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BEST OF 2011

Wild Coast

John Gimlette

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FOR THE HOLIDAYS

To the Arctic

Florian Schultz

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OUR FAVORITES

Arctic Dreams

Barry Lopez

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GLOBES

The Pioneer

Replogle

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CHINA: THE GREAT BEND OF THE YANGTZE

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Around the Bloc: My Life in Moscow, Beijing, and Havana

Around the Bloc: My Life in Moscow, Beijing, and Havana


by Stephanie Elizondo Griest

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 416 PAGES

The offbeat memoirs of a Texan who spent four years as a volunteer in Moscow, a propaganda officer in Beijing, and a belly dancer in Havana. (RUS242, $14.95)

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress


by Sijie Dai | Ina Rilke

  • LITERATURE
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 208 PAGES

A charming, unexpectedly witty, tale of two teenage boys in China sent off to the countryside during Mao's Cultural Revolution. (CHN159, $13.95)

Buddhist Art and Architecture

Buddhist Art and Architecture


by Robert Fisher

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 1993
  • PAPER
  • 216 PAGES

A wide-ranging, illustrated survey of Buddhist art, architecture and iconography in the excellent World of Art series. It includes examples from throughout Asia. (ASA30, $19.95)

The Buddhist Handbook

The Buddhist Handbook


by John Snelling

  • RELIGION
  • 1992
  • PAPER
  • 345 PAGES

Subtitled, "The Complete Guide to Buddhist Schools, Teaching, Practice and History, " this even-handed book is a concise primer covering the history, philosophical foundation and practice of Buddhism. (ASA08, $19.95)

China Map

China Map


by International Travel Maps

  • 2006
  • MAP

A double-sided shaded-relief map of China, at a useful scale of 1:3,800,000, indexed with an inset map of central Beijing. (CHN06, $11.95)

The China Reader, The Reform Era


by Orville Schell | David Shambaugh

  • HISTORY
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 553 PAGES

A comprehensive and well-researched sourcebook on China over the last 25 years. (CHN224, $17.95)

Chinese Art

Chinese Art


by Mary Tregear

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 1997
  • PAPER
  • 216 PAGES

A quick, but surprisingly thorough survey of Chinese art, including calligraphy and painting, sculpture and ceramics, as well as garden design, architecture, and various crafts. (CHN153, $19.95)

Chinese Rugs: A Buyer's Guide

Chinese Rugs: A Buyer's Guide


by Lee Allane

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 1994
  • PAPER
  • 144 PAGES

A guide to the history, techniques and variety of carpets produced throughout China, featuring a helpful buyer's guide. (CHN30, $15.95)

Dragon Lady, The Life and Legend of the Last Empress of China

Dragon Lady, The Life and Legend of the Last Empress of China


by Sterling Seagrave

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 1993
  • PAPER
  • 601 PAGES

Reappraises the Dowager Empress Tzu Hsi and portrays a strong, complex woman struggling to keep her country from unraveling. (CHN229, $19.95)

Empress Orchid

Empress Orchid


by Anchee Min

  • LITERATURE
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 346 PAGES

In this novel of the glorious, decadent last days of 19th-Century Imperial China, Min (Red Azalea, Becoming Madame Mao) combines her tale of a young girl from the provinces who marries an emperor -- and then improbably becomes the Last Empress -- with a lovingly re-created portrait of life in the Forbidden City. (CHN267, $14.00)

Farewell My Concubine


by Kaige Chen

  • 1993
  • DVD

The moving story of a fifty-year friendship between two men who meet as children in the Peking Opera. (CHN226, $14.99)

Giant Pandas in the Wild, Saving an Endangered Species

Giant Pandas in the Wild, Saving an Endangered Species


by Lu Zhi

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2002
  • HARD COVER
  • 128 PAGES
  • OUT OF PRINT

A portrait of the giant panda, its habitat in China and international conservation efforts. Includes excellent color photographs by George Schaller and text chronicling the lives of 20 individual pandas. (CHN173, $35.00)

The Golden Days


by Cao Xueqin | David Hawkes

  • LITERATURE
  • 1974
  • PAPER
  • 544 PAGES

The classic enchanting love story set in 18th-century China which follows the Jia family and the magical stone at the center of the tale. (CHN223, $17.00)

Knopf Mapguide Shanghai


by Knopf Guides

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 48 PAGES

Full-color foldout maps make this guidebook a handy and practical way to find information on where to go and what to do in the city. (CHN283, $10.95)

The Last Emperor


by Bernardo Bertolucci

  • HISTORY
  • 1987
  • DVD

Bernardo Bertolucci's Oscar-winning rendition of the true story of Aisin-Gioro Pu Yi, the last emperor of China's Ching Dynasty. (CHN225, $29.95)

The Last Panda

The Last Panda


by George Schaller

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 1993
  • PAPER
  • 291 PAGES

Naturalist George Schaller spent almost five years in the wild studying the panda in the 1980s. This book is both his description of the great panda in nature, and an eloquent plea for how to save the species. (CHN24, $17.50)

Leaving Mother Lake

Leaving Mother Lake


by Yang Erche Namu | Christine Mathieu

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 320 PAGES

In this entrancing memoir, Chinese singing sensation Namu recounts her coming-of-age among the matriarchal Mosuo people in Southwest China near the Chinese-Tibetan border. (CHN270, $14.99)

Look What Came From China!

