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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 EXCEU82. Buy these 5 items as a set for $88 including shipping, 15% off the retail price.
With free shipping on anything else you order.

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Between the Woods and the Water

Between the Woods and the Water

by Patrick Leigh Fermor

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 320 PAGES

Fermor continues with youthful adventures in Hungary and Romania, culminating with his arrival at the Iron Gates on the Danube. (CEU31, $15.95)

The Balkans, A Short History

The Balkans, A Short History

by Mark Mazower

  • HISTORY
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 188 PAGES

A brief, provocative survey of the complex and often contentious history of the Balkans. With eloquence and insight, Mazower addresses the issues of geography, nationalism and modern nation-building in the region. (BLK28, $15.00)

In Search of Dracula

In Search of Dracula

by Raymond McNally

  • HISTORY
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 297 PAGES

This history of Vlad Tepes (AKA Vlad the Impaler), the Romanian warrior prince upon whom Bram Stoker based his infamous blood-drinking count, draws on oral histories and archaeological evidence and also examines Dracula's many incarnations in film and literature. (EUR193, $18.95)

Balkans South-East Europe Map

Balkans South-East Europe Map

by Freytag & Berndt

  • 2008
  • MAP

A nicely detailed regional map, showing the route of the Danube from Budapest to the Black Sea, at a scale of 1:2,000,000. (EUR147, $14.95)

Lonely Planet Eastern Europe

Lonely Planet Eastern Europe

by Lonely Planet

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 1028 PAGES

This practical guide includes Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic as well as the Baltic States, Belarus, Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria and the Balkans. (EUR72, $29.99)

 
Bradt Mini Guide Dubrovnik

Bradt Mini Guide Dubrovnik


by Piers Letcher

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 256 PAGES

A helpful, condensed guide to the city in the popular Bradt series. (BLK46, $13.99)

Eyewitness Guide Croatia

Eyewitness Guide Croatia


by Eyewitness Guides

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 296 PAGES
  • BEST SELLER

Gorgeously illustrated and filled with excellent maps, this compact book offers a thorough overview of Croatia's history, traditions, cultures and sights. (BLK39, $23.00)

Frommer's Budapest Day by Day

Frommer's Budapest Day by Day


by Robert Smyth

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2012
  • PAPER

This illustrated pocket guide, ideal for a short visit, features excellent suggestions for everything from food and hotels to sightseeing and shopping. With a separate foldout map of the city center. (HGR65, $13.99)

Black Sea

Black Sea


by Neal Ascherson

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1996
  • PAPER
  • 306 PAGES
  • BEST SELLER

In this skillful portrait of a region, Ascherson weaves his own travels and impressions with a fascinating account of the Black Sea's history. From ancient mythology to modern politics, he admirably never loses sight of the sea itself. (RUS46, $22.00)

Budapest 1900

Budapest 1900


by John Lukacs

  • HISTORY
  • 1990
  • PAPER
  • 255 PAGES

Written by a distinguished historian and native son, this richly detailed portrait of the city at its zenith includes hundreds of illustrations. (HGR01, $16.95)

Bury Me Standing

Bury Me Standing


by Isabel Fonseca

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1996
  • PAPER
  • 322 PAGES

This marvelous portrait of the Roma, also known as the Gypsies, offers insight into their music, foods, religions and folk traditions, and also examines their influential but complex relationship with Eastern Europe. (EUR09, $16.00)

Danube

Danube


by Claudio Magris

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 416 PAGES

Mixing history, personalities and literature, Magris traces the course of the Danube from its source in the heart of the Austro-Hungarian empire through the Balkans to the Black Sea in this anything but conventional travelogue, first published in 1986. (EUR58, $17.00)

Palgrave Concise Historical Atlas of the Balkans

Palgrave Concise Historical Atlas of the Balkans


by Dennis Hupchick

  • HISTORY
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 128 PAGES

The changing borders and complex history of the Balkans, clearly and concisely shown through 50 double-page maps and accompanying essays, organized chronologically. (BLK41, $22.00)

