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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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The Pioneer

Replogle

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North Atlantic

READING AND TRAVEL GUIDE

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Essential Reading

Item EXARC270. Buy these 5 items as a set for $83 including shipping, 15% off the retail price.
With free shipping on anything else you order.

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Lonely Planet Iceland

Lonely Planet Iceland

by Deanna Swaney

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 360 PAGES

This concise guide to Iceland includes short essays on history, culture and attractions and plenty of practical travel information. (ICL06, $23.99)

The Arctic, A Guide to Coastal Wildlife

The Arctic, A Guide to Coastal Wildlife

by Tony Soper

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 144 PAGES

This compact guide to coastal marine mammals and seabirds of the circumpolar north features handsome watercolor illustrations and lively text. (ARC85, $21.95)

True North, Travels in Arctic Europe

True North, Travels in Arctic Europe

by Gavin Francis

  • EXPLORATION
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 316 PAGES

Francis follows in the wake of ancient explorers and Viking settlers from Scotland and the Shetland Isles to the Faroes, Iceland, Greenland and beyond in this thoughtful tale of adventures across the Atlantic. (ARC271, $18.00)

Iceland Adventure Map

Iceland Adventure Map

by National Geographic Society

  • 2011
  • MAP

A detailed, double-sided traveler's map at a scale of 1:465,000. (ICL05, $11.95)

Circumpolar North / Greenland Map

Circumpolar North / Greenland Map

by ITMB

  • 2009
  • MAP

With the North Circumpolar region on one side, including Iceland, and a detailed map of Greenland on the other. (ARC111, $12.95)

 
North Circumpolar Region

North Circumpolar Region


by Canada Map Office

  • 2008
  • MAP

A striking bird's-eye view of the Arctic Ocean and all the lands of the far north, at a scale of 1:9,000,000, with shaded relief on sea and land. (ARC16, $19.95)

The History of Iceland

The History of Iceland


by Gunnar Karlsson

  • HISTORY
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 418 PAGES

A history of Iceland from the Viking era through colonization, independence and the 20th century. Karlsson draws on the sagas and rich literature of Iceland in presenting this comprehensive history. (ICL17, $25.50)

The Vikings, Lords of the Seas

The Vikings, Lords of the Seas


by Yves Cohat

  • HISTORY
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 175 PAGES

An indispensable reference that fits in your pocket, this slim volume is packed with maps, archival photographs, and illustrations. It tells of the Norse homeland, discoveries and settlements, and also features a useful chronology and excerpts from the Viking Sagas. Part of the "Discoveries" series. (VIK01, $15.95)

Vikings, The North Atlantic Saga

Vikings, The North Atlantic Saga


by William Fitzhugh | Elisabeth Ward

  • HISTORY
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 432 PAGES

An extensively illustrated volume of Viking culture, history and exploration that focuses especially on voyages to North America. Published in conjunction with a Smithsonian exhibit, it features essays and 400 color photographs. (VIK11, $34.95)

An African in Greenland

An African in Greenland


by Tete-Michel Kpomassie | James Kirkup

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 300 PAGES

A memorable account of the odyssey of West African author from his home in Togo to Paris, Denmark and, ultimately, Greenland. (ARC110, $14.95)

Frost on My Moustache, The Arctic Exploits of a Lord and a Loafer

Frost on My Moustache, The Arctic Exploits of a Lord and a Loafer


by Tim Moore

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 280 PAGES

In this inspired folly, a British comic heads to Iceland, Spitsbergen and other northern locales in pursuit of a fictitious Arctic hero. (ARC74, $16.99)

N by E

N by E


by Rockwell Kent | Edward Hoagland

  • EXPLORATION
  • 1996
  • PAPER
  • 282 PAGES

The classic account of a 1929 sailing voyage from Labrador to Greenland, illustrated with wood-block prints by the author on every other page. (ARC35, $22.95)

The Sagas of Icelanders

The Sagas of Icelanders


by Jane Smiley | Robert Kellog

  • EXPLORATION
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 544 PAGES

Nine sagas and six tales composed between the years 1000 and 1500, including an account of Leif Eriksson's voyage to North America, all newly translated. With an introduction by Jane Smiley. (ICL13, $25.00)

