GUIDE BOOKS (IN ENGLISH) |
| We also suggest that you look at our Route Overviews page for a more extensive collection of guidebooks. |
 Bisset, William, ed. (2008) Pilgrim Guides to Spain. 1. The Camino Francés. Confraternity of Saint James. One of the wonderfully useful guides from the Confraternity of Saint James. Updated yearly from peregrino experiences of the previous year. Contact www.csj.org.uk. |
 Bonville, William (2007) A Traveler's Highway to Heaven: Exploring the History and Culture of Northern Spain on El Camino de Santiago. SynergeBooks. ISBN: 978-0-7443-361-1. A narrative motor/walking guide to the cultural record and history encountered between Roncesvalles and Santiago de Compostela. It also involves side trips into Asturias, plus other less distant diversions from the French Road. The author says he wrote the book for those who, for reasons of time, age, disability or children tagging along, are unable to cope with an 800 kilometer hike, but still yearn for the El Camino experience. |
 Brierley, J. (2010) A Pilgrim's Guide to the Camino de Santiago: St.-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Roncesvalles to Santiago. Findhorn Press. ISBN-13: 978-1844091928. Updated for 2010 to include newer maps and photos—and lighter in weight to support carefree traveling—this guidebook to the Camino de Santiago and its offshoots contains all the information needed to walk the Camino de Santiago. Contains overview route planners plus daily stage maps and detailed town plans help walkers with advanced planning. The maps feature contour guides to help visualize terrain. Also contains full information on all pilgrim hostels, as well as details for alternative accommodation all of which will allow the traveler to plan nightly stopping points. All reference information is accompanied by helpful spiritual guidelines to support the seeker's inner journey as well as the outer pilgrimage. |
 Brierley, J. (2009) A Pilgrim's Guide to the Camino Finisterre: Santiago de Compostela to Finisterre. Findhorn Press. ISBN: 978-1-84409-158-4. See above.
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 Brierley, John (2009) A Pilgrim's Guide to the Camino Portugués: Lisboa to Porto to Santiago. Findhorn Press. ISBN-978-1-84409-157-7. See above. English and Spanish. |
 Brierley, John (2008) Camino de Santiago: Maps / Mapas / Cartes. Findhorn Press. ISBN: 978-1-84409-134-8. A complete set of maps and town plans required to walk the French Way of St. James from St. Jean Pied de Port to Santiago, including the Finisterre extension. English, Spanish and French. |
 Brierley, John (2010) Camino Portugués: Maps / Mapas / Karten. Findhorn Press. ISBN-13: 978-1-84409-181-2. A complete set of pilgrim maps and town plans required to walk the Portugués Way of St. James from Lisbon to Santiago via Porto. English, Spanish, Portuguese and German. |
• Cole, Ben & Bethan Davies (2004) Walking the Via de la Plata from Sevilla to Santiago de Compostela. Pili Pala Press. ISBN-13: 978-0973169812. |
 Davies, Bethan & Ben Cole (2009) Walking the Camino de Santiago. Pili Pala Press. ISBN-13: 978-0973169843. Walking the Camino de Santiago includes a detailed, illustrated wildlife section and provides the practical information needed for a hassle-free journey.
This third edition was entirely re-researched, the authors re-walking the entire route and checking out every albergue along the way. New features, such as more easy to use symbols and an expanded accommodation section have been added, while original features such as information on wildlife, food and culture have been retained.
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• Facaros, D. & M. Pauls (1999) Northern Spain. Cadogan Guide.
