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England

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

Essential Reading

Item EXGBR99. Buy these 5 items as a set for $89 including shipping, 15% off the retail price.
With free shipping on anything else you order.

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Eyewitness Guide Great Britain

Eyewitness Guide Great Britain

by Eyewitness Guides

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 720 PAGES

With 1,400 photos, maps and excellent introductory chapters, this guide is both a general introduction to Great Britain and a region-by-region look at its attractions. (GBR01, $30.00)

The Story of England

The Story of England

by Christopher Hibbert

  • HISTORY
  • 1992
  • PAPER
  • 224 PAGES

Beautifully illustrated with color pictures, chronological charts, royal genealogies and maps, this popular history of English politics, economics and culture from the Neolithic age to the 1990s is an excellent traveler's companion. (GBR02, $19.95)

In Search of England

In Search of England

by H.V. Morton | James Morris

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 274 PAGES

The much-beloved, enduring account of Morton's ramblings through the English countryside in the early days of the motorcar. Morton charmingly mixes a deep appreciation of the art, culture and history of the place with his own keen observations. (GBR368, $16.00)

Kingdom by the Sea

Kingdom by the Sea

by Paul Theroux

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 361 PAGES

This time, the prolific writer recounts a coastal journey around the British Isles in 1982, displaying his occasional ill temper alongside his celebrated ability to combine social history with a good old-fashioned traveler's tale. (GBR09, $14.95)

Great Britain Map

Great Britain Map

by Ordnance Survey

  • MAP

A homegrown, excellent map at a scale of 1:625,000. (GBR06, $14.95)

 

Bath City Map


by Geographers' A-Z

  • MAP

A street plan of Bath at a scale of 1:12,000. (GBR317, $9.95)

Eyewitness Guide London

Eyewitness Guide London


by Eyewitness Guides

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • FLEXI-BOUND
  • 448 PAGES

This superb guide to London features color photography, dozens of excellent neighborhood maps and a district-by-district synopsis of the city's attractions. Handsome, convenient and up-to-date, this is the guide to carry. (GBR34, $25.00)

Fodor's London's 25 Best

Fodor's London's 25 Best


by Fodor's

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 128 PAGES

This slim guide to London (with handy full-color maps) has everything you need to know for a short visit to the city, including recommended sightseeing, restaurants, hotels and shops. (GBR08, $11.95)

Rough Guide England


by Rough Guide

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 1056 PAGES

This in-depth guide in the British series nicely balances culture and history with practical travel details. (GBR705, $25.99)

1066, The Year of the Conquest

1066, The Year of the Conquest


by David Howarth

  • HISTORY
  • 1981
  • PAPER
  • 207 PAGES

A crack medievalist and storyteller, Howarth brings to life the momentous events of 1066 in rich, anecdotal history -- a classic portrait of the Norman invasion and conquest of England. (GBR115, $14.00)

A Traveller's History of England


by Christopher Daniell

  • HISTORY
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 320 PAGES

Historian and archeologist Daniell delivers a comprehensive history of the region since the time of the hunter-gatherers in this compact volume, taking you through the Romans, Saxons, Vikings, Normans, and Medieval monarchs to the Reformation, Renaissance, the world wars, and the modern state of things. (GBR38, $14.95)

English History, Made Brief, Irreverent and Pleasurable

English History, Made Brief, Irreverent and Pleasurable


by Lacey Baldwin Smith

  • HISTORY
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 262 PAGES

Smith serves up memorable chunks of English history with aplomb, spicing the tale with hilarious cartoons and profiles of the kings, queens and dunces that have led the nation. (GBR869, $17.95)

Notes from a Small Island

Notes from a Small Island


by Bill Bryson

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1997
  • PAPER
  • 324 PAGES

A farewell walking tour of England by an American expatriate who has decided to return home after two decades. Like all of Bryson's books, it's full of rich conversations, humorous anecdotes and amusing interactions. (GBR16, $14.99)

