Reading resources for the world traveller
Preparing yourself for life transforming experiences in other lands can be enhanced with travel reading that helps contextualize what you will see and experience abroad. Our local experts do a great job of making complex historical information accessible to participants in our journeys. Supplementing guided visits with pre-journey reading makes venues more stimulating for participants as they come prepared with a lively curiosity.
In consultation with our clients, we have developed a bibliography of materials. If you come across a book that has helped you make greater sense of historical events, artistic treasures, religious beliefs and practices, or other local cultural perspectives, please share the title with us for future sojourners.
All Destinations
Rome
Other Italian Cities/Regions
Interfaith and Ecumenical
Turkey and Greece
World Religions
Ireland
England
Luther and the Reformation and Germany
The Holy Land
Pilgrimage Travel
Related Links
The bibliography is sorted by destination and particular focus. Books are also rated according to the following levels:
| (*) - General interest | (**) - Accessible | (***) - Scholarly |
Books and Materials for All Destinations
There are many guidebooks available to global trekkers today! Some of our favorites are the following series:
Good introduction overview to regions/countries/cities and nice descriptions of particular sites:
- The Michelin Green Guides
- The Neos Guides by Michelin
- DK Guides
- Knopf Guides
- Blue Guides (more detailed information about sites)
Good information about hotels and restaurants:
- The Red Guides by Michelin
Good practical information presented in a good accessible format:
- The new “See It” series by Fodors.
Books, Articles and Films on Rome
General Introductions
- A Literary Companion to Rome: Including 10 Walking Tours. By John Varriano. St. Martin’s Griffin. (*)
- Rome: The Biography of a City. By Christopher Hibbert. Penguin Books. (**)
- Rome: Profile of a City: 312-1308. By Richard Krautheimer. Princeton Univ. Press. (**)
Historical Novels, Biographies & Films
- Galileo’s Daughter. By Dava Sobel. Walker and Company.
- The Pope and the Heretic: The True Story of Giordano Bruno. By Michael White. Harper Collins.
- Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling. By Ross King. Walker and Company.
- Michelangelo: A Biography. By George Bull. St. Martin’s Griffin.
- Benvenuto Cellini. Autobiography. Penguin Classics.
- Lives of the Artists. By Vasari. Penguin Classics.
- The Twelve Caesars. By Suetonius. Penguin Classics.
Ancient Rome & Archeology
- A Profile of Ancient Rome. By Flavio Conti. J. Paul Getty Museum. (*)
- The Ancient City: Life in Classical Athens and Rome. By Peter Connolly. Oxford University Press. (*)
- Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Rome. By Chris Scarre. (*)
- Daily Life in Ancient Rome. By Jerome Carcopino. Yale Univ. Press. (**)
- Daily Life in Ancient Rome. By Florence Dupont. Blackwell Publishers. (**)
- Rome: Oxford Archeological Guides. Oxford Univ. Press. (**)
- As the Romans Did. By Jo-Ann Shelton. Oxford Univ. Press. (**)
- The World of Rome: An Introduction to Roman Culture. By Ed. Peter Jones and Keith Sidwell. Cambridge Univ. Press. (***)
- Ancient Rome: City Planning and Administration. By O. F. Robinson. Routledge. (***)
- Roman Architecture. By Frank Sear. Cornell Univ. Press. (***)
- Religions of Late Antiquity in Practice. Ed. Richard Valantasis. Princetown. (***)
Early Christianity in Rome
- Judaism and Christianity in First Century Rome. By Ed. Karl Donfried and Peter Richardson. Eerdmans Publishing. (***)
- Pilgrimage: A Chronicle of Christianity Through the Churches of Rome. By June Hager. Cassell Paperbacks. (*)
- From Paul to Valentinus: Christians at Rome in the First Two Centuries. By Peter Lampe. Fortress Press. (***)
- Religious Experience in Earliest Christianity. By Luke Timothy Johnson. Fortress Press. (**)
- Rome in the Bible and the Early Church. By Ed. Peter Oakes. Baker Academic. (**)
- The Churches and Catacombs of Early Christian Rome: A Comprehensive Guide. By Matilda Webb. Sussex Academic Press. (***)
- The Jews in Late Ancient Rome. By Leonard Victor Rutgers. Brill’s Scholars’ List. (***)
- The Jews of Ancient Rome. By Harry Leon. Hendrickson Press. (***)
- The Rise of Christianity. By Rodney Stark. Harper San Francisco. (**)
Series of General Interest (*) and Continuing Education Articles on Early Christian Rome (of particular interest to Evangelical, Reform and Protestant Christians)
