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Mont Blanc

READING AND TRAVEL GUIDE

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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 EXALP77. Buy these 4 items as a set for $66 including shipping, 15% off the retail price.
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Explore Mont Blanc

Explore Mont Blanc

by Gareth McCormack

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 64 PAGES

A compact, practical guide in the "Rucksack Reader" series, this book features a route map, photographs and practical details for the classic 11-day Mont Blanc circuit though France, Italy and Switzerland. (ALP27, $15.95)

Killing Dragons, The Conquest of the Alps

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)

Chamonix, Mont Blanc Massif (East)

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)

St Gervais les Bains, Mont Blanc (West)

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)

 
Chamonix to Zermatt, The Walker's Haute Route

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)

Tour of Mont Blanc, Complete Trekking Guide

Tour of Mont Blanc, Complete Trekking Guide


by Kev Reynolds

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2012
  • PAPER
  • 243 PAGES
  • COMING IN FEBRUARY

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)

La Place de la Concorde Suisse

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

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)

Iceman: Uncovering the Life and Times of a Prehistoric Man Found in an Alpine Glacier

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)

A Tramp Abroad

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)

Eiger Dreams, Ventures Among Men and Mountains

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)

Quest for the Sublime, Finding Nature's Secret in Switzerland

Quest for the Sublime, Finding Nature's Secret in Switzerland


by Richard Bangs

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2008
  • HARD COVER
  • 260 PAGES
  • CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE
    • >

Richard Bangs revisits the Swiss Alps, following the likes of Byron, Shelley, Keats and Wordsworth in an attempt to grasp the Sublime. (SWZ66, $16.95)

There & Then, Travel Writings of James Salter

There & Then, Travel Writings of James Salter


by James Salter

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 296 PAGES

These sketches and essays cover 20 years of novelist Salter's peripatetic life, particularly his extended time hiking and skiing in the Alps of Switzerland, Austria and France. (ALP28, $15.00)

Cham


by Jonathan Trigell

  • LITERATURE
  • 2009
  • PAPER

A young British author who lives in Chamonix, Trigell captures the beauty of the region, the allure of the slopes and the decadent vibe of the ski bum sub-culture in this edgy thriller. (ALP39, $16.95)

Hotel du Lac

Hotel du Lac


by Anita Brookner

  • LITERATURE
  • 1995
  • PAPER
  • 184 PAGES

Funny, stylish and spellbinding, Brookner's novel tracks the story of a romance novelist, not quite finding peace and quiet at the quiet luxury of Hotel du Lac in Switzerland. (SWZ05, $13.95)

Solo Faces

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)

Glacier Ice

Glacier Ice


by Austin Post | Edward R. LaChapelle

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 145 PAGES

A classic book of extraordinary black-and-white aerial photographs of mountains and glaciers by two devoted men of ice. Ed LaChapelle's text is paired with Austin Post's stunning aerial photographs of glaciers from Alaska and Chile to Switzerland, the Himalayas and other parts of the world. (SCI07, $27.95)

Mountain Light, In Search of the Dynamic Landscape

Mountain Light, In Search of the Dynamic Landscape


by Galen Rowell

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 224 PAGES

The 25th anniverary edition of Rowell's landmark book, featuring 80 spectacular images, divided according to visual content. Each chapter illustrates a theme or technique, supplemented by a short personal essay. (PHT06, $29.95)

Birds of Europe

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)

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.