ALPS
Northern Italy & the Alps   |   READING AND TRAVEL GUIDE

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Essential Books These 5 items are available for $76, including
U.S. shipping, a 15% discount (Item no. EXALP100)		  
Walking in the Alps  •  Kev Reynolds
GUIDEBOOK •  2000 •  PAPER  • 496 PAGES
A nicely illustrated, authoritative guide to hiking throughout the Alps, organized geographically. Reynolds covers a range of activities from day hikes to the classic hut-to-hut mountain walks. With color photographs and good local maps. Intended as a planning guide, the book is an excellent general overview of the region and hikes from coastal France across to Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Austria. (SWZ44, $22.95)		   Walking in the Alps
La Bella Figura, A Field Guide to the Italian Mind  •  Beppe Severgnini
CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2007 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES • BEST SELLER
Hugely popular in Italy, this witty guide to the Italian character addresses the apparently never-ending Italian passion for beauty, disorder and high emotion. An Italian journalist, Severgnini opens with a snapshot of the hubbub at Malpensa Airport, taking the unwary reader firmly by the hand on a journey to Milan,Tuscany, Rome, Naples and Sardinia. He hilariously points out Italian rituals and quirks from the highway to hotels, bedrooms, restaurants, the office and beach. (ITL718, $14.00)		   La Bella Figura, A Field Guide to the Italian Mind
Killing Dragons, The Conquest of the Alps  •  Fergus Fleming
EXPLORATION •  2001 •  PAPER  • 398 PAGES
Fleming spins lively tales of man against nature in this entertaining history of the eccentrics, adventurers and publicity-hounds who sought to conquer the Alps, including Whymper and his first ascent of the Matterhorn (where four of the seven-man team perished). (ALP16, $14.00)		   Killing Dragons, The Conquest of the Alps
Eiger Dreams, Ventures Among Men and Mountains  •  Jon Krakauer
EXPLORATION •  2009 •  PAPER  • 192 PAGES
A collection of some of Krakauer's (Into Thin Air) best journalism, these stories and essays focus on the mindset and determination of world-class mountaineers, including Alpine and Himalayan climbers. These are tales of adventure of the highest sort. (ALP10, $14.95)		   Eiger Dreams, Ventures Among Men and Mountains
Alps Map  •  Freytag & Berndt
2010 •  MAP
A detailed travel map of the Alps and surrounding areas, including portions of Austria, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and France, at a scale of 1:500,000. This handy regional map extends from Stuttgart and Brno (Czech Republic) to Lyon and Avigon, Florence nad Sienna, Trieste and Zagreb. Two Sides. 35x46 inches. (ALP07, $14.95)		   Alps Map



Also Recommended

Chamonix, Mont Blanc Massif (East)  •  IGN    •  This fabulously detailed topographic map (scale 1:25,000) shows the eastern portion of the Mont Blanc group. (FRN314, $19.95)
 		  
Northern Italy Map  •  Touring Club Italiano    •  This beautifully shaded road map of Northern Italy (1:400,000) shows the region including Trieste, Venice, Bologna Milan and Turin. (ITL38, $14.95)
 		  
St Gervais les Bains, Mont Blanc (West)  •  IGN    •  This fabulously detailed topographic map (scale 1:25,000) shows the western portion of the Mont Blanc group. (FRN315, $19.95)
 		  
Blue Guide Northern Italy, from the Alps to the Adriatic  •  Paul Blanchard   • GUIDEBOOK  •  This guide by a popular tour leader provides a thorough overview of the history, art and architecture of northern Italy from Trieste across to the Valle d'Aosta, Venice, Verona, Milan, Genoa and Bologna. (ITL48, $32.95)
 		  
Chamonix to Zermatt, The Walker's Haute Route  •  Kev Reynolds   • GUIDEBOOK  •  A practical guide to the classic Haute Route, covering each segment of the long-distance walk, and including an introduction to the region. (ALP21, $19.95)
 		  
Culture Smart! Switzerland  •  Kendall Maycock   • GUIDEBOOK  •  A concise, no-nonsense guide to Switzerland's customs, etiquette and culture. (SWZ58, $9.95)
 		  
Eyewitness Guide Milan and the Lakes  •  Eyewitness Guides   • GUIDEBOOK  •  This superb guide to Milan and the Italian lakes features color photography, dozens of excellent local maps and a region-by-region synopsis of the area's attractions. Handsome, convenient and up-to-date, this is the guide to carry. (ITL165, $25.00)
 		  
Insight Guide Switzerland  •  Insight Guides   • GUIDEBOOK  •  This handsome guide gives a profusely illustrated overview of Switzerland, featuring concise essays by well-regarded authors on history, politics and culture, as well as hundreds of photos and maps, and some practical information. (SWZ15, $24.99)
 		  
Lonely Planet Italian Phrasebook  •  Lonely Planet   • LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS  •  A handy palm-size phrasebook for the traveler. (ITL531, $8.99)
 		  
Tour of Mont Blanc, Complete Trekking Guide  •  Kev Reynolds   • GUIDEBOOK  •  A compact guide to the classic Mont Blanc circuit, which includes a detailed guide to each section of the tour, as well as the author's own personable, encouraging remarks. (ALP24, $24.95)
 		  
