Friends offer the Association's own "Pilgrim's Passport" for the trek for lodging in the many refugios, for official registration in Compostela, and receipt of the Compostela. We do not charge for the pilgrim passport, but donations are accepted to allay duplication and mailing expenses.

    The British Confraternity of St. James is a good, reliable source for materials and for written guides. Contact Marion Marples, President; Confraternity of St. James; First Floor, Talbot Yard; Borough High St.; London SE1 1YP, England.

    The Spanish National Tourist Office in New York (212 265-8822) has some brochures on the Road to Santiago and on the more important sites (such as Compostela, León, Burgos, Pamplona). Or write: Tourist Office, 666 5th Avenue, 35th Floor, NY, NY 10103. Be sure to mention the Camino de Santiago. They have been known to send a copy of Millan Bravo Lozano's A Practical Guide for Pilgrims: The Road to Santiago.

    The Madrid office of the Xunta de Galicia also has interesting materials. Contact them at this address: Casa de Galicia - Oficina de Información Turística; Casado del Alisal 8; 28014 Madrid Spain.

Marcial Pons                                    Librería Gonzalez                                         La Tienda Verde
Tamayo y Baus, 7                               Rúa do Villar, 50-52                                       c/ Maudes, n° 23 y 28
28004 Madrid                                    15705 Santiago de Compostela                       28003 Madrid
                                                                                                                                 Fax distribution (91) 533 3244

A tremendous amount of material is available about this pilgrimage. Some of it is purely reflective: the diary or narrative of a pilgrim, from as early as the 15th century to as late as 1997. Other materials are designed for the next pilgrims: guides, helps, information on refugios, etc. Some articles are purely touristy. Much is available on the history and meaning of the pilgrimage and its concomitant art, music, architecture, literature, and archaeology. Most of the materials exist in European languages, primarily Spanish and French. But there is a generous helping of all sorts of these works in English, which we focus on here. This list is designed as a starting point only.

    We hope these materials help you plan and make you as enthused about the trek as we are. If you would like recommendations about in-depth narratives or want more information about the history of the pilgrimage, just ask. Please let us know how else we can help you. Good luck in your planning!

General interest articles:
    * Dalyrymple, William. "Pilgrimage to Galicia." Conde Nast Traveler (Aug. 1992): 11-26.
    * Digges, Diana. “Pilgrimage: praying with the feet.” The Baltimore Sun Journal (Oct. 26, 1999): 2A.
   -    ----- "To be a pilgrim." Christian Science Monitor. (Thursday, January 27, 2000): 13+.
    * Duffy, David G.P.R. “A Pilgrim’s Rewards, Step by Step.” New York Times. Travel Section (May 3, 1999): 1, 10+. [Focuses on the art to see along the route.]
    * Skurdenis, Julie. "The Pilgrim Road to Santiago de Compostela." Archaeology 42.2 (Mar. 1989): 56-60.
    * Winchester, Simon. "The long, sweet road to Santiago de Compostela." Smithsonian 24.11 (Feb. 1994): 65-75.

Planning the pilgrimage and knowing about the Routes to Compostela.
Some guides concentrate on the art along the route; others give walking indications. Here is a selection of English-language works. [The first two, English translations of the most used Spanish guides, are probably not available in US bookstores.]

FRENCH ROUTE
The French Route(orCamino francés) is the known as the traditional route. While this route does not have a beginning point, there are five general routes that originate in Europe and converge in Puenta la Reina. From here, this route follows a path through Navarra, Castilla, León and into Galicia. The Spanish government, on national, regional and local levels, along with associations and private support, has put a lot of time money and energy into building up and maintaining this route. The French Route is the most traversed, for both this reason and the lack of general knowledge about the other existing routes, and has the most pilgrim accommodations. There is an overabundance of written material on the the French Route(for a more complete review of these and over 700 titles,  you may consult The Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. A Comprehensive Annotated Bibliography, see below.) Here are a few we suggest:

