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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

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The River's Tale, A Year on the Mekong

The River's Tale, A Year on the Mekong

by Edward Gargan

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 352 PAGES

A personal, probing chronicle of a 3,000 mile journey on the river from its source in China through Tibet, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia to the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. (SEA33, $15.95)

The Mekong, Turbulent Past, Uncertain Future

The Mekong, Turbulent Past, Uncertain Future

by Milton Osborne

  • HISTORY
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 320 PAGES

A cultural history of the great river from prehistory to European exploration, colonial tensions and modern challenges. It's an engaging introduction to the history of Southeast Asia. (SEA28, $16.00)

South of the Clouds, Tales from Yunnan

South of the Clouds, Tales from Yunnan

by Lucien Miller

  • ANTHOLOGY
  • 1997
  • PAPER
  • 342 PAGES

Featuring memorable tales from throughout the Yunnan Province, this book showcases 54 wonderfully insightful and entertaining stories. (CHN45, $32.95)

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)

China South Map

China South Map

by Nelles

  • 2005
  • MAP

A detailed travel map of Southern China, from Taiwan to Hong Kong and the Yunnan Province, at a 1:1,500,000 scale. (CHN27, $13.95)

 
China, A New History

China, A New History


by John Fairbank | Merle Goldman

  • HISTORY
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 546 PAGES

A sweeping history of China from the Paleolithic to Tiananmen, revised with a new chapter by Merle Goldman. A standard for history buffs. (CHN11, $26.50)

In Exile from the Land of Snows, The Dalai Lama and Tibet Since the Chinese Occupation

In Exile from the Land of Snows, The Dalai Lama and Tibet Since the Chinese Occupation


by John Avedon

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1994
  • PAPER
  • 391 PAGES
  • OUT OF PRINT

Avedon's masterful, passionate cris de coeur, still the best book on the subject, shows the lives of the Tibetan people at home and in exile since the Chinese takeover in 1950 through the eyes of its leaders, monks and regular people. (TBT04, $16.95)

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)

The Tibetan Book of the Dead

The Tibetan Book of the Dead


by Graham Coleman | Gyurme Dorje

  • RELIGION
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 496 PAGES

The first complete English translation of an indispensable work on Tibetan religious beliefs. (TBT88, $21.00)

Understanding China

Understanding China


by John Bryan Starr

  • HISTORY
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 400 PAGES

The Yale professor brings us up to date in this third edition of his succinct and refreshingly forthright best-selling guide to China's economy, history and politics. (CHN196, $17.95)

Leaving Mother Lake

Leaving Mother Lake


by Yang Erche Namu | Christine Mathieu

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 320 PAGES

In this entrancing memoir, Chinese singing sensation Namu recounts her coming-of-age among the matriarchal Mosuo people in Southwest China near the Chinese-Tibetan border. (CHN270, $14.99)

The Plant Hunters

The Plant Hunters


by Tyler Whittle

  • EXPLORATION
  • 1997
  • PAPER
  • 288 PAGES
  • OUT OF PRINT

Tales of the botanist-explorers who enriched our gardens, including adventures in the Himalayas. (NAT29, $16.95)

Lost Horizon, A Novel

Lost Horizon, A Novel


by James Hilton

  • LITERATURE
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 241 PAGES

First published in 1933, this novel (and subsequent movie) introduced the world to the Himalayan paradise of Shangri-La, which a group of Americans and Englishmen discover after a plane crash. (HML73, $12.99)

The Explorer's Garden, Rare and Unusual Perennials


by Daniel Hinkley | Roy Lancaster

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 380 PAGES

Remarkable finds in the Himalayas, Yunnan and other exotic locations around the world. (NAT28, $24.95)

Concise Flowers of the Himalaya

Concise Flowers of the Himalaya


by Oleg Polunin | Adam Stainton

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 1998
  • PAPER
  • 424 PAGES
  • OUT OF PRINT

A condensed version of the classic Flowers of the Himalayas featuring the same 700 color photographs and 315 line drawings but with shorter descriptive information. (HML17, $25.00)

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)

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.