Compiled by Markos Stephanou and Stelios Jackson for the Hellenic Bookservice, 91, Fortess Road, London.  If you have any queries or suggestions or wish to add your link, please contact Stelios

All the linked books featured on this page can be ordered securely on-line by clicking on the title or picture where one exists. Our inventory of books, replete with currency converter can be found by clicking on the little orange thingy below:

Columbus' Alternative

The archaeological site of Lindos on Rhodes extends outside and around the Acropolis:  Coutesy of the Greek Ministry for Culture

    Click on an Island in the map below

Weather: What's it doing on Karpathos, Rhodes or Kos Thanks to Yahoo

The Dodecanese are geographically, the closest of the island groups to the Turkish mainland. This proximity of the "auld enemy" can occasionally give rise to some tension among the locals especially on islands such as Kastellorizo, which is only stone -chucking distance away. However, the locals do cross to Kas on the Turkish mainland to get their hair cut.

Holiday companies: "Laskarina" go to Halki, Symi, Tilos, Kalymnos, Leros, and Lipsi. Laskarina

Alternative Accomodation:Andrew was recently in contact with Mike Constantinou at Greece Accomodation Direct (well last year in fact) who was more than helpful in finding accomodation for him on the isle of Spetsei. Have a look at his site: Mike's site   An advantage of this is being able to plan your own island hopping agenda knowing that accommodation waits for you when you get there.

Hellenic Bookservice's recommended books to the Dodecanese

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Faith Warn: Bitter Sea: The Real Story of Greek Sponge Diving ; GRETRA 8vo pp114 inc b/w full page photos; "Most women grabbed a black shawl to wear as they ran to meet the homecoming boats. While the traders    were counting sponges, the wives and mothers of Kalymnos were desperately counting faces... Some went down to the harbour dressed entirely in black, just in case." A terrific little book detailing the lives (and deaths) of those with a perilous occupation written by a woman who has, for the past 5 years, lived among the sponge diving community of Kalymnos. An amazingly priced book of interest to anthropologists, travellers to the Dodecanese group of islands and anybody interested in the dangers of the sea. Wonderful stuff and amazing value. S.J

The Rough guide to the Dodecanese and the East Aegean Islands by Marc Dubin (2nd ed. May '99). Marc Dubin's tireless enthusiasm and expertise drawn from a couple of decades of travel writing (mostly on Greece), make this the best all round guide to the Dodecanese and has the advantage of covering the North East Aegean islands too. Another great guide is the Lonely Planet guide, below. SJ

Lonely Planet Guide to Rhodes and the Dodecanese.

Why the Lonely Planet guides insist on going to the exact same places already covered in the Rough Guides is beyond me. (RG cover Rhodes and the Dodecanese, The Ionian Islands, Crete and Greece and so do LP!). Wouldn't it have been better for them to concentrate on island groups such as The Sporadic, The Saronic or the Cyclades? Saying that they are very good guide books but very similar to the Rough Guides, who's guide to Rhodes and the Dodecanese also covers the North East Aegean islands.

  The Blue Guide to Rhodes and the Dodecanese by Robin Barber The Blue guides tend to deal with the historical side in more detail than any of the other mainstream guides and this one is no exception. However, a great deal of effort has gone into making this guide more useful for the traveller who might have only a slight interest in the historical side, making this Blue guide a viable alternative to other more general guide books. SJ

Greek Island Hopping by Frewin Poffley. New edition Feb 2002. I used this book for the first time in March 1998, having always believed in the past that its uses would be limited. What a pleasant surprise I was in for. This is a terrific book, not only for the ways and means of getting between islands and mainland ports but as a guide book in its own right. Particularly good for freelance travellers, hopping the Cyclades or Dodecanese. SJ

