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New Mexico: Land of Enchantment

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 EXSWU152. Buy these 4 items as a set for $47 including shipping, 15% off the retail price.
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Moon Handbook New Mexico

Moon Handbook New Mexico

by Zora O'Neill

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 320 PAGES

This comprehensive guide is packed not only with travel necessities (hotels, restaurants, sights), but also with a good overview of history, culture and destinations throughout New Mexico. (USW613, $18.99)

Desert Solitaire

Desert Solitaire

by Edward Abbey

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 1990
  • PAPER
  • 303 PAGES
  • FAVORITE

One of the great works on the value of the desert, eloquent and laugh-out-loud funny. Although Abbey writes specifically about his experiences as a ranger at Arches National Park outside Moab, Utah, his message is universal. (DES02, $7.99)

The Spell of New Mexico

The Spell of New Mexico

by Tony Hillerman

  • ANTHOLOGY
  • 1984
  • PAPER
  • 105 PAGES

A selection of 12 thoughtful essays on the New Mexico state of mind by great writers, including C.G. Jung, Mary Austin, D.H. Lawrence and Lawrence Clark Powell. Hillerman succeeds in communicating the lure of the desert Southwest in this wonderful, literate introduction to the state. (USW134, $16.95)

Recreational Map of New Mexico

Recreational Map of New Mexico

by GTR Mapping

  • 2010
  • MAP

A very good fold-out map of New Mexico. (USW209, $3.95)

 

Albuquerque Map


by Rand McNally Maps

  • MAP

A road map of Albuquerque and surrounding neighborhoods. (SWU160, $5.99)

Carlsbad Caverns National Park Map


by Trails Illustrated

  • MAP

A detailed map of Carlsbad Caverns and the surrounding park at a scale of 1:32,400, showing topographic lines, trails and other points of interest. (SWU202, $11.95)

Santa Fe Map

Santa Fe Map


by MapEasy

  • MAP

A plastic-coated, fold-up map of Santa Fe, including Taos and Aalbuquerque. (SWU16, $6.95)

Eyewitness Top Ten Santa Fe, Taos and Albuquerque

Eyewitness Top Ten Santa Fe, Taos and Albuquerque


by Eyewitness Guides

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 128 PAGES

A compact, illustrated guide in the popular series, featuring the best natural and cultural attractions of the region. (USW482, $14.00)

Feast of Santa Fe, Cooking of the American Southwest

Feast of Santa Fe, Cooking of the American Southwest


by Huntley Dent

  • FOOD
  • 1993
  • PAPER
  • 400 PAGES

An easy-to-follow introduction to the cuisine of the Southwest written by a cooking school instructor. (SWU194, $25.95)

Ancient Peoples of the American Southwest

Ancient Peoples of the American Southwest


by Stephen Plog | Amy Elizabeth Grey

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 224 PAGES

This illustrated introduction provides an in-depth look at the ancient cultures that first inhabited the pueblos and cliff dwellings of the American Southwest. Organized chronologically, it features hundreds of maps, mostly black-and-white photographs and site diagrams. (USW131, $26.95)

Ken Burns: The West


by Ken Burns

  • HISTORY
  • 2009
  • DVD

This nine disc set of the television mini-series explores the expansion the American West and its role in shaping our national identity, particularly during the period from 1800 to 1915. (USW680, $89.99)

The Making of the Atomic Bomb

The Making of the Atomic Bomb


by Richard Rhodes

  • HISTORY
  • 1995
  • PAPER
  • 886 PAGES

From the discovery of the nucleus to the making of atomic bomb, this Pulitzer Prize winning book tackles the people, discoveries and places of the Atomic Age in spellbinding detail. (USW231, $21.00)

The National Parks, America's Best Idea

The National Parks, America's Best Idea


by Dayton Duncan | Ken Burns

  • HISTORY
  • 2009
  • DVD

The widescreen edition of Ken Burn's 6-part, 12-hour ode to the national parks, featuring hundreds of interviews, fascinating archival images and dazzling cinematography in High Definition. (USA394, $99.99)

The West: An Illustrated History

The West: An Illustrated History


by Ken Burns | Geoffrey C. Ward

  • HISTORY
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 464 PAGES

The lavish illustrated companion to the PBS series with essays from seven renowned writers and historian. (USW674, $27.99)

