The British Isles are rich in history, art and culture. Any preliminary reading, viewing or listening you can do will help you get the most from your trip. For more information on any of these books, visit your favorite bookstore or check out amazon.com; for video information, go to imdb.com. Rick Steves guidebooks are available at our Travel Center in Edmonds and also on our website's Travel Store.

Recommended Reading

Non-Fiction

• Notes From A Small Island — Bill Bryson
• My Love Affair with England; England As You Like It; England For All Seasons — Susan Allen Toth
• A History of Britain (3 volumes) — Simon Schama (also available on video)
• Literary Trails: British Writers in Their Landscape — Christina Hardyment
• Cider with Rosie — Laurie Lee

Fiction

• Harry Potter series — J.K. Rowling
• London; Sarum; The Forest — Edward Rutherford
• Outlander — Diana Gabaldon
• Brother Cadfael series — Ellis Peter
• The Other Boleyn Girl — Philippa Gregory
• Restoration — Rose Tremain
• Pillars of the Earth — Ken Follett
• Mapp & Lucia — E.F. Bensons
• The Warden — Anthony Trollope
• Brideshead Revisited — Evelyn Waugh
• The Sunne in Splendour; Here Be Dragons — Sharon Kay Penman
• Anything by Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, the Brontës, Agatha Christie

General Europe

• Europe 101 — Rick Steves & Gene Openshaw: History and art overview for the traveler; humorous and easy to read.
• Innocents Abroad — Mark Twain: Humorous classic recounts an American group's 1867 "Grand Tour" through Europe and the Holy Land.
• Civilisation — Kenneth Clark: BBC-TV series and book that teaches European art and civilization like nothing else.
• Connections — James Burke: Fascinating book and TV series that links historical events and scientific discoveries across the centuries.

Rick Steves' Travel DVDs

For a fun, informative preview of your next tour destination, watch a DVD from our "Rick Steves' Europe" TV series! Our online Travel Store has 80 shows available on 12 DVDs (a generous four to eight shows per disc).

Films with a British Accent

Pride and Prejudice (BBC mini-series); The 39 Steps (1935); Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939); I Know Where I'm Going! (1945); The Wicker Man (1973); Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975); Chariots of Fire (1981); Local Hero (1983); A Room with a View (1985); Hope and Glory (1987); Shadowlands (1993); The Full Monty (1997); Monarch of the Glen (2000); Gosford Park (2001); Calendar Girls (2003); The Queen (2006)

Mood Music

Gilbert & Sullivan, Edward Elgar, Benjamin Britten, Vaughan Williams (classical) Fairport Convention, Silly Wizard, Battlefield Band, Steeleye Span (folk); Beatles, Rolling Stones, Kinks, Led Zeppelin, Who, Pink Floyd, Cream, Eric Clapton, David Bowie (classic rock); Clash, Sex Pistols, Police/Sting, Elvis Costello, XTC, Duran Duran, Coldplay, Radiohead, Squeeze, Dido, Robbie Williams, James Blunt, Katie Melua, Arctic Monkeys, Magic Numbers (punk/pop)