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Boston

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

Essential Reading

Item EXBOS04. Buy these 3 items as a set for $46 including shipping, 15% off the retail price.
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Common Ground, A Turbulent Decade in the Lives of Three American Families

by J. Anthony Lukas

  • HISTORY
  • 1986
  • PAPER
  • 688 PAGES

The Pulitzer Prize-winning study of racial tensions in Boston is told from the perspectives of three families. This impeccably researched history pays particular attention to the school integration and busing crisis of 1974. (BOS14, $19.95)

Eyewitness Guide Boston

Eyewitness Guide Boston

by Eyewitness Guides

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 208 PAGES

An exceptionally informative, visually entrancing guide to Boston. (BOS10, $20.00)

Boston Map (Boston Unfolds)

Boston Map (Boston Unfolds)

by VanDam

  • MAP

A cleverly folded map of Boston. (BOS09, $7.95)

 

AIA Guide to Boston


by Michael Southworth | Susan Southworth

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 544 PAGES

This estimable guide sruveys more than 600 of Boston's noteworthy buildings and landmarks. (BOS07, $29.95)

Boston's Freedom Trail: Trace the Path of American History

Boston's Freedom Trail: Trace the Path of American History


by Robert Booth | Shirley Moskow | Jack Frost

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 90 PAGES

A handy pocket guide crammed with maps and photographs of the historic sites that make up Boston's Freedom Trail. (BOS05, $8.95)

Fodor's Boston's 25 Best

Fodor's Boston's 25 Best


by Fodor's

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 128 PAGES

A shirt-pocket guide to Boston, this slim book includes an excellent map of the center of the city and essential information on its highlights. (USE04, $11.99)

Harvard A to Z


by John T. Bethell | Richard M. Hunt | Robert Shenton

  • REFERENCE
  • 2004
  • HARD COVER
  • 408 PAGES

An encylopedia of Harvardiana, from notable alumni to architectural gems, the historical and cultural significance of the university, and its centuries-old traditions and lore. (BOS26, $25.95)

Literary Trail of Greater Boston


by Susan Wilson

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 198 PAGES

Whether you're a fan of the transcendentalists or the confessional poets, this illustrated handbook is a gem for the literary-minded visitor. (BOS04, $14.95)

Lonely Planet Boston Encounter

Lonely Planet Boston Encounter


by Lonely Planet

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 176 PAGES

With a section of not-to-missed highlights and a calendar of annual events, this lively pocket guide organized by neighborhood includes suggested side trips, as well as advice on what to see and where to shop, eat, drink and play. With a double-sided pullout map. (BOS39, $14.99)

Where Boston Cityguide


by Where Magazine

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2008
  • HARD COVER
  • 64 PAGES

A sturdy pocket guide to top city sights, helpfully keyed to overview maps and featuring a detailed downtown PopOut map. (BOS31, $9.95)

Boston Red Sox: 100 Years: The Official Retrospective


by

  • HISTORY
  • 2001
  • HARD COVER
  • 176 PAGES

The story of the Red Sox in baseball history. (BBL07, $40.00)

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)

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)

The Gates Unbarred, A History of University Extension at Harvard, 1910-2009


by Michael Shinagel

  • HISTORY
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 248 PAGES

A history of University Extension at Harvard since its inception in 1910. (BOS44, $14.95)

John Adams


by David McCullough

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 751 PAGES

A Pulitzer Prize-winning best-selling biography of the second president. McCullough reveals him as a magnificent figure who helped shaped the nation. (USE201, $20.00)

Paul Revere and the World He Lived In


by Esther Forbes

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 528 PAGES

An engaging, Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of the much mythologized hero of the American Revolution first published in 1942. (BOS17, $30.95)

Little Women


by Louisa May Alcott

  • LITERATURE
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 777 PAGES
  • FAMILY

Louisa May Alcott's classic tale of four high-spirited sisters growing up in Civil War-era Massachussetts. (USE210, $8.99)

Rise to Rebellion


by Jeff M. Shaara

  • LITERATURE
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 576 PAGES

Shaara, a storyteller of note, here turns from the Civil War to the signature moments of the American Revolution -- as seen through the eyes of key figures. (USE287, $15.95)

The Bostonians


by Henry James

  • LITERATURE
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 480 PAGES

Henry James' satirical novel of the battle of the sexes is well worth the read. In it, Basil, a Mississippi lawyer, and Olive, a Boston feminist, compete for the affections of the same woman. Originally published in 1886, it was one of the first American novels to deal with lesbianism. (BOS13, $20.00)

The Dante Club


by Matthew Pearl

  • LITERATURE
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 384 PAGES

Rarely has historical fiction, literary reference and murder mystery been fused so effortlessly. Pearl's novel, set in 1865 Boston, tells the gripping tale of a murderer drawing inspiration from Dante's "Divine Comedy." (BOS12, $15.00)

The Good City, Writers Explore 21st Century Boston

The Good City, Writers Explore 21st Century Boston


by Emily Hiestand | Ande Zellman

  • ANTHOLOGY
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 175 PAGES

This collection of contemporary writing on Boston includes contributions by Susan Orlean and Michael Patrick MacDonald. (BOS28, $14.00)

The Rise of Silas Lapham


by William Dean Howells

  • LITERATURE
  • 1983
  • PAPER
  • 368 PAGES

A classic novel of the Gilded Age, where wealth and the Boston aristocracy collide as entrepreneur Silas Lapham attempts to translate his riches into social status by marrying off his daughters. (BOS21, $16.00)

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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.