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Books for

Enrich your travels with reading! Here's a hand-picked list prepared for your journey in conjunction with the book experts at Longitude.

Essential Reading

Item EXSAM195. Buy these 4 items as a set for $72 including shipping, 15% off the retail price.
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Insight Guide South America

Insight Guide South America

by Insight Guides

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 424 PAGES

This profusely illustrated, comprehensive guide features hundreds of color photographs, excellent maps and insightful essays on history, art, architecture and attractions. (SAM24, $24.99)

Art of the Andes, from Chavin to Inca

Art of the Andes, from Chavin to Inca

by Rebecca Stone-Miller

  • ARCHAEOLOGY
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 224 PAGES

This authoritative and concise illustrated survey of Andean art and architecture covers not only Machu Picchu and additional Inca monuments, but also Chan Chan, Nasca and other archaeological sites and cultures. (PRU05, $19.95)

What Am I Doing Here?

What Am I Doing Here?

by Bruce Chatwin

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 1990
  • PAPER
  • 366 PAGES

A delightful collection of essays by one of our favorite travel writers, capturing the allure of the land and its wildlife and history. Includes a great chapter on his visit to Chiloe Island. (PAT02, $17.00)

Snorkeling Guide to Marine Life

Snorkeling Guide to Marine Life

by Paul Humann

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 1995
  • PAPER
  • 80 PAGES

Humann's compact guide illustrates Caribbean fishes, corals, invertebrates and plants commonly encountered in shallower water. (DIV02, $14.95)

 
Easter Island Map

Easter Island Map


by ITMB

  • 2006
  • MAP

A colorful topographic map (1:30,000). (EIL06, $10.95)

South America Map

South America Map


by ITMB

  • 2010
  • MAP

A colorful fold-up, double-sided map of the entire continent at a scale of 1:4,000,000. (SAM13, $13.95)

Torres del Paine Map

Torres del Paine Map


by Zagier & Urruty Maps

  • 2008
  • MAP

This detailed walking map (1:80,000) includes trekking routes, refuges and color topography. (CHI12, $14.95)

Breaking Out of Beginner's Spanish

Breaking Out of Beginner's Spanish


by Joseph Keenan

  • LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS
  • 1994
  • PAPER
  • 215 PAGES

Idioms, common mistakes in word usage, and other helpful advice on tackling spoken Spanish. You'll need some foundation to take full advantage of this book -- but even a complete novice will appreciate the author's playful sense of humor. (CAM06, $19.95)

Peru in Focus

Peru in Focus


by Jane Holligan de Diaz-Limaco

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 95 PAGES

This slim guide focuses on the history of Peru, its cultural heritage and current political, environmental and economic challenges. With maps, photographs and some travel information. (PRU11, $12.95)

The Building of the Panama Canal in Historic Photographs

The Building of the Panama Canal in Historic Photographs


by Ulrich Keller

  • HISTORY
  • 1983
  • PAPER
  • 111 PAGES

These archival photographs tell the story of the people who built the Panama Canal, the engineers who designed it and the changes wrought on the landscape through its construction. (CAM41, $12.95)

The Path Between the Seas, The Creation of the Panama Canal: 1870-1914

The Path Between the Seas, The Creation of the Panama Canal: 1870-1914


by David McCullough

  • HISTORY
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 700 PAGES
  • FAVORITE

Admirably told in vivid, page-turning detail. McCullough reveals the full scope of the Panama Canal, its characters, technical difficulties and Byzantine politics. (CAM32, $20.00)

In Patagonia

In Patagonia


by Bruce Chatwin

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 1989
  • PAPER
  • 204 PAGES
  • FAVORITE

A masterpiece of travel, history and adventure, this award-winning book captures the spirit of the land, history, wildlife and people of Patagonia. There's no travel writer as engaging, insightful and just plain wonderful as Bruce Chatwin. (PAT01, $15.00)

In Search of Robinson Crusoe


by Tim Severin

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 352 PAGES

A quest to find the real seafarer that inspired Defoe's fictional hero is the motivation behind this unusual travelogue. (PAC130, $16.95)

