One way to get acquainted with the sprawling beauty and rich history of the Shenandoah Valley is to read about it. You can find many of these books at the local libraries, and most of them can be ordered online, as well.

• "Best Easy Day Hikes: Shenandoah National Park," by Bert Gildart and Jane Gildart, is a handy guide that's small enough to fit in a day pack and features 28 day hikes in the popular park. The trails are listed by degree of difficulty, and each entry offers additional planning information.
• "Fishing the Shenandoah Valley: An Angler's Guide," by M.W. Smith, is a comprehensive guide to the valley's best fishing spots. The book aids readers county by county, describing the region's stocked and wild trout streams, stocked lakes and the Shenandoah River. It also offers trip-planning advice, from guide services and tackle shops to detailed descriptions of each species.
• "Frommer's Virginia: With the best drives & family excursions," by Bill Goodwin, provides information on how to find the best country inns, inexpensive to luxury accommodations and the best Virginia cooking, small towns, scenic drives and historical sites. It also offers trip-planning advice, from financial information to health and safety concerns.
• "A Guidebook to Virginia's Historical Markers," by John S. Salmon and Margaret T. Peters, combines the texts of more than 1,600 official state historical markers that have been placed along Virginia's highways since 1926, including ones that have since been removed, into a useful and informative guide.
• "Rediscovering America: Exploring the Small Towns of Virginia & Maryland," by Mary K. Burnham and William J. Burnham, offers details on these areas' islands, dining, shopping, accommodations and attractions, and includes maps. Margin icons allow readers to see at a glance where restaurants, hotels, beaches, attractions and other topics are outlined.
• "Touring the Shenandoah Valley Backroads," by Andrea Sutcliffe, offers 14 day tours of the entire Shenandoah Valley, from Harpers Ferry, W.Va., south to Lexington.
• "Trails in Southwest Virginia: James River to New River," by the Outdoor Club at Virginia Tech, provides detailed information on how to reach trailheads in the mountain areas between the James and New rivers, as well as descriptions of many other hiking trails. It also includes maps.
• "The Virginia Handbook," by Blair Howard, offers comprehensive coverage of the commonwealth for visitors and residents. The guide provides information on national and state parks, cities and towns. It also includes maps and photos.
• "Virginia's Historic Courthouses," by John O. Peters and Margaret T. Peters, features 140 color photographs of Virginia's courthouses and contains a wealth of social and architectural history about each.
• "The Virginia Landmarks Register," edited by Calder Loth, is a fully illustrated compilation of the commonwealth's buildings, sites and districts that the Virginia Board of Historic Resources has officially designated as historic landmarks over the past 35 years.
• "The Virginia Travel Guide for Persons with Disabilities," by Cheryl T. Duke, describes the accessibility features of attractions, lodging and dining establishments throughout Virginia. The guide, which contains information disabled travelers commonly have trouble obtaining prior to trips, is designed to meet the needs of mobility, visually and hearing-impaired travelers.
• "The Shenandoah Valley and the Mountains of the Virginias, an Explorer's Guide," by Jim Hargan, offers historical insight into the planning of excursions through the commonwealth. It also offers information about the nine national parks, providing the best access points and trailheads for kayaking, bicycling and hiking. It also includes a list of lodging options, dining reviews, maps and 75 black and white photographs.
• "75 Hikes in Virginia's Shenandoah National Park," by Russ Manning, outlines trails that lead past waterfalls and into canyons. There is also information about park history, plants, animals, geology and Skyline Drive, which winds through the park.
• "The Height of our Mountains: Nature Writing from Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah Valley," edited by Michael P. Branch and Daniel J. Philippon, is a collection of nature writing from 70 authors from as far back as 1607, including John Smith, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Walt Whitman, Franklin D. Roosevelt and others. It also includes historical paintings, drawings, engravings and maps.