Guides: Alumni Travel Reading 2018-2019: Great Journey Through Europe

Lucerne. Courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org.

History

A Concise History of Switzerland by Clive H. Church; Randolph C. Head
Call Number: DQ54 .C47 2013
ISBN: 9780521194440
Publication Date: 2013
Church presents a comprehensive and engaging account of Switzerland’s historical and cultural development from the Middle Ages to the present. The book traces major political, economic, religious, and social events in Switzerland’s history, concluding with contemporary issues that the country faces.

Purchase the book here or borrow it from your local library.
The Grand Tour by Tim Moore
ISBN: 0312300476
Publication Date: 2002
Read about the original “Grand Tour,” which began in 1608 with Thomas Coryate’s travels (by foot) across Europe. In this informative and humorous account, Tim Moore traces Coryate’s trails through France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, and Holland (in a second-hand Rolls-Royce) with memorable adventures that are sure to interest all travelers of these regions.

Not available through Penn Libraries, but borrow it from your local library.
The Jacobean Grand Tour by Edward Chaney and Timothy Wilks
Call Number: Van Pelt D915 .C536 2014
ISBN: 1780767838
Publication Date: 2014
Britain's treaty with Spain in 1604 opened the doors for continental travel. This book takes a look at these early manifestations of the Grand Tour and in particular, what effect religious affiliation had on experiences of the traveler.
Why Switzerland? by Jonathan Steinberg
ISBN: 9780521883078
Publication Date: 2015
Penn professor, Jonathan Steinberg's Why Switzerland? is a classic account of Switzerland's unique political and economic system. It examines the complicated voting system that allows citizens to add, strike out, or vote more than once for candidates. This book highlights the extremely complicated systems of proportional representation, the collective and consensual executive leadership in both state and church, and the creation of the Swiss idea of citizenship.

Explore in Print before You Arrive in Person

Switzerland by Kendall Maycock
ISBN: 1857333209
Publication Date: 2006
Maycock provides a concise and accurate guide to Swiss customs, attitudes and culture for an awareness of what to expect when visiting the country. These “inside” tips will help travelers feel more comfortable in basic interactions with Swiss people.

Not available through Penn Libraries, but check it out from your local library.
The Rhine by Roland Recht
Call Number: N6879 .R43 2001
ISBN: 050051058X
Publication Date: 2001
Take a tour through the Rhine Valley with Recht’s illustrated account of Europe’s most significant and majestic river. With beautiful photos and detailed historical and geographic context, Recht’s work provides a vivid and comprehensive introduction to the region.

Purchase the book from Amazon or borrow it from your local library.
Two Boston Brahmins in Goethe's Germany by Anna and George Ticknor. Edited by Thomas Adam and Gisela Mettele
Call Number: Van Pelt DD39 .T53 2009
ISBN: 9780739129111
Publication Date: 2009
Read the travel logs of Anna and George Ticknor recorded over two journeys to the German Confederation during the years 1815 to 1817 and 1835 to 1836.
Through Holland by the Netherlands State Railways. by Nederlandsche kiosken.
Call Number: Hathitrust.org
Publication Date: 1914
An engaging and well illustrated sojourn through the Netherlands of the early 20th century. Click on the link to go to the complete text at Hathitrust.org

Travels through Europe

Travels through Germany, Bohemia, Hungary, Switzerland, Italy, and Lorrain. Giving a true and just description of the present state of those countries ... By John George Keysler. Find all Four volumes and read text online at Hathitrust.org

Great Journey Through Europe

The Matterhorn overlooking Zermatt. Courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org

“This extraordinary 11-day ‘Grand Tour’ of Europe features five nights aboard the Deluxe Amadeus Fleet. Travel through Switzerland, France, Germany, and The Netherlands, cruising the most scenic sections of the Rhine River. Spend two nights each in Lucerne and Zermatt, enjoy a scenic cruise on Lake Lucerne, and ride aboard three legendary railways — the Pilatus Railway, the world’s steepest cogwheel railway; the Glacier Express from Lucerne to Zermatt; and the Gornergrat Bahn, for breathtaking views of the Matterhorn.”

Bibliographer

Selected and Annoted By:

Vickie Marre Karasic
Librarian for French Language and Literature
and Managing Librarian for the Weigle Information Commons

Emily Benenhaley
Administrative Assistant

For more information about the Penn excursion, please visit the Penn Alumni Travel website.

Glacier Express. Courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org.

Lady Mary Wortley Montagu

Letters of the Right Honourable Lady M--y W---y M----e, written during her travels in Europe, Asia and Africa, to persons of distinction, men of letters, etc. in different parts...Published in 1796. Find it in HathiTrust.org. Peruse the print original in the Library's Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

Food & Drink

Cooking in Europe, 1650-1850 by Ivan Day
Call Number: Van Pelt TX723.5.A1 D388 2009
ISBN: 9780313346248
Publication Date: 2008
This book provides close to 200 recipes, organized overall by epoch: Baroque and Rococo, the Reign of Louis XV to the French Revolution, and the reign of Napoleon to the Victorian Era. Author Ivan Day is a renowned food historian who specializes in the recreation of recipes for museum exhibitions. His straightforward procedural explanations are a bonus. Recipes come from France, Italy, England, Austria, Germany, Holland, Portugal, Spain, and Scotland.
Culinary Cultures of Europe by Darra Goldstein and Kathrin Merkle, editors
Call Number: Van Pelt TX725.E85 C85 2004
ISBN: 9287157448
Publication Date: 2005
This collection of essays looks at the food culture of 40 European countries describing such things as traditions, customs, festivals, and typical recipes.
All along the Rhine by Kay Shaw Nelson
ISBN: 0781810000
Publication Date: 2003
Nelson’s book provides a glimpse into the flavors of the Rhine Valley, with over 130 traditional and contemporary recipes that highlight local favorites. This illustrated collection also includes snippets from literature, folklore and legend to give the reader a broad picture of the Rhine’s cultural legacy.