Dodecanese Islands. A 64 page, pictorial guide to all of the Dodecanese islands

The Rough Guide to the Greek Islands ed. by Mark Ellingham . Normally a big fan of the Rough guides I can't help but feel that this one is a wee bit superfluous and that you might as well fork out the extra and buy the Rough Guide to Greece and the Greek Islands as this is just that without the mainland pages and NOT a seperate publication also edited by Mark Ellingham. If this one could be replaced by a much more in-depth look at the Cyclades, the Saronic and the Sporadic Islands on top of their existing (and excellent) Ionian and Dodecanese/NEA guides they would have the market cornered. Good for the Cyclades as there are so many of them. If you are giong to the Dodecanese or the NEA, buy the RG specific to those islands and NOT this, is my advise. SJ

Explorer Greek Islands by Anthony Sattin and Sylvie Franquet.  A nice well written, pictorial alternative to the "Rough Guide to the Greek islands" (but not the RG to the NEA and Dodecanese), very pretty. I would buy this as a reference book rather than a truly practical guide as it has some fascinating information to all the Greek islands with some great photos to whet the appetite, but like all general guides to the Greek islands it can only say so much on any one. Comes with its own map and deserves inclusion here.

Flora and Fauna

General books to the Dodecanese:

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Sites:

Museum:

General books to the Dodecanese

A large island with its obligatory castle, Kalymnos was in the past famous for its sponge fishers. As well as a fascinating hinterland, which is well worth exploring, the main port-town of Pothia looks initially rough and ready but the backstreets are in fact pretty elegant and are a nice place to spend a few idle hours/days people-watching. There are not one but two castles just outside Pothia: one Byzantine the other the essential Knights of St. John's, plus there are an astonishing number of small, early Christian churches scattered across the landscape and there is enough trail to keep the walker busy for a few days. Best is the hike from Pothia to Vathy valley, with its citrus orchards and yacht anchorage. If you go on a package tour you are likely to end up at either Myrties or Massouri; opposite the latter of the two is the striking island of Telandos, which has no cars and its own accommodation.

General books to the Dodecanese

Museum:

Kalymnos Museum

Sites:

Caves at Vathy

Karpathos

Weather in Karpathos thanks to Yahoo's site.

General books to the Dodecanese

Karpathos and Kassos: A folklore Paradise.  An 111 page pictorial guide book to the isle of Kos. This is published in Greece and will consequently be cheaper on the island, but if you are anything like me, you will want to buy this before you go 

General books to the Dodecanese

Map of Karpathos and Kassos 1-60,000. The best map of the island, published "with the cooperation of the Hellenic Army Geographical Service"   

Kastellorizo

General books to the Dodecanese

Museum:

Site:

Castle of Megisti

Kos

The land of Hippocrates and Asklepios, the cos lettuce and a thriving tourist trade in its own right. A large island with its own airport and enough nice beaches and good archaeological sites to spend a two-week holiday on. There are shoreline hot springs to frolic in; a tall mountain (Dikeos) to climb from Zia village nestling amid a respectable pine and juniper forest. The capital and port, Kos, has some fine Italian art-deco buildings and the modern annex is a planned garden suburb of the 1930's. Kos is quite often used as a stepping-stone for package tourists going to other islands, and is a good base from which to explore islands like Leros, Kalymnos etc.

Weather in Kos thanks to Yahoo's site.

General books to the Dodecanese

   Kos: The Island of Hippocrates. An 127 page pictorial guide book to the isle of Kos. This is published in Greece and will consequently be cheaper on the island, but if you are anything like me, you will want to buy this before you go

Walks in Western Kos  By Lance Chilton This 20 page pamphlet  has plenty of walks for you to enjoy. Written by an expert in such things, it is a bit dear, but is worth every penny.

Ancient Cos by Susan Sherwin White. If you have a deep desire to study the history of Kos from the Dorian settlement to the imperial period, this might be the book for you, though it is very expensive.