The Age of Shakespeare

The Age of Shakespeare


by Francois Laroque

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1993
  • PAPER
  • 175 PAGES

This pocket-size encyclopedia, an excellent introduction to Elizabethan England, presents Shakespeare, his life, times and legacy in concise essays and well-chosen illustrations. (GBR11, $12.95)

The British Isles, A History of Four Nations

The British Isles, A History of Four Nations


by Hugh Kearney

  • HISTORY
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 324 PAGES

The Celts, Romans, Vikings, Normans and modern immigrants all make an appearance in Kearney's elegant and revisionist history of not just the English but also of the Scots, Welsh and Irish. (GBR88, $39.99)

The Lives of the Kings and Queens of England

The Lives of the Kings and Queens of England


by Antonia Fraser

  • HISTORY
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 384 PAGES

Lady Fraser gathers eight British historians for this engaging, illustrated history of the monarchy from 1066 to the House of Windsor, chock full of personality, incident and scandal. (GBR160, $34.95)

The Mother Tongue, English and How it Got That Way

The Mother Tongue, English and How it Got That Way


by Bill Bryson

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1996
  • PAPER
  • 270 PAGES

An indispensable guide to the language that divides us, this book is an informative linguistic history which showcases Bryson's wry wit. (GBR15, $14.99)

The Oxford Illustrated History of Britain


by Kenne Morgan

  • HISTORY
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 670 PAGES

Two thousand years of British history, from the invasion of Roman legions to the exit of the Blair administration, fill this beautifully illustrated volume. (GBR820, $34.95)

The Professor and the Madman

The Professor and the Madman


by Simon Winchester

  • HISTORY
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 242 PAGES

The bizarre true story behind the birth of the Oxford English Dictionary and two men -- one a scholarly editor, the other a mentally ill, convicted murderer -- who contributed to its creation. (GBR178, $14.99)

The Secret History of MI6, 1909-1949

The Secret History of MI6, 1909-1949


by Keith Jeffery

  • HISTORY
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 810 PAGES

Jeffrey was given unprecedented access to MI6's archives for this thrilling, balanced history of Britain's Special Intelligence Service, which essentially created the modern craft of spying. (GRB50, $20.00)

Watching the English

Watching the English


by Kate Fox

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 424 PAGES

Fox's clever guide to conversation, behavior, quirks, habits and foibles of the English, wildly popular back home in Britain. (GBR927, $17.95)

Cathedrals and Castles, The Cathedral Builders of the Middle Ages

Cathedrals and Castles, The Cathedral Builders of the Middle Ages


by Alain Erlande-Brandenburg

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 175 PAGES

This pocket-size encyclopedia of the art, architecture and culture of the Middle Ages features hundreds of drawings, color illustrations and a brief chronology. (MED07, $15.95)

English Architecture, A Concise History

English Architecture, A Concise History


by David Watkin

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 1985
  • PAPER

A straightforward, illustrated history of English architecture from Anglo-Saxon times to the present. (GBR228, $14.95)

Life in the English Country House, A Social and Architectural History

Life in the English Country House, A Social and Architectural History


by Mark Girouard

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 1994
  • PAPER
  • 432 PAGES

A celebrated social and architectural history of life in English country houses, fully illustrated in black and white and color, first published in 1978. Girouard traces the history of these houses from medieval times to World War II. (GBR221, $45.00)

Stonehenge Complete

Stonehenge Complete


by Christopher Chippindale

  • ARCHAEOLOGY
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 296 PAGES

An excellent introduction to Europe's most mysterious ancient site, fully illustrated and comprehensive. (GBR13, $24.95)

The Gothic Enterprise, A Guide to Understanding the Medieval Cathedral

The Gothic Enterprise, A Guide to Understanding the Medieval Cathedral


by Robert A. Scott

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 294 PAGES

An enthusiast, Scott presents history, design, architecture and wonder of the medieval cathedral and the great Abbey churches. (EUR190, $21.95)