ISBN-10: 1-86011913-1. Section on Camino especially useful for pilgrims who follow the Camino by automobile. |
 Gallard, Babette & Paul Chinn (2008) The Lightfoot Guide to the via Francigena - Canterbury to the Summit of the Great St Bernard Pass. Pilgrimage Publications. ISBN: 978-2-917183-01-4. This is the first volume in the two volume guide for walkers, cyclists and horse-riders traveling the via Francigena. This volume covers the 1030 kilometers from Canterbury to the summit of the Great Saint Bernard Pass on the Swiss-Italian border. Each volume contains detailed routing instructions, route schematics, listings of accommodation and services and descriptions of the history of key locations along the route. |
 Gallard, Babette & Paul Chinn (2008) The Lightfoot Guide to the via Francigena - The Summit of the Great St. Bernard Pass to St Peter's, Rome. Pilgrimage Publications. ISBN: 978-1852844417. This is the second volume in the two volume guide for walkers, cyclists and horse-riders traveling the via Francigena. This volume covers the 942 kilometers from the summit of the Great Saint Bernard Pass on the Swiss-Italian border to St. Peter's Square in Rome. |
 Higginson, John (2009) The Way of St James Cyclist Guide: Le Puy en Velay to Santiago de Compostela. Cicerone Press. ISBN-13: 978-1852846084. A guidebook to cycling the 1,570 km cycle route along the Way of St James pilgrim route from Le Puy in France to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Uses roads with a good surface for touring cyclists and averages only 50 km per day. Also includes routes from Santiago to Finisterre and Padrón. |
• Lozano, M.B. (1998 and revis.) A Practical Guide for Pilgrims: The Road to Santiago. Editorial Everest, SA. ISBN-10: 8-42138333. Simplistic maps, good text. |
• Powell, Cheri (2005) The Practical Guide to Practically Everything You Need to Prepare for the Camino de Santiago. Escape Artist Travel. eBook. www.escapeartist.com/Travel/eBooks/Camino_de_Santiago. This first-hand guide includes information that is not covered in regular guidebooks. It thoroughly describes the essential preparation that will help you maximize the experience of walking the Camino de Santiago. Sections on history, packing, physical and mental preparation, tips, etiquette and health. Does not contain specific information on the route typically contained in other guidebooks. |
 Raju, Alison (2008) The Way of Saint James: Pyrenees-Santiago-Finisterre. Cicerone Press. ISBN-13: 978-1852843724. A walker's guidebook to the 778 km Pilgrim Road from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in the foothills of the Pyrenees on the French side to Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain and finally to the "end of the earth" at Finisterre on the Galician coast. Includes maps and details of points of interest and pilgrim references en route. |
 Raju, Alison (2010) The Way of Saint James (Chemin de Saint-Jacques de Compostelle): Le Puy to the Pyrenees. Cicerone Press. ISBN-13: 978-1852846084. A walker's guidebook to the 740 km Way of St James Pilgrim Road from Le Puy-en-Velay in central France to the Pyrenees – first volume of the only guide to the whole route written in English. Includes route directions and information about places to visit along the way, the history of the pilgrimage, pilgrim references and current facilities. Fully rewalked in 2009. |
 Raju, Alison (2005) The Way of Saint James: Via de la Plata, Seville/Granada to Santiago. Cicerone Press. ISBN-13: 978-1852844448. A walker's guidebook to the Way of St James’ southern pilgrim route through Spain to Santiago de Compostela. Nearly 1,000km long, the Via de la Plata starts in Seville or Granada and leads north and then north-west through the historic towns and varied scenery of Extremadura, Castille-León and Galicia. |
 Roddis, M. (2003) Walking in Spain. Lonely Planet. ISBN-10: 1-74059245-X. Material outdated relative to other publications.
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• Vinayo G. (1999) The Pilgrim Route to Santiago: A Practical Guide for Pilgrims Traveling on Foot, on Horseback, by Bicycle or by Car. Edilesa.
ISBN-10: 84-8012212-9. Cumbersome but spiral bound with photos and good maps. |
GUIDE BOOKS (Other than English) |
| We also suggest that you look at our Route Overviews page for a more extensive collection of guidebooks. |
 Alonso, Joaquín Miguel & Juan Luis Rodríguez (No year) La Vía de la Plata. Editorial Everest. ISBN-13: 9788424104566. Maps of all the stages of the La Plata and historical and artistic commentary. More that 400 photographs. (Spanish) |
• Asociación de los Amigos del Camino de Santiago (2001) Vía de la Plata. Guía del Camino Mozárabe de Santiago. Editorial Diputación de Sevilla. ISBN-10: 84-931176-1-7. Very complete. (Spanish) |
 Cambriels, Marie-Virginie & Lauriane Clouteau (2010) Miam miam dodo: en el Camino Francés 2010. Editions du Vieux Crayon. ISBN-13: 978-2916446257. This guide is in same series as the le Puy guide by Jacques and Lauriane Clouteau but for the Camino francés with information and schematic maps from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port-Santiago to Finisterre. (In French but with a glossary in Spanish, German and English.) |
 Clouteau, Jacques and Lauriane (2010) Miam-miam-dodo: GR65, la Voie du Puy 2010. Editions du Vieux Crayon. ISBN-13: 978-2916446233. This is an up-to-date, comprehensive and useful list of all eating and sleeping possiblities within 5 km of the le Puy route. Its schematic presentation and glossary make it straightforward to use for the non-French speaker. (French) |
 Fiol Boada, Joan (2009) El Camino de Santiago desde Roncesvalles y Somport. Lectio. ISBN-13: 978-8496754317. A quite comprehensive guidebook that covers the francés, the aragonés and the finisterre routes with detained maps, elevation charts, detailed descriptions of the route and albergues. Available through www.gronze.com. (Spanish but available in catalán also) |