The Black Sea, A History

The Black Sea, A History


by Charles King

  • HISTORY
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 296 PAGES

A brisk history of the region, showing the Black Sea as uniting diverse cultures in the Balkans, Central Asia and the Middle East. (EUR173, $35.00)

The Habsburgs, Embodying Empire

The Habsburgs, Embodying Empire


by Andrew Wheatcroft

  • HISTORY
  • 1995
  • PAPER
  • 384 PAGES

The Habsburgs ruled over more diverse peoples and cultures than any other European dynasty since the Roman period. With skillful scholarship and engaging style, Wheatcroft reveals the history of this family of eccentric monarchs. (AST11, $17.00)

Transylvania

Transylvania


by Bronwen Riley

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 2008
  • HARD COVER
  • 192 PAGES

Riley lovingly explores the mountain villages, history and people of this land steeped in myth and tradition in this superb book, featuring 150 haunting photographs by Dan Dinescu. (EUR316, $50.00)

Twilight of the Habsburgs, The Life and Times of Emperor Francis Joseph

Twilight of the Habsburgs, The Life and Times of Emperor Francis Joseph


by Alan Palmer

  • HISTORY
  • 1997
  • PAPER
  • 400 PAGES

A vivid tale of the emperor of Austria-Hungary and king of Hungary, Bohemia, Dalmatia, Croatia, and Slavonia who ruled until the fall of the empire during World War I. (AST14, $15.00)

Dream Palaces, The Last Royal Courts of Europe

Dream Palaces, The Last Royal Courts of Europe


by Jerome Coignard | Marc Walter

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 2004
  • HARD COVER
  • 288 PAGES

This beautifully illustrated portrait of 11 extravagant European follies includes Neuschwanstein, Alexandra Cottage, Stolzenfels castle, Miramare castle, Peles castle, and Achilleion villa. (EUR187, $65.00)

A Time of Gifts

A Time of Gifts


by Patrick Leigh Fermor

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 384 PAGES
  • BEST SELLER

Fermor effortlessly interweaves anecdote, history and culture in this exuberant account of a walk from Holland, up the Rhine and down the Danube, through Germany, Prague and Austria in 1933. Written not in the moment, but 40 years later, the accumulation of time and experience give the book particular poignancy. (CEU30, $16.95)

Balkan Ghosts, A Journey through History

Balkan Ghosts, A Journey through History


by Robert D. Kaplan

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 307 PAGES

Kaplan interweaves the history, art and culture of Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Romania and Greece with his travels in this portrait of the region. (BLK02, $17.00)

On Foot to the Golden Horn

On Foot to the Golden Horn


by Jason Goodwin

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 278 PAGES
  • OUT OF PRINT

Goodwin interweaves history, incident and reflection in this excellent portrait of Central Europe. With chapters on Cracow, Slovakia, Budapest, Transylvania, Brasov and Bulgaria. (EUR81, $17.00)

The Improbable Voyage

The Improbable Voyage


by Tristan Jones

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 1998
  • PAPER
  • 332 PAGES

Jones, an inveterate Welsh sailor, adventurer and storyteller, channels Eastern Europe circa 1985 in his tale of a tough voyage along the Rhine and Danube to the Black Sea. (EUR156, $16.50)

Transylvania and Beyond

Transylvania and Beyond


by Dervla Murphy

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 1995
  • HARD COVER
  • 239 PAGES

Murphy spent eight months among the people of Transylvania, soaking up their stories and their thoughts on life in modern Romania. (EUR98, $21.95)

Dracula


by Bram Stoker

  • LITERATURE
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 520 PAGES

The vampire novel that started it all, based on the legend of "Vlad the Impaler." The gothic shocker is set within the dank castles and misty forests of Transylvania, and the foggy streets and staid country houses of Victorian England. (EUR125, $11.00)

The Third Man and the Fallen Idol

The Third Man and the Fallen Idol


by Graham Greene

  • LITERATURE
  • 1992
  • PAPER
  • 157 PAGES

A haunting tale and penetrating portrait of Vienna after World War II, "The Third Man" is the result of Greene's collaboration with Carol Reed on the classic movie. "The Fallen Idol" is a separate tale of intrigue set in Britain. (AST30, $14.00)

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.