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READING AND TRAVEL GUIDE

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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 EXAUS152. Buy these 4 items as a set for $40 including shipping, 20% off the retail price.
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In a Sunburned Country

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)

Fishwatcher's Field Guide, Great Barrier Reef

Fishwatcher's Field Guide, Great Barrier Reef

by Idaz Greenberg

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • PLASTIC CARD

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

Australian Wildlife

Australian Wildlife

by Raymond Leung | James Kavanaugh

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 1999
  • PLASTIC CARD

This handy fold-out guide features illustrations of almost 150 species of Australian animals. Laminated and pocket-sized, it easily slips into your daypack. (AUS111, $5.95)

Australia Map

Australia Map

by ITMB

  • 2010
  • MAP

A handy, folded map at a scale of 1:3,500,000. (AUS23, $12.95)

 
Culture Smart! Australia

Culture Smart! Australia


by Barry Penney

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 168 PAGES

A concise, no-nonsense guide to local customs, etiquette and culture with a short overview of the land and people along with practical travel advice. (AUS189, $9.95)

The Fatal Shore

The Fatal Shore


by Robert Hughes

  • HISTORY
  • 1988
  • PAPER
  • 752 PAGES
  • FAVORITE

In this celebrated social history, both scholarly and entertaining, Hughes traces the fate of those who were transported to the penal colonies of Australia between 1787 and 1868. It's an engaging popular account, drawn from the experiences of the colonists themselves. (AUS04, $19.95)

The Songlines

The Songlines


by Bruce Chatwin

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1988
  • PAPER
  • 294 PAGES
  • FAVORITE

Chatwin transforms a journey through the Outback into an exhilarating, semi-fictional meditation on our place in the world. (AUS01, $16.00)

Aboriginal Art

Aboriginal Art


by Wally Caruana

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 239 PAGES

This well illustrated survey focuses on the spiritual and geographic sources of art and ritual traditions in Australia. With 187 well produced black-and-white and color illustrations. (AUS14, $14.95)

Daisy Bates in the Desert: A Woman's Life Among the Aborigines

Daisy Bates in the Desert: A Woman's Life Among the Aborigines


by Julia Blackburn

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 1995
  • PAPER
  • 232 PAGES

In this wonderfully original biography, Blackburn recreates the life of Daisy Bates (1861-1951), who abandoned her comfortable surroundings in 1913 to live for 30 years in the wilderness. It opens memorably "There was once a woman who lived in the desert." (AUS37, $15.00)

My Place

My Place


by Sally Morgan

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 1987
  • PAPER
  • 440 PAGES
  • HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE

A deeply moving autobiography of three generations in Australia, which artfully evokes aboriginal culture. Morgan, who spent her childhood in Perth, didn't discover her Aboriginal background until she was in her teens. (AUS19, $19.95)

The Road from Coorain

The Road from Coorain


by Jill Ker Conway

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 1990
  • PAPER
  • 238 PAGES

An absorbing account of a young rural girl's coming of age in post-war Sydney. Conway paints a vivid picture of isolation and beauty -- and of the challenges of a bright, ambitious woman growing up Australian. (AUS03, $13.95)

Tracks, A Woman's Solo Trek Across 1700 Miles of Australian Outback

Tracks, A Woman's Solo Trek Across 1700 Miles of Australian Outback


by Robyn Davidson

  • EXPLORATION
  • 1995
  • PAPER
  • 256 PAGES

The true-life story of a woman's trek across the Australian outback -- an adventurous tale shot through with a feel for the landscape and empathy for the Aborigines she meets along the way. (AUS15, $15.95)

Australia, A Traveler's Literary Companion

Australia, A Traveler's Literary Companion


by Robert Ross

  • ANTHOLOGY
  • 1998
  • PAPER
  • 256 PAGES

Arranged geographically, this collection of works by mostly local writers, including Patrick White, Peter Carey and other luminaries introduces the cultures, geography and mindset of Australia. (AUS38, $13.95)

The Bone is Pointed

The Bone is Pointed


by Arthur Upfield

  • MYSTERY
  • 1998
  • PAPER
  • 304 PAGES

This Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte mystery finds the half-Aborigine detective in the place he knows best, the Australian outback, where he is investigating the disappearance of a local scoundrel. (AUS171, $20.95)

The Complete Stories


by David Malouf

  • LITERATURE
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 528 PAGES

The varied landscapes of Malouf's native Australia form the backround for this collection of his memorable and beautifully written stories, including previously unpublished work. (AUS205, $16.95)

The Secret River

The Secret River


by Kate Grenville

  • LITERATURE
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 334 PAGES

Inspired by the history of her own family, Kate Grenville evokes all the bravado, trickery and conflict over the settlement of New South Wales in her tale of a Thames boatsman banished to the new colony in 1806 (AUS179, $14.00)

The Thorn Birds

The Thorn Birds


by Colleen McCullough

  • LITERATURE
  • 1978
  • PAPER
  • 692 PAGES

This best-selling classic about life in the Australian Outback spans three generations, detailing all of the tragedies and dramas that the resilient members of the Cleary fam-ily face. (AUS66, $7.99)

Australia, Land Beyond Time

Australia, Land Beyond Time


by IMAX

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2002
  • DVD

A dazzling overview of Australia, its geology, evolution, culture and wildlife on DVD, originally presented in IMAX theatres. (AUS168, $14.99)

Chasing Kangaroo

Chasing Kangaroo


by Tim Flannery

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 272 PAGES

In this ode to the kangaroo, Flannery weaves his own coming of age as a scientist with tales of the strange marsupial, past and present. (AUS186, $14.00)

Penguins

Penguins


by Lloyd Spencer David | Martin Renner

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2003
  • HARD COVER
  • 232 PAGES

A concise, comprehensive overview of the penguins, their evolution, ecology and behavior. (ANT207, $45.00)

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

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)

Treasures of the Great Barrier Reef

Treasures of the Great Barrier Reef


by WGBH

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2006
  • DVD

This 60-minute Nova documentary captures the diversity and abundance of the fish and invertebrates of the coral reef in dazzling color. (AUS196, $19.95)

Australia: The East, Travellers' Wildlife Guides

Australia: The East, Travellers' Wildlife Guides


by Les Beletsky

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 544 PAGES

Featuring 650 full-color illustrations of common fish, reptiles, amphibians, mammals and birds of Australia and an overview of parks and preserves including the Great Barrier Reef. (AUS167, $29.95)

Australian Birds

Australian Birds


by Pocket Naturalist

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2000
  • PLASTIC CARD

A laminated card featuring commonly encountered Australian birds. (AUS99, $5.95)

Diving and Snorkeling Great Barrier Reef

Diving and Snorkeling Great Barrier Reef


by Len Zell

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 159 PAGES
  • OUT OF PRINT

A practical, illustrated guide to diving and snorkeling sites surrounding the Great Barrier Reef, with a short overview of the marine setting, ecology, coral reefs and inhabitants for each. (AUS27, $24.99)

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.