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Reading List

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Here is an initial selection of some of the books we have found to be the most illuminating on our journey to a deeper understanding of this fascinating island, which Marco Polo, and many others since, have described as the most beautiful in the world.

We will be updating the following selection of recommended titles throughout the year.

Architecture/Photography/Art- Reading List - Sri Lanka In Style Architecture/Photography/Art

  • Tropical Houses by Tim Street Porter
  • The 43 Group by Neville Weereratne
  • Geoffrey Bawa by Brian Brace Taylor
  • Costumes of Sri Lanka by K. D. G. Wimalartne
  • British Period Architecture in Sri Lanka by Lakshman Alwis

Cuisine- Reading List - Sri Lanka In Style Cuisine

  • Exotic Tastes of Sri Lanka by Suharshini Seneviratne
  • Food of Sri Lanka: Authentic Recipes from the Island of Gems by Douglas Bullis
  • Leith’s Indian and Sri Lankan Cookery by Priya Wickramsinghe
  • My Way, A Collection of Recipes by Koluu
  • Serendip by Peter Kuruvita

Biographies/Autobiographies- Reading List - Sri Lanka In Style Biographies/Autobiographies

  • Geoffrey Bawa by David Robson
  • Woolf in Ceylon: An Imperial Journey in the Shadow of Leonard Woolf, 1904-1911 by Christopher Ondaatje
  • The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon by Sir Samuel W. Baker
  • Great Days: Memoirs of a Ceylon Government Medical Officer of 1918 by P. R. C. Peterson
  • Swimming in the Monsoon Sea by Shyam Selvadurai
  • The View from Serendip by Arthur C. Clarke
  • Images of Sri Lanka through American Eyes by H. A. I. Goonetileke
  • The Man-Eater of Punanai: A Journey of Discovery to the Jungles of Old Ceylon by Christopher Ondaatje
  • The Reefs of Taprobane by Arthur C. Clarke
  • An Invisible Spectator by Christopher Sawyer-Laucanno

Fiction- Reading List - Sri Lanka In Style Fiction

  • The Hamilton Case by Michelle De Kretser
  • The Village in the Jungle by Leonard Woolf
  • Anil’s Ghost by Michael Ondaatje The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje Running in the Family by Michael Ondaatje
  • Elephant Walk by Robert Standish
  • At the Water’s Edge by Pradeep Jeganathan
  • July by Karen Roberts
  • Heavens Edge by Romesh Gunasekera The Sandglass by Romesh Gunasekera Monkfish Moon by Romesh Gunasekera Reef by Romesh Gunasekera
  • Colombo by Carl Muller Yakada Yaka by Carl Muller The Jam Fruit Tree by Carl Muller
  • A Disobedient Girl by Ru Freeman
  • All is Burning by Jean Arasanayagam In the Garden Secretly by Jean Arasanayagam
  • Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew by Shehan Karunathilake
  • The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke
  • The Pleasures of conquest by Yasmine Gooneratne
  • Cinnamon Gardens by Shyam Selvadurai
  • When memory Dies by A Sivanandan
  • Desire and Other Stories by Anne Ranasinghe
  • Trussed by Shiromi Pinto
  • Funny Boy by Shyam Selvadurai
  • Murder in the Pettah by Jeanne Cambrai

Guide Books- Reading List - Sri Lanka In Style Guide Books

  • Sri Lanka Lonely Planet Guide by Lonely Planet
  • Luxe Sri Lanka by Luxe City Guides
  • Geoffrey Bawa by Brian Brace Taylor
  • Footprint Guide to Sri Lanka by Edward Aves
  • British Period Architecture in Sri Lanka by Lakshman Alwis
  • Around the Fort in 80 Lives by Juliet Coombe

History- Reading List - Sri Lanka In Style History

  • A History of Sri Lanka by K. M. de Silva
  • The Most Dangerous Moment by Michael Tomlinson
  • Nobodies to Somebodies: The Rise of the Colonial Bourgeoisie in Sri Lanka by Kumari Jayawardena
  • The Dutch Forts of Sri Lanka by W.A. Nelson
  • Illustrations and Views of Dutch Ceylon, 1602-1796 by Sir Samuel W. Baker
  • An Historical Relation of the Island Ceylon by Robert Knox
  • Only Man is Vile by William McGowan

Lifestyle- Reading List - Sri Lanka In Style Lifestyle

  • Living in Sri Lanka by Turtle Bunbury / James Fennell
  • Asian Elements by Jane Edwards / Andrew Wood
  • Sri Lanka Style: Tropical Design and Architecture by Dominic Sansoni
  • Costumes of Sri Lanka by Tim Street Porterl
  • The Book of Tea by Alain Stella

Maps- Reading List - Sri Lanka In Style Maps

  • Insight Map Sri Lanka by American Map Corporation
  • The Rough Guide to Sri Lanka Map by Rough Guides

Wild Life- Reading List - Sri Lanka In Style Wild Life

  • A Photographic Guide to Birds of Sri Lanka by Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne
  • Snakes and Other Reptiles of Sri Lanka by Indraneil Das/ Anslem de Silva
  • The Rough Guide to Sri Lanka Map by Rough Guides

Poetry- Reading List - Sri Lanka In Style Poetry

  • Elephant and Ice by Rienzi W. G Crusz
  • China Bay Blues by Afdhel Aziz
  • Modern Sri Lankan Poetry: An Anthology by Sri Satguru Publications
  • Nothing Prepares You by Vivimarie Van Der Poorten

Plant Life and Green Things- Reading List - Sri Lanka In Style Plant Life and Green Things

  • Sri Lanka’s Magnificent Cloud Forests By W. Werner
  • A Guide to the Mangrove Flora of Sri Lanka by P.K. De Silva, & M. De Silva
  • Ecology of Sinharaja Rain Forest and the Forest Dynamics Plot by Savitri GunatillekeCommon Shrubs and Trees of Sri Lanka by Prof. Nimal and Savitri Gunatilleke
  • Horton Plains: Sri Lanka’s Cloud-Forest National Park by Rohan Pethiyagoda
  • Pearls, Sprices and Green Gold by Rohan Pethiyagoda
  • The Royal Botanical Gardens by Bandara Palipana

Enquire Now

Get in touch with one of our knowledgeable travel experts to plan your Sri Lanka journey.