A Reading List for When You’re Longing for the Tropics
One grey day after another. February may be the shortest month but the cold and damp make it drag on forever. We’re all looking to escape the dreary weather, aren’t we? Here is a list of books that will help you dream of warmth, the sun, and maybe a tropical refuge.
For Armchair Travelers
India: UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Edited by Shikha Jain, Vinay Sheel Oberoi, and Rohit Chawla with Photographs by Rohit Chawla
The cultural sites in India are a rich repository of the country’s long history, bearing witness to the creativity and influence of multiple communities, crafts, and religions. The sites covered in this volume include ancient rock art, Buddhist caves and Hindu temples, Sultanate and Mughal forts, medieval Hindu and Islamic cities, and national parks of exceptional natural beauty.
“A new, lavishly illustrated book reflects the very soul of India.”—Cosmopolis
Designing the Seaside: Architecture, Society and Nature
Fred Gray
“Designing the Seaside manages to be both scholarly and colorful and offers a timely history of seaside art and architecture, from Brighton Pier and beach huts in Nice to a derelict resort complex in the Baltic, to the bizarre Palm islands of Dubai.”—London Evening Standard
Nick Caistor
“Celebrating the city’s wonders without shying away from the darker periods of its history, Mexico City is a concise and often surprising companion to this long‑suffering, infuriating, and endlessly captivating place.”—Times Literary Supplement
Edited by Helio San Miguel
Mumbai is a megalopolis of dramatic diversity and heartbreaking extremes, with wealthy areas located just steps away from searing poverty. The home of Bollywood, Mumbai is also the epicenter of India’s film industry and its foremost film location. Through the lens of Mumbai’s manifold cinematic representations, World Film Locations: Mumbai explores the sheer complexity of this incomparable city.
Perhaps you wish to walk in a tropical garden? These books are for you.
Sandra Knapp With a Foreword by Mark W. Chase
“Knapp’s lucid text emphasizes the orchid family’s inventive adaptations in both form and function. Illustrated with rare prints and paintings from archival sources, many known only to collectors, the book, like its subject matter, is elegance incarnate.”—Natural History
Kew Pocketbooks: Mexican Plants
Bryony Langley
The geography of Mexico takes in a sprawling variety of environments—from mountains to tropical beaches, and from rainforests to deserts—so it’s no surprise that the biodiversity of the nation’s plant life is similarly diverse. Kew Pocketbooks: Mexican Plants is a celebration of the country’s impressive flora, and it includes everything from orchids, chili, and cacti, to marigolds, and dahlias, the national flower.
With Introductions by William Baker and Olwen Grace
This beautiful book offers a window into the diverse and beautiful world of palms, from tropical coconut trees to smaller varieties perfect for home planters. Forty paintings of this lush group of plants are gorgeously reproduced from Kew’s Archives. This gift book a charming keepsake for any frond fanatic.
Or have a taste of food from sunlit lands…
Ricelands: The World of South‑east Asian Food
Michael Freeman
“Food and foreign places are constant companions, for obvious reasons. The combination is gloriously exemplified in Ricelands by the photographer Michael Freeman. He explains the food of south‑east Asia in words and pictures that have never been bettered.”—The Guardian
“It’s a thundering good read.”—Asian Affairs
Mango: A Global History
Constance L. Kirker and Mary Newman
“Mango‑lovers contend that to enjoy this tropical fruit you have to embrace its drippy, sticky essence. . . . Those looking to enjoy Mango fully might be advised to treat the history like the fruit itself: Sink your teeth in and embrace the mess.”—Wall Street Journal
Coconut: A Global History
Mary Newman and Constance L. Kirker
“Coconut is an edible adventure! Entertaining, knowledgeable, and fun to read. . . . A gem of a book.”—Heather Zimmerman, executive director, Awbury Arboretum
“A beautifully written and important book.”—Janet DeNeefe, author of Bali: The Food of My Island Home
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