Here's a page from Longitude, the specialty bookseller for travelers. To order online, and to see the latest, most comprehensive selection of books and maps, go to http://reading.longitudebooks.com/SI7223. You may also call 800-342-2164 to order or request a catalog.

Arabian Sands  •  Wilfred Thesiger EXPLORATION •  2007 •  PAPER  • 400 PAGES • FAVORITE The last of the great British traveler-explorers, Wilfred Thesiger (1910-2003) journeyed among the nomadic camel-breeding peoples of Southern Arabia in the late 1940s, falling in love with the desert and ways of life of the Bedouin. This eloquent book, a Longitude favorite, is his tribute to vanished traditions. (ARB15, $16.00)
Wind, Sand and Stars  •  Antoine de Saint Exupery TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1967 •  PAPER  • 229 PAGES • FAVORITE St. Exupery's luminous account of flying early postal routes throughout the world in the 1930s, including the classic tale of his crash in the Libyan desert. A man of action with the soul of a poet, his memorable stories of flying over South America, Europe and the deserts of North Africa are compelling, specifically the one about going solo in a storm over the Andes. (DES11, $13.95)
Touching the Void  •  Joe Simpson BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2004 •  PAPER  • 218 PAGES The harrowing tale of a climb gone badly wrong and Simpson's near miraculous survival in the Andes. Dedicated to Simon Yates ("for a debt I can never repay"), Simpson recounts his 3-day ordeal after being cut loose by his climbing partner on the face of a glacier and dropping into a crevasse. Neither men thought he would survive. Yates had been lowering his crippled partner down the mountain, when he had to make the choice of cutting him loose or dying with him. More than a tale of adventure and survival, the book has a psychological impact -- and now it has been made into a film, which interweaves interviews of Simpson and Yates with a reenactment. (AND37, $14.99)
In Patagonia  •  Bruce Chatwin TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1989 •  PAPER  • 204 PAGES • FAVORITE A masterpiece of travel, history and adventure. This award-winning book captures the spirit of the land, history, wildlife and people of Patagonia. There's no travel writer as engaging, insightful and just plain wonderful as Bruce Chatwin. (PAT01, $15.00)
Arctic Dreams  •  Barry Lopez NATURAL HISTORY •  2001 •  PAPER  • 417 PAGES • FAVORITE One of the best books we've read on any destination, this celebrated meditation on the Arctic draws on Lopez's travels throughout the North, including Baffin Island, Siberia and Greenland. A dazzling writer and compassionate observer, Lopez weaves biology and history into his storytelling, including extended chapters on the polar bear and narwhal. (ARC11, $16.00)
A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush  •  Eric Newby TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2008 •  PAPER  • 255 PAGES • FAVORITE Newby wrote a string of memorable books of his adventures, often on a bicycle, but sometimes by foot or train, usually with his wife Wanda. This, one of his earliest, is a superb example of the misguided lark, an account of a comically ill-prepared jaunt in the Naristan mountains of northeastern Afghanistan. "People like it," he explained, "when things go wrong." (CAS32, $14.99)
Tracks, A Woman's Solo Trek Across 1700 Miles of Australian Outback  •  Robyn Davidson EXPLORATION •  1995 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES Davidson arrives in the outback with a dog, a little cash, and she manages to find some camels (feral in Australian desert since the 19th century) to carry her on her journey. This absorbing book is her account of her trek across the desert -- a tale of true adventure shot through with a feel for the landscape and empathy for the Aboriginal people she meets along the way. (AUS15, $15.95)
The Long Way  •  William Rodarmor  •  Bernard Moitessier TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1995 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES The daring adventures of a long-distance French sailor and the first Golden Globe race, where he skipped past the finish line -- continuing on his mostly merry way for another three months. He loved to sail. (WLD35, $16.50)
Running the Amazon  •  Joe Kane EXPLORATION •  1990 •  PAPER  • 278 PAGES A best-selling account of a 4,000-mile Amazon expedition from high in the Peruvian Andes to the Atlantic by foot, raft and kayak. It's a tale of high adventure, corrupt border guards, itinerant drug smugglers -- and the camaraderie that develops from a difficult job well done. Only four of the original ten participants finished the journey. Much of the story takes place in the little-explored narrow canyons and rapids high above Iquitos in Peru in the headwaters of the Amazon. (AMZ13, $14.95)
Young Men & Fire  •  Norman MacLean HISTORY •  1993 •  PAPER  • 301 PAGES A lyrical and finely wrought story of the famous Mann Gulch, Montana firestorm, which took the lives of 13 of the elite Smokejumpers of the U.S. Forest Service in August 1949. It is an evocative tale of human error, the great power of nature and the spirit of the American West. (USW95, $16.00)
Great Plains  •  Ian Frazier TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 292 PAGES A marvelously digressive, wide-ranging account of a journey throughout the plains. Frazier captures the wide-open landscapes, history, environmental contradictions and, especially, the legends and people of the Great Plains. An intrepid traveler -- and voracious reader -- Frazier clocked 25,000 miles in an old van criss-crossing the land where the buffalo once roamed. (USW172, $16.00)
My Journey to Lhasa  •  Alexandra David-Neel TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2005 •  PAPER  • 317 PAGES A reprint of the 1927 classic by the indomitable Buddhist scholar Alexandra David-Neel, with a new preface by the Dalai Lama. Tibet was still closed to the West in 1923, the year that David-Neel and her adopted Tibetan son set out on their wintry trek to Lhasa. Dressed as humble pilgrims and traveling under cover of night, the duo climbed mountains, fooled soldiers and ultimately reached the capital, where they joined the pilgrim throng. David-Neel was not altogether without the prejudices of her European contemporaries, but she was markedly better-educated; and as a result her travelogue is an informed, informative portrait of early twentieth-century Tibet. (TBT26, $14.99)
