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The Basque Country

READING AND TRAVEL GUIDE

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Books for

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 EXSPN142. Buy these 4 items as a set for $67 including shipping, 15% off the retail price.
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Cadogan Bilbao & the Basque Lands

Cadogan Bilbao & the Basque Lands

by Michael Pauls

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2012
  • PAPER
  • 312 PAGES

With good maps as well as introductory chapters on the history and culture of the Basques, this guide covers Bilbao, San Sebastian, Pamplona and Biarritz in detail. (SPN207, $21.95)

The Land of My Fathers, A Son's Return to the Basque Country

The Land of My Fathers, A Son's Return to the Basque Country

by Robert Laxalt | Joyce Laxalt

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1999
  • HARD COVER
  • 136 PAGES

A portrait of the Basque culture and people through the eyes of Robert Laxalt, who traveled through Basque country in the 60s. This book is based on Laxalt's journals and complemented by his wife's photographs. (FRN162, $21.00)

The Basque History of the World

The Basque History of the World

by Mark Kurlansky

  • HISTORY
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 288 PAGES

Popular author Mark Kurlansky offers an engaging portrait of the seven provinces of Basque Land, discussing everything from language to culinary heritage and seafaring traditions. (SPN116, $16.00)

Aquitaine Map

Aquitaine Map

by Michelin

  • MAP

A regional map of the Aquitaine region from Arcachon south to Pamplona at a scale of 1:200,000. (FRN205, $12.95)

 
Northern Spain Adventure Map

Northern Spain Adventure Map


by National Geographic

  • MAP

A nicely detailed, overview map of the western (coastal) part of Northern Spain and the Way of St. James at a scale of 1:380,,000. (SPN245, $11.95)

Basque-English Dictionary and Phrasebook

Basque-English Dictionary and Phrasebook


by Joseph Conroy

  • LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS
  • 1998
  • PAPER
  • 206 PAGES

A shirt-pocket guide to the Basque language, useful for travelers to Northern Spain and Southwest France. (SPN128, $11.95)

Rough Guide The Pyrenees

Rough Guide The Pyrenees


by Rough Guide

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 664 PAGES

A practical guide in the British series with good information on walking routes, excursions, accommodations and attractions on both sides of the border, including Catalonia, Basque Country and Andorra. (SPN146, $19.99)

The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago, The Complete Cultural Handbook

The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago, The Complete Cultural Handbook


by David Gitlitz | Linda Kay Davidson

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 440 PAGES

A kilometer-by-kilometer guide to the way of St. James. Organized geographically, this comprehensive guide is a survey of the pilgrimage route across northern Spain. (SPN137, $24.95)

Life and Food in the Basque Country

Life and Food in the Basque Country


by Maria Jose Sevilla

  • FOOD
  • 1992
  • PAPER
  • 170 PAGES

A portrait of Basque life as seen through the people who practice its culinary traditions. Each chapter profiles the ways and history of the Basque butcher, fisherman, housewife, kaiku-maker or society cook, with some traditional recipes. (SPN125, $14.95)

The Basque Table, Passionate Home Cooking from One of Europe's Great Regional Cuisines


by Teresa Barrenechea

  • FOOD
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 232 PAGES

A collection of 130 traditional recipes from the owner-chef of New York's Marichu. Barrenechea, who was raised in Bilbao, includes plenty of asides on Basque history, traditions and culture. (SPN218, $18.95)

A Traveller's History of Spain

A Traveller's History of Spain


by Juan Lalaguna

  • HISTORY
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 304 PAGES

A swift survey from prehistory through the Romans, Goths and Moors to the present. (SPN06, $14.95)

Boundaries, The Making of France and Spain in the Pyrenees

Boundaries, The Making of France and Spain in the Pyrenees


by Peter Sahlins

  • HISTORY
  • 1991
  • PAPER
  • 351 PAGES

A study of national identity in Catalonia, Cerdanya and the border lands between France and Spain, with an overview of their demarcation and arbitrary division in 1659. (SPN154, $29.95)

Spain, The Root and the Flower

Spain, The Root and the Flower


by John A. Crow

  • HISTORY
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 455 PAGES

Take this book with you to Spain: it's an absorbing, well-written account of Spanish cultural history from prehistory to the Romans, Jews, Moors, Golden Age and on to Franco and his legacy in modern Spain. (SPN13, $29.95)

The Basque Country, A Cultural History

The Basque Country, A Cultural History


by Paddy Woodworth

  • HISTORY
  • 2007
  • HARD COVER
  • 256 PAGES

A literary, cultural guide to the art, architecture, traditions and history of the Basque Country. (SPN325, $25.00)

A Piano in the Pyrenees

A Piano in the Pyrenees


by Tony Hawks

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 352 PAGES

British comic Hawks (Around Ireland with a Fridge) serves up another bumbling adventure in this account of buying a house in the French Pyrenees and trying to teach himself to play (not to mention move) a piano. (ITL870, $13.95)

Travels with My Donkey

Travels with My Donkey


by Tim Moore

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 328 PAGES

In this wickedly comic account of grand adventures on the 500-mile pilgrimage to Santiago de Campostela with a French-speaking donkey, Moore salts his anecdotes of fellow travelers and grand adventures with an account of the history and culture of the medieval Way of St. James. (SPN242, $14.99)

By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept

By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept


by Paulo Coelho

  • LITERATURE
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 179 PAGES

From the wildly popular Brazilian author Paulo Coelho comes this magical tale of a woman who follows a former childhood friend through the French Pyrenees. (FRN221, $13.99)

Guernica

Guernica


by Dave Boling

  • LITERATURE
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 384 PAGES

In this novel of the devestating Guernica bombing at the start World War II, Boling portrays a love affair in the midst of total war. (SPN367, $15.00)

Spain, A Traveler's Literary Companion

Spain, A Traveler's Literary Companion


by Peter R. Bush

  • ANTHOLOGY
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 242 PAGES

These 30 short stories form a who's who of contemporary Spanish literature, including writers from Galicia, Leon, the Basque Country, Madrid and Barcelona. (SPN173, $13.95)

The Song of Roland

The Song of Roland


by Robert Harrison

  • LITERATURE
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 192 PAGES

A lyrical translation of the great French epic. Charlemagne's nephew, the chivalrous hero Roland, battles Basque attackers in this 11th-century epic about bloody struggle between Islamic and Christian armies. (SPN271, $6.95)

The Sun Also Rises

The Sun Also Rises


by Ernest Hemingway

  • LITERATURE
  • 1995
  • PAPER
  • 256 PAGES

Hemingway's great novel, which encapsulates the angst of the post-WWI "lost generation," is the story of unmoored American and British expats travelling from Paris to Pamplona. (SPN33, $15.00)

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.