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Get the featured set of Essential Reading, our top picks of what to read, and get free shipping on anything else you order.

Essential Reading

Item EXWDC04. Buy these 4 items as a set for $61 including shipping, 15% off the retail price.
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Eyewitness Guide Washington D.C.

Eyewitness Guide Washington D.C.

by Eyewitness Guides

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • FLEXI-BOUND
  • 240 PAGES

An on-the-ground guide to Washington D.C., featuring color photography, dozens of excellent local maps and a district-by-district synopsis of the city's attractions. Handsome, comprehensive and superb. (WDC07, $23.00)

Founding Brothers, The Revolutionary Generation

Founding Brothers, The Revolutionary Generation

by Joseph J. Ellis

  • HISTORY
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 304 PAGES

A riveting tale of Washington, Madison, Hamilton and especially of Jefferson and Adams. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, it's a fascinating glimpse into the early days of our country. (USE244, $15.00)

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

by Gore Vidal

  • LITERATURE
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 422 PAGES

The sixth installation in Gore Vidal's "Narratives of Empire" historical novel series. This tale of corruption follows the lives of a conservative senator and a newspaper publisher in Washington D.C. (USE130, $18.00)

Washington, DC Map

Washington, DC Map

by Borch Maps

  • 2008
  • MAP

A laminated, folded map of the capital at a scale of 1:15,000. (WDC06, $8.95)

 
AIA Guide to the Architecture of Washington D.C.

AIA Guide to the Architecture of Washington D.C.


by Christopher Weeks | Francis Lethbridge

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 307 PAGES

A guide to the architectural landmarks of Washington D.C., originally commissioned by the American Institute of Architects (AIA). It contains descriptions of over 450 structures, organized into 17 walking tours of the city. (USE128, $22.95)

Fodor's Family Washington D.C. With Kids

Fodor's Family Washington D.C. With Kids


by Fodor's Guides

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 224 PAGES

Local parents cover a variety of interests and tastes for families with kids of all ages in these handy guides. With maps, family-friendly hotels and the five best things to see and do in every neighborhood. (USE458, $10.95)

Fodor's Washington D.C.'s 25 Best

Fodor's Washington D.C.'s 25 Best


by Fodors

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 128 PAGES

A shirt-pocket guide with an excellent pull-out map and essential information on museums, sightseeing, restaurants, shopping, hotels and nightlife. (USS39, $11.99)

Knopf Mapguide Washington, D.C.

Knopf Mapguide Washington, D.C.


by Knopf Guides

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 48 PAGES

A handy set of full color, ingeniously folded maps, each indicating favorite sites, shops, restaurants and attractions. (USE381, $10.95)

Lonely Planet Washington DC Encounter

Lonely Planet Washington DC Encounter


by Lonely Planet

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 176 PAGES

With a section of not-to-missed highlights and a calendar of annual events, this lively pocket guide organized by neighborhood includes suggested side trips, along what to see and where to shop, eat, drink and play. With a double-sided pullout map. (USE495, $14.99)

Zagat 2009 Washington, DC/Baltimore Restaurants

Zagat 2009 Washington, DC/Baltimore Restaurants


by Zagat Survey

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 300 PAGES

An easy-to-use, well indexed guide to restaurants in the Capital region, part of the always-reliable, reader-rated Zagat series. (WDC14, $14.95)

All the President's Men

All the President's Men


by Bob Woodward | Carl Bernstein

  • HISTORY
  • 1994
  • PAPER
  • 349 PAGES

The legendary story of two young Washington Post reporters who uncover the Watergate scandal, leading to the resignation of President Nixon. (WDC03, $15.00)

Black Men Built the Capitol, Discovering African-American History In and Around Washington, D.C.

Black Men Built the Capitol, Discovering African-American History In and Around Washington, D.C.


by Jesse J. Holland

  • HISTORY
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 192 PAGES

This book gives us the untold story of the African Americans who built many of the capitol's most important buildings and monuments. (WDC23, $14.95)

Original Meanings, Politics and Ideas in the Making of the Constitution

Original Meanings, Politics and Ideas in the Making of the Constitution


by Jack N. Rakove

  • HISTORY
  • 1997
  • PAPER
  • 439 PAGES

In this Pulitzer Prize-winning history, Rakove reassesses the intentions and debates of the ratifiers of the Constitution and challenges the political stance that today's policy-makers should aim to obey the founders' intentions. (USA443, $17.95)

Reporting from Washington, The History of the Washington Press Corps


by Donald A. Ritchie

  • HISTORY
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 432 PAGES

In this engrossing history, Donald Ritchie offers a vibrant chronicle of news coverage in our nation's capital, from the early days of radio and print reporting and the heyday of the wire services to the brave new world of the Internet. (WDC18, $17.95)