     * Bernes, Georges, Georges Veron, and L. Laborde Balen. The Pilgrim Route to Compostela. In Search of St. James. Trans. [from French] Robertson McCarta. 2nd rev. ed. London: Randonnes Pyrnennes, 1990.
    * Bravo Lozano, Millan. A Practical Guide for Pilgrims: The Road to Santiago.Trans. Sara Keane. León: Everest, [1995].
    * Gitlitz, David M. and Linda Kay Davidson. The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago. The Complete Cultural Handbook. New York: St. Martin’s Press, Feb. 2000. [ca. 600 pages; illus; maps; a step-by-step guide to the culture of the Road, including art, architecture, geology, history, folklore, saints’ lives, flora, and fauna.]
    * Jacobs, Michael. Architectural Guides for Travellers: The Road to Santiago de Compostela. London: Viking, 1991.
    *Pilgrim Guides to Spain. London: Confraternity of St. James, 1993. [54 pp; may be purchased from the Confraternity.]
    *Pilgrim Guides to Spain: 1) The Camino Francís. London: Confraternity of St. James. 1994. [64 pp.]
    * Raju, Alison. The Way of St. James. Le Puy to Santiago. A Walker’s Guide. Milnthorpe, Cumbria: Cicerone Press, 1999. 256 pp; black & white and color illus; maps.(also has information about other routes)
    * Slader, Bert. Pilgrims' Footsteps: A Walk along the Ancient road to Santiago de Compostela. Newcastel, C. Down, N. Ireland: Quest Books, 1989. [Part narrative, part artistic rendition, part helpful hints. 184 pp.]
    * The Way of St. James. The Pilgrimage Route to Santiago de Compostela. Middlesex: Roger Lascelles, 1993. [Revises and reprints cartography from the Spanish guide by Valióa Sampedro. 79 maps; 112 pp.]
   * Valiña Sampedro, Elias. The Pilgrim's Guide to the Camino de Santiago. Vigo: Galaxia, 1992.

SILVER ROUTE
The Silver Route(orVía de la Plata), so called, not because of any silver, but because of a phonographical misnomer originating from the Arabic word "Bal'latta" meaning cobbled road(camino enlosado), was a route that followed the old Roman trade routes originating in Mérida. In the past several years, the Silver Route has gained some renown due to the efforts of the Confraternity of Seville and the Confraternity of Zamora. In the more recent past, there was a movement to build and refurbish parts of the old route and pilgrim hostals along the route. While there are no complete guides that map the route from Seville to Santiago, there are a series of guides that discuss the route on a regional level and others on an out-dated level. While the question of authenticity remains a polemic issue, there are a variety of routes available to take. We suggest you research your options and decide which is the best for you.

  * Aradillas, Antonio, and José María Digo. Guía practica del viajero. La ruta de la plata. León: Everest, 1995. [For those interested in the southern route from Sevilla, called the Vía de la Plata, this guide, styled on Bravo Lozano's, is available in Spanish only.]
    * Camino de Santiago: "Vía de la Plata". por Amigos del Camino de Santiago de Sevilla. Xunta de Galicia.
    * Raju, Alison. The Way of St. James. Le Puy to Santiago. A Walker’s Guide. Milnthorpe, Cumbria: Cicerone Press, 1999.
    * Reimondez Portela, Manuel, José Espino Matos and Mariano Sinde Lema. El Camino a Santiago por el sudeste: Ourense a Santiago. Grafinova, S.A., 1993.
    *Rivas Quintas, Elegio. Camino Meridional de Santiago: continuación de la Vía de la Plata. texto bilingüe. Xunta de Galicia, 1993.

[History, Myths and Legends]
    *Salinas de Frías, Manuel, et.al.. La Ruta de la Plata: de Sevilla a Gijón. Ediciones Lancia, 1993.
    *Sendín Blázquez, José. Mitos y Leyendas del Camino de Santiago del Sur -Vía de la Plata-. Ediciones Lancia, 1996.

