAGES

A playful and clever novel convincingly set in the milieu of 1920s Egyptian archaeology. Phillips deftly combines historical personages and events with wild invention. (EGY128, $15.00)

The Quiet American

by Graham Greene

• LITERATURE
• 2004
• PAPER
• 180 PAGES
• FAVORITE

A classic, this is the most famous Western work of fiction on Vietnam. Greene writes of a love triangle between a war correspondent, his Vietnamese consort and an optimistic young American during the last days of French rule. (VNM08, $16.00)

The Yacoubian Building

by Alaa Al Aswany

• LITERATURE
• 2006
• PAPER
• 255 PAGES

The politics, repressed desires, hopes and dreams of Cairo are reflected through the lives of the inhabitants of a once grand apartment house in this deft novel of contemporary Egypt. (EGY175, $13.99)

A Reef in Time

by J. E. N. Veron

• NATURAL HISTORY
• 2009
• PAPER
• 304 PAGES

Veron draws on a lifetime of experience to present a fascinating geological history of the world's most famous coral reef, and also a plea for its protection against the dangers of global climate change. (AUS190, $21.00)

Africa, The Serengeti

by George Casey

• NATURAL HISTORY
• 1994
• DVD

James Earl Jones narrates this dazzling 40-minute IMAX documentary of the migration of wildebeest in the Serengeti and Masai Mara. (EAF120, $19.99)

Classic Africa

by Michael Poliza

• NATURAL HISTORY
• 2010
• HARD COVER
• 320 PAGES

Printed and beautifully bound in Italy, Michael Poliza's exquisite new book showcases the wildlife of Africa -- each elephant, zebra, lion or rhino photographed alone or in a group against the African plains. The photographs, taken over a decade, have been rendered in rich sepia, not only recalling safaris of yore but also adding to their distinctive beauty. With full-age photos printed on uncoated, heavy eight vellum, bound in textured suede-like cloth. (AFR279, $125.00)

On This Earth, Photographs from East Africa

by Nick Brandt

• NATURAL HISTORY
• 2005
• HARD COVER
• 129 PAGES

Brandt's haunting duotone portraits depict the majesty of elephants, antelope, cats and wildlife on the plains of Kenya and Tanzania. (EAF358, $40.00)

Serengeti, The Eternal Beginning

by Boyd Norton

• NATURAL HISTORY
• 2011
• HARD COVER
• 288 PAGES

Featuring 250 exquisite color photographs alongside Norton's firsthand accounts of travels in Serengeti National Park, Kenya's Masai Mara and Ngorongoro over a decades-long career. (EAF378, $35.00)

The Snorkeller's Guide to the Coral Reef, From the Red Sea to the Pacific Ocean

by Paddy Ryan

• NATURAL HISTORY
• 1994
• PAPER
• 184 PAGES

The best-selling, take-along guide to coral reefs, coral-reef fishes, invertebrates and plants of the Indo-Pacific. With 200 color photographs. (DIV18, $21.99)

Birds of Peru

by Tom Schulenberg | Dan Stotz | John O'Neill | Dan Lane

• FIELD GUIDE
• 2010
• PAPER
• 668 PAGES

Gorgeously illustrated, this authoritative guide covers nearly 20% of the world's birds. (PRU55, $45.00)

Fishwatcher's Field Guide, Great Barrier Reef

by Idaz Greenberg

• FIELD GUIDE
• PLASTIC CARD

A double-sided, laminated card. (DIV41, $7.50)

The Safari Companion

by Richard Estes

• FIELD GUIDE
• 1999
• PAPER
• 459 PAGES
• BEST SELLER

An invaluable encyclopedic guide to Africa's mammals by a noted scientist. Written with the typical safari-goer in mind, this perennial bestseller includes black-and-white drawings, an overview of each group and in-depth information. (AFR06, $30.00)

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