 Lozano, Millán Bravo (1999) El Camino de Santiago: Guía Práctica del Peregrino. Editorial Everest. ISBN-13: 97-88424139070. One of the most respected and venerable guides to the Camino de Santiago available, written by Millán Bravo Lozano, who was the head of the Department of Latin at the University of Valldolid, Spain. Although his guide has not been updated since 1999, the real value of this guide continues to be the abundance of information that it contains about the route, its history and its traditions that it contains. (Spanish) |
 Mencos, Carlos (2008) Guía práctica del Camino Jacobeo del Ebro y Camino Catalán. jacobeo.net. ISBN-13: 978-8493451231. Perhaps the only guidebook that focuses on the Ebro and Catalan routes. (Spanish) |
 Nadal, Paco (2010) El Camino de Santiago a Pie 2010. El País/Aguilar. ISBN-13: 978-8403509054. (Spanish) This is has benn called the single, most useful guide available at present, though it is available only in Spanish. Its maps, the descriptions of the route, daily distances, and the altitudes reached on each stage of the journey are carefully researched and updated on an average of every two years or so. (Spanish) |
 Retail, Mireille (2010) Miam Miam Dodo: le Chemin de Saint Jacques de Compostelle par la Voie d'Arles. Editions du Vieux Crayon. ISBN-13: 978-2916446264. From the respected Miam Miam Dodo series: information on accommodation and other facilities for the Arles route, with schematic maps, from Arles to the Col du Somport. Also covers the Camino aragonés from Somport to Puente la Reina. (French) |
 Quintales, Luis Antonio Miguel (2002). Ruta del Camino Fonseca: De Salamanca a Santiago de Compostela. ISBN: 84-8196-178-7. This is a quite comprehensive guide for this lesser traveled route from Salamanca northward to Zamora then to Ourense and finally to Santiago. Apparently not updated since the first edition in 2002. May be difficult to find in the Americas. (Spanish) |
PERSONAL ACCOUNTS AND REFLECTIONS |
 Alcorn, Susan (2006) Camino Chronicle: Walking to Santiago. Shepherd Canyon Books. ISBN-13: 978-0936034034. This award-winning book (Ben Franklin 2007 finalist for Best Travel Essay) takes readers along on the 500-mile Camino journey. A personal account interspersed with legends and historic info of the trail as well as essays on the food and culture. |
 Aviva, Elyn (2001) Following the Milky Way: A Pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago. Pilgrims' Process. ISBN-13: 978-0971060906. Aviva's book is a vivid memoir of a life-changing adventure, chance encounters, unforeseen dangers, and unexpected pleasures. Spanish history, wine, food, literature, art, architecture, and legend share equal time with the stories of pilgrims that she meets along the way. |
 Boers, Arthur Paul (2007) The Way Is Made by Walking: A Pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago. InterVarsity Press. ISBN: 0-8308-3507-5. Arthur Paul Boers opens to us his incredible story of renewed spirituality springing from an old, old path walked by millions before him. It is a story of learning to pray in new ways, embracing simplicity, forming community, living each day centered and focused, and of depending on God to provide. |
 Boorsma, Bas (2005) Dreaming Santiago: Perspectives on a Pilgrimage. Digitalis. ISBN-13: 978-9077713037. Bas describes typical Camino tales, reproduces his share of 'Camino baddies,' puts a scrutinizing focus on some of his fellow peregrino's, lets other pilgrims do the talking, describes what albergue dormitories do for you, and more. He also provides a personal perspective on what kind of seed is being sown when walking the ancient trail. |
 Camp, Sophronia (2002)
A Pilgrim's Journal: Walking El Camino de Santiago. A memorable, personal account of the author's journey along the Camino de Santiago. Illustrations by Thyra Heder. Contact www.partnersvillagestore.com. |
 Camp, Sophronia (2008) A Pilgrim's Journal II: Walking la Vía de la Plata. An account of a 1,000-km pilgrimage from Sevilla to Santiago, following the Vía de la Plata, sometimes in the company of the odd pilgrim companion or family member, but often solo with the transitory company of pigs, sheep, goats and the occasional shepherd. The Chaucerian camaraderie of the Camino francés is replaced by solitary meditation, long, dry distances and a plunge into an interior experience. A lone, but never lonely trek, as different as it could possibly be from the francés, but every bit as rewarding. Illustrations by Henry McMahon. Contact www.partnersvillagestore.com. |
• Chimenti, Wayne (2006) El Camino de Santiago: Rites of Passage. Trafford Publishing. ISBN-13: 978-1412056380. El Camino de Santiago: Rites of Passage is about the Chimenti family's travels on a 500-mile walking pilgrimage. It started as Nahja, their 12-year old daughter's "rite of passage". It turned out to be a test for everyone. |
• Clem, Jim & Eleanor Clem (2004) Buen Camino: Hiking the Camino de Santiago. Pagefree Publishing. ISBN-13: 978-1589613423. |
 Codd, Kevin A. (2008) To the Field of Stars: A Pilgrim's Journey to Santiago de Compostela. ISBN-13: 9780-8028-2592-6. Seeking to take stock of his life, Catholic priest Kevin Codd set out in July 2003 on a pilgrimage that would change his life. To the Field of Stars tells the story of his unusual spiritual and physical journey. Each brief chapter chronicling Codd's thirty-five-day trek is dedicated to one or two days on the road. The author shares tales of other pilgrims, his own changes of perspective and his challenges and triumphs along the way. |
 Cousineau, Phil (2000) The Art of Pilgrimage: The Seeker's Guide to Making Travel Sacred. Paperback ISBN-13: 978-1573245098. Cousineau's The Art of Pilgrimage is directed toward the modern-day pilgrim looking for inspiration and a few spiritual tools for the road combining as it does stories, myths, parables and quotes from famous travelers of the past to help them focus on the purpose and intention at every stage of their journey. |
 Drane, Jonathan (2007) The Way of A Thousand Arrows. Greenshoot Investments. ISBN 978-0-9804247-0-6.