A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare, 1599

A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare, 1599


by James S. Shapiro

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2006
  • PAPER

A dramatic tale of a pivotal year in English history, the life of the bard and the Globe Theater, resulting in Henry V, Julius Caesar, As You Like It and, most probably, Hamlet. (GBR720, $14.99)

Boy, Tales of Childhood

Boy, Tales of Childhood


by Roald Dahl

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 176 PAGES
  • FAMILY

Dahl recalls his youthful misadventures, in boarding school, working as a chocolate tester and summering in Wales. Great family reading. (GBR183, $6.99)

In Search of London


by H.V. Morton

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 448 PAGES

An enduring portrait of the city and especially of its history, originally published a half-century ago. As in all of his travel books, Morton charmingly mixes a deep appreciation of the art, culture and, especially, the history of a place with his own keen observations. (GBR269, $18.50)

Nature's Engraver, A Life of Thomas Bewick


by Jennifer S. Uglow

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 458 PAGES

Born to a farming family in Northumberland in 1753, Bewick eventually published his own History of British Birds, the first field guide intended for a general audience. Uglow's engrossing illustrated biography includes an array of the great engraver's vignettes depicting rural life and the natural world. (NAT249, $18.00)

Three Men in a Boat and Three Men on the Bummel

Three Men in a Boat and Three Men on the Bummel


by Jerome Jerome | Jeremy Lewis

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 361 PAGES
  • FAVORITE

Written in 1889, "Three Men in a Boat" (to say nothing of the dog!) is a laugh-out-loud account of a man-powered voyage along the River Thames, full of detail on life and lore. A Longitude favorite. (GBR28, $11.95)

Winston Churchill


by John Keegan

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 208 PAGES

A short book in the Penguin Lives series. (EUR214, $14.00)

A Tale of Two Cities

A Tale of Two Cities


by Charles Dickens

  • LITERATURE
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 371 PAGES

Dickens' famous tale of love and intrigue, set against the backdrop of the French Revolution. (GBR100, $8.00)

Angry Island, Hunting the English

Angry Island, Hunting the English


by A. Gill

  • ANTHOLOGY
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 240 PAGES

A comic manual to the English by a splendidly irreverent London critic. Gill includes scathing chapters on voice, humor, drink, animals, garden, sport and class. (GBR715, $14.00)

Great Expectations


by Charles Dickens

  • LITERATURE
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 544 PAGES

Dickens at the top of his form. It follows Pip, from a boy orphan taken in by the eccentric Miss Havisham to a young man who finds himself benefactor to a small fortune. (GBR380, $9.00)

Northanger Abbey

Northanger Abbey


by Jane Austen

  • LITERATURE
  • 1996
  • PAPER
  • 219 PAGES

Austen's first novel parodies the Gothic thrillers of her day. Catherine Morland is a country girl spending a season in sophisticated Bath, where she falls for Henry Tilney, who invites her home to his possibly haunted mansion (GBR313, $8.00)

The Complete Novels

The Complete Novels


by Jane Austen

  • LITERATURE
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 1088 PAGES

Austen's seven great novels offers a vivid portrait of English middle-class life, mores, institutions and society at the turn of the 19th century, here in a Penguin deluxe edition. (GBR938, $25.00)

The Oxford Shakespeare, The Complete Works

The Oxford Shakespeare, The Complete Works


by William Shakespeare | Gary Taylor | John Jowett | William Montgomery | Stanley Wells

  • LITERATURE
  • 2005
  • HARD COVER
  • 1424 PAGES

This tome is the authority in Shakespearean scholarship. In addition to the complete works, the book contains a general introduction, a brief introduction to each work and an abundance of secondary material. (GBR654, $40.00)

The Sense of an Ending

The Sense of an Ending


by Julian Barnes

  • LITERATURE
  • 2011
  • HARD COVER
  • 163 PAGES

Winner of the 2011 Booker Prize. The past looms large in this compelling, psychologically astute short novel of middle-aged Tony Webster, suddenly confronted by a childhood he thought he had long left behind. (GRB37, $23.95)

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