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Get the featured set of Essential Reading, our top picks of what to read, and get free shipping on anything else you order.

Essential Reading

Item EXGPS67. Buy these 5 items as a set for $88 including shipping, 15% off the retail price.
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Galapagos, A Natural History

Galapagos, A Natural History

by Michael H. Jackson

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 1995
  • PAPER
  • 316 PAGES
  • BEST SELLER
  • HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE

This comprehensive guide to the natural history of the Galapagos is practically mandatory reading, the single best introduction to the geology and climate, habitats, plants, birds, animals, ecology and evolution. (GPS03, $34.95)

The Panama Hat Trail

The Panama Hat Trail

by Tom Miller

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 288 PAGES
  • FAVORITE

An entertaining and insightful social history of Ecuador -- as told through its hat-making history. It's a classic example of travel writing, and one of the best things written on Ecuador. (EDR15, $14.00)

Galapagos Wildlife, A Visitor's Guide

Galapagos Wildlife, A Visitor's Guide

by David Horwell | Pete Oxford

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 156 PAGES
  • BEST SELLER

With chapters on visitor sites, history, conservation and habitats, this compact photographic guide introduces birds, reptiles, marine and other life of the archipelago. (GPS38, $22.99)

Ecuador Map

Ecuador Map

by Borch Maps

  • 2005
  • MAP

A detailed laminated map of Ecuador at a scale of 1:1,000,000, with detailed insets of Quito, Guayaquil, Galapagos and the Ecuadorian Amazon on the reverse. (EDR03, $10.95)

Galapagos Islands Explorer Map

Galapagos Islands Explorer Map

by Ocean Explorer Maps

  • 2005
  • MAP
  • BEST SELLER

Not just handy for keeping track of your Galapagos cruise, this detailed map (1:400,000) of the islands includes illustrated biographies of famous visitors and a wildlife guide. (GPS68, $11.95)

 
Insight Guide Ecuador and Galapagos

Insight Guide Ecuador and Galapagos


by Insight Guides

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 368 PAGES

Presenting the natural history, politics, culture, wildlife and attractions of Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands with style and authority. Contributors include Tui de Roy (Galapagos photography), Lynn Meisch (arts, crafts and customs) and Rob Rachoweicki (Oriente/Amazon). (EDR01, $22.99)

Charles Darwin Slept Here

Charles Darwin Slept Here


by John Woram

  • HISTORY
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 441 PAGES

John Woram recounts with verve and humor the human history of the archipelago, featuring a colorful cast of buccaneers, scientists and adventurers. With archival drawings, maps and extensive notes. (GPS71, $27.95)

Darwin in Galapagos, Footsteps to a New World

Darwin in Galapagos, Footsteps to a New World


by Greg Estes | Thalia Grant

  • HISTORY
  • 2009
  • HARD COVER
  • 416 PAGES
  • NEW

The duo retrace the five-week visit by Darwin to the Galapagos, both reaching new conclusions about where he went and what he did and tracking other changes in the archipelago over the last 175 years. Greg has been a guide since the 1980s and Thalia is the daughter of finch researcher Peter Grant. (GPS92, $29.95)

Ecuador, A Travel Journal

Ecuador, A Travel Journal


by Henri Michaux | Robin Magowan

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 144 PAGES
  • FAVORITE

A brief, querulous and entirely wonderful narrative of the modernist painter Michaux's travels with the poet Gangotena, strong on color and personality. Its many pleasures include an unbeatable description of Quito's accursed mountain weather. (EDR16, $17.95)

Galapagos, World's End

Galapagos, World's End


by William Beebe

  • EXPLORATION
  • 1988
  • PAPER
  • 442 PAGES

This wry, wonderfully evocative account of a 1924 scientific expedition includes an excellent chapter on the human history of the Galapagos. (GPS01, $18.95)

In Trouble Again

In Trouble Again


by Redmond O'Hanlon

  • EXPLORATION
  • 1990
  • PAPER
  • 272 PAGES
  • FAVORITE

As funny as he is insightful, O'Hanlon starts his comic masterpiece of a journey between the Orinoco and the Amazon with a litany of the insects, protozoa, snakes and predators that can do you harm. (AMZ04, $13.95)

One River, Explorations and Discoveries in the Amazon

One River, Explorations and Discoveries in the Amazon


by Wade Davis

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 1997
  • PAPER
  • 537 PAGES

A spellbinding, sprawling tale of explorers, botanical secrets, and larger-than-life personalities in northwest South America. (AMZ22, $18.00)

Savages

Savages


by Joe Kane

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 1996
  • PAPER
  • 304 PAGES

A firsthand account of a naive journalist among the Huaraoni of the Ecuadorian Amazon. Kane is an engaging, humorous guide to development issues in the Oriente of Ecuador. (AMZ20, $16.00)

Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice

Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice


by Mark Plotkin

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 1994
  • PAPER
  • 328 PAGES
  • FAVORITE

In this marvelous book, Plotkin recounts his work documenting the use of medicinal plants among remote tribes in the Northwest Amazon of Suriname, Venezuela, Guyana and French Guiana. A portrait of people and their environment, a tale of adventure and, most of all, a moving example of science in the service of preservation. (AMZ15, $16.00)

The Boy on the Back of the Turtle

The Boy on the Back of the Turtle


by Paul Quarrington

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 247 PAGES

Humorist, novelist and family man on a quest, Quarrington offers an entertaining account of a Galapagos voyage in the company of his seven-year-old daughter and seventy-year-old father. (GPS65, $14.95)

Voyage of the Beagle

Voyage of the Beagle


by Charles Darwin

  • EXPLORATION
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 468 PAGES
  • BEST SELLER
  • FAVORITE