An Australian family's journey along the Camino de Santiago. With no plan and just thousands of arrows to show the way, the family learns about life and the strange and mystical lessons of the Camino. The lessons as seen through the eyes of a modern family, all members of the human race, the same race that walked the path centuries earlier. |
• Egan, Kerry (2006) Fumbling: A Pilgrimage Tale of Love, Grief, and Spiritual Renewal on the Camino de Santiago. Broadway. ISBN-13: 978-0385507660. |
 Gallard, Babette (2006) Riding the Milky Way. The Long Riders' Guild Press. ISBN: 978-1-590480-54-0. It was a motley crew of two humans, two horses and a dog that left Le Puy-en-Velay to follow the 1600 kilometers of the Way of Saint James to Santiago de Compostela. The humans were broke, burnt-out and vaguely hoping that early retirement would save their health and sanity. The horses picked off the French equine scrap-heap and the dog was trying to understand what he was doing he was there, astride a horse. |
 Gallard, Babette (2007) Riding the Roman Way. Pilgrimage Publications. ISBN: 978-2-917183-00-7. Equestrians and authors Paul Chinn and Babette Gallard ride out again, this time 2000 kilometers in search of the Vía Francigena, the ancient road from Canterbury to Rome. |
 Harman, Lesley D. (2009) We Are Never Alone: Healing Lessons from the Camino. Ursus Press. ISBN 978-0-9864970-0-1. Sociology meets New Age Mysticism. The author weaves a tale of the connections between embodiment, material attachment, community, fear, family, faith, time, nature, altered states of consciousness and healing. The journey progresses from the physical and material into another space, a mystical horizon of time travelling, spiritual transformation and healing. |
 Harrison, Kathryn (2003) Road to Santiago. National Geographic. ISBN-13: 978-0792237457. More memoir than travelogue, Harrison's contribution to National Geographic's Directions series is reflective and deeply personal, yet still manages to recreate a physical place in all its rugged, peaceful glory. On the first night of their pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain, Harrison and her daughter checked into a picturesque hotel. Overcome by the scenic beauty, Harrison threw open the hotel-room window shutters and exclaimed, "Look at the mountains!" From behind her, 12-year-old Sarah ecstatically waved the television's remote control and shouted, "French MTV!" |
• Hitt, Jack (2005) Off the Road: A Modern-Day Walk down the Pilgrim’s Route into Spain. Simon & Schuster. ISBN-13: 978-0743261111. |
 Kenney, Sue (2007) Confessions of a Pilgrim. White Knight Publications. ISBN-10: 0595427901. Pilgrim, inspirational speaker, documentary filmmaker and Canadian author Sue Kenney returns to the Camino to walk some 500 kilometers alone on the Portuguese Route. Prior to leaving, she is entrusted with a sacred Eagle Feather that is given to her by a Native friend as a result of a vivid dream. Her pilgrimage turns into a mystical quest when she is confronted with the challenge of finding a worthy recipient for this great honor before returning back home.
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 Kenney, Sue (2004) Sue Kenney’s My Camino. White Knight Publications. ISBN-10: 097341863X. The true story of a woman confronting her deepest fear. Suddenly downsized from her corporate career, Canadian pilgrim Sue Kenney decided to embark on this journey to discover her life purpose. Sue left the familiar world of her family, rowing and career to walk 780 km on the Camino, alone in the winter.
