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READING AND TRAVEL GUIDE

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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 EXCAM152. Buy these 5 items as a set for $83 including shipping, 15% off the retail price.
With free shipping on anything else you order.

ADD SET
TO BOOKBAG
Maya Art and Architecture

Maya Art and Architecture

by Mary Ellen Miller

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 240 PAGES

An illustrated overview of the art and architecture of the Maya, making use of the latest discoveries at Tikal, Copan and Palenque to demonstrate the range of Maya artistic influence. With 200 illustrations, 50 in color, including site plans, maps, strikingly rendered reconstructions and color photographs of key temples and buildings. (MYA20, $19.95)

Popol Vuh, The Mayan Book of the Dawn of Life

Popol Vuh, The Mayan Book of the Dawn of Life

by Dennis Tedlock

  • LITERATURE
  • 1996
  • PAPER
  • 388 PAGES

The definitive, unabridged collection of creation myths and stories of the Quiche people, fundamental to understanding the worldview of the highland Maya. (MYA14, $16.99)

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)

Insight Guide Belize

Insight Guide Belize

by Insight Guides

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 341 PAGES

A profusely illustrated overview of Belize, featuring concise essays by well regarded authors on natural history and culture, hundreds of photos and maps, and some limited practical information. (BLZ02, $23.99)

Belize Adventure Map

Belize Adventure Map

by National Geographic

  • MAP

A travel map of Belize, bordering Guatemala, at a scale of 1:400,000 showing all the national parks, including Tikal, and good topographical relief. Features an inset of Belize City. (CAM21, $11.95)

 
A Brief History of Central America

A Brief History of Central America


by Hector Perez-Brignoll

  • HISTORY
  • 1989
  • PAPER
  • 223 PAGES

A good overview of the region's economic, political and social history through the 1980s by a professor at the University of Costa Rica. Well-written, informative and concise. (CAM49, $27.95)

A Forest of Kings, The Untold Story of the Ancient Maya

A Forest of Kings, The Untold Story of the Ancient Maya


by Linda Schele | David Freidel

  • HISTORY
  • 1992
  • PAPER
  • 542 PAGES

The history of the Maya, as it was recorded in the previously undecipherable hieroglyphs of the Maya. This excellent account traces the kingships and politics of the Maya, and features narratives recreating scenes of burials, blood sacrifices, battles and other events. (MYA22, $26.99)

Belize in Focus, A Guide to the People, Politics, and Culture

Belize in Focus, A Guide to the People, Politics, and Culture


by Ian Peedle

  • HISTORY
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 100 PAGES

A brief, authoritative guide to the history, cultural heritage, politics and economy of Belize. With maps, photographs and some travel information, it's an excellent synopsis from an unabashedly left-leaning perspective, strong on facts. (BLZ13, $12.95)

Maya Cosmos, Three Thousand Years on the Shaman's Path

Maya Cosmos, Three Thousand Years on the Shaman's Path


by Joy Parker | Linda Schele | David Freidel

  • ARCHAEOLOGY
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 543 PAGES

This book finds coherence in 3000 years of Central American religious history. (MYA32, $23.99)

Reading the Maya Glyphs

Reading the Maya Glyphs


by Mark Van Stone | Michael Coe

  • ARCHAEOLOGY
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 160 PAGES

This compact, illustrated guide to commonly encountered Maya hieroglyphs provides an excellent introduction to Maya writing for the traveler. We also carry Coe's classic text The Maya. ($24.95, Item MYA10) (MYA26, $19.95)

The Ancient Maya

The Ancient Maya


by Loa Traxler | Robert Sharer

  • ARCHAEOLOGY
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 892 PAGES

The revised sixth edition of this scholarly reference on everything Maya, including individual site descriptions, maps, and much else of interest to the serious student of Maya history and culture. Originally published by Sylvanus Moreey in 1946, this beautifully illustrated, readable edition reflects recent archaeological and hieroglyphic evidence. (MYA07, $38.95)

The Art of Mesoamerica, from Olmec to Aztec

The Art of Mesoamerica, from Olmec to Aztec


by Mary Ellen Miller

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 2012
  • PAPER
  • 288 PAGES

An excellent survey of Mesoamerican art and architecture from 1500 BC to the Spanish conquest. Compact and profusely illustrated, it includes drawings, photographs and site plans. (MYA09, $24.95)

The Maya

The Maya


by Michael Coe

  • ARCHAEOLOGY
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 280 PAGES

The eighth edition of Coe's clear, concise and authoritative, illustrated survey of the Maya. (MYA10, $26.95)

How to Cook a Tapir

How to Cook a Tapir


by Joan Fry

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2012
  • PAPER
  • 296 PAGES

The adventurous Joan Fry, a young newlywed, accompanied her anthropologist husband to the back of beyond in what was then called British Honduras, now Belize. Fry weaves heartfelt stories of her time in the jungle with affectionate portraits of the people, her own coming of age -- and, yes, recipes: rice and beans, pumpkin soup, gumbo and, as promised, tapir. (BLZ22, $16.95)

Life in the Treetops, Adventures of a Woman in Field Biology

Life in the Treetops, Adventures of a Woman in Field Biology


by Margaret Lowman

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 219 PAGES

The sprightly memoir of an ecologist who climbs, studies and sleeps in trees for a living, balancing multiple roles of scientist, wife and mom. Margaret Lowman, a pioneer in the ecology of forest tree canopies, continues her story in a second memoir (written with her now-grown sons). (AMZ57, $13.95)

Travelers' Tales Central America

Travelers' Tales Central America


by Larry Habegger | Natanya Pearlman

  • ANTHOLOGY
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 277 PAGES

Organized thematically with contributions set in Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama, this collection of eyewitness reports includes Joan Didion, P.J. O'Rourke and Paul Theroux. (CAM96, $17.95)

A Natural History of Belize


by Samuel Bridgewater

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2012
  • HARD COVER
  • 400 PAGES

Presenting the habitats, biodiversity, and ecology of the tropical forest of Belize. (BLZ29, $45.00)

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)

Belize Birds


by Rainforest Publications

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2011
  • PLASTIC CARD
  • 14 PAGES

Dozens of birds are illustrated in color in this 14-panel fold-up pocket field guide. (BLZ27, $7.95)

Belize Field Guide


by Mark Wainwright

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2011
  • PLASTIC CARD
  • 14 PAGES

Mammals, amphibians, and reptiles are all included in this fold-up pocket field guide. (BLZ26, $7.95)

Belize Marine Life


by Rainforest Publications

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2011
  • PLASTIC CARD
  • 14 PAGES

Reef and sport fish, marine mammals and turtles are all illustrated in this fold-up pocket field guide. (BLZ28, $7.95)

Belize, Travellers' Wildlife Guides

Belize, Travellers' Wildlife Guides


by Les Beletsky

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 440 PAGES

An all-around field guide featuring color illustrations of 200 birds, 50 mammals, 150 coral reef creatures, and 80 reptiles and amphibians. (BLZ04, $29.95)

Birds of Belize

Birds of Belize


by H. Lee Jones | Dana Gardner

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 317 PAGES

A complete guide to the birds of Belize, 573 species in all, featuring 56 color plates and 234 range maps. (BLZ16, $34.95)

Fishwatcher's Field Guide Caribbean

Fishwatcher's Field Guide Caribbean


by Idaz Greenberg

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • PLASTIC CARD

A convenient double-sided plastic card showing 75 reef fish of the Caribbean. (DIV11, $7.50)

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)

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.