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Enrich your travels with reading! Here's a hand-picked list prepared for your journey in conjunction with the book experts at Longitude.

Essential Reading

Item EXICL48. Buy these 4 items as a set for $76 including shipping, 15% off the retail price.
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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)

Northern Lights

Northern Lights

by Calvin Hall | Daryl Pederson | George Bryson

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 128 PAGES

These color photographs capture the dazzling majesty and mystery of the aurora borealis while journalist George Bryson provides a short essay on the history of the phenomenon. (ARC126, $19.99)

Ring of Seasons, Iceland, Its Culture and History

Ring of Seasons, Iceland, Its Culture and History

by Terry G. Lacy

  • HISTORY
  • 1998
  • PAPER
  • 332 PAGES

A longtime resident of Reykjavik, Lacy weaves tales of family life, anecdote, lore and history into this illuminating personal portrait of Iceland. (ICL03, $25.95)

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)

 

Reykjavik City Map


by Freytag & Berndt

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • MAP

A handy, detailed city map of Reykjavik at a scale of 1:10,000. (ICL43, $11.95)

Bradt Guide Iceland

Bradt Guide Iceland


by Andrew Evans

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2012
  • PAPER
  • 432 PAGES

A detailed, personable guide in the venerable British series with a focus on natural treasures, including glaciers, lava flows and rugged coastlines. (ICL42, $25.99)

Penguin Historical Atlas of the Vikings

Penguin Historical Atlas of the Vikings


by John Haywood

  • REFERENCE
  • 1995
  • PAPER
  • 144 PAGES

The history of the Vikings told through a series of innovative maps and excellent photographs. This book traces the route of the 9th-century Viking merchants and explorers throughout Europe and on to the New World. (VIK02, $20.00)

A History of Scandinavia: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland

A History of Scandinavia: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland


by T.K Derry

  • HISTORY
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 447 PAGES

Scandinavia from prehistory to the present with chapters on the Viking and Lutheran kingdoms, medieval times, monarchies, the World Wars and modern period, emphasizing the common cultural, political and social backgrounds. (SCN03, $25.00)

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)

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)

Iceland, Land of the Sagas

Iceland, Land of the Sagas


by Jon Krakauer | David Roberts

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 1998
  • PAPER
  • 160 PAGES

Krakauer and colleague David Roberts hike and climb around Iceland in this classic travel narrative, reissued as a paperback and featuring Krakauer's color photographs. The book interweaves the natural and cultural history of the island with the authors' own adventures. (ICL07, $24.00)

Letters from Iceland

Letters from Iceland


by W.H. Auden

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 256 PAGES

Written with fellow poet Louis MacNiece, this quirky, under-appreciated masterpiece captures the spirit of Iceland, its people and landscapes. (ICL49, $24.95)

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)

Arctic Chill

Arctic Chill


by Arnaldur Indridason

  • MYSTERY
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 352 PAGES

Another chilling police procedural set in contemporary Iceland, the fifth in the series. (ICL46, $15.00)

Hrafnkel's Saga and Other Icelandic Stories

Hrafnkel's Saga and Other Icelandic Stories


by Herman Palsson

  • LITERATURE
  • 1971
  • PAPER
  • 137 PAGES

This collection of the most famous of Icelandic sagas includes stories with titles like Thorstein the Staff-Struck and Ale Hood. Dating from the 12th century, these tales vividly recreate the society of medieval Iceland. (ICL31, $14.00)

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)

Jar City

Jar City


by Arnaldur Indridason

  • MYSTERY
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 288 PAGES

Indridason's first moody police procedural finds Reykjavik detective Erlendur Sveinsson investigating the brutal murder of a lonely pensioner, and the man's connection to the deaths of a number of young women. The series continues with Silence of the Grave (ICL36), Voices (ICL53), The Draining Lake (ICL52) and more. (ICL27, $15.00)

Silence of the Grave

Silence of the Grave


by Arnaldur Indridason

  • MYSTERY
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 288 PAGES

Reykjavik police inspector Erlendur Sveinsson uncovers an old skeleton and unsavory secrets in Indridason's excellent second crime novel translated into English. Winner of the 2005 Gold Dagger award. (ICL36, $15.00)

The Fish Can Sing


by Halldor Laxness | Magnus Magnusson

  • LITERATURE
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 256 PAGES

A quirky, moving coming-of-age tale set in Reykjavik at the turn of the last century, featuring an unforgettable cast of Icelandic characters. Laxness, who also wrote Independent People (ICL01), won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1955. (ICL14, $15.00)

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)

Iceland

Iceland


by Einar Mar Jonsson | Guillaume Cannat | Patrick Desgraupes

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2005
  • HARD COVER
  • 180 PAGES

The French landscape photographer Desgraupes captures the natural beauty of Iceland in 175 color-saturated photographs. (ICL38, $45.00)

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)

Volcanoes, Crucibles of Change

Volcanoes, Crucibles of Change


by Richard Fisher

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 1998
  • PAPER
  • 344 PAGES

A complete primer for the volcano lover, this heavily illustrated book covers types of volcanoes and eruptions, worldwide distribution and the physics of their formation. (GEO02, $29.95)

Volcanoes, Fire From the Earth

Volcanoes, Fire From the Earth


by Maurice Krafft

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 1993
  • PAPER
  • 175 PAGES
  • HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE

By the great French volcanologist (who died on the job on Mount Unzen in Japan in 1992), this pocket guide features hundreds of full-color paintings, traces the study of volcanoes from early myth and legend to modern science. (GEO06, $15.95)

A Field Guide to the Stars and Planets

A Field Guide to the Stars and Planets


by Jay M. Pasachoff

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 578 PAGES

A guided tour of the heavens in the Peterson series equally useful in Des Moines or Montevideo. With an atlas of the sky, detailed moon maps and an overview of the science of astronomy. (SCI01, $19.00)

Birds of Europe

Birds of Europe


by Lars Svensson

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 416 PAGES
  • FAVORITE

Featuring 3,500 glorious paintings by Killian Mullarney and Dan Zetterstrom, the second revised edition of this exquisite guide has been brought up to date with revised text and maps. (FG47, $29.95)

Pocket Guide to the Birds of Britain and North-West Europe

Pocket Guide to the Birds of Britain and North-West Europe


by Chris Kightley

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 1998
  • PAPER
  • 299 PAGES

A compact field-friendly guide to the birds found in the British Isles and the Faroes, Scandinavia and Northwest Europe. (EUR50, $27.00)

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)

The Night Sky

The Night Sky


by Raymond Leung | James Cavanaugh

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2001
  • PLASTIC CARD

A guide to the major constellations in the Northern Hemisphere featuring color photographs and glow-in-the-dark star charts. (SCI49, $5.95)

More Recommendations

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.