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THE ALPS

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The Betrothed

The Betrothed


by Alessandro Manzoni

  • LITERATURE
  • 1984
  • PAPER
  • 720 PAGES

By many accounts the first modern Italian novel, Manzoni's 1827 classic concerns star-crossed lovers in 17th-century Lombardy. Promoted during unification, Italy's best-known novel has been made into films and a musical. (ITL414, $18.00)

The Book of Absinthe, A Cultural History

The Book of Absinthe, A Cultural History


by Phil Baker

  • HISTORY
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 304 PAGES

An entertaining cultural history of "The Green Fairy," from the drink's origins as an herbal tonic through its intoxicating heyday in European cities of the late 19th century. (FRN962, $14.00)

Cadogan Italian Riviera & Piemonte

Cadogan Italian Riviera & Piemonte


by Michael Pauls | Dana Facaros

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 332 PAGES

An authoritative guide to Liguria, including Cinque Terre, Portofino, Genoa and lesser-known destinations. Strong on practical information, it's also a good overview of the history, culture and cuisine of the region. (ITL407, $21.95)

Cham


by Jonathan Trigell

  • LITERATURE
  • 2009
  • PAPER

A young British author who lives in Chamonix, Trigell captures the beauty of the region, the allure of the slopes and the decadent vibe of the ski bum sub-culture in this edgy thriller. (ALP39, $16.95)

Cuisines of the Alps

Cuisines of the Alps


by Kay Shaw Nelson

  • FOOD
  • 2004
  • HARD COVER
  • 197 PAGES

Subtitled "Recipes, Drinks, and Lore from France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Italy, Germany, Austria, and Slovenia," this colorful tour of the region's rustic cuisine offers more than 140 recipes, a section on regional wines and historical information. (CEU38, $24.95)

D.H. Lawrence and Italy

D.H. Lawrence and Italy


by D.H. Lawrence

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 495 PAGES

This omnibus Penguin Classics edition includes Lawrence's three travel tales, each very different in tone and all wonderful: Sea and Sardinia is a nostalgic look at traditional ways of life; Twilight in Italy, an evocation of Lawrence's memorable stay on Lake Garda; and Etruscan Places his musings on ancient sites, including the painted tombs of Tarquinia. (ITL62, $18.00)

Daisy Miller

Daisy Miller


by Henry James

  • LITERATURE
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 126 PAGES

A classic story of a young American woman's innocent flirtation and its misinterpretation by a sophisticated European man, set in Lac Leman and Chillon. This is James' first fictional work to gain mass popularity and one of his great American female portraits. (SWZ09, $7.00)

Death at La Fenice

Death at La Fenice


by Donna Leon

  • MYSTERY
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 270 PAGES

The first of the tremendously good Guido Brunetti mysteries, all set in the author's beloved Venice, in which a famous conductor is found dead at the celebrated theater of the title. (ITL555, $14.99)

Enchanted April

Enchanted April


by Elizabeth Von Arnim | Cathleen Schine

  • LITERATURE
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 361 PAGES

In this delightful book, four Englishwomen are awakened by self-discovery and the power of their friendship on a stay in Italy in the 1920s. (ITL316, $14.95)

Extra Virgin, A Young Woman Discovers the Italian Riviera

Extra Virgin, A Young Woman Discovers the Italian Riviera


by Annie Hawes

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 352 PAGES

A memoir of travels and life in Liguria, where the Hawe sisters ventured and stayed. In this refreshingly candid account, the English sisters end up buying a house and learning the local customs and eccentricities of their neighbors in Diano San Pietro. (ITL539, $14.99)

A Farewell to Arms

A Farewell to Arms


by Ernest Hemingway

  • LITERATURE
  • 1995
  • PAPER
  • 332 PAGES

Set in snowy Switzerland and the rainy Italian Lake Country during World War I, this semi-autobiographical novel chronicles the romance between a British nurse and an American ambulance driver. (ITL384, $16.00)

The Food of Italy

The Food of Italy


by Waverly Root

  • FOOD
  • 1992
  • PAPER
  • 750 PAGES

Evocative of Italy and its diverse cuisine, this classic book, organized geographically, offers a cook's tour of the country. It's a well-informed and wonderful culinary guide. (ITL75, $22.00)

Homestead

Homestead


by Rosini Lippi

  • LITERATURE
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 210 PAGES

Set firmly in a small village in the Austrian Alps, these 12 interlinking stories are almost ethnographic in their rich detail of small town life. The stories range from the turn-of-the-century to the present, accurately charting change in the remote village. (ALP11, $13.95)