Rome Belongs To You Too
San Clemente
Papal Rome & Renaissance Rome
- Chronicle of the Popes. By P.G. Maxwell-Stuart. Thames and Hudson. (*)
- In the Footsteps of Popes: A Spirited Guide to the Treasures of the Vatican. By Enrico Bruschini. William Morrow Pub. (*)
- Rome Reshaped: Jubilees 1300-2000. By Desmond O’Grady. Continuum. (*)
- Spanish Rome: 1500-1700. By Thomas James Dandelet. Yale Univ. Press. (**)
- The First Jesuits. By John W. O’Malley. Harvard University Press. (**)
Art of Italy (and Rome)
- Art in Reniassance Italy. By John Paoletti and Gary Radke. Abrams Press. (***)
- Imperial Rome and Christian Triumph. By Jas Elsner. Oxford Univ. Press. (***)
- Understanding Early Christian Art. By Robin Margaret Jensen. Routledge. (**)
- Unearthing the Past: Archeology and Aesthetics in the Making of Renaissance Culture. By Leonard Barkan. Yale Univ. Press. (***)
Women’s Studies in Religion - Greece/Rome/Early Christianity
- Her Share of the Blessings: Women’s Religions Among Pagans, Jews, and Christians in the Greco-Roman World. By Ross Shepard Kraemer. Oxford University Press. (**)
- The Gospel of Mary of Magdala. By Karen L. King. Polebridge Press. (**)
- When Women Were Priests. By Karen Jo Torjesen. Harper San Francisco. (**)
- Women of Bible Lands. By Martha Ann Kirk. Liturgical Press. (**)
- Women in the Early Church. By Elizabeth Clark. Liturgical Press. (**)
- Women Officeholders in Early Christianity: Epigraphical and Literary Studies. By Ute E. Eisen. Liturgical Press. (**)
- Women’s Life in Greece and Rome: A Source Book in Translation. By Ed. Mary Lefkowitz and Maureen Fant. Johns Hopkins University Press. (**)
Books on Other Italian Cities/Regions
Italy in General
- Traveling with the Saints in Italy . By Lucinda Vardley. Hidden Spring Books. (*)
Assisi
- Saint Francis of Assisi . By Ivan Gobry. Ignatius Press. (*)
Pompeii
- Pompeii: A Novel. By Robert Harris. Random House. (*)
- Pompeii: Public and Private Life. By Paul Zanker. Harvard Univ. Press. (*)
Tuscany
- Under the Tuscan Sun. By Frances Mayes. Broadway Books. (*)
Venice
- A History of Venice. By John Julius Norwich. (*)
Books on Interfaith and Ecumenical Travel and Dialogue
Judaism-Christianity-Islam
- Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths. By Karen Armstrong. Ballentine Books. (*)
Three Faiths Spain
- A Journey to the End of the Millenium: A Novel of the Middle Ages. By A. B. Yehoshua. A Harvest Book. (*)
- A Vanished World: Medieval Spain’s Golden Age of Enlightenment. By Chirs Lowney. Free Press. (*)
- Convivencia: Jews, Muslims, and Christians in Medieval Spain. By Ed. Vivian Mann et al. Braziller Publisher. (**)
- The Jews of Spain: A History of the Sephardic Experience. By Jane S. Gerber. Free Press. (**)
- The Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain. By Maria Rosa Menocal. Little Brown and Co. (*)
Books on Turkey and Greece
- A Guide to Biblical Sites in Greece and Turkey. By Clyde E. Fant and Mitchell G. Reddish. Oxford Univ. Press. (**)
- Ephesos: Metropolis of Asia: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Its Archeology, Religion and Cultur. By Ed. Helmut Koester. Trinity Press. (***)
- In Search of Paul: How Jesus’s Apostle Opposed Rome’s Empire with God’s Kingdom. By John Dominic Crossan and Jonathan L. Reed. Harper SanFrancisco. (**)
- Istanbul: The Imperial City. By John Freely. Penguin Books. (*)
- Pergamon: Citadel of the Gods. By Ed. Helmut Koester. Trinity Press. (***)
- Philippi at the Time of Paul and After His Death. By Ed. Charalambos Bakirtzis and Helmut Koester. Trinity Press. (***)
- St. Paul’s Corinth. By Jerome Murphy O’Connor. Liturgical Press. (***)
- The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting. By Colin J. Hemer.Eerdmans. (***)
- Urban Religion in Roman Corinth: Interdisciplinary Approaches. By Daniel Schowalter and Steven J. Friesen. Harvard Univ. Press. (***)
- Imperial Cults and the Apocalypse of John: Reading Revelation in the Ruins. By Steven J. Friesen. Oxford Univ. Press. (***)
- Exploring the New Testament World: An Illustrated Guide to the World Of Jesus and The First Christians. By Albert A. Bell, Jr. Nelson Press. (**)
- Religions of Late Antiquity in Practice. Ed. Richard Valantasis. Princetown. (***)
- Becoming Christian: The Conversion of Roman Cappadocia. Raymond Van Dam, Univ. of Penn. Press. (***)
Books on World Religions
- Religious Ethics: A Sourcebook. Ed. Arthur Dobrin.
