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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 EXGBR435. Buy these 4 items as a set for $83 including shipping, 15% off the retail price.
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A Year in the Life of the Cotswolds

A Year in the Life of the Cotswolds

by Beata Moore

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 2009
  • HARD COVER
  • 112 PAGES

This lush photographic journey through this quintessentially English countryside includes beautiful color photos and brief essays on towns throughout the region. (GBR860, $29.95)

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)

Cotswolds Map

Cotswolds Map

by Ordnance Survey

  • 2005
  • MAP

A terrific, colorful, and very detailed topographic map of the Cotswolds, at a scale of 1:25,000. (GBR124, $23.95)

 
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)

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)

Oxford, A Cultural and Literary Companion

Oxford, A Cultural and Literary Companion


by David Horan

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 246 PAGES

This guide to the city and university focuses on the many writers and historic personalities from King Charles to Shelley, Christopher Wren, Oscar Wilde, Dr. Johnson, Alice of the Looking Glass, and C.S. Lewis. (GBR239, $15.00)

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)

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 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 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)

Looking for Class, Days and Nights at Oxford and Cambridge


by Bruce Feiler

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 352 PAGES

A witty, charming and astutely observed account of an American graduate student's year spent in the halls of England's most prestigious academic institutions. (GBR467, $14.95)

Agatha Raisin and the Wellspring of Death

Agatha Raisin and the Wellspring of Death


by M.C. Beaton

  • MYSTERY
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 201 PAGES

In this installment of the Agatha Raisin series, our heroine has moved to a not-quite-so-quiet village in the Cotswolds, and of course finds her self in the middle of a puzzling murder. (GBR212, $7.99)

An Instance of the Fingerpost


by Iain Pears

  • MYSTERY
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 691 PAGES

An acclaimed historical mystery set in 17th-century Oxford. (GBR530, $17.00)

Jude the Obscure

Jude the Obscure


by Thomas Hardy

  • LITERATURE
  • 1998
  • PAPER
  • 484 PAGES

Hardy's last novel, the story of a young man of the working-class searching for an education and acceptance in the unforgiving world of Victorian England. (GBR450, $10.00)

The Invention of Love

The Invention of Love


by Tom Stoppard

  • LITERATURE
  • 1998
  • PAPER
  • 102 PAGES

The writer A.E. Houseman, adrift on the River Styx, meets his younger self, and reflects on a life lived in the shadow of Oscar Wilde. Tom Stoppard's play delivers a powerful, intricate meditation on life, scholarship and the after-life. (GBR165, $12.00)

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)

Wildflowers of Britain and Europe

Wildflowers of Britain and Europe


by Margaret and Roland Spohn

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 320 PAGES

Over 450 species of wild flower are covered, each beautifully illustrated with detailed paintings and clear photographs. (EUR46, $21.95)

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.