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Catalog

FATHER'S DAY

City of Fortune, How Venice Ruled the Seas

Roger Crowley

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PROVENCE & THE COTE D'AZUR

A Pig in Provence: Good Food and Simple Pleasures in the South of France

Georgeanne Brennan

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OUR FAVORITES

Arctic Dreams

Barry Lopez

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PENGUIN CLASSICS

The Log from the Sea of Cortez

John Steinbeck

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LOW COUNTRIES

Flanders

READING AND TRAVEL GUIDE

  • E-MAIL
  • PRINT

Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent & Bruges

Essential Reading

Item EXBLG12. Buy these 5 items as a set for $75 including shipping, 15% off the retail price.
With free shipping on anything else you order.

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In Bruges

In Bruges

by Martin McDonagh

  • MYSTERY
  • 2009
  • DVD

Filed on location in Belgium, two hitmen (Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson) and hiding out in the city of Bruges run up against a crime boss played by Ralph Fiennes in this black comedy by playwright McDonagh. (BLG45, $14.98)

Master of Shadows, The Secret Diplomatic Career of the Painter Peter Paul Rubens

Master of Shadows, The Secret Diplomatic Career of the Painter Peter Paul Rubens

by Mark Lamster

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 316 PAGES

Ranging from his home in Antwerp to London, Madrid, Paris and Rome, Lamster uncovers the gripping tale of the world's most famous painter and his double life as a secret agent, diplomat and political operative in 17th century Europe. (BLG44, $17.00)

Time Out Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent and Bruges

Time Out Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent and Bruges

by Time Out

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 336 PAGES

An up-to-date guide on what to do and where to go by the people who publish Time Out Magazine. (BLG43, $19.95)

A Tall Man in a Low Land

A Tall Man in a Low Land

by Harry Pearson

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 246 PAGES

Pearson, a British travel writer, journalist and comic is an entertaining guide to Belgium and its traditions, culture, beer and chocolate. (BLG19, $16.95)

Belgium/Luxembourg Map

Belgium/Luxembourg Map

by HEMA Maps

  • MAP

A colorful map of Belgium and Luxembourg at a scale of 1:250,000. (BLG15, $10.95)

 

Brussels Map


by Freytag & Berndt

  • MAP

A detailed city map of Brussels at a scale of 1:10,000. (BLG28, $11.95)

Blue Guide Belgium

Blue Guide Belgium


by Bernard McDonagh

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 448 PAGES

A comprehensive, no-nonsense overview of Belgium and Luxembourg, covering in detail the art, history and architecture of the region. (NTH14, $24.95)

Culture Smart! Belgium


by Mandy Macdonald

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 168 PAGES

A concise, well-illustrated and practical guide to local customs, etiquette and culture. (BLG26, $9.95)

Eyewitness Guide Brussels, Bruges, Ghent & Antwerp

Eyewitness Guide Brussels, Bruges, Ghent & Antwerp


by Rebecca Miles

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 210 PAGES

This superbly illustrated guide features color photos and maps of city neighborhoods, with information on history, culture and sightseeing. (BLG16, $20.00)

Flemish Cities Explored

Flemish Cities Explored


by Derek Blyth

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 320 PAGES

A walking guide to well-known towns in Belgium, covering the history and culture of Antwerp, Bruges and Ghent as well as Leuven, Mechelen and Ostend. (BLG05, $24.95)

King Leopold's Ghost, A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa

King Leopold's Ghost, A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa


by Adam Hochschild

  • HISTORY
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 384 PAGES

An enthralling narrative of the 19th-century colonization of the Belgian Congo, written by an award-winning journalist. The focus of the book is Belgian King Leopold, who oversaw the colonization. (CAF08, $16.95)

The Autumn of the Middle Ages

The Autumn of the Middle Ages


by Johan Huizinga

  • HISTORY
  • 1997
  • PAPER
  • 467 PAGES

A pioneering work of social and cultural history, this well-translated classic is a richly detailed portrait of life, thought and art in 14th- and 15th-century France and the Netherlands. (EUR17, $30.00)

Brugel to Rubens, Master of Flemish Painting


by Desmond Shawe-Taylor

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 2007

Documenting the remarkable art painted during the Eighty Years War (1568-1648).. (BLG47, $30.00)

Rubens


by Kristin Lohse Belkin

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 1998
  • PAPER
  • 352 PAGES

Belkin chronicles the 17th century artist Peter Paul Rubens from his early family life to his influential interactions with the Italian Renaissance masters and finally to Antwerp, where he rose to fame as a renowned painter and diplomat to the royal courts of Europe. (NTH42, $22.95)

Austerlitz

Austerlitz


by Anthea Bell | Winfried Georg Sebald

  • LITERATURE
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 298 PAGES

Seabald's haunting book, evocative of WWII Europe, travels from the magnificent railway station in Antwerp to London, Paris and the streets in Prague where the narrator Austerlitz was born and fled during the Nazi devastation. (GER282, $16.00)

Niccolo Rising

Niccolo Rising


by Dorothy Dunnett

  • LITERATURE
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 470 PAGES

From the reigning queen of historical fiction comes this fast-paced, thoroughly-researched novel of ambition and worldly goods in 15th-century Bruges. This is the first volume in her House of Niccolo series. (BLG13, $15.95)

Resistance

Resistance


by Anita Shreve

  • LITERATURE
  • 1997
  • PAPER
  • 256 PAGES

Shreve adeptly explores the themes of love and loss in her WWII story of a married Belgian woman that falls in love with the British pilot she is sheltering as part of the underground resistance movement. (NTH93, $13.99)

The Adventures of Tintin

The Adventures of Tintin


by Herge

  • LITERATURE
  • 2008
  • HARD COVER
  • FAMILY

This fantastic collection includes seven hardcover books (each containing 3 classic Tintin stories) and an additional bonus volume, Tintin & Co. by famed Tintinologist Michael Farr, all in a slipcase. (WLD159, $150.00)

The Lady and The Unicorn

The Lady and The Unicorn


by Tracy Chevalier

  • LITERATURE
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 250 PAGES

In this rich historical novel, Chevalier (Girl With A Pearl Earring) imagines the wealthy patrons, social milieu, intrigue and incident behind the 15th-century tapestries now hanging in the Cluny in Paris. (BLG24, $16.00)

The Professor


by Charlotte Bronte

  • LITERATURE
  • 1989
  • PAPER
  • 316 PAGES

Bronte's first novel, published posthumously, based on her experiences with Emily as a language student in Brussels in 1842. (BLG27, $11.00)

Villette

Villette


by Charlotte Bronte

  • LITERATURE
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 672 PAGES

Bronte's last published work, also known as the Brussels novel, is an emotionally complex, somber tale that draws on the author's schoolteacher days. Villette is also a realistic portrait of the cosmopolitan city. (BLG17, $12.00)

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.