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Ethiopia

READING AND TRAVEL GUIDE

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We feature a handpicked selection of travel guides, maps, literature, books on art, nature and culture, all designed to help you get more out of your travels to Ethiopia. Order an essential package, and we'll ship any additional items for free.

Essential Reading

Item EXETP22. Buy these 5 items as a set for $74 including shipping, 15% off the retail price.
With free shipping on anything else you order.

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Bradt Guide Ethiopia

Bradt Guide Ethiopia

by Philip Briggs

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 614 PAGES

A region-by-region overview of the country for the traveler with brief introductory chapters on wildlife, culture and history. With 65 maps and a section of color photographs. (ETP05, $25.99)

Culture Smart! Ethiopia

Culture Smart! Ethiopia

by Sarah Howard

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 168 PAGES

A concise, well-illustrated and practical guide to local customs, etiquette and culture, equally of interest to the traveler and business person. (ETP41, $9.95)

The Emperor, Downfall of an Autocrat

The Emperor, Downfall of an Autocrat

by Ryszard Kapuscinski

  • HISTORY
  • 1989
  • PAPER
  • 180 PAGES

In 1975, Kapuscinski traveled throughout the country listening to stories of the Supreme Emperor Haile Selassie by the servants and associates that had surrounded him while Ethiopia collapsed around him. These interviews are transformed into a powerful narrative of high living and unimaginable abuse by the ancient regime. (ETP10, $13.95)

Notes from the Hyena's Belly, An Ethiopian Boyhood

Notes from the Hyena's Belly, An Ethiopian Boyhood

by Nega Mezlekia

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 351 PAGES

A memoir of childhood in Ethiopia after the downfall of emperor Haile Selassie. Mezlekia, who was born in Jigiga in 1958, chronicles his early childhood, youthful political activism and conscription into a guerilla army. (ETP26, $16.00)

Ethiopia Map

Ethiopia Map

by ITMB

  • 2011
  • MAP

Color shaded relief map of Ethiopia at a scale of 1:2,000,000, featuring an inset of central Adis Ababa, and an index of place names. (ETP14, $12.95)

 
Lonely Planet Ethiopia & Eritrea

Lonely Planet Ethiopia & Eritrea


by Frances Linzee Gordon

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 404 PAGES

A comprehensive guide in the Lonely Planet style featuring maps, background detail on the country and culture -- and practical information for the traveler. (ETP30, $26.99)

Lonely Planet Ethiopian Amharic Phrasebook

Lonely Planet Ethiopian Amharic Phrasebook


by Tilahun Gabriel

  • LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 276 PAGES

A handy phrasebook for Amharic basics. This guide focuses on pronunciation, basic grammar and essential vocabulary for the traveler. (ETP06, $8.99)

A History of Ethiopia

A History of Ethiopia


by Harold Marcus

  • HISTORY
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 300 PAGES

A challenging, in-depth survey of Africa's oldest nation, ranging from prehistory to 1991; organized chronologically, it features three chapters on the long reign of Haile Sellassie -- his rise to power and eventual overthrow. (ETP01, $26.95)

Layers of Time: A History of Ethiopia

Layers of Time: A History of Ethiopia


by Paul Henze

  • HISTORY
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 372 PAGES
  • HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE

A concise history of Ethiopia by a U.S. government officer in Addis Ababa in the 1960s. Henze has remained involved in Ethiopian affairs as a writer, consultant and frequent visitor. (ETP21, $35.00)

The Blue Nile

The Blue Nile


by Alan Moorehead

  • HISTORY
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 320 PAGES

Moorehead's grand history of exploration and events on the great river from 1798 to 1869. (EGY67, $14.99)

The Ethiopians

The Ethiopians


by Richard Pankhurst | Barbara Pankhurst

  • HISTORY
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 299 PAGES

An outstanding survey of Ethiopian political history and culture from pre-history to 1991 by a leading scholar. (ETP20, $45.95)