- The Rivers of Paradise: Moses, Buddha, Confucius, Jesus and Muhammad as Religious Founders. By Ed. D. N. Freedman and M. J. McClymond. Eerdmans. (**)
- The World’s Religions. By Huston Smith. Harper SanFrancisco. (**)
- World Religions: A Story Approach. By Leonard Biallas. XXIII Press. (**)
Books on Ireland
- An Essential Guide to Celtic Sites and Their Saints. By Elizabeth Rees. Continuum. (**)
- Christianity and the Celts. By Ted Olsen. Intervarsity Press. (*)
- Ireland: A Novel. By Frank Delaney. (*)
- Irish Jesus: Roman Jesus: The Formation of Early Irish Christianity. By Graydon Snyder. Trinity Press International. (**)
- Malachy McCourt’s History of Ireland. By Malachy McCourt. (**)
Books on England
- An Essential Guide to Celtic Sites and Their Saints. By Elizabeth Rees. Continuum. (**)
- Ecclesiastical History of the English People. By The Venerable Bede. (**)
- London: The Biography. By Peter Ackroyd. (*)
- The Celtic Way of Prayer. By Esther de Waal. (**)
- The Spiritual Traveler: England, Scotland, Wales. By Martin Palmer and Nigel Palmer. Hidden Spring. (*)
- Vision of God: Four Medieval Mystics and Their Writings. By Karen Armstrong. (**)
- Walking London: Thirty Original Walks In and Around London. By Andrew Duncan. (*)
Books on Luther and the Reformation and Germany
- Luther and His World. By Graham Tomlin. Intervarsity Press. (*)
- Luther: The Reformer. By James M. Kittelson. Augsburg. (*)
Books on The Holy Land
- Daily Life at the Time of Jesus. By Miriam Fenberg Vamosh. Concordia Publishing. (*)
- Excavating Jesus: Beneath the Stones, Behind the Texts. By John Dominic Crossen and Jonathan Reed. Harper SanFrancisco. (**)
- Jesus and His World: An Archeological and Cultural Dictionary. By John Rousseau and Rami Arav. Fortress Press. (***)
- The Holy Land. Oxford Archeological Guide. Oxford Univ. Press. (***)
- Exploring the New Testament World: An Illustrated Guide to the World Of Jesus and The First Christians. By Albert A. Bell, Jr. Nelson Press. (**)
- Women of Bible Lands: A Pilgrimage to Compassion and Wisdom. By Martha Ann Kirk. Liturgical Press. (**)
- Israel: A History. By Martin Gilbert, Black Swan. (**) (This is a nice overview of the history of the establishment of the State of Israel and the 50 years of history between 1948 and 1998 and helps readers understand much of the complexity of the Jewish-Arab-Palestinian hopes and challenges.
Books on Pilgrimage Travel
- On Pilgrimage: Sacred Journeys Around the World. By Jennifer Westwood. Hidden Spring. (*)
- Pilgrim: A Spirituality of Travel. By Leonard Biallas. Franciscan Press. (*)
- Pilgrimage: Past and Present in the World Religions. By Simon Coleman and John Elsner. Harvard Univ. Press. (*)
- The Art of Pilgrimage: The Seeker’s Guide to Making Travel Sacred. By Phil Cousineau. Conari Press. (*)
- Women of Bible Lands: A Pilgrimage to Compassion and Wisdom. By Martha Ann Kirk. Liturgical Press. (**)
Related Links
Public policy
- Centre for World Dialogue
- Planet Tolerance - One world mural
- Action Without Borders
- WorldWatch Institute
- Creative Resistance - Living the compassionate life
Literacy / academia / education
- The Council for Education in World Citizenship
- Consumer Education and citizenship
- The Nations Online Project
- World Heritage Foundation