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Philadelphia

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 Philadelphia. Order an essential package, and we'll ship any additional items for free.

Essential Reading

Item EXUSE117. Buy these 4 items as a set for $79 including shipping, 15% off the retail price.
With free shipping on anything else you order.

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Eyewitness Guide Philadelphia & the Pennsylvania Dutch Country

Eyewitness Guide Philadelphia & the Pennsylvania Dutch Country

by Eyewitness Guides

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 208 PAGES

Gorgeously illustrated and with excellent maps, this compact book is a handsome overview of the history, traditions, cultures and sights of Philadelphia and surrounding areas. (USE369, $23.00)

Philadelphia, A 300-Year History

by Russell F. Weigley | Edward Wolf | Nicholas B. Wainwright | Joseph E. Illick | Thomas Wendel

  • HISTORY
  • 1982
  • HARD COVER
  • 751 PAGES

A comprehensive history of Philadelphia that examines the city's political, artistic, physical, and social development. (USE98, $35.00)

Philadelphia, Then and Now

by Edward Arthur Mauger

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 2003
  • HARD COVER
  • 144 PAGES

An illustrated chronicle of Philadelphia's development over the decades. Archival photographs are paired alongside modern ones, their contrast demonstrating the city's change. Each pair is accompanied by a brief, historical description. (USE360, $19.95)

Philadelphia Map

by Borch Maps

  • 2006
  • MAP

A laminated, flexible map of the center of Philadelphia. (USE123, $7.95)

 

City Walks Philadelphia


by Caroline Tiger

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2009
  • BOXED
  • 52 PAGES

This deck of colorful convenient car includes 50 suggested adventures afoot in the city. (USE515, $14.95)

A Prayer for the City


by Buzz G. Bissinger | Robert Clark

  • HISTORY
  • 1998
  • PAPER
  • 408 PAGES

An account of Philadelphia and its mayor Ed Rendell in the early 1990s. Bissinger draws Rendell as a larger-than-life personality, doing anything possible to save a floundering city. (USE121, $16.00)

Beyond Philadelphia, The American Revolution in the Pennsylvania Hinterland


by John B. Frantz | William Pencak

  • HISTORY
  • 1998
  • PAPER
  • 296 PAGES

A collection of nine essays on different regions in Pennsylvania and the role they played during the Revolutionary War. (USE92, $31.95)

Decision in Philadelphia: The Constitutional Convention of 1787


by Christopher Collier | James Lincoln Collier

  • HISTORY
  • 1987
  • PAPER
  • 448 PAGES

A popular history of the writing of the U.S. Constitution, written for a general audience and full of details on the events and personalities that shaped the document. (USE122, $7.99)

Founding Brothers, The Revolutionary Generation

Founding Brothers, The Revolutionary Generation


by Joseph J. Ellis

  • HISTORY
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 304 PAGES

A riveting tale of Washington, Madison, Hamilton and especially of Jefferson and Adams. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, it's a fascinating glimpse into the early days of our country. (USE244, $15.00)

Original Meanings, Politics and Ideas in the Making of the Constitution

Original Meanings, Politics and Ideas in the Making of the Constitution


by Jack N. Rakove

  • HISTORY
  • 1997
  • PAPER
  • 439 PAGES

In this Pulitzer Prize-winning history, Rakove reassesses the intentions and debates of the ratifiers of the Constitution and challenges the political stance that today's policy-makers should aim to obey the founders' intentions. (USA443, $17.95)

Revolutionaries, A New History of the Invention of America


by Jack Rakove

  • HISTORY
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 496 PAGES

Rakove offers new insights into the personalities of America's famous and little-known revolutionaries, focusing on the period from 1772 to 1792 and portraying these national heroes as ordinary men who rose to meet the challenges at hand. (USA442, $16.95)

The Americans, the Colonial Experience

The Americans, the Colonial Experience


by Daniel Boorstin

  • HISTORY
  • 1964
  • PAPER
  • 434 PAGES

Winner of the Bancroft Prize, this wide-ranging portrait of colonial America looks to the origins of the American character and its institutions. (USA05, $16.95)

Historic Houses of Philadelphia, A Tour of the Region's Museum Homes


by Roger W. Moss | Tom Crane

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 1998
  • HARD COVER
  • 240 PAGES

A photographic tour of 50 distinctive residences in the Philadelphia area. (USE93, $39.95)

Imagining Philadelphia, Travelers' Views of the City from 1800 to the Present


by Philip Stevick

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 1996
  • HARD COVER
  • 216 PAGES

A collection of travel narratives, correspondence, diaries, and fiction dating as far back as 1800. (USE91, $49.95)

Brotherly Love


by Daniel Hoffman

  • LITERATURE
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 192 PAGES

An extended poem that reflects on William Penn's vision for America and the conflicts that have arisen to challenge this ideal. (USE101, $17.95)

Philadelphia Fire, A Novel


by John Edgar Wideman

  • LITERATURE
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 199 PAGES

In this novel, an African American writer returns to West Philadelphia to write a book on the 1985 police bombing of a black organization and searches for the one surviving child. Winner of the Pen Faulkner Award. (USE102, $13.95)

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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.