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 Kerkeling, Hape (2009) I'm Off Then: Losing and Finding Myself on the Camino de Santiago. Free Press. ISBN-13: 978-1416553878. (2006) Ich bin dann mal weg. Meine Reise auf dem Jakobsweg. Malik; Auflage. ISBN-13: 978-3890293127. Hape Kerkeling is possibly the best-known entertainer in Germany. In 2001, in a spontaneous reaction to a severe mid-life crisis he more or less simply picked up and headed out on the Camino. This book is the product of his experience. Determined to avoid devout pilgrims — because, he writes, they would be no different at the end of the journey than they were at the start — Mr. Kerkeling instead encounters an array of tourists, oddballs and adventurers, eventually making what will probably prove to be lifelong connections with a few. |
 Kirkpatrick, Julie (2010) The Camino Letters. Pyxis Press. ISBN: 978-0986513404. When Canadian lawyer and writer Julie Kirkpatrick went for a long walk in Spain with her teenaged daughter, she asked her friends to supply 26 tasks for the pilgrimage. The tasks came as unexpected gifts, and what began as a light-hearted diversion became a journey into the labyrinth of her life. Available through Pyxis Press. |
• Lash, Jennifer (1998) On Pilgrimage. Bloomsbury USA. ISBN-13: 978-1582340128. |
 • MacLaine, Shirley (2001) The Camino: A Journey of the Spirit. Atria. ISBN-13: 978-0743400732. Typical of MacLaine, this is a personal story with enormous adventure, a smattering of flashbacks and a hefty serving of cosmic revelations. Like a true pilgrim, MacLaine travels solo, willing to strip herself down to the physical essentials and find deeper meaning in all the bizarre, frightening and coincidental events she encounters along the way. |
• Melville, Marilyn (2002) Peregrina: A Woman’s Journey on the Camino. Reed Press. ISBN-10: 0-9697399-1-5. |
 Moore, Tim (Hardcover 2005, paperback 2006) Travels with My Donkey: One Man and his Ass on the Pilgrim Way to Santiago. St. Martin's Press. Hardcover ISBN-10: 0-3123208-2-5, paperback ISBN-10: 0-3123208-3-3. Moore entertains with his snappy one-liners and skewed views of the locals, his fellow pilgrims and his own reasons for undertaking the camino. Against advice to the contrary, he pursues his search for a donkey to accompany him, which "upgraded his camino from a big walk to a revelatory voyage of self-examination." You will either love it or find the relentless humor somewhat tedious. |
 Mullen, Robert (Available fall of 2010) Call of the Camino: Myth and Meaning on the Road to Compostela. Findhorn Press, ISBN-13: 978-1844095100. The author brings to his narrative a life-long interest in myths, storytelling and healing. An account of his own first Camino is interwoven with the “lore” which continues to give meaning to the pilgrimage experience and which today includes the life stories of fellow pilgrims — those stories which we tell ourselves about ourselves. This work is addressed not only to pilgrims but also to those who have never walked the Camino and perhaps never will, but who would like to know why others do. |
 Myers, Paul (2009) Rooster in the Cathedral: Reflections of a Pilgrims While Walking to Santiago . Shoreline Press. ISBN 978-1-896754-78-9. Canadian Presbyterian minister and author Paul Myers shares his pilgrimage from Le-Puy-En-Velay, France, to the cathedral at Santiago with us—the good and the bad. What does it mean to be a pilgrim—to walk in these modern times over an ancient route? Myers shares his thoughts about material possessions, planning for the unknown and reconnecting with amazing primitive sides of life. The book contains numerous color photographs. |
 Nooteboom, Cees (Hardcover English trans 1997, paperback 2000) Roads to Santiago: Detours and Riddles in the Lands and History of Spain. Hardcover ISBN-13: 978-0151001972, paperback ISBN-13: 978-0156011587. The author does not encourage the reader to follow his footsteps in search of the "good spots" as much as he causes the reader to develop the desire to understand a place. In this delightful tale of his wanderings along the back roads of Spain, Dutch author Cees Nooteboom seeks out the soul and spirit of the country in a way that suggests a journey of self-discovery as much as an actual expedition. Although the stated goal is to reach Santiago de Compostela, Nooteboom takes nearly every detour available to get there. |
• Norris, Patricia (2003) Buen Camino: Memories of the Road to Compostela. 1st Books. ISBN-10: 1-4140-1261-6 paperback, ISBN-10: 1-4140-1260-8 e-book). A very personal record of one pilgrim's Camino from equipment selection and training through the walk and on to the epilogue. |
 Pratt, John H. (2007) Walking The Camino in an Age of Anxiety: The Search for the Medieval Pilgrim. BookSurge Publishing. ISBN-10: 1419669311, ISBN-13: 978-1419669316 (paperback).The book retraces the steps of the Camino through the author's personal journey in the fall of 2001, in the shadow of the 9-11 attacks. Through the use of primary sources as well as the experience of walking the route, the book brings to life the world of the medieval Camino. It is also a book about life on the Camino today, especially life for the author, his wife and a good friend, who made the journey together, and the many interesting walking companions they met along the way. |
