Books of Crete

[paxmere]

To learn about the island we took both "The Rough Guide to Crete" and the AA "Explorer Crete" with us.  These were fine, however, they only brushed the surface. Having now read, "The Cretan Runner" and "Ill Met by Moonlight" these books have told me much more about the Cretan character and people.
Which other books would forum members recommend to gain an insight into the region, to enable travellors to fully benefit from their visits to the island?

[harribobs]

If you were looking for books on WW2, i would suggest Anthony Beevor, The Battle and the Resistance. A very good Biography of Dudley Perkins (an SOE agent) Vasili, The Lion of Crete written by Murray Elliot and lastly one that I've never seen outside of Greece, Crete 1941,Eyewitnessed, written or rather compiled by Costas Hadjipateras and Maria Fafalios

[paxmere]

Harribobs, thanks for that, I had not heard of these and shall put them on my reading list. Although I was not thinking particularly about books concerning WW2, just books about southern Crete in general that tell you more about the customs, people and region around Plakias. Any book that a member has read that told them more about the Plakias area than could be found in a guide.

[Katerina]

Both fabulous books, you could also try Falling For Icarus by Rory Maclean and of course Kazantzakis' Zorba. For much lighter reading there's The Island by Victoria Hislop.
Unfortunately all of them are set in the north, and I've never found anything specifically about the south, not in English anyway!

[harribobs]

It may well be worth your while to have a look at Stelios Jackson's hellenic bookservice

'falling for Icarus' is there, along with 'across crete' which I'm reading at moment ( somewhat slowly though, stelios) and quite a few others