Hotel du Lac

Hotel du Lac


by Anita Brookner

  • LITERATURE
  • 1995
  • PAPER
  • 184 PAGES

Funny, stylish and spellbinding, Brookner's novel tracks the story of a romance novelist, not quite finding peace and quiet at the quiet luxury of Hotel du Lac in Switzerland. (SWZ05, $13.95)

Italian Neighbors

Italian Neighbors


by Tim Parks

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 272 PAGES

This sparkling memoir by the British novelist captures the travails and delights of life in the Italian countryside. Montecchio, which Parks so indelibly sketches in this favorite book, is outside Verona. (ITL16, $14.95)

Fodor's Venice's 25 Best

Fodor's Venice's 25 Best


by Citypack

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2012
  • PAPER
  • 176 PAGES

This shirt-pocket guide includes an excellent map of the city center and essential information. (ITL106, $12.99)

The Italian Renaissance

The Italian Renaissance


by J. H. Plumb

  • HISTORY
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 320 PAGES

A well-written history of the Renaissance, its artists and thinkers, with chapters on Florence, Milan, Rome and Venice, Michelangelo, Da Vinci and Women of the Renaissance. (ITL562, $16.00)

The Italians

The Italians


by Luigi Barzini

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1996
  • PAPER
  • 352 PAGES

The definitive portrait of the Italian people, this is a classic, scholarly essay on the Italian character. Though first published in 1964, it's still worth reading for its insight, grace and wit. (ITL05, $16.00)

La Nouvelle Heloise

La Nouvelle Heloise


by Jean-Jacques Rousseau

  • LITERATURE
  • 1989
  • PAPER
  • 421 PAGES

Rousseau may be best known for his political philosophy, but in this novel we see his softer side. This is the passionate story told through the letters of two lovers in a small town at the foot of the Alps. (SWZ19, $33.95)

Made in Italy, A Shopper's Guide

Made in Italy, A Shopper's Guide


by Laura Morelli

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 208 PAGES

The second edition of Morelli's expert survey of handcrafted Italian shops and products from Murano glass to ceramics, jewelry and leather. (ITL473, $24.95)

Michelin Green Guide Switzerland

Michelin Green Guide Switzerland


by Michelin Travel Publications

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 448 PAGES

A survey of the cities, villages and sites of Switzerland in the classic Michelin style. (SWZ17, $21.99)

Mountain Light, In Search of the Dynamic Landscape

Mountain Light, In Search of the Dynamic Landscape


by Galen Rowell

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 224 PAGES

The 25th anniverary edition of Rowell's landmark book, featuring 80 spectacular images, divided according to visual content. Each chapter illustrates a theme or technique, supplemented by a short personal essay. (PHT06, $29.95)

Portofino, A Novel

Portofino, A Novel


by Frank Schaeffer

  • LITERATURE
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 288 PAGES

Set in the 1960s, this coming-of-age tale follows a young boy's encounters with the sights and people of the seaside town of Portofino, while he avoids his missionary parents' constant bickering and their attempts to convert the locals. (ITL164, $15.00)

Schlepping Through the Alps, My Search for Austria's Jewish Past with Its Last Wandering Shepherd

Schlepping Through the Alps, My Search for Austria's Jewish Past with Its Last Wandering Shepherd


by Sam Apple

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 304 PAGES

A hilarious and touching exploration of history, tradition and sheep. This account of travels in Austria with Hans Breuer, a shepherd who sings Yiddish folk songs to his sheep, is admittedly a comic quest, but it also delves into some of the darker corners of Austria's history in World War II. (AST74, $16.00)

Switzerland Map

Switzerland Map


by Michelin Travel Publications

  • MAP

A colorful, shaded relief map of Switzerland at a scale of 1:400,000. (SWZ11, $12.95)

There & Then, Travel Writings of James Salter

There & Then, Travel Writings of James Salter


by James Salter

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 296 PAGES

These sketches and essays cover 20 years of novelist Salter's peripatetic life, particularly his extended time hiking and skiing in the Alps of Switzerland, Austria and France. (ALP28, $15.00)

A Traveller in Italy

A Traveller in Italy


by H.V. Morton | Barbara Grizzuti Harrison

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 640 PAGES

The much-beloved, enduring account of Morton's ramblings in the temples, tombs and villas of Tuscany, Lombardy, Emilia and the Veneto. (ITL417, $25.00)

Walking Easy in the Swiss and Austrian Alps

Walking Easy in the Swiss and Austrian Alps


by Chet Lipton

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 221 PAGES

A practical guide to 100 alpine walks and sightseeing excursions. (WLK02, $24.95)

Xenophobe's Guide to the Swiss

Xenophobe's Guide to the Swiss


by Paul Bilton

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 92 PAGES

This irreverent pocket guide to cultural awareness is both insightful -- and entertaining. (SWZ77, $9.95)

 

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.