In these early summer weeks, the travel books are flying off the presses and heading straight for our desks. Here are some of the notables we've seen:

• "Beyond the Great Wall: Recipes and Travels in the Other China," by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid ($40, Artisan Books), is one of the season's prettiest. But in this case, beauty goes much deeper than the cover, with stellar photography and recipes for soups, noodle bowls, breads and meats from Tibet, Mongolia and other remote reaches.

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• "Sunsets," by South Florida photographer Lora Drasner, serves us beautiful images of sunsets in Tahiti, Tonga and more, many of them shot during Drasner's three-year around-the-world sailing trip.

• Orlando (for families), Daytona Beach (for sporty types), Lake Okeechobee (for sightseers), and Key West and the Marquesas (for sporty types) are among the "100 Dream Destinations" cataloged in a new book from Life Books ($29.95.) This pretty wanderlust-tease is sadly short on information. And while everyone on earth would draw up a different life list of places to visit, you have to figure that at least some of those included here rated more for their geographic diversity than truly being in the Top 100.

• "Fodor's European Ports of Call" ($16.95) eliminates the need for a suitcase full of guidebooks as you cruise Europe. Unlike the info sheets handed out by cruise lines, this book goes beyond shopping, with details on top attractions and dining recommendations.

• "The Cheap Bastard's Guide to New York City," by Rob Grader ($14.95, Glob Pequot): You've got to love the name, and the idea is pretty nifty, too, with more than 1,000 listings for freebies you probably didn't know about. Included are health clinics, open mike nights in comedy clubs, theater, museums, walking tours. Some of the options listed do charge a small fee, but most require no cash.

• Let the partying and bonding (no pun intended) continue: "Best Girlfriends Getaways Worldwide," by Marybeth Bond (National Geographic, $15.95), follows her previous book on girlfriend getaways in North America. Provence, Thailand and India's Taj Lake Palace make the list.

• In "The 10 Best of Everything" (National Geographic, $19.95), authors Nathaniel Lande and Andrew Lande name their picks for best sporting events, cruises, beaches, horseback rides, airlines, literary journeys — even cigars and tailors. Better yet, they tell you why they think each rates, and how to learn more about it.

• "America from the Air: A guide to the landscape along your route," by Daniel Mathews and James S. Jackson (Houghton Mifflin, $19.95) salves the curiosity many of us feel as we wing our way across the country. Arranged by flight corridors, the book doesn't catalog all points of interest, but it may help you better understand what's happening beneath you.

• "No Pet Left Behind," by Gay Martz (Thomas Nelson, $16.99) is a basic primer on traveling with your dog or cat and includes sections on preparation, etiquette and resources.

• "Along Florida's Expressways," by Dave Hunter ($24.95, Mile Oak Publishing), includes maps, itineraries and tips, and helps resolve questions like "How much is the toll?" and "Which exit do I take for Kennedy Space Center?" Grab your reading glasses; the type is a bit small.

• Following the "gotta see it before you kick the bucket" theme comes "1001 Historic Sites You Must See Before You Die," in collaboration with UNESCO. It's a must for exotic travelers and helpful as well to those who stay closer to home. Recommendations include Paris' Pere Lachaise Cemetry (final resting place of iconoclasts Jim Morrison and Oscar Wilde); the Livingstone Statue at Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe; Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires and Thomas Jefferson's Monticello.

• Even the most experienced travelers can forget basic tips. Fodor's "1001 Smart Travel Tips" ($9.95) is for them as well as beginners, air travelers, road trippers and those who have shifted into traveling with family or pets.

• "The Christian Travel Planner," by Kevin J. Wright, includes chapters on historical sites, pilgrimages, missionary travel, fellowship vacations and retreats as well as Christian attractions such as The Holy Land Experience in Orlando. The helpful at-a-glance organization won't answer all your questions — but it will help you figure out if you're interested enough to search out more information.

• If you've traveled at all, you already know that ideas of appropriate behavior vary from place to place. "Going Dutch in Beijing: How to Behave Properly When Far Away from Home," by Mark McCrum ($22, Henry Holt), will steer you away from no-no conversational topics and help you avoid gestures that may shift meanings with the geography. (Hint: Don't pour your soy on your rice in Japan.)

• "Riding the HulaHula to the Arctic Ocean," by Don Mankin and Shannon Stowell ($18.95, National Geographic) serves up suggestions and advice for 50 adventure travel trips for experienced travelers. Descriptions are rich and useful, but resource/trip planning information isn't as deep as you need if you really want to plan such journeys.