The Worst Journey in the World  •  Apsley Cherry-Garrard EXPLORATION •  2006 •  PAPER  • 573 PAGES • FAVORITE One of the great tales of exploration, originally published in 1922. Cherry-Garrard's epic midwinter journey to the emperor penguin rookery is just a warm-up for the main event: his vivid account of Scott's doomed last expedition. This huge book, called the best adventure tale ever written, is well worth the effort. It was neighbor George Bernard Shaw, an early supporter of Cherry-Garrard, who bestowed the title. (ANT23, $18.00)
Alive, The Story of the Andes Survivors  •  Piers Paul Read TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 416 PAGES The gripping tale of survival against all odds: a plane crashes in the Andes, all passengers presumed dead. Read tells the story of terrible hardship, bravery and horror with admirable restraint. Most of the passengers, barely teenagers, were members of a rugby team from Uruguay, and the account includes much insight into Uruguayan culture and society. (AND38, $7.99)
The Perfect Storm, A True Story of Men Against the Sea  •  Sebastian Junger BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2009 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES A gripping, now-famous blow-by-blow account of a 1991 disaster at sea. Junger reconstructs the final hours of six men aboard a 72-foot swordfish boat in the North Atlantic, battling against a torrential storm. This talented journalist writes well of the sea and its many moods -- the perfect background for a greater appreciation of the life of a fisherman. (OCE06, $15.95)
A Walk in the Woods  •  Bill Bryson TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 276 PAGES Bryson manages to combine biting satire with a certain warmth in all his books, and this one is no exception. He tackles (or tries to, anyway) the whole of the Appalachian trail, starting in Georgia. It's not only a very entertaining read, but a fond memoir and very evocative of some unusual locales. (USE01, $15.99)
Old Glory, A Voyage Down the Mississippi  •  Jonathan Raban TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 409 PAGES Raban tackles the "Mighty Mississippi" aboard a 16-foot motorboat in this entertaining travelogue, featuring places and people he encounters along the way. It's a portrait of contemporary life from Minnesota to Mississippi. (USS42, $18.00)
West with the Night  •  Beryl Markham BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1983 •  PAPER  • 294 PAGES • FAVORITE A direct, stylish, and engrossing story of a marvelous life well-lived. Markham describes her childhood in Kenya and her experiences as a bush pilot in the 1930s, evoking the landscapes, people, and wildlife of East Africa in rich detail. (EAF10, $17.00)
The Snow Leopard  •  Peter Matthiessen EXPLORATION •  2008 •  PAPER  • 368 PAGES • FAVORITE The most perceptive, acutely observed and personal of all his books, Matthiessen's account of a five-week journey through Nepal with George Schaller combines their quest for the magnificent cat with a moving introduction to Buddhism and the people and culture of the Himalayas. (NPL03, $16.00)
Desert Solitaire  •  Edward Abbey NATURAL HISTORY •  1990 •  PAPER  • 303 PAGES • FAVORITE A beloved classic, read aloud at campfires throughout the Southwest. It's one of the great works on the value of the desert, eloquent and laugh-out-loud funny. Although Abbey writes specifically about the Colorado Plateau and his experiences as a ranger at Arches National Park outside Moab Utah, his message is universal. Originally published in 1990. (DES02, $14.95)
Endurance, An Epic of Polar Adventure  •  Frank Worsley  •  Patrick O'Brian EXPLORATION •  2000 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES First published in 1931, this memoir opens in Shackleton's cabin aboard the Endurance in 1913 and ends with Shackleton's death at South Georgia on January 5, 1922. It's Worsely's modest account high adventure, not only as a key member of the Endurance expedition but also as a combatant in WWI. A valued friend, Worsley also participated on Shackleton's last expedition. (ANT73, $15.95)
Sailing Alone Around the World  •  Joshua Slocum EXPLORATION •  2008 •  PAPER  • 272 PAGES • FAVORITE Sailing Alone around the World recounts Slocum's wonderful adventures: hair-raising encounters with pirates off Gibraltar and savage Indians in Tierra del Fuego; raging tempests and treacherous coral reefs; flying fish for breakfast in the Pacific; and a hilarious visit with fellow explorer Henry Stanley in South Africa. (EXP03, $14.00)
Into the Wild  •  Jon Krakauer BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1997 •  PAPER  • 224 PAGES Krakauer leaves no stone unturned in this gripping account of his investigation into the real life story of a young man searching for experience, wilderness and self, who meets his end in the wilds north of Mt. McKinley. (ALA52, $14.95)
Coming into the Country  •  John McPhee CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1976 •  PAPER  • 438 PAGES • FAVORITE An outstanding portrayal of frontier life in Alaska, this is among the finest of this gifted writer's works. Beautifully written, it's an even-handed look at environmental issues, as well as a hilarious portrait of some unforgettable Alaskan characters. Originally published in "The New Yorker." (ALA04, $18.00)
Annapurna, The Epic Account of a Himalayan Conquest and its Harrowing Aftermath  •  Maurice Herzog EXPLORATION •  2010 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES • FAVORITE This new edition of Maurice Herzog's classic, with a new forward by Conrad Anker, is published in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the first ascent of Annapurna on June 3, 2010. Expedition leader Herzog dictated this masterful account of the first-ever ascent of an 8,000-meter peak and extraordinary rescue from his hospital bed in Paris. The American Women's Himalayan Expedition, led by Arlene Blum, became the first American team to summit this 10th highest mountain in 1978, and no team repeated Herzog's feat until 1970. Now 101 years old, Herzog, who was French Minister of Youth and Sport in the 1960s and the former mayor of Chamonix, recovered nicely! (HML07, $16.95)

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