Link:

Rhodes

'Do it in Rhodes, Darling' sez the T-shirt and that's the least rude of the fifty examples on sale in the dozen or so resorts of this large, sandy, diamond-shaped, sun-drenched isle, one of the crown jewels of Greek tourism. The capital, Rhodes town (or Chora), has a medieval city within it and is well worth visiting, even if you are based on one of the other southern Dodecanese islands like Symi or Chalki. Lindos, halfway down the east coast, runs a close second in the tourist stakes with its ancient citadel wrapped up in yet another castle enfolded in turn by a dazzling cuboid village. Rhodes has fine frescoed churches at Asklipio and Tharri, not to mention one of the best island museums, housed in the restored palace of the Knights' Grand Masters. Yes, it's expensive and you can't get a room on spec to save your life in summer (which runs into September). The taxi drivers are in desperate need of lessons in the most basic courtesy. The other drivers are just insane (I know, one ran a stop sign and piled into me!). But Rhodes can be a magical island where the people are still friendly, the food good and the landscape still (partly) forested. The "Colossus of Rhodes' was one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

Weather in Rhodes thanks to Yahoo's site.

General books to the Dodecanese

Reflections on a Marine Venus by Laurence Durrell. You either love Durrell's novels or you hate them. This however is one of the four travel books to Greece he wrote and there is absolutely no denying the quality of his penmanship. Subtitled: A companion to the Landscape of Rhodes

Landscapes of Rhodes by Noel Rochford An excellent book for walks, car tours and picnics, this book has its own fold-out map and is part of the Sunflower Series. Out of Print, sorry.

Berlitz Guide to Rhodes . For those staying on the island for a short time or maybe for people who want to relax on the island but at the same time want to know what's out there. Very handy little guidebooks these.

Map

Map of Rhodes 1-100,000. The best map of the island, published "with the cooperation of the Hellenic Army Geographical Service"  

Museums:

Aquarium of Rhodes

Decorative Arts Museum of Rhodes

Ialyssos

Kameiros

Palace of the Grand Magister

Rhodes Archaeological Museum

Sites:

Agios Ioannis: ancient cemetery

Ancient Cemetery

Ancient Fortification Walls

Symi (Simi)

One of the most beautiful harbours of any of the Greek islands, so get that camera ready as the ferry rounds the bay. Symi supplied sponges to the Ottoman Empire and was immune from taxes because of it. As a consequence, many Symites became wealthy and the architecture of Symi town, though a little run down in parts, bears testimony to this. Known as the Hydra of the Dodecanese, due to its achingly picturesque port, which has passengers desperately searching for their cameras as the ferry rounds the point of Yialos bay. The port is split into two; Yialos being the bottom part and Horio the upper part reached by climbing the 87 million (or so) steps through the centre of town. Stopping, do catch your breath and buy herbs from Mrs Maria - if you're travelling with Laskarina be prepared for some great stories involving this particular lady - finally reaching the top where there is an absolutely lovely bar with views out to sea run by a charming Greek couple. For those unwilling or unable to go these lengths for a drink, Andrew and Tricia recommend any of the bars at the bottom of the stairs and have a certain fondness for the Vapori bar. Symi does not boast particularly great beaches, but if you follow the harbour round to its east passing the town beach, there is a very decent, albeit small, beach about half-a-mile out. The day trippers, of which you may well be one, come in their hundreds but we would definitely recommend a stay as would Andrew who got engaged to his lovely wife Trish here while holidaying with Laskarina holidays www.laskarina.co.uk

Link

This is an excellent site to the island of Symi

NOT AVAILABLE FROM US UNFORTUNATELY

An OUT OF PRINT book is Bus Stop Symi by William Travis. Should you come across a copy grab it. Try www.abebooks.com though they are always too expensive for us to resell, you may find a copy for yourself as these are not that rare, just unorderable. We do occasionally get these, so it may be worth ringing us on 020 7267 9499

Just in case you are looking for a copy, this is what it looks like, so you'll recognise it. It was first published by "Rapp and Whitting" but the second edition is far more common and was published by "The Readers Union". I hope this info helps you trace a copy as it is a very good read indeed.SJ

Sites:

Ancient Acropolis

Caves at Charkadio

LINK