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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 EXMED426. Buy these 5 items as a set for $80 including shipping, 15% off the retail price.
With free shipping on anything else you order.

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Mediterranean by Cruise Ship

Mediterranean by Cruise Ship

by Anne Vipond

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 368 PAGES

The best-selling, compact guide, featuring excellent local maps, hundreds of color photographs, concise background information and recommended excursions for ports-of-call throughout the Mediterranean. (MED34, $21.95)

The Ancient Mediterranean

The Ancient Mediterranean

by Michael Grant

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1990
  • PAPER
  • 374 PAGES

Grant explores the realms of archaeology, geography, art and economics to sketch this classic portrait of the ancient world, from prehistory through the Roman Imperium, and the influence on western civilization. (MED10, $20.00)

The Histories

The Histories

by Herodotus

  • HISTORY
  • 1994
  • PAPER
  • 656 PAGES

In what may be the first travel book, Herodotus records the heroic struggle between Europe and Asia that culminated in the invasion of Greece by Xerxes. (MED15, $11.00)

The Peloponnesian War

by Donald Kagan

  • HISTORY
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 511 PAGES

A magnificent account of the 30-year struggle between Athens and Sparta in 5th-century B.C. Includes excellent maps. (GRE183, $18.00)

Mediterranean Cruises Map

Mediterranean Cruises Map

by Freytag & Berndt

  • 2010
  • MAP

A double-sided, full-color map of the Mediterranean, including the Iberian Peninsula and Black Sea, North Africa and the Levant, at a scale of 1:2,000,000. (MED36, $14.95)

 
Eyewitness Guide Greek Islands

Eyewitness Guide Greek Islands


by Eyewitness Guides

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 408 PAGES

Color photography, excellent local maps and an island-by-island synopsis of attractions make this book the one to carry with you. (GRE37, $28.00)

Eyewitness Guide Sicily

Eyewitness Guide Sicily


by Eyewitness Guides | DK Publishing

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 256 PAGES

This superb guide to Sicily features color photography, dozens of excellent local maps and a synopsis of the island's attractions. Handsome, convenient and up-to-date, this is the guide to carry. (ITL468, $23.00)

Eyewitness Top Ten Athens

Eyewitness Top Ten Athens


by Eyewitness Guides

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 160 PAGES

A compact illustrated guide in the popular series, featuring favorite attractions, events, restaurants, shops and excursions in Athens. (GRE219, $14.00)

Fodor's Rome's 25 Best

Fodor's Rome's 25 Best


by Fodor's

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 128 PAGES

This shirt-pocket guide includes a map of the city and essential information on its highlights. (ITL112, $11.99)

A War Like No Other, How the Athenians And Spartans Fought the Peloponnesian War


by Victor Davis Hanson

  • HISTORY
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 416 PAGES

A meticulous, scholarly exploration of the war that engulfed Athens and Sparta for 27 years. Hanson provides context for Thucydides' narrative and delves into the specifics of ancient war tactics. (GRE347, $17.00)

Between Salt Water and Holy Water, A History of Southern Italy

Between Salt Water and Holy Water, A History of Southern Italy


by Tommaso Astarita

  • HISTORY
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 352 PAGES

Astarita captures the fanfare, rivalry and changing fortunes of Sicily from antiquity through Norman, Spanish and Bourbon rule to unification and the 20th century. (ITL597, $22.95)

Fortress Malta, An Island Under Siege 1940-43


by James Holland

  • HISTORY
  • 2003
  • HARD COVER
  • 512 PAGES

In this powerful, intimate book British journalist James Holland draws on letters, diaries and interviews to bring to life the military campaigns, heroism and drama of Malta during WWII. (MLT19, $27.95)

Sicily, Three Thousand Years of Human History

Sicily, Three Thousand Years of Human History


by Sandra Benjamin

  • HISTORY
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 498 PAGES

With clarity and authority, Benjamin traces the rich legacy of the Greeks and Romans, Vandals and Goths, Arab traders, Normans, Bourbons and others who have contributed to the multi-faceted history of the kingdom of Sicily. (ITL731, $19.95)

The Battle of Salamis: The Naval Encounter that Saved Greece -- and Western Civilization


by Barry Strauss

  • HISTORY
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 320 PAGES

A lively account of the 480 B. C. battle between Greece and Persia. Strauss, a military historian, draws on contemporary accounts of Herodotus, Aeschylus, and Plutarch. (GRE234, $15.00)

The Classical World

The Classical World


by Robin Lane Fox

  • HISTORY
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 656 PAGES

Fox conjures tyrants, conquerors and enthralling personalities, from Homer to Hadrian, in this marvelously written history of ancient Greece and Rome. (GRE293, $19.99)

The History of the Peloponnesian War

The History of the Peloponnesian War


by Thucydides | Walter Blanco | Jennifer Tolbert

  • HISTORY
  • 1954
  • PAPER
  • 656 PAGES

The classic account of the debilitating war between the two chief city-states, Athens and Sparta, from 431 to 404 B.C. (GRE102, $17.00)