In Search of the Old Ones, Exploring the Anasazi World of the Southwest

In Search of the Old Ones, Exploring the Anasazi World of the Southwest


by David D. Roberts

  • ARCHAEOLOGY
  • 1997
  • PAPER
  • 271 PAGES

An exuberant, engaging account of archaeological adventures in the desert Southwest. Roberts investigates the factors that may have led to the demise of the Anasazi civilization -- and looks into longstanding controversies. (USW157, $15.00)

Edge of Taos Desert, An Escape to Reality

Edge of Taos Desert, An Escape to Reality


by Mabel Dodge Luhan

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 1987
  • PAPER
  • 338 PAGES

First published in 1937, this story reveals the spiritual awakening the New York socialite experienced through Taos, the Pueblo Indians and Indian Tony Luhan, whom she later married. (USW127, $21.95)

Miles from Nowhere

Miles from Nowhere


by Dayton Duncan

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 320 PAGES

Touring the American West from the Rio Grande to the Cascades in a GMC Suburban, covering more than 30,000 miles, Duncan paints a vivid, perceptive portrait of frontier life in contemporary America. (USW675, $19.95)

Portrait of an Artist, A Biography of Georgia O'Keeffe

Portrait of an Artist, A Biography of Georgia O'Keeffe


by Laura Lisle

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 1997
  • PAPER
  • 496 PAGES

Lisle shows how O'Keeffe was both changed and inspired by her Southwestern surroundings in this insightful biography of Georgia O'Keeffe. (USW221, $32.95)

The Last Cheater's Waltz, Beauty and Violence in the Desert Southwest


by Ellen Meloy

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 256 PAGES

A naturalist's travels through the desert Southwest of her youth, reflecting on native peoples, landscape and ecology. Meloy explores Los Alamos, Trinity National Historic Landmark, and White Sands Missile Range -- including the impact of the laboratory and bomb testing on the environment. (USW292, $17.95)

Death Comes for the Archbishop

Death Comes for the Archbishop


by Willa Cather

  • LITERATURE
  • 1990
  • PAPER
  • 297 PAGES

Based in part on the life of Bishop Jean Baptiste L'Amy, this classic novel of missionary life in New Mexico is rich in the texture of Old Santa Fe and New Mexican landscapes. (USW79, $13.00)

The Laughing Boy

The Laughing Boy


by Oliver La Farge

  • LITERATURE
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 193 PAGES

An ethnographer and archaeologist, La Farge captures the flavor of the landscapes and ways of life in Northern Arizona in the early 20th century in this Pulitzer Prize-winning short novel. (USW240, $12.95)

The Man Who Killed the Deer


by Frank Waters

  • LITERATURE
  • 1942
  • PAPER
  • 266 PAGES

A heartfelt tale of a Pueblo Indian in New Mexico. Waters captures the difficult position of his protagonist Martiniano, straddled between his tribe and white society. (USW265, $12.95)

The Milagro Beanfield War

The Milagro Beanfield War


by John Treadwell Nichols | Rini Templeton

  • LITERATURE
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 456 PAGES

A charming novel about struggles between farmers and water barons in a small New Mexican town. It went from a local favorite to a cult classic to a major motion picture. (USW222, $18.00)

New Mexico Wildlife, An Introduction to Familiar Species

New Mexico Wildlife, An Introduction to Familiar Species


by James Kavanagh

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • PLASTIC CARD

A handy fold-up card featuring color illustrations of common plants, animals and reptiles of New Mexico. (SWU203, $5.95)

The National Parks, America's Best Idea

The National Parks, America's Best Idea


by Ken Burns | Dayton Duncan

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 400 PAGES

Now in a paper edition, this lavishly illustrated tale by the dynamic PBS duo brings to life the conservationists, politicians, presidents and dreamers who created our national park system. (USA356, $32.50)

A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians

A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians


by Robert Stebbins

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 533 PAGES

The definitive field guide, with a special section on Baja's endemic species. (FG08, $22.00)

National Audubon Society Field Guide to the Southwestern States: Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah

National Audubon Society Field Guide to the Southwestern States: Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah


by Peter Alden

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 448 PAGES

A compact photographic guide to the wildflowers, trees, mosses, butterflies, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals of the American Southwest. (SWU14, $19.95)

Northern Chihuahuan Desert Wildflowers


by Steve West

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 224 PAGES

A handy field guide to the plants of western Texas and southern New Mexico. (USW432, $24.95)

The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America

The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America


by David Sibley

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 474 PAGES

A compact, geographically specific version of the Sibley Guide with all-new range maps, the same glorious illustrations and expanded, extremely valuable descriptions of each bird. (USW418, $19.95)

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.