• Rudolph, Conrad (2004) Pilgrimage to the End of the World: The Road to Santiago de Compostela. University Of Chicago Press. ISBN-13: 978-0226731278. |
 Rupp, Joyce (2005) Walk in a Relaxed Manner: Life lessons from the Camino. Orbis Books. ISBN
13: 978-1-57075-616-0. In this inspirational paperback, the author presents her adventures on the Camino de Santiago and their significance in her further life. At the age of 60, she took this arduous journey with Tom, a retired pastor and close friend. As an imaginative practitioner of spiritual literacy, Rupp has gathered together the many meanings of her experience so that fellow pilgrims can share in the lessons. |
 Scaperlanda, Maria Ruiz and Michael (2004) The Journey: A Guide For The Modern Pilgrim. Loyola Press. ISBN-13: 978-0829416176 paperback. A comprehensive guide to planning a Catholic pilgrimage (not only the Camino) and living a pilgrim's life. Rooted in the rich Catholic tradition of pilgrimage, The Journey combines a practical understanding of the challenge of physical pilgrimage and a holistic understanding of what it means to live a pilgrim's life. This book offers a fresh perspective, a wealth of firsthand stories, and advice and guidance for those seeking to live as pilgrims. |
• Schell, Donald, & Maria Schell (2001 My Father, My Daughter: Pilgrims on the Road to Santiago. Church Publishing. ISBN-13: 978-0898693393. In their evocative and complementary styles, father and daughter write of their physical trek across Spain, and of their spiritual journey of discovery of the self and of the other. |
• Stanton, Edward (1994) Road of Stars to Santiago. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN-13: 978-0813118710. |
 Starkie, Walter (New ed 2003) The Road to Santiago: Pilgrims of St. James. John Murray Travel Classics. ISBN-10: 0719563372. Originally published in 1957, this is one of the classic early accounts of the 'modern' Camino recounting the author's journey from Arles with his fiddle. |
 Thatcher, Guy (2008) A Journey of Days: Relearning Life’s Lessons on the Camino de Santiago. General Store Publishing House. ISBN-13: 978-1897113998. In 2007 Guy Thatcher walked the Camino hoping to discover the reason for the compulsion that drove him there. What he found instead was the timeless land of northern Spain, beauty, silence, mountains and plains, rain and relentless sun, snow in May, heartbreaking climbs, fatigue and injury; friendly and welcoming people, new friendships, despair, transcendental joy, birth and death and churros con chocolate. Available in printed paperback format from book vendors or in audio and/or e-Book format for limited times for each chapter through www.guythatcher.com. |
• Tuggle, Bob (2000) On the Road to Santiago. Writers Club Press. ISBN-13: 978-0595139101. |
 Wallis, Mary Victoria (2006) Among the Pilgrims: Journeys to Santiago de Compostela. Trafford Publishing. ISBN-13: 978-1412007962. Wallis weaves accounts of bicycle and walking pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela together with the thousand-year old history of the Camino. Compares modern pilgrimage with medieval religious traditions. |
 Wilson, Brandon (2008) Along the Templar Trail: Seven Million Steps for Peace. Pilgrim's Tales, Inc. ISBN-13: 978-0977053681. Author Brandon Wilson has explored nearly one hundred countries. In "Along the Templar Trail" he writes a travel diary of his experience walking the 2620 mile Templar Trail from France to Jerusalem. A true story that interweaves history, adventure, religion, mysticism and modern conflict. The book also includes a list of stages and distances and a suggested packing list. |
FICTION |
• Asensi, Matilde (2000) Iacobus. Booket. ISBN-13: 978-8408068570. (Available only in Spanish.) El caballero Galcerán recibe la encomienda papal de viajar a Francia para investigar unas muertes misteriosas, en compañía de un joven, llamado García. Pero pronto el camino se torcerá y terminarán recorriendo el Camino de Santiago en busca de un tesoro fabuloso... |
 Asensi, Matilde (2007) Peregrinatio / Perquisitore. Planeta. ISBN-13: 978-8408068556. (Available only in Spanish.) Un homenaje al Camino de Santiago Año de 1324. El ex caballero hospitalario Galcerán de Born, el Perquisitore, preocupado ante las noticias que recibe acerca de la conducta inapropiada de su hijo, Jonás, y de su disoluta vida en la corte de Barcelona, decide enviarle una misiva que contiene órdenes muy precisas para el joven y se convertirá en su Liber peregrinationis. Acompañado por un caballero de Cristo (antiguos templarios), Jonás de Born iniciará una nueva andadura en su vida. |
 Aviva, Elyn (2001) Dead End on the Camino: A Noa Webster Mystery. Pilgrims’ Process. ISBN-13: 978-0971060913. Murder, mayhem, and mystery accompany anthropologist Noa Webster on her treasure hunt on the Camino de Santiago. |
• Aviva, Elyn (2004) The Journey: A Novel of Pilgrimage and Spiritual Quest. Pilgrims' Process. ISBN-13: 978-0974959702. |
 Coelho, Paulo (1999) The Pilgrimage: A Contemporary Quest for Ancient Wisdom. HarperCollins Publishers . ISBN-13: 978-0722534878. An glorious mixture of adventure story and guide to self-knowledge, this book recounts the trials of Paulo and his mentor, Petrus, as they journey across Spain in search of a miraculous sword. |