The wide-eyed tale of a young man on a five-year voyage that changed his life -- and our way of thinking about the world. First published in 1839, it's still a marvelous introduction to the wildlife, nature and allure of South America. (GPS02, $12.95)

Galapagos, A Novel

Galapagos, A Novel


by Kurt Vonnegut

  • LITERATURE
  • 1986
  • PAPER
  • 283 PAGES

In this madcap novel, a classic, Vonnegut looks back from the future (alas, the human race has been wiped out except for a small group stranded in the Galapagos) on the Nature Cruise of the Century. (GPS10, $15.00)

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)

Evolution's Workshop

Evolution's Workshop


by Edward J. Larson

  • SCIENCE
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 320 PAGES

A vivid history of the Galapagos and the role of the islands as a crucible of evolutionary ideas, written by a Pulitzer Prize winner. Along with Darwin, it covers the discovery of the islands, the visits of Hancock and Beebe, the influence of the United States during WWII and the establishment of the national park. (GPS50, $16.95)

Galapagos, A Natural History

Galapagos, A Natural History


by John Kricher

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 221 PAGES

A lively, compact natural history of the islands and their role in evolutionary thought. It's a wide-ranging overview that features chapters on human history, geology, setting, Darwin, tortoises, reptiles, birds, and sea creatures. (GPS57, $22.95)

Galapagos, Discovery on Darwin's Islands

Galapagos, Discovery on Darwin's Islands


by David Steadman

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

All the birds, mammals, reptiles and other vertebrates of the Galapagos are beautifully illustrated in this insightful overview. (GPS05, $24.95)

Galapagos, Discovery on Darwin's Islands

Galapagos, Discovery on Darwin's Islands


by David Steadman

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

All the birds, mammals, reptiles and other vertebrates of the Galapagos are beautifully illustrated in this insightful overview. (GPS05, $24.95)

Galapagos, Preserving Darwin's Legacy

Galapagos, Preserving Darwin's Legacy


by Tui De Roy

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2009
  • HARD COVER
  • 240 PAGES
  • NEW

Tui de Roy corralled researchers and friends for this stunning survey of the natural history, ecology and conservation of the Galapagos. With 450 breathtaking color photographs and chapters by Jack Grove (fishes), Peter and Rosemary Grant (finches), Dennis Geist (geology) and many other scientists. (GPS90, $49.95)

The Beak of the Finch

The Beak of the Finch


by Jonathan Weiner

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 1995
  • PAPER
  • 332 PAGES

This Pulitzer Prize-winning work is an accessible look at the modern debate on the mode and rhythm of evolution, using the story of Peter and Rosemary Grant and their field work on Daphne Major as an example. (GPS08, $16.00)

The Smithsonian Atlas of the Amazon

The Smithsonian Atlas of the Amazon


by Michael Goulding | Ronaldo Barthem | Efrem Ferreira

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2003
  • HARD COVER
  • 254 PAGES

This beautiful, profusely illustrated atlas of the river includes its major tributaries and 150 full-color maps. Goulding (Floods of Fortune) and Brazilian biologists Barthem and Ferreira provide the accompanying text. (AMZ82, $39.95)

Tropical Nature

Tropical Nature


by Adrian Forsyth | Ken Miyata

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 1984
  • PAPER
  • 248 PAGES
  • FAVORITE

A lucid portrait of the tropics as seen by two uncommonly observant and thoughtful field biologists. Its 17 marvelous essays introduce the habitats, ecology, plants and animals of the Central and South American rainforest. (GPS13, $16.00)

Amazon Insects - A Photo Guide

Amazon Insects - A Photo Guide


by James L. Castner

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 160 PAGES

Spectacular, weird and commonly encountered bugs, butterflies, katydids, leafhoppers, ants, bees, spiders and other insects of the Amazon basin. Geared for the traveler, with 200 color photographs. (AMZ63, $20.00)

Birds of Ecuador, A Field Guide

Birds of Ecuador, A Field Guide


by Paul Greenfield | Robert Ridgely

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 740 PAGES

A comprehensive, gorgeous and exhaustively researched field guide to the birds of Ecuador (and adjacent countries), featuring 96 color plates. It's also the best bird guide for travelers in the Peruvian Amazon. (EDR08, $55.00)

Birds, Mammals and Reptiles of the Galapagos Islands

Birds, Mammals and Reptiles of the Galapagos Islands


by Andy Swash | Robert Stills

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2006
  • FLEXI-BOUND
  • 168 PAGES

This strikingly compact, comprehensive field guide features 500 color photographs, distribution maps and information on status, habitat and behavior. (GPS49, $28.00)

Flowering Plants of the Galapagos

Flowering Plants of the Galapagos


by Conley McMullen | Ghillean Prance

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 370 PAGES

Indispensable for the botanically minded, this excellent guide features color photographs of 436 species, an overview of ecology and habitats, and a plant checklist for each visitor site. (GPS40, $35.00)

Galapagos Wildlife

Galapagos Wildlife


by Pocket Naturalist

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2001
  • PLASTIC CARD

This fold-up, laminated card guide, with color drawings, will appeal to the whole family. (GPS51, $5.95)

Reef Fish Identification, Galapagos

Reef Fish Identification, Galapagos


by Paul Humann

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2003
  • FLEXI-BOUND
  • 200 PAGES

With its hundreds of well chosen color photographs and descriptions, this field guide is essential for underwater enthusiasts. (DIV04, $39.95)

Wildlife of the Galapagos

Wildlife of the Galapagos


by Julian Fitter | Daniel Fitter | David Hosking

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 254 PAGES

A compact identification guide to Galapagos nature and wildlife, featuring 400 color photographs, an overview of the history, climate, evolution and geology of the islands, and helpful full-color visitor site maps. (GPS47, $19.95)

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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.