Personal Narrative of a Journey to the Equinoctial Regions of the New Continent

Personal Narrative of a Journey to the Equinoctial Regions of the New Continent


by Alexander von Humboldt

  • EXPLORATION
  • 1996
  • PAPER
  • 310 PAGES

This is the book that Darwin took on his voyage around the world -- a classic account of naturalist and explorer Humboldt's 18th-century discoveries in South America. (SAM08, $17.00)

The Humboldt Current: 19th-Century Exploration and the Sources of American Envionmentalism


by Aaron Sachs

  • EXPLORATION
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 512 PAGES

Aaron Sachs takes on the towering figure of the early 19th-century scientist explorer, Alexander von Humbodt, revered by Darwin and celebrated in Europe and America, to trace the history of American exploration. (EXP43, $16.00)

Travels in a Thin Country, A Journey through Chile

Travels in a Thin Country, A Journey through Chile


by Sara Wheeler

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 1996
  • PAPER
  • 304 PAGES

British author Sarah Wheeler deploys her wit, intelligence and powerful investigative skills on the Republic of Chile in this insightful travelogue. (CHI06, $15.00)

Robinson Crusoe

Robinson Crusoe


by Daniel Defoe

  • LITERATURE
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 320 PAGES

It's worth revisiting this classic before exploring Selkirk Island. (PAC30, $9.00)

The Tailor of Panama

The Tailor of Panama


by John Le Carre

  • LITERATURE
  • 1997
  • PAPER
  • 512 PAGES

Set in Panama, this thriller by master storyteller John Le Carre includes spymasters, corrupt officials, arms manufacturers and other unsavory types. (CAM51, $7.99)

A Neotropical Companion

A Neotropical Companion


by John Kricher | Mark Plotkin

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 536 PAGES

From plants and animals to birds and bugs, it's all here in this wonderfully written overview of the ecology, habitats, plants and animals of Central and South America. (GPS11, $35.00)

Natural Patagonia, Argentina and Chile

Natural Patagonia, Argentina and Chile


by Marcelo D. Beccaceci

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 1998
  • PAPER
  • 124 PAGES
  • HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE

An informative photographic journey through the breathtaking landscapes and wildlife of Patagonia. Featuring 120 color photographs, presented in Spanish and English. (PAT22, $24.95)

The Monkey's Bridge, Mysteries of Evolution in Central America

The Monkey's Bridge, Mysteries of Evolution in Central America


by David Rains Wallace

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 280 PAGES

Opening this absorbing account of the history and biogeography of the Central American isthmus with the tale of Columbus, Wallace then weaves his own travels in the region with a crisp overview of exploration, nature and evolution. Natural history buffs and ecologically minded travelers will appreciate this valuable resource. (CAM56, $18.95)

A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Peru

A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Peru


by Clive Byers

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 144 PAGES

A handy shirt pocket guide. (PRU75, $15.95)

A Wildlife Guide to Chile

A Wildlife Guide to Chile


by Sharon Chester

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 392 PAGES

Chester's splendid guide, featuring 120 color plates, covers the wildlife, plants and natural history of Chile from the Atacama Desert and Patagonia to Easter Island and Antarctica. (CHI77, $19.95)

Birds of Peru

Birds of Peru


by Tom Schulenberg | Dan Stotz | John O'Neill | Dan Lane

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 668 PAGES

Gorgeously illustrated, this authoritative guide covers nearly 20% of the world's birds. (PRU55, $39.50)

Birds of Southern South America & Antarctica

Birds of Southern South America & Antarctica


by Martin D. la Pena | Maurice Rumboll

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 224 PAGES

With color plates, range maps and brief descriptions, this is a compact regional guide. (SAM12, $29.95)

Peru, Birds of the Wetlands, Beaches and Oceans


by Rainforest Publications

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2005
  • PLASTIC CARD
  • 2 PAGES

A handy, double-sided laminated card depicting commonly encountered boobies, kingfishers, herons and other wetland birds of Peru. (PRU82, $6.95)

More Recommendations

Here are some other groups of books that might be of interest

Longitude provides recommended reading for travelers in partnership with the leading tour operators and travel programs for hundreds of destinations worldwide. We've got the classic, new and hard-to-find books and maps to help you get the most out of your adventures.