• Curtsinger, E.C. (2005) Ten Thousand Ways to Santiago: A Pilgrimage Novel. Xlibris. Hardback ISBN-13: 978-1-4134-8334-5, paperback ISBN-13: 978-1-5992-6883-5. Paul Shaffer, an American loner in pilgrim costume and with a big pack on his back, camps in the snow one night crossing the Pyrenees and, mourning the death a year earlier of Angelique Roussel, he makes a snow statue of her. Two boys come by the next morning and rob Paul of everything but his toothbrush, leaving him naked in the Pyrenees. |
 Newman, Sharan (1997) Strong as Death. Forge. ASIN: B000NJGRMI. |
• Reilly, Bernard (2000) Journey to Compostela: A Novel of Medieval Pilgrimage and Peril. Combined Publishing. ISBN-13: 978-1580970426. |
• Reilly, Bernard (1997) Secret of Santiago: A Novel of Medieval Spain (Medieval Military Library). Combined Publishing. ISBN-13: 978-0938289609. |
 • Saunders, Tracy (2007) Pilgrimage to Heresy. iUniverse, Inc. ISBN-13: 978-0595469123. A Spanish gnostic bishop argues for his life in the year 385. A modern day pilgrim on the Camino de Santiago searches for keys to her existence. And an ancient text binds them together. A tale of intrigue which asks disturbing questions about the nature of faith and pilgrimage. |
 Temple, Frances (Hardback 1994, paperback 1995) The Ramsay Scallop. Orchard Books. Hardback ISBN-10: 0531068366, paperback ISBN-10: 0064406016. Author Temple travels back to 13th-century Europe for a coming-of-age story about a 14-year-old orphan, Eleanor of Ramsay. The town priest sends her and her betrothed on a pilgrimage to Spain to atone for the sins of all the townspeople. Young adult. |
• Torbado, Jesús (2002) El peregrino. Planeta Publishing Corp. ISBN-13: 978-8408044895. (Available only in Spanish.) |
 Wiegman, Neal (2009) Walking the Way: A Medieval Quest. WingSpan Press. ISBN 978-1-59594-325-5. The author's trek along the 500-mile pilgrimage across the Way of Saint James inspired this historical novel about what the journey must have been like during its medieval heyday. Two thorns from Jesus' Crown of Thorns have been stolen from a monastery in the Pyrenees. The quest for these holy relics sends an 18-year-old Basque named Xavier on an odyssey over the length of the Camino. Xavier shares his adventures with two Italian priests, characters based on actual historical figures. One of them published a memoir and the most vivid passages are quoted in the novel, as are sections of the Liber Sancti Jacobi, the earliest pilgrim guidebook. Walking the Way with Xavier will provide a foundation for understanding the pilgrimage road to Santiago in the 21st century. |
CULTURE AND HISTORY |
 Anonymous (ed. Emma Falque Rey) (1995) Historia compostelana. Akal ediciones. 2001. (Available only in Spanish.) ISBN: 978-84-460-0417-2. La obra es fundamentalmente el relato de los hechos del gran prelado compostelano Diego Gelmírez, una de las figuras más importantes de la Edad Media de Galicia. Los acontecimientos narrados en la Historia compostelana abarcan principalmente desde 1100 a 1139, es decir, los años en que Gelmírez fue primero obispo (1100-1120) y después arzobispo de Compostela hasta su muerte (1120-1140). |
 Ashley, Kathleen & Marilyn Deegan (2009) Being a Pilgrim: Art and Ritual on the Medieval Routes to Santiago. Lund Humphries Publishers. ISBN-13: 978-0853319894. Kathleen Ashley, author, and Marilyn Deegan, photographer, explore the experience of the medieval pilgrim through an examination of art, historical and social contexts as well as themes related to pilgrimage such as music, legend and ritual. The book is copiously illustrated, showcasing the visual legacy of the medieval pilgrimage experience in sculpture, painting and architecture. Interwoven in the narrative text are original sources which bring to us the voices of these men and women who set out on what was then an epic journey. Release date 15 October 2009. |
 Bahrami, Beebe (2009) The Spiritual Traveler: Spain - A Guide to Sacred Sites and Pilgrim Routes. HiddenSpring Books/Paulist Press. ISBN-13: 978-1587680472. Cultural anthropologist and writer Beebe Bahrami explores the truly sacred and spiritual places, traditions, people, and roads of Spain. This is a non-denominational and deeply anthropological and folkloric travel book on Spain's prehistoric, pagan, Jewish, Christian and Muslim past. It is also a spiritual exploration of the country's diverse present, such as in emerging communities dedicated to Buddhism, Hinduism, animistic Earth-based spiritualities, as well as current revivals of the land's connection to the three Abrahamic faiths. Each chapter explores a region, a thematic route and the most vibrant spiritual life of that area. |
 Brabbs, Derry (2008) The Roads to Santiago: The Medieval Pilgrim Routes Through France and Spain to Santiago De Compostela. Frances Lincoln Publishers Ltd. ISBN-13: 978-0711227064. Although there are numerous guidebooks and personal accounts of the Camino de Santiago, there is no fully illustrated book covering the magnificent architectural and stunning landscape highlights to be found en route. This book covers all the major routes on both sides of the Pyrenees and it covers the various alternatives within Spain itself. The historical context is explained, and the notable monuments and landscapes are illustrated with photographs by one of Britain's leading landscape and architectural photographers. |
