Tag archives for books
Discover America’s Secret Heroes
Posted by Amy Alipio on April 10, 2012 
What do National Geographic Traveler editors do when they retire? Well, if you’re Paul Martin, you write a book about a subject you’ve been gathering information on for years: little-known Americans—from the first black combat pilot to the agronomist who saved millions in Asia from starving—who helped change history. Martin’s labor of love, Secret Heroes: Everyday…
The Radar: Spend Christmas in Singapore, Great Travel Books, Design Your Own Dreamliner
Posted by Giovanna Palatucci on December 19, 2011 
The Radar: Top travel news, stories, trends, and ideas from across the Web. Got Radar? Follow us on Twitter @NatGeoTraveler and tag your favorite travel stories from the Web #ngtradar. Check back the next day for our daily roundup.
Nine Odd Museums Around the World
Posted by Intelligent Travel on November 3, 2011 
From medieval sorcery in Iceland to forensics in Bangkok, enjoy a sampling of some of the world’s most oddly fascinating museums. From the National Geographic book Secret Journeys of a Lifetime 1. Museum of Bad Art, Massachusetts MOBA’s curators search thrift stores and Dumpsters for art that transcends the merely incompetent in order to bring the “worst…
Turn Right at Machu Picchu
Posted by Meg Weaver on July 22, 2011 
July 24th marks the 100th anniversary of Hiram Bingham’s rediscovery of Machu Picchu, which awoke the world to the beauty and mystery of the “Lost City of the Inca.” Celebrations around the world are happening this summer to commemorate the centennial. Here at the National Geographic Society in Washington D.C., you’ll find a photo exhibit…
The Radar: American Craft Beer Week, World’s Biggest Model Airport, Rushdie’s Reading List
Posted by Giovanna Palatucci on May 11, 2011 
American Craft Beer Week kicks off next Monday and for the first time, official events—from tastings to tappings—will be hosted in all 50 states. American Craft Beer Week, now in its sixth year, honors the more than 1,700 small and independent craft brewers in the U.S. [Craft Beer] Watch this video of the world’s largest…
All Aboard! Railway Maps of the World
Posted by Meg Weaver on May 4, 2011 
We’ve been in touch with train buff, map-lover, and Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society Mark Ovenden to learn more about his latest book Railway Maps of the World. Please tell us a bit about the book. Is it about trains or cartography or design or all of the above? Yes, it is all of…
What Travelers Can Learn from War Zone Reporters
Posted by Amy Alipio on April 26, 2011 A couple weeks before leaving for my recent short trip to Qatar, a book came into the office titled How to Avoid Being Killed in a War Zone. Although I had been told Qatar was remarkably safe, I was still going to a part of the world known for turmoil, so I leafed through the book with interest. I was delighted to learn that the book’s author, British journalist Rosie Garthwaite, is based in Doha, Qatar’s capital, so I tracked her down and emailed her asking if she’d have time to meet up when I was there. Over nonalcoholic lime mint drinks at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, we chatted about her book (out in July) and what living in Doha is like. (Little would I know that just a few days after our talk, her book would seem unfortunately timely with the deaths of photojournalists Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros during ongoing combat in Libya.) Here are some excerpts from my Q&A with Garthwaite:
The Radar: Great Library Tours, Postagram App, Space Shuttle Retirement Homes
Posted by Giovanna Palatucci on April 13, 2011 
It’s National Library Week. Celebrate with a visit to one of the country’s great libraries, like the Library of Congress, which offers guided tours Monday-Saturday of its nearly 838 miles of shelves holding over 33 million books and other printed materials.