The Middle Sea

The Middle Sea


by John Julius Norwich

  • HISTORY
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 720 PAGES

A marvelous writer who has already tackled Byzantium, the Normans in Sicily and Venice, Norwich spins his magic in this story of culture, trade and politics, royalty and rulers, wars and religion in the Mediterranean. (MED98, $21.00)

The Second World War


by John Keegan

  • HISTORY
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 624 PAGES

A masterfully written, thematically arranged history of the Second World War. (WAR44, $25.00)

The Western Way of War, Infantry Battle in Classical Greece

The Western Way of War, Infantry Battle in Classical Greece


by Victor Davis Hanson | John Keegan

  • HISTORY
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 271 PAGES

A noted classical scholar examines war among the Greek city-states. (GRE162, $21.95)

Minoan and Mycenaean Art

Minoan and Mycenaean Art


by Reynold Higgins

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 1997
  • PAPER
  • 216 PAGES

A survey of the ancient art of Crete, Mycenae and the Cyclades in its cultural context, revised to include recent archaeology. With maps and 241 illustrations. (GRE61, $19.95)

The Search for Ancient Greece

The Search for Ancient Greece


by Roland Etienne | Francoise Etienne

  • ARCHAEOLOGY
  • 1992
  • PAPER
  • 175 PAGES

Lavishly illustrated, this pocket encyclopedia covers the archaeology and meaning of ancient Greece, quite an accomplishment for such a slim book. (GRE01, $15.95)

Crete

Crete


by Barry Unsworth

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 192 PAGES

A travel memoir from the Booker prize-winning novelist, richly detailed and seeped in the millennia-old traditions, myths, literature and history of the island. (GRE303, $10.95)

The Colossus of Maroussi

The Colossus of Maroussi


by Henry Miller

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 223 PAGES
  • FAVORITE

Miller captures the spirit and warmth of the resilient Greek people in this inspired tale of a wartime journey from Athens to Crete, Corfu and Delphi with his friend Lawrence Durrell. (GRE05, $12.95)

Gates of Fire

Gates of Fire


by Steven Pressfield

  • LITERATURE
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 440 PAGES

A historical novel telling the story of the Battle of Thermopylae, where a handful of Spartan knights held off Xerxes and the Persian army for a week before being slaughtered. A page-turner. (GRE127, $7.99)

Greece, A Traveler's Literary Companion

Greece, A Traveler's Literary Companion


by Artemis Leontis

  • ANTHOLOGY
  • 1997
  • PAPER
  • 288 PAGES

In this terrific anthology, 24 modern Greek writers introduce Greek culture, people and landscapes. (GRE190, $14.95)

Ironfire, A Novel of the Knights of Malta and the Last Battle of the Crusades

Ironfire, A Novel of the Knights of Malta and the Last Battle of the Crusades


by David Ball

  • LITERATURE
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 688 PAGES

In this rousing historical novel the fates of a young boy, his sister, one of the Knights of Malta and an inquisitor play out against the backdrop of the 16th-century Ottoman assault on Malta, the formidable citadel of the Knights of St. John. (MLT18, $15.00)

The Iliad

The Iliad


by Homer | Robert Fagles

  • LITERATURE
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 704 PAGES

In the excellent Fagles translation -- here presented in a deluxe paper edition -- Homer's Trojan epic hasn't aged a bit in the last 2,700 years. Take it along to Troy and the Aegean. We also carry Fagles's translation of The Odyssey. (Item no. GRE45, $17.00) (GRE173, $17.00)

The King Must Die

The King Must Die


by Mary Renault

  • LITERATURE
  • 1988
  • PAPER
  • 330 PAGES

A novel of Theseus, slayer of the Minotaur and king of Athens, including his Cretan adventures. The first in Renault's trilogy of well-researched page-turners. (GRE23, $15.00)

The Leopard

The Leopard


by Giuseppe Di Lampedusa

  • LITERATURE
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 384 PAGES
  • FAVORITE

Evoking a lost world of privilege and tradition, Giuseppe Di Lampedusa's memorable tale, set on a rural Sicilian estate during the days of independence, follows the world-weary Don Fabrizio, Prince of Salina. A classic, now in a 50th anniversary edition. (ITL11, $16.00)

The Odyssey

The Odyssey


by Homer | Robert Fagles

  • LITERATURE
  • 1997
  • PAPER
  • 541 PAGES

Translator Robert Fagles captures the poetry and power of The Odyssey in this translation, celebrated for its clarity and expressiveness. (GRE45, $17.00)

Treason's Harbour

Treason's Harbour


by Patrick O'Brian

  • LITERATURE
  • 1992
  • PAPER
  • 334 PAGES

Stephen Maturin, Jack Aubrey and the crew of the H.M.S. Surprise contend with pirates and Napoleon's spies in this splendid novel set on and around Malta. (MLT16, $14.95)

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.