 Collis, Louise (1983) Memoirs Of A Medieval Woman: The Life And Times Of Margery Kempe. Harper Perennial. Paperback ISBN-13: 978-0060909925. This unusual biography tells the story of an extraordinary fifteenth-century woman who journeyed all over Europe from England to the Holy Land to Santiago de Compostela. Kempe was married and had fourteen children when she deserted her family to make her extended pilgrimage to expiate a 'secret sin' in her early life. Along the way she meets many famous prelates and dignitaries, gets into all sorts of scrapes, and survives a feverish voyage in the stinking galleys of a Venetian boat. Includes bibliographical references and index. |
• Davidson, Linda K. (2000) The Pilgrimage to Compostela in the Middle Ages: A Book of Essays. Routledge. ISBN-13: 978-0415928953.Nine studies address the phenomenon of the medieval pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. This volume was the first U.S.-published essay collection devoted to the subject, drawing on multiple disciplines - including music, history, art and religious history - to shed new light on the Santiago Pilgrimage and its manifestations throughout Europe. |
• Frey, Nancy Louise (1998) Pilgrim Stories: On and Off the Road to Santiago, Journeys Along an Ancient Way in Modern Spain. University of California Press. ISBN-13: 978-0520217515. |
 Gitlitz, David & Linda K. Davidson (2000) The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago: The Complete Cultural Handbook. St. Martin's Press. ISBN-10: 0-31225416-4.
Heavy but very comprehensive and so well written that you will not want to put it down. This book will bring the Camino alive for you if you do decide to carry it. And if you don't, it will serve as your most used desk reference for the Road.
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• Jacobs, M. (2002, 3rd revised edition) The Road to Santiago. Athene Publishers, Ltd. ISBN 1-87342942-8. One of the best English language guides in a small, easy to carry format.
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   King, Georgiana Goddard (1917, reissued 2008) The Way of Saint James, Volumes I, II and III. Pilgrims' Process, Inc. ISBN-13: 978-0979090929, 978-0979090936, 978-0979090943 paperback. This is a reissue of Georgiana Goddard King's seminal study, The Way of Saint James. Completed in 1917, this three-volume set is a wide-ranging exploration of the history, literature, legends and architecture of the Camino de Santiago. It is based on Professor King's wanderings on foot and by cart, mule and other conveyance on the Spanish pilgrimage road, and on extensive academic research with particular emphasis on medieval art and architecture. Professor King was both a well-respected scholar and a keen observer of her surroundings. Thoroughly documented, with extensive notes and appendices, this is a must-have reference book not only for art historians but also for any true aficionado of the Camino.
The University of Toronto has scanned a copy of the original edition and has placed it in several formats on the Internet Archive site. Access volume 1, volume 2 or volume 3. |
 Melczer, William (1993) The Pilgrim’s Guide to Santiago de Compostela. Italica Press. ISBN-10: 0-93497725-9. The Pilgrim’s Guide presents the first complete English translation of Book Five of the Liber Sancti Jacobi or Codex Calixtinus, the twelfth-century guidebook that traces the medieval camino from southern France to Santiago de Compostela. As important and interesting as the translation of this central book of the Codex is, the most fascinating part of the book is Melczer's extensive introduction about all facets of the cultural and historical position that the cult of Santiago held in the Middle Ages and his extensive notes on the text of the Codex. |
 Shaver-Crandell, Annie, Paula Lieber Gerson, Alison Stones (1995) The Pilgrim's Guide to Santiago de Compostela: A Gazetteer. Harvey Miller Publishing. ISBN-10: 1872501931. This massive reference book, weighing in at almost 3 pounds, will be extremely useful to historians of religion, architecture, sculpture and travel. Not a guide to the Road but to the monuments along the way, including references to those that are ruins or no longer there. |
 Ure, John (2006) Pilgrimages: The Great Adventure of the Middle Ages. Carroll & Graf. ISBN-13: 978-0786717804. Using contemporary accounts, former British Ambassador Sir John Ure relates the stories of medieval Christian pilgrimage during the years 1066 to 1536. Through the often forgotten records of Erasmus, John of Gaunt and Margery Kempe among others, the author brings to life a colorful cast of characters. |
• Valina, El (1992) Pilgrim's Guide to the Camino de Santiago. Editorial Galaxia. ISBN-10: 84-7154-794-5. First comprehensive guide in English prepared by the parish priest at O Cebreiro, the person most responsible for re-blazing the route and making the present day pilgrimage possible. We are considering this as a historical book because as a guide book the material is very outdated. As a history it has a special place in the lore of the Camino.
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