Nat Geo Live! An Evening with Frances Mayes
Posted by Intelligent Travel on April 12, 2011 
Tonight at the National Geographic Society, Traveler Trip Lit Columnist Don George sits down with best-selling author Frances Mayes–of the wildly popular memoir-turned-movie Under the Tuscan Sun–to discuss her latest memoir Every Day in Italy, about renovating a 13th-century house in the mountains above Cortona. Tickets for the event are sold out, but you can…
Don George on Greg Mortenson
Posted by Janelle Nanos on December 22, 2010 Last month, our Trip Lit book columnist Don George spoke with Greg Mortenson, the best-selling author of Three Cups of Tea and Stones Into Schools, here at our National Geographic headquarters. It was a sold out event (with overflow attendees crowding into our cafeteria to watch a live feed of the talk) and one of…
Don George On A Moveable Feast
Posted by Intelligent Travel on November 9, 2010 Our Trip Lit columnist Don George is a very busy man, but he always is sure to eat well while he travels. Which is why he was the obvious choice to edit the new anthology of food essays, A Moveable Feast, published by Lonely Planet books and featuring essays by Anthony Bourdain, Jan Morris, Simon…
Video: Simply Beautiful Photographs
Posted by Janelle Nanos on October 18, 2010 “The craziest and most curious photographers on Earth are those who seek wonder,” writes National Geographic photographer Annie Griffiths Belt in the aptly named new photo book Simply Beautiful Photographs. Belt selected some of the most remarkable images from around the world, from Mongolia’s Darhad Valley to Zambia’s Victoria Falls. Many of these large-format photos…
Your Isolated Islands
Posted by Janelle Nanos on October 14, 2010 Last week, we featured Jenna Schnuer’s write-up of the new book Atlas of Remote Islands: Places I Have Never Been and Never Will, and asked you, dear readers, to write in and tell us which remote island most intrigued you and why. And to be honest, it was one of the most vibrant, thoughtful batch…
Book Excerpt: From the Eyes of the Vikings
Posted by Intelligent Travel on October 8, 2010 RED GLACIER, ALASKA Bergs and boulders form islands of ice and rock in the basin of the glacier. Welcome to the latest edition of Library Fridays, where we share an excerpt from one our upcoming titles from National Geographic Books. I was particularly enthused at just hearing the name of this week’s book, From the…
The Atlas of Remote Islands
Posted by Intelligent Travel on October 6, 2010 A lot of books cross freelance writer Jenna Schnuer’s desk. One new title became an instant addition to her having-a-meh-day-and-need-a-pick-up pile. Click through to see how you can get a copy of your own. UPDATE: The winners have been selected and you can see them here. The first five times (or so) that I paged…
Book Excerpt: Global Birding
Posted by Intelligent Travel on September 27, 2010 Welcome to our latest edition of Library Fridays, brought to you this week on Monday because we had some turbulence as we tweaked the blog design on Friday. (But doesn’t it look pretty?) In continuance with our “For the Birds” series last week, we’re featuring a Q&A with Les Beletsky, author of the new National…
Book Excerpt: Soul of a Lion
Posted by Intelligent Travel on September 17, 2010 Welcome to the weekly installment of Library Fridays, where we excerpt from an upcoming title put out by our colleagues at National Geographic Books. Today’s title is Soul of a Lion: One Woman’s Quest to Rescue Africa’s Wildlife Refugees, by Barbara Bennett, which tells the story of Marieta van der Merwe, who runs the Harnas…
The World is a Book
Posted by Caitlin Etherton on September 15, 2010 “…and those who do not travel read only one page.” St. Augustine Travel-loving bookworms take heart: Online bookseller Better World Books has extended their Labor Day book sale through today, Wednesday, September 15th, in celebration of International Literacy Day. Better World Books is a creative and responsible global bookstore that collects and sells books (both…
Book Excerpt: A Photo Tour of Britain and Ireland
Posted by Intelligent Travel on September 10, 2010 Welcome to Library Fridays, where we excerpt a title put out by our colleagues at National Geographic Books. Today’s pick is the new photo book Britain & Ireland: A Photo Tour of the Enchanted Isles, written by Robin Currie and featuring images from many of our National Geographic photographers. Here’s a sampling of what you’ll find inside. …
New York Beyond the Big Apple
Posted by lreineke on September 9, 2010 For many years, my exposure to the state of New York was limited to the view from inside an air-conditioned car heading north from Ohio to my summer camp in Maine. My family’s annual drive through the Empire State became somewhat of a joke over time, as my brother and I held contests to see…
Book Excerpt: The Last Speakers
Posted by Intelligent Travel on September 3, 2010 Welcome to a new feature on the blog we’re calling Library Fridays, where we’re teaming up with our National Geographic Books division to provide you excerpts and sneak peeks of some of our upcoming titles. Our inaugural excerpt, The Last Speakers, is one I’m particularly excited about. Part travelogue, part anthropological study, the book is…
The Lost Girls: A Yearlong Worldwide Adventure
Posted by lreineke on July 22, 2010 In 2005, Jennifer Baggett, Holly C. Corbett, and Amanda Pressner were living the dream in New York City when, faced with sudden doubts about the permanence of their high-pressure media jobs (not to mention impending milestone birthdays), they decided to do what most travelers only dream about: Cut and run. Apartments and jobs were given…
Video: Dubious Achievements in Travel
Posted by Janelle Nanos on June 22, 2010 You think you’ve had a terrible travel experience? Some of these are just awful, and that pool looks like my worst nightmare. They’ve all been collected by writer Doug Lansky as part of his book, The Titantic Awards, a compendium of hellish travel anecdotes that’s terribly funny as well. Check out his blog for more…
Alex’s Adventures in Numberland
Posted by Intelligent Travel on June 15, 2010 By: Cindy Scott Math is often called the universal language, and in his new math travelogue, author Alex Bellos takes readers on a journey not only through realms of numerical thought and theory, but around the world as well. His book, Here’s Looking at Euclid: A Surprising Excursion Through the Astonishing World of Math, is…
The World in Your Teacup
Posted by Kathie Gartrell on June 2, 2010 Anytime is tea time for Lisa Boalt Richardson. The author of the award-winning Tea with a Twist was one of the first 15 people in the world to graduate from the Specialty Tea Institute in 2008 as a certified tea specialist. Her new book, The World in Your Teacup, focuses on cultural traditions inspired by…