Revolutionaries, A New History of the Invention of America


by Jack Rakove

  • HISTORY
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 496 PAGES

Rakove offers new insights into the personalities of America's famous and little-known revolutionaries, focusing on the period from 1772 to 1792 and portraying these national heroes as ordinary men who rose to meet the challenges at hand. (USA442, $16.95)

Team of Rivals


by Doris Kearns Goodwin

  • HISTORY
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 916 PAGES

Goodwin explores how Lincoln transformed three former political opponents into essential members of his cabinet. (USA128, $21.00)

The Americans, the Colonial Experience

The Americans, the Colonial Experience


by Daniel Boorstin

  • HISTORY
  • 1964
  • PAPER
  • 434 PAGES

Winner of the Bancroft Prize, this wide-ranging portrait of colonial America looks to the origins of the American character and its institutions. (USA05, $16.95)

The First Salute, A View of the American Revolution

The First Salute, A View of the American Revolution


by Barbara Tuchman

  • HISTORY
  • 1989
  • PAPER
  • 368 PAGES

An analysis of the American Revolution, focusing on the European politics surrounding the war, and the conflicts between the British and Dutch navy. (USA04, $18.00)

Paris on the Potomac, The French Influence on the Architecture and Art of Washington, D.C.


by Cynt Field

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 164 PAGES

This history explores the French influence on Washington, D.C.'s art and architecture. (WDC22, $24.95)

A Good Life, Newspapering and Other Adventures


by Benjamin C. Bradlee

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 1996
  • PAPER
  • 512 PAGES

Bradlee's candid memoir traces his path from Harvard to the battles of the Pacific to the pinnacle of success as the editor of The Washington Post -- during the Watergate scandal and every other important event of the last three decades. (GEN418, $21.95)

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln


by Thomas Keneally

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 192 PAGES

An elegant, brief biography of the Kentucky-born political hero. (USA147, $14.00)

Alexander Hamilton

Alexander Hamilton


by Ron Chernow

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 818 PAGES

An engaging biography of the largely self-taught orphan from the Caribbean who rose to become George Washington's aide-de-camp and the first Treasury Secretary of the United States. (USE536, $20.00)

All the Best, George Bush, My Life in Letters and Other Writings


by George H. W. Bush

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 640 PAGES

The former president reveals his life in correspondence, diary entries and memos, from a letter home as an 18-year-old Navy pilot in WWII to a letter to his children on the eve of Desert Storm. (GEN392, $36.99)

American Sphinx

American Sphinx


by Joseph J. Ellis

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 1998
  • PAPER
  • 440 PAGES

More character study than strict biography, this celebrated book describes and defines Thomas Jefferson's beliefs, influences and aspirations. (USA51, $16.00)

Dreams from My Father, A Story of Race and Inheritance


by Barack Obama

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 480 PAGES

In this affecting memoir, the president shows how his father, family and upbringing in Hawaii and Indonesia helped form his character and career. (USA352, $14.95)

Front Row at the White House, My Life and Times


by Helen Thomas

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 416 PAGES

From the woman who has reported on every president from Kennedy to Clinton comes a unique memoir of White House history and a telling record of the ever-changing relationship between the presidency and the press. (WDC20, $24.99)

John Adams


by David McCullough

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 751 PAGES

A Pulitzer Prize-winning best-selling biography of the second president. McCullough reveals him as a magnificent figure who helped shaped the nation. (USE201, $20.00)

My Life


by Bill Clinton

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 1056 PAGES

The former president looks back on his life and career, discussing his youth and education, his early public service, his years as governor of Arkansas and his accomplishments during two terms in the White House. (WDC26, $25.00)

Personal History


by Katharine Graham

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 1998
  • PAPER
  • 688 PAGES

In this critically acclaimed memoir, the woman who piloted the "Washington Post" through the crises of the Pentagon Papers, Watergate and a pressmen's strike and turned it into a great newspaper now tells her story with candor and dignity. (USA184, $16.95)

The Audacity of Hope, Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream


by Barack Obama

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 375 PAGES

Obama uses his personal story to elucidate his views in this eloquent book, an inspiring call for reform and bipartisan cooperation (USA320, $14.95)

Washington, the Indispensable Man

Washington, the Indispensable Man


by James Thomas Flexner

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 1994
  • PAPER
  • 423 PAGES

A condensed edition of Flexner's award-winning, four-volume biography of George Washington. (USE111, $18.99)

Literary Washington, D.C.

Literary Washington, D.C.


by Patr Allen

  • LITERATURE
  • 2012
  • PAPER
  • 296 PAGES
  • COMING IN MARCH

Novelists, poets, journalists, essayists, and politicians and patriots all contribute to this collection of writer's on our nationa's capital. (WDC36, $16.95)

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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.