This Cold Heaven

This Cold Heaven


by Gretel Ehrlich

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 400 PAGES
  • FAVORITE

Ehrlich spent seven seasons in Greenland, mostly alone, traveling by boat, helicopter, plane and dogsled. This exhilarating book reflects her insight, knowledge and deep appreciation of the people and barren landscapes of the north. (ARC107, $18.95)

Weird and Tragic Shores: The Story of Charles Francis Hall, Explorer

Weird and Tragic Shores: The Story of Charles Francis Hall, Explorer


by Chauncey Loomis | Andrea Barrett

  • EXPLORATION
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 350 PAGES

The tale of 19th-century Arctic explorer Charles Francis Hall, and the mysterious circumstances surrounding his untimely death somewhere in Greenland. (ARC63, $19.00)

Far Afield

Far Afield


by Susanna Kaysen

  • LITERATURE
  • 1994
  • PAPER
  • 338 PAGES

Susanna Kaysen's charming novel about a social anthropologist off on a grant to study the residents of the Faroes wonderfully evokes the people, culture and windswept landscapes of the North Atlantic archipelago. (ICL08, $17.00)

Independent People, An Epic

Independent People, An Epic


by Halldor Laxness

  • LITERATURE
  • 1997
  • PAPER
  • 480 PAGES
  • FAVORITE

Rich in local color, this great mock-epic by the Icelandic Nobel Prize-winner features the indelible Bjartur of Summerhouses, a hard-headed, independent-minded sheep farmer. (ICL01, $16.00)

Old Man and His Sons

Old Man and His Sons


by Heoin Bru

  • LITERATURE
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 166 PAGES

Heoin Bru deftly captures a vanishing way of life in the Faroe Islands in this short novel, showing his thrifty characters occupied with gathering wood along the shore, farming and fishing in a traditional world on the verge of change. Heoin Bru was the penname of Hans Jacob Jacobsen (1901-1987), a Faroese novelist and translator. (SCN68, $13.95)

The Greenlanders

The Greenlanders


by Jane Smiley

  • LITERATURE
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 608 PAGES
  • FAVORITE

This marvelously researched novel recreates life in the Viking settlements in Greenland. (ARC08, $15.95)

A Naturalist's Guide to the Arctic

A Naturalist's Guide to the Arctic


by E.C. Pielou

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 1994
  • PAPER
  • 327 PAGES

Our best-selling book on the Arctic, this guide covers the geography and climate, plants, birds and wildlife of the circumpolar north. (ARC03, $22.00)

Arctic Dreams

Arctic Dreams


by Barry Lopez

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 417 PAGES
  • FAVORITE

A dazzling meditation on the Arctic, breathtaking in scope. Lopez draws on his travels throughout the North, including Baffin Island, the Chukchi and Bering seas, Alaska, the Yukon and Greenland, interweaving natural history, accounts of early exploration, anecdote and lore into an indelible portrait of place. (ARC11, $16.00)

The Control of Nature

The Control of Nature


by John McPhee

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 1989
  • PAPER
  • 272 PAGES

A bestseller in the classic McPhee tradition, this book explores our generally feeble attempts to combat all-powerful nature, including efforts by Icelanders to control the flow of a volcano. (NAT01, $16.00)

Thousand-Mile Song

Thousand-Mile Song


by David Rothenberg

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 304 PAGES

Musician-naturalist Rothenberg jams with cetaceans from the Caribbean to the Arctic in this exuberant chronicle of the rich underwater universe of whales. Audio CD included. (NAT144, $18.00)

Through the Eyes of the Vikings, An Aerial Vision of Arctic Lands

Through the Eyes of the Vikings, An Aerial Vision of Arctic Lands


by Robert B. Haas

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2010
  • HARD COVER
  • 224 PAGES

In this captivating collection of oversized aerial photographs, Haas (Through the Eyes of the Gods) reveals the surprising diversity of color and life in the arctic landscape. (ARC270, $50.00)

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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.