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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 EXHML27. Buy these 5 items as a set for $78 including shipping, 15% off the retail price.
With free shipping on anything else you order.

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Trekking in Ladakh

Trekking in Ladakh

by Charlie Loram

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 288 PAGES

A practical guide to trekking in this remote enclave, this book includes 50 maps, route descriptions, an overview of Leh and a section of color photographs. (HML25, $19.95)

So Close to Heaven, The Vanishing Buddhist Kingdoms of the Himalayas

So Close to Heaven, The Vanishing Buddhist Kingdoms of the Himalayas

by Barbara Crossette

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 1996
  • PAPER
  • 297 PAGES
  • FAVORITE

Asia correspondent for the New York Times, Crossette portrays Bhutan and neighboring Ladakh and Sikkim as strongholds of Tantric Buddhism in an increasingly homogenized world. (NPL04, $16.00)

Essential Tibetan Buddhism

Essential Tibetan Buddhism

by Robert Thurman

  • RELIGION
  • 1996
  • PAPER
  • 317 PAGES

The foremost Western scholar of Tibetan Buddhism, Thurman has chosen well from that tradition's sacred literature and helpfully includes suggested further reading, explanatory notes and a directory of sacred sites. (TBT15, $14.99)

A Journey in Ladakh

A Journey in Ladakh

by Andrew Harvey

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 236 PAGES

The vivid account of a 1981 journey by a young English poet in search of ancient Buddhist traditions in remote Ladakh. (HML15, $18.95)

India North Map

India North Map

by Nelles

  • MAP

A regional map of northern India scaled at 1:1,500,000, with excellent topographic detail and insets of Delhi, Agra, Zanskar & Ladakh. (IDA124, $13.95)

 
Altitude Illness: Prevention and Treatment, How to Stay Healthy at Altitude

Altitude Illness: Prevention and Treatment, How to Stay Healthy at Altitude


by Stephen Bezruchka

  • REFERENCE
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 128 PAGES

Bezruchka, a mountaineer and M.D., includes case studies, frequently asked questions and simple methods of diagnosis and treatment in this indispensable pocket guide. (REF02, $8.95)

Eyewitness Guide Delhi, Agra and Jaipur

Eyewitness Guide Delhi, Agra and Jaipur


by Anuradha Chaturvedi

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 320 PAGES

With chapters on Taj Mahal, Amber Fort Palace, Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Red Fort and dozens of other highlights for the traveler, this compact, gorgeously illustrated guide to Delhi and its environs features 900 color photographs, maps and site plans. (IDA151, $25.00)

Lonely Planet Trekking in the Indian Himalaya

Lonely Planet Trekking in the Indian Himalaya


by Garry Weare

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 300 PAGES

This guide, now in its fifth edition, is great for both practical trail information and general historical and cultural background on the region. Filled throughout with maps and detailed descriptions of treks. (IDA241, $24.99)

City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi

City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi


by William Dalrymple

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 350 PAGES
  • FAVORITE

Dalrymple infectiously interweaves his own experiences over a year in Delhi with the art, architecture, history and literature of the city. (IDA06, $16.00)

India, A History

India, A History


by John Keay

  • HISTORY
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 608 PAGES

A sweeping history of India from early settlement in the Indus Valley around 2000 B.C through ancient civilizations, Hindu, Christian and Muslim traditions, Mughal pomp, colonial rule, independence and the heady challenges of modern democracy. (IDA175, $19.95)

Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism

Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism


by John Powers

  • RELIGION
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 591 PAGES

A comprehensive study of the history and philosophy behind Tibetan Buddhism, suitable for the general reader. (TBT40, $22.95)

Monumental India

Monumental India


by Amit Pasricha

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 2008
  • HARD COVER
  • 224 PAGES

Pasricha's dramatic photographs show the splendor and variety of Northern India, from Hindu and Jain temple complexes, imposing Islamic tombs and mosques, to serene Buddhist monasteries and stupas, colonial and royal palaces and majestic forts. (IDA588, $175.00)

The Dragon in the Land of Snows

The Dragon in the Land of Snows


by Tsering Shakya

  • HISTORY
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 606 PAGES

A comprehensive account of the history and political development of Tibet since 1947, which includes eye-opening details of the American, British and Indian players involved in Tibet's struggle for sovereignty. (TBT32, $18.00)

Trans-Himalayan Caravans, Merchant Princes and Peasant Traders in Ladakh

Trans-Himalayan Caravans, Merchant Princes and Peasant Traders in Ladakh


by Janet Rizvi

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 388 PAGES

Rizvi draws on archives, historical sources and personal interviews with modern traders in this colorful account of this history of trade in High Asia from the seventh to the twentieth centuries. (HML86, $29.95)

World Religions: Eastern Traditions

World Religions: Eastern Traditions


by Willard G. Oxtoby

  • RELIGION
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 515 PAGES

A clear and insightful introduction to Eastern religions by a team of scholars, covering Hindu, Jain, Sikh, Buddhist and East Asian traditions. Scholarly, but still rewarding for the general reader. (ASA07, $79.95)

Heavenly Himalayas, The Murals of Mangyu and Other Discoveries in Ladakh


by Amy Heller | Gerald Kozicz | Rob Linrothe | Peter Van Ham

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 2011
  • HARD COVER
  • 176 PAGES

Van Ham's exquisite portrait of Ladakh during the Buddhist era includes 189 full-color photographs, 14 line drawings and a map. (HML102, $75.00)

Ancient Futures, Learning from Ladakh

Ancient Futures, Learning from Ladakh


by Dalai Lama | Peter Matthiessen | Helena Norberg-Hodge

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 226 PAGES

Norberg-Hodge documents her community work and changes from traditional ways of life; she has lived and worked in Ladakh since 1975. (HML24, $16.95)

Tigerland, and Other Unintended Destinations

Tigerland, and Other Unintended Destinations


by Eric Dinerstein

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 296 PAGES

Chief scientist at WWF, the engaging Dinerstein chronicles his own coming-of-age as a conservation biologist and globe-trotting adventures in the field in Costa Rica, Ladakh, New Caledonia, East Africa, Galapagos, Montana and Nepal in this enjoyable memoir. (CON30, $25.00)

Wild India, The Wildlife of India and Nepal

Wild India, The Wildlife of India and Nepal


by Guy Mountefort | Gerald Cubitt

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 208 PAGES
  • CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE
    • >

An informative introduction to the natural history of the region in a handsome oversize volume. With hundreds of extraordinary photographs of the wildlife and landscapes of the Himalayas, the Indo-Ganges Plain and the Deccan. (IDA02, $29.95)

Birds of India

Birds of India


by Richard Grimmett | Carol Inskipp | Tim Inskipp

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2012
  • PAPER
  • 384 PAGES

Thoroughly revised, with 73 new plates and many others updated or repainted, the second edition of the masterful Birds of India now features all maps and text opposite the plates for quicker and easier reference. (FG43, $39.50)

Photographic Guide to Birds of the Himalayas

Photographic Guide to Birds of the Himalayas


by Bikram Grewal

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 144 PAGES

A pocket guide to 250 birds found from the foothills up to high elevations ranging from the Hindu Kush and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh in the Eastern Himalayas. With brief descriptive information, maps and 260 full-color illustrations. (HML31, $15.95)

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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.