Look What Came From China!


by Miles Harvey

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 32 PAGES
  • YOUNG READERS (Age 4-8)

An illustrated guide to China, its products and inventions, for children ages 4-8. (CHN155, $6.95)

Mantles of Merit: Chin Textiles from Myanmar, India and Bangladesh


by David Fraser | Barbara Fraser

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 2005
  • HARD COVER

An abundantly illustrated study of the textiles of the Chin peoples of southern and eastern Asia. With more than 600 color illustrations. (ASA46, $60.00)

Mao, The Unknown Story

Mao, The Unknown Story


by Jung Chang | John Halliday

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 814 PAGES

In this extraordinary biography Chang (Wild Swans) and her historian husband reveal Mao as a brutal, power-hungry monster with close ties to Joseph Stalin. (CHN301, $20.00)

The Mekong, Turbulent Past, Uncertain Future

The Mekong, Turbulent Past, Uncertain Future


by Milton Osborne

  • HISTORY
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 320 PAGES

A cultural history of the great river from prehistory to European exploration, colonial tensions and modern challenges. It's an engaging introduction to the history of Southeast Asia. (SEA28, $16.00)

Ming Furniture in the Light of Chinese Architecture


by Sarah Handler

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 2005
  • HARD COVER
  • 233 PAGES

A beautifully illustrated overview of Ming furniture and its architectural setting. (CHN318, $50.00)

National Geographic China

National Geographic China


by Damian Harper

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 400 PAGES

A generously illustrated guide to China with the usual National Geographic attention to maps and photographs. With a 50-page appendix of practical travel information. (CHN163, $27.95)

Oracle Bones

Oracle Bones


by Peter Hessler

  • HISTORY
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 512 PAGES

In this fine portrait of tumult and tradition, Hessler (River Town) finds clues to modern China's realities in the personal stories of peasants, scholars, day laborers and activists. (CHN316, $15.99)

Passions of the Cut Sleeve, The Male Homosexual Tradition in China


by Bret Hinsch

  • LITERATURE
  • 1992
  • PAPER
  • 256 PAGES

A well-written, scholarly survey of the traditions of same-sex male love in Chinese literature. (CHN167, $26.95)

Pimsleur Quick & Simple Chinese (Cantonese)

Pimsleur Quick & Simple Chinese (Cantonese)


by Pimsleur Language Method

  • LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS
  • 2005
  • AUDIO CD

An audio CD with eight 30-minute lessons in basic Cantonese, covering elementary vocabulary and phrases used in travel and everyday situations. (CHN279, $19.95)

Pimsleur Quick & Simple Chinese (Mandarin)

Pimsleur Quick & Simple Chinese (Mandarin)


by Pimsleur Language Method

  • LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS
  • 2005
  • AUDIO CD

Four audio CDs with eight 30-minute lessons in basic Mandarin, covering elementary vocabulary and phrases used in travel and everyday situations. (CHN280, $19.95)

Religions of China, The World as a Living System


by David L. Overmyer

  • RELIGION
  • 1998
  • PAPER
  • 125 PAGES

A brief primer on the religions of China. (CHN154, $11.50)

Religions of Tibet in Practice

Religions of Tibet in Practice


by Donald S. Lopez, Jr.

  • RELIGION
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 421 PAGES

A collection of 36 essays and translated texts by scholars of Tibetan Buddhism, including selections on prayers, pilgrimages, death and ritual. (TBT16, $28.95)

Edgar Snow's Journey South of the Clouds

Edgar Snow's Journey South of the Clouds


by Edgar R. Snow | Robert Farnsworth

  • ANTHOLOGY
  • 1991
  • HARD COVER
  • 297 PAGES
  • OUT OF PRINT

Impressions of Taiwan, Yunnan, Burma and other places visited by Edgar Snow in 1930. (CHN124, $28.00)

The Retreat of the Elephants, An Environmental History of China

The Retreat of the Elephants, An Environmental History of China


by Mark Elvin

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 564 PAGES

A thorough examination of the damage that has been done to China's environment through war, modernization and new farming developments. (CHN221, $24.00)

