The best general overview of the country is the very readable The Portuguese: The Land and its People by Marion Kaplan. Another good read is Rose Macaulay's They Went to Portugal, which follows the experiences of a whole host of travellers from medieval times to the 19th century.For a look at Portuguese fiction in translation, try The Lusiads by Luís de Camões, the cornerstone of classical Portuguese literature, and works by Fernando Pessoa (Selected Poems), Fernando Namora (Mountain Doctor), José Maria Eça de Queirós (The Maias) and Mario Braga. Also noteworthy is the more recent and very compelling 'whodunnit' Ballad of Dog's Beach by José Cardoso Pires.Keen walkers should pack the Landscapes of Portugal series by Brian & Eileen Andersen, which features both car tours and treks in various regions, and the more detailed Walking in Portugal by Bethan Davies and Ben Cole.