A Traveller's History of Italy  •  Valerio Lintner   • HISTORY  •  A brief history of Italy through the 1990s -- wide-ranging, accessible and necessarily condensed. With a useful chronology and historical gazetteer, this book marches confidently through the centuries. (ITL86, $14.95)
 		  
Italy, A Short History  •  Harry Hearder   • HISTORY  •  Elegantly written, generous and informative, this compact book takes in the sweep of Italian history from the Roman Republic through the Renaissance, World War II and up to the present. (ITL56, $29.00)
 		  
La Place de la Concorde Suisse  •  John McPhee   • CULTURAL PORTRAIT  •  In the company of a Swiss patrol leader on a training mission, McPhee deploys his usual insight and wonderful prose on the phenomenon of the army of Switzerland. (SWZ14, $16.00)
 		  
The Alps, A Cultural History  •  Andrew Beattie   • HISTORY  •  Beattie explores the turbulent past and vibrant present of the Alps, where early pioneers of tourism, mountaineering and scientific research have all left their mark. (ALP30, $35.00)
 		  
The Habsburgs, Embodying Empire  •  Andrew Wheatcroft   • HISTORY  •  The Habsburgs ruled over more diverse peoples and cultures than any other European dynasty since the Roman period. With skillful scholarship and engaging style, Wheatcroft reveals the history of this family of eccentric monarchs. (AST11, $17.00)
 		  
The Renaissance, A Short History  •  Paul Johnson   • HISTORY  •  The history, background, literature, sculpture, paintings and architecture of the Renaissance in just over 200 lively, thought-provoking pages. (ITL774, $15.00)
 		  
Why Switzerland?  •  Jonathan Steinberg   • CULTURAL PORTRAIT  •  A masterly overview of the idiosyncrasies of Switzerland, its history, language, politics and identity as a naysayer at the center of Europe. (SWZ04, $37.99)
 		  
Iceman: Uncovering the Life and Times of a Prehistoric Man Found in an Alpine Glacier  •  Brenda Fowler   • ARCHAEOLOGY  •  The complete story of the discovery of and controversy surrounding the frozen corpse of a prehistoric man found in the Tyrolian Alps. (ALP20, $20.00)
 		  
Scrambles Amongst the Alps: In the Years 1860-69  •  Edward Whymper   • EXPLORATION  •  Edward Wymper's classic account of Victorian-era mountaineering captures the geography, beauty and allure of the Alps. (ALP02, $16.00)
 		  
A Tramp Abroad  •  Mark Twain  •  David Eggers  •  Kerry Driscoll   • TRAVEL NARRATIVE  •  Written 11 years after Innocents Abroad, this is Twain's second foray into European travel. Filled with his characteristic wit and humorous observations, it documents his journeys through Germany, Switzerland, France and Italy. Now with an introduction by Dave Eggers. (EUR78, $14.95)
 		  
La Bella Lingua  •  Dianne Hales   • TRAVEL NARRATIVE • NEW  •  Inebriated with the sounds of Italian, lovesick for its phrases and enamored of its earthy idioms, Hales, "a sensible woman of sturdy Polish stock," dives into the Italian of the piazza, literature, movies and streets in this charming memoir. (ITA26, $15.00)
 		  
Mozart  •  Peter Gay   • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • BEST SELLER  •  This concise, entertaining portrait delves into Mozart's complex relationship with his father, his daunting role as a child prodigy and his exploration of new musical territory. (AST43, $14.00)
 		  
The Italian Summer: Golf, Food, and Family at Lake Como  •  Roland Merullo   • TRAVEL NARRATIVE  •  Merullo shares this congenial account of a summer with his family in Italy and Switzerland, offering delicious descriptions of wonderful meals, colorful characters -- and rounds of golf at some of the most beautiful courses in Europe. He is a golf fanatic. (ITA67, $24.99)
 		  
Trieste and the Meaning of Nowhere  •  Jan Morris   • TRAVEL NARRATIVE  •  A loving celebration of the city and its faded glory. Morris, who first visited the city as a soldier during WWII, is especially good at evoking the varied history and fortunes of Trieste. (ITL347, $15.00)
 		  
A Long Finish, An Aurelio Zen Mystery  •  Michael Dibdin   • MYSTERY  •  Another enjoyable "Aurelio Zen Mystery" from Michael Dibdin, this time private investigator Zen is in Rome and Alba, enjoying wonderful wine and food while uncovering a murderous plot that may jeopardize the Piemontese wine industry. (ITL193, $13.95)
 		  
Solo Faces  •  James Salter   • LITERATURE  •  The story of an American climber who, dissatisfied with his everyday life, travels to the Alps of southern France to tackle mountain peaks. The prose is glorious and the mountain-climbing scenes are as vivid as they get. (ALP14, $15.00)
 		  
The Walk  •  Susan Bernofsky  •  Robert Walser   • LITERATURE  •  In this classic novella by the Swiss modernist, freshly translated, Walser writes that "it is on walks that the lore of nature and the lore of the country are revealed, charming and graceful, to the sense and eyes of the observant walker." (SWZ75, $9.95)
 		  
Birds of Europe  •  Lars Svensson   • FIELD GUIDE • 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)
 		  
Wild Flowers of Britain & Northern Europe  •  Andrew Cleave   • FIELD GUIDE  •  Featuring color photographs of commonly encountered species in the field and garden. (EUR371, $14.95)
 		  
 
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