Bibliographies:
    * Davidson, Linda, and Maryjane Dunn-Wood. The Medieval Pilgrimage: A Research Guide. NY: Garland, 1993. [Discusses several medieval pilgrimage sites, including Rome, Jerusalem and Canterbury. The 1100 + item annotated bibliography focuses specifically on materials available in English.]
    * Dunn, Maryjane, and Linda Davidson. The Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. A Comprehensive Annotated Bibliography. NY: Garland, 1994. [Contains annotations for 2941 items written in a variety of languages, including Japanese. Since its 1994 publication, we have logged another 700 titles. Updates will be published in the Newsletter during 1999 and 2000.]

From the 12th-century Liber Sancti Jacobi [English translations]:

    * Coffey, Thomas, Linda Davidson, and Maryjane Dunn, trans. The Miracles of St. James. NY: Italica, 1996. [Annotated translation of the Liber Sancti Jacobi's opening sermon/letter describing miracles that occurred while the (anonymous) author completed the manuscript, the 22 miracles attributed to St. James, and the lengthy famous "Veneranda dies" sermon that speaks about the pilgrimage to Compostela in great detail, including describing various sinful activities along the Road.]
    * Melczer, William, trans. The Pilgrim's Guide to Santiago de Compostela. NY: Italica, 1993. [Annotated translation of the medieval pilgrim's guide to Compostela. Interesting for comparison to today's routes. 345 pp.]

Studies about the Compostela pilgrimage:
This very abbreviated list can get you started on the many avenues of research:
    * Clissold, Stephen. "Saint James in Spanish History." History Today 24.10 (Oct. 1974); 684-92.
    * Davies, Horton, and Marie Hélene Davies.Holy Days and Holidays, The Medieval Pilgrimage to Compostela. Lewisburg: Bucknell UP, 1982. [255 pp.]
    * Frey, Nancy L. Pilgrim Stories. On and Off the Road to Santiago. Modern Journeys Along an Ancient Way in Spain. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998. [298 pp, 45 b/w illustrations, Fascinating anthropological study of 1990s pilgrims, based on several years of interviews.]
    * Gerson, Paula. "France and Spain on 5 Nummus a Day: A Medieval Travel Guide." Topic: A Journal of the Liberal Arts 35 (Sept. 1981): 3-10.
    * Hohler, Christopher. "The Badge of St. James." The Scallop: Studies of a Shell and its Influences on Humankind.. Ed. Ian Cox. London: Shell Transport and Trading Co., 1957. 49-70.
    * Kendrick, Thomas Downing. St. James in Spain. London: Methuen, 1960. [223 pp. Focuses on post-1600.]
    * King, Georgiana Goddard. The Way of Saint James. 3 vols. NY: Putnam's, 1920. [1687 pp; although somewhat old, is a fascinating study and description of her own travel to Compostela.]
    * Marples, Marion. "Rabanal del Camino and the Refugio Gaucelmo. The progress of a Confraternity of St. James project." Medieval World 5 (Mar. 1992): 31-3. [Interesting, because you may spend the night in this refugio. Important, because it shows how the ancient system of confraternities is working in the 20th century.]
    * Stokstad, Marilyn. Santiago de Compostela in the Age of Great Pilgrimages. Norman, Ok: U of Oklahoma P, 1978. [177 pp.]

Diaries and Narratives:
    * Dennett, Laurie. A Hug for the Apostle. Toronto: Macmillan of Canada, 1987.[228 pp]
    * Hitt, Jack. Off the Road. A Modern-Day Walk Down the Pilgrim's Route into Spain. NY: Simon & Schuster, 1994. [255 pp.]
    * Hoinacki, Lee. El Camino. Walking to Santiago de Compostela. University Park: Pennsylvania State UP, 1996. [299 pp.]
    * Neillands, Robin. The Road to Compostela. Ashbourne, Derbyshire, England: Moorland, 1985. [175 pp.]
    * Selby, Betina. Pilgrim’s Road: A Journey to Santiago de Compostela. London: Little, Brown, 1994.
    * Stanton, Edward F. Road of Stars to Santiago. Lexington: U of Kentucky P, 1994.