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THE ALPS

Northern Italy & the Alps

READING AND TRAVEL GUIDE

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Walking in the Alps

by Kev Reynolds

• GUIDEBOOK
• 2000
• PAPER
• 496 PAGES

A nicely illustrated, authoritative guide to hiking throughout the Alps. Reynolds covers a range of activities from day hikes to the classic hut-to-hut mountain walks. (SWZ44, $22.95)

La Bella Figura, A Field Guide to the Italian Mind

by Beppe Severgnini

• CULTURAL PORTRAIT
• 2007
• PAPER
• 288 PAGES
• BEST SELLER

Italians themselves love this guide to the Italian character, which addresses their never-ending passion for beauty, disorder and high emotion. Severgnini opens the book with a snapshot of the hubbub at Malpensa Airport, then moves on to Tuscany, Rome, Naples and Sardinia. (ITL718, $14.00)

Killing Dragons, The Conquest of the Alps

by 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)

Eiger Dreams, Ventures Among Men and Mountains

by 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. (ALP10, $14.95)

Alps Map

by Freytag & Berndt

• 2010
• MAP

This regional map (1:500,000), centered on the Alps, includes portions of Austria, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and France. (ALP07, $14.95)

 

Also Recommended

Chamonix, Mont Blanc Massif (East)

by IGN

• MAP

This fabulously detailed topographic map (scale 1:25,000) shows the eastern portion of the Mont Blanc group. (FRN314, $19.95)

Northern Italy Map

by Touring Club Italiano

• MAP

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)

by IGN

• MAP

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

by Paul Blanchard

• GUIDEBOOK
• 2005
• PAPER
• 735 PAGES

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

by Kev Reynolds

• GUIDEBOOK
• 2007
• PAPER
• 187 PAGES

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

by Kendall Maycock

• GUIDEBOOK
• 2006
• PAPER
• 168 PAGES

A concise, no-nonsense guide to Switzerland's customs, etiquette and culture. (SWZ58, $9.95)

Eyewitness Guide Milan and the Lakes

by Eyewitness Guides

• GUIDEBOOK
• 2011
• PAPER
• 240 PAGES

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

by Insight Guides

• GUIDEBOOK
• 2009
• PAPER
• 368 PAGES

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

by Lonely Planet

• LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS
• 2012
• PAPER
• 260 PAGES

A handy palm-size phrasebook for the traveler. (ITL531, $8.99)

Tour of Mont Blanc, Complete Trekking Guide

by Kev Reynolds

• GUIDEBOOK
• 2012
• PAPER
• 243 PAGES

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

by Valerio Lintner

• HISTORY
• 2008
• PAPER
• 287 PAGES

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

by Harry Hearder

• HISTORY
• 2001
• PAPER
• 294 PAGES

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

by John McPhee

• CULTURAL PORTRAIT
• 1994
• PAPER
• 150 PAGES

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

by Andrew Beattie

• HISTORY
• 2006
• HARD COVER
• 256 PAGES

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

by Andrew Wheatcroft

• HISTORY
• 1995
• PAPER
• 384 PAGES

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

by Paul Johnson

• HISTORY
• 2002
• PAPER
• 196 PAGES

The history, background, literature, sculpture, paintings and architecture of the Renaissance in just over 200 lively, thought-provoking pages. (ITL774, $15.00)

Why Switzerland?

by Jonathan Steinberg

• CULTURAL PORTRAIT
• 1996
• PAPER
• 300 PAGES

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

by Brenda Fowler

• ARCHAEOLOGY
• 2001
• PAPER
• 313 PAGES

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

by Edward Whymper

• EXPLORATION
• 2002
• PAPER
• 320 PAGES

Edward Wymper's classic account of Victorian-era mountaineering captures the geography, beauty and allure of the Alps. (ALP02, $16.00)

A Tramp Abroad

by Mark Twain | David Eggers | Kerry Driscoll

• TRAVEL NARRATIVE
• 2003
• PAPER
• 400 PAGES

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

by Dianne Hales

• TRAVEL NARRATIVE
• 2010
• PAPER
• 336 PAGES
• 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

by Peter Gay

• BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
• 2006
• PAPER
• 177 PAGES
• 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

by Roland Merullo

• TRAVEL NARRATIVE
• 2011
• PAPER
• 259 PAGES

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

by Jan Morris

• TRAVEL NARRATIVE
• 2002
• PAPER
• 208 PAGES

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

by Michael Dibdin

• MYSTERY
• 2000
• PAPER
• 272 PAGES

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

by James Salter

• LITERATURE
• 1998
• PAPER
• 218 PAGES

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

by Susan Bernofsky | Robert Walser

• LITERATURE
• 2012
• PAPER
• 96 PAGES

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

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)

Wild Flowers of Britain & Northern Europe

by Andrew Cleave

• FIELD GUIDE
• 2010
• PAPER
• 160 PAGES

Featuring color photographs of commonly encountered species in the field and garden. (EUR371, $14.95)

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