Ancient Churches of Ethiopia, Fourth-fourteenth Centuries

Ancient Churches of Ethiopia, Fourth-fourteenth Centuries


by David W. Phillipson

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

A gorgeously illustrated portrait of Ethiopian Christian civilization and its churches from the Aksumite period to the 13th century. (ETP42, $65.00)

Lucy, The Beginnings of Humankind

Lucy, The Beginnings of Humankind


by Maitland Armstrong Edey | Donald Johanson

  • ARCHAEOLOGY
  • 1990
  • PAPER
  • 409 PAGES

The original, influential account of the thrilling discovery of Lucy in 1974 and the impact of the discovery on ideas about human evolution. (ATP06, $17.00)

Chameleon Days, An American Boyhood in Ethiopia

Chameleon Days, An American Boyhood in Ethiopia


by Tim Bascom

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 240 PAGES

Bascom looks back in this absorbing memoir, winner of the Breadloaf and Bakeless Prize, at the Ethiopia of his childhood, his missionary doctor parents, siblings, friends and acquaintances, boarding school in Addis Ababa and the cabin on the slopes of Lake Bishoftu. (ETP38, $15.95)

In Search of King Solomon's Mines


by Tahir Shah

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2012
  • PAPER
  • 240 PAGES
  • COMING IN JUNE

A man with a passion for tracking down oddball legends and impossible stories, Shah tackles, in this rollicking account, Ethiopia and the legendary home of the Queen of Sheba. (ETP28, $14.95)

Cutting for Stone

Cutting for Stone


by Abraham Verghese

  • LITERATURE
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 667 PAGES

Verghese's powerful tale of the coming-of-age of orphaned twin brothers, sons of an Indian nun and a British surgeon, moves from Addis Ababa on the brink of revolution to New York and back again. (ETP43, $15.95)

Flashman on the March

Flashman on the March


by George MacDonald Fraser

  • LITERATURE
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 378 PAGES

In this 12th outing in the series, our reluctant hero finds himself at the center of General Robert Napier's Abyssinian campaign. It's another excellent opportunity to comment on the folly of the British Empire, a rollicking entertainment and painless dose of history. (ETP37, $15.00)

Sweetness in the Belly


by Camilla Gibb

  • LITERATURE
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 338 PAGES

Gibbs conjures the complex history of culture of Ethipia in this affecting novel, which foillows young Lilly from London to Morocco and Harar. (ETP45, $15.00)

The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia

The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia


by Samuel Johnson | J.P. Hardy

  • LITERATURE
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 157 PAGES

Johnson drew upon the journals of a Jesuit priest to weave this ironic tale of earthly paradise in the "happy valley of Abyssinia," originally published in 1759. (ETP12, $12.95)

The Sign and the Seal, The Quest for the Lost Arc of the Covenant

The Sign and the Seal, The Quest for the Lost Arc of the Covenant


by Graham Hancock

  • MYSTERY
  • 1993
  • PAPER
  • 600 PAGES

A page-turning yarn of adventure, amazing persistence, and scholarship, which follows Hancock's 1983 visit to Axum, Ethiopia, the legendary resting place of the Ark of the Covenant. (AFR23, $17.99)

Birds of Africa South of the Sahara

Birds of Africa South of the Sahara


by Ian Sinclair | Peter Ryan

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 760 PAGES

This compact field guide, the first to describe and illustrate all of the birds of sub-Saharan Africa, features 359 color plates and 2,100 range maps. Especially useful for those southern African countries without their own field guides. (SAF143, $49.50)

Birds of Eastern Africa, Princeton Illustrated Checklists

Birds of Eastern Africa, Princeton Illustrated Checklists


by Ber Van Perlo

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 302 PAGES

This handy guide illustrates and briefly describes most East African birds. A remarkably small book, featuring 96 color plates, 1,487 species -- and essential information for quick reference in the field. (EAF40, $29.95)

Kingdon Pocket Guide to African Mammals

Kingdon Pocket Guide to African Mammals


by Jonathan Kingdon

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 272 PAGES

An artist and biologist, Kingdon provides both delightful full-color illustrations and informative text. (EAF128, $24.95)

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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.