Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on
bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Homestead
by Rosini Lippi
Set firmly in a small village in the Austrian Alps, these 12 interlinking stories are almost ethnographic in their rich detail of small town life. The stories range from the turn-of-the-century to the present, accurately charting change in the remote village.
The Habsburg Empire, A New History
by Pieter M. Judson
With a fresh approach to the Habsburgs' legacy, this panoramic history revises commonly held perspectives on the empire's effectiveness and its echoes in Europe today.
Eiger Dreams, Ventures Among Men and Mountains
by Jon Krakauer
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.
The Austrians, A Thousand-Year Odyssey
by Gordon Brook-Shepherd
Detailed, impressively researched and readable, this book is a wide-ranging narrative history of the last 1,000 years of Austria and the Austrian character.
Killing Dragons, The Conquest of the Alps
by Fergus Fleming
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 150 years ago.
The White War: Life and Death on the Italian Front
by Mark Thompson
Thompson's history captures the drama, nationalist frenzy and pathos of WWI. The historian also traces the nearly forgotten, brutal three-year struggle to capture the Isonzo River sector in the rugged Alps and Dolomites from the Austro-Hungarian Empire in this epic history.
Schlepping Through the Alps, My Search for Austria's Jewish Past with Its Last Wandering Shepherd
by Sam Apple
A hilarious and touching exploration of history, tradition and sheep. This account of travels in Austria with Hans Breuer, a shepherd who sings Yiddish folk songs to his sheep, is admittedly a comic quest, but it also delves into some of the darker corners of Austria's history in World War II.
Medusa, An Aurelio Zen Mystery
by Michael Dibdin
In this ninth book in the thoroughly enjoyable Aurelio Zen series, our worldly detective investigates a mysterious corpse in a long-abandoned military tunnel in the Dolomites.
Cuisines of the Alps
by Kay Shaw Nelson
Subtitled "Recipes, Drinks, and Lore from France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Italy, Germany, Austria, and Slovenia," this colorful tour of the region's rustic cuisine offers more than 140 recipes, a section on regional wines and historical information.
Walking in the Dolomites
by Gillian Price
A comprehensive walker's guide to the Dolomites geared to a wide variety of difficulty levels. Illustrated with photographs and maps.
Iceman: Uncovering the Life and Times of a Prehistoric Man Found in an Alpine Glacier
by Brenda Fowler
The complete story of the discovery of and controversy surrounding the frozen corpse of a prehistoric man found in the Tyrolian Alps.
La Nouvelle Heloise
by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Rousseau may be best known for his political philosophy, but in this novel we see his softer side. This is the passionate story told through the letters of two lovers in a small town at the foot of the Alps.
The Alps, A Cultural History
by Andrew Beattie
Beattie explores the turbulent past and vibrant present of the Alps, where early pioneers of tourism, mountaineering and scientific research have each left their mark.
Alps Map
by Freytag & Berndt
This regional map (1:500,000), centered on the Alps, includes portions of Austria, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and France.
Scrambles Amongst the Alps: In the Years 1860-69
by Edward Whymper
Edward Whymper's classic account of Victorian-era mountaineering captures the geography, beauty and allure of the Alps.