Not available through Penn Libraries, but borrow it from your local library.
The Pâtissier by Susan Lundquist; Hossine Bennara; Frederic Lacroix
ISBN: 0595365051
Publication Date: 2006
Through recipes and conversational tidbits, Susan Lundquist recounts her first year as an American in Strasbourg, France, and her relationship with her neighbor, an Alsatian chef, who taught her as much about food as Alsatian culture. The book includes a brief history of the Alsatian territory, important gastronomical festivals, and Alsatian recipes and specialties by month throughout the calendar year.

Not available through Penn Libraries, but borrow it from your local library.

Poetry and Fiction

Project Gutenberg's Poems and Ballads of Heinrich Heine, by Heinrich Heine; Trans. Emma Lazarus (1881).

Heinrich Heine was one of the most influential German poets of the 19th century. Heine is most well known for his lyrical poetry, including his poem aboutthe legend of the Lorelei, a siren of the Lorelei Rock on the eastern bank of the Rhine. Project Gutenberg offers free access to Emma Lazarus’s
translation of Heine’s poetry (“The Lorelei” can be found in Section II “Homeward Bound,” pp. 58-59).

Best European Fiction 2017 by Eileen Battersby
ISBN: 9781628971439
Publication Date: 2016
In this, the eighth installment of the series, the anthology continues its commitment to uncovering the best prose writing happening across the continent from Ireland to Eastern Europe.
Odyssey: Stories of Journeys from around Europe by Daniel Hahn, editor
ISBN: 1846884292
Publication Date: 2017
Odyssey, a volume of twenty-one stories aimed at young adults, offers a variety of takes on the theme of travelling - at times funny and playful, at others dramatic and poignant.
Summer before the Dark: Stefan Zweig and Joseph Roth, Ostend 1936 by Volker Weidermann
ISBN: 1782272038
Publication Date: London : Pushkin Press, 2017
Ostend, 1936: the Belgian seaside town is playing host to artists, intellectuals and madmen, who find themselves in limbo while Europe gazes into an abyss of fascism and war. In this environment and context, Weidermann imagines Stefan Zweig and Joseph Roth, two friends in crisis, reuniting.
Amsterdam Stories by Nescio; Joseph O'Neill (Introduction by); Damion Searls; Palmer Brown (Illustrator)
Call Number: PT5838.G74 A2 2012
ISBN: 9781590174920
Publication Date: 2012
Jan Hendrik Frederik Grönloh – pen name Nescio, meaning “I don’t know” in Latin – is considered one of the most influential prose writers in Dutch literature. In this collection, New York Review Books has put together some of Nescio’s best known stories about youth and growing up in Amsterdam, painting vivid pictures of the city and its surrounding landscape.

Purchase the book from Amazon or borrow it from your local library.
Train to Budapest by Dacia Maraini; Silvester Mazzarella (Translator)
Call Number: Van Pelt PQ4873.A69 T7413 2010
ISBN: 9781906413576
Publication Date: 2011
From Auschwitz to Budapest, a journey into the heart of the twentieth century. Translated from the Italian
The Bar on the Seine by Georges Simenon; David Watson (Translator)
Call Number: Van Pelt Library PQ2637.I53 G813 2007
ISBN: 9780143038313
Publication Date: 2006
Detective fiction is a great way to find out about the detail and feel for a particular period of time in a particular location. The works of the great crime writer, Georges Simenon are no exception. In "The Bar on the Seine," Maigret's investigations lead him to the Guinguette a Deux Sous, a bar by the River Seine, and into the darker world of bourgeois Parisian life.

Film

Video Visits: Discovering France
(Questar, 2001) (DVD: 120 min.)

A comprehensive view of France and its culture, this documentary DVD is nicely narrated with breathtaking views of France’s well-traveled regions. Highlights include the vineyards of Champagne, Burgundy and Bordeaux, castles and villages of the northern regions, and the French Alps.
The Miracle of Bern (Das Wunder von Bern)
(Universal Pictures Germany, 2004)
(DVD: 233 min.)

Set in post-war Germany in 1954, the plot centers around 11-year old Matthias, a soccer-loving boy whose father has just returned home from war. Alienated by his father, Matthias has found an idol in a local soccer player chosen to play on the German team in the 1954 World Cup in Bern, Switzerland. In this touching story, Matthias reignites his relationship with his father, which coincides with a wonderful, if unexpected, outcome for the German World Cup team.
Europe: A Natural History
From BBC 4, this is a four part documentary that you can view online at the link above. Genesis -- from the beginning; Ice Ages; Taming the Wild (the last 10,000 years); and A New Millennium. Tracks the familiar Europe we know through all of its epochal and environmental changes.