The River's Tale, A Year on the Mekong

The River's Tale, A Year on the Mekong


by Edward Gargan

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 352 PAGES

A personal, probing chronicle of a 3,000 mile journey on the river from its source in China through Tibet, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia to the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. (SEA33, $15.95)

Sky Burial, An Epic Love Story of Tibet

Sky Burial, An Epic Love Story of Tibet


by Xinran

  • LITERATURE
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 206 PAGES

Xinran turns the tale of a young Chinese woman's lifelong search for her husband in Tibet, based on an 1994 interview, into a powerful, gut-wrenching tale, evoking the customs, traditions and challenges of contemporary Tibet. (CHN282, $14.95)

Streetlife China

Streetlife China


by Michael Dutton

  • ANTHOLOGY
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 320 PAGES

A scholarly collection of essays about the realities of living in modern-day China, by a variety of contributors. (CHN222, $36.00)

Three Gorges of the Yangtze River

Three Gorges of the Yangtze River


by Raynor Shaw | Judy Bonavia

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 248 PAGES

Compact, illustrated and up-to-date, this Odyssey Guide focuses on the most popular 120-mile cruise from Chongqing to Wuhan. (CHN368, $22.95)

Three Gorges of the Yangtze River

Three Gorges of the Yangtze River


by Raynor Shaw | Judy Bonavia

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 248 PAGES

Compact, illustrated and up-to-date, this Odyssey Guide focuses on the most popular 120-mile cruise from Chongqing to Wuhan. (CHN368, $22.95)

Three Ways of Thought in Ancient China


by Arthur Waley

  • RELIGION
  • 1982
  • PAPER
  • 216 PAGES

An elegantly written, classic introduction to traditional Chinese philosophy. (CHN164, $18.95)

The Tibetan Book of the Dead, Liberation from Understanding the In Between

The Tibetan Book of the Dead, Liberation from Understanding the In Between


by Robert Thurman

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1994
  • PAPER
  • 275 PAGES

A key text as presented by Robert Thurman for a western audience. This is the Tibetan guidebook to dying or "the between," written in the 8th or 9th century by Padma Sambhava. (TBT06, $18.00)

To Live


by Yimou Zhang

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1994
  • DVD
  • CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE
    • >

Zhang Yimou's moving film follows one family from the 1940s through the 1960s in China. (CHN227, $19.98)

The Travels of Marco Polo

The Travels of Marco Polo


by Marco Polo | Ronald Lantham

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 1975
  • PAPER
  • 380 PAGES

The memories of a 13th-century journey to China along the Silk Road, among the most famous travel accounts ever. Describing exotic plants, birds, precious gems, silks, and spices with a merchant's eye, this superb geographer recounts his 20 years of travel. (CAS05, $15.00)

Uncle Peter's Amazing Chinese Wedding

Uncle Peter's Amazing Chinese Wedding


by Lenore Look | Yumi Heo

  • LITERATURE
  • 2006
  • HARD COVER
  • 40 PAGES
  • YOUNG READERS (Age 4-8)

Chinese wedding traditions come alive in this story of a mischief-making Chinese-American girl who worries that her uncle will forget about her after he marries. With charming mixed-media illustrations. (CHN348, $17.99)

Waiting

Waiting


by Ha Jin

  • LITERATURE
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 308 PAGES

A spare, haunting story of a military doctor who tries for 18 years to divorce his peasant wife so he can marry a more sophisticated nurse at his hospital. Greatly evocative of quotidian life in China during the Cultural Revolution and after. (CHN80, $15.00)

Ways of Being Ethnic in Southwest China

Ways of Being Ethnic in Southwest China


by Stevan Harrell

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 370 PAGES

A scholarly ethnography of the peoples of Southwest China, including the Nuosu (Yi), Prmi, Naze, and Han. With detailed case studies. (CHN271, $24.95)

Wild West China, The Taming of Xinjiang

Wild West China, The Taming of Xinjiang


by Christian Tyler

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 2004
  • HARD COVER
  • 336 PAGES

A portrait of the changing face of the Xinjiang region in northwest China. (CHN231, $28.95)

A Woman's Asia

A Woman's Asia


by Marybeth Bond

  • ANTHOLOGY
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 310 PAGES

These thirty-five personal, often hilarious accounts of women's adventures from China to Sri Lanka to Turkey to Bhutan, not only illuminating the everyday, oft-overlooked cultural practices of Asia, but also giving a glimpse into the thoughts and feelings of the female traveller. (ASA49, $17.95)

Yangtze

Yangtze


by Philip Wilkinson

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2005
  • HARD COVER
  • 168 PAGES

An lluminating portrait of one of the wortld's great rivers, (CHN320, $40.00)

 

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.