1491, New Revelations of Americas Before Columbus  •  Charles C. Mann HISTORY •  2006 •  PAPER  • 560 PAGES A thought-provoking, speculative history of the Americas before the arrival of the Europeans. Mann portrays the successes and failures of the complex societies of the Mississippi River, Central Mexico, the Andes and the Amazon. (WLD61, $15.95)
200 Conspicuous, Unusual, or Economically Important Tropical Plants of the Caribbean  •  John Kingsbury FIELD GUIDE •  1988 •  PAPER  • 220 PAGES A general purpose plant identification guide to Caribbean shores, also useful for subtropical Florida. Written for a popular audience, it features color photographs and short descriptions. (CRB01, $20.00)
501 Spanish Verbs  •  Christopher Kendris LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS •  2003 •  PAPER  • 600 PAGES The perennial favorite among students of Spanish, revised with a bonus CD-ROM. Organized alphabetically, each of the often irregular verbs gets its own page -- complete with all the verb tenses, examples and common idioms. The book is both a reference for Spanish speakers and a tool for beginners. Por que no hay como hablar Espanol sin verbos. O algo asi. (GEN134, $16.99)
Amphibians and Reptiles of Northern Guatemala, the Yucatan, and Belize  •  Jonathan A. Campbell FIELD GUIDE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 400 PAGES This field guide to 160 Central American reptiles and amphibians features 176 color photographs, along with illustrations, maps and detailed descriptions of each species. Author Jonathan Campbell provides his own observations and anecdotes. (CAM106, $39.95)
Analysis of Ecotourism's Economic Contribution to Conservation and Development in Belize  •  Jeremy Enriquez  •  Kreg Lindberg REFERENCE •  1995 •  PAPER A 1995 report produced in conjunction with WWF. Available from the Ecotourism Society. (ECO23, $9.00)
The Ancient Maya  •  Robert Sharer ARCHAEOLOGY •  1994 •  PAPER  • 892 PAGES In its fifth edition, this scholarly tome is a standard reference on everything Maya, an up-to-date descendent of the original by the pioneering archaeologist Sylvanus Morley. It includes individual site descriptions, maps -- and much else of interest to the general reader. We recommend it for the serious student. (MYA07, $35.95)
The Art of Mesoamerica, from Olmec to Aztec  •  Mary Ellen Miller ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2006 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES Miller, a professor at Yale, introduces the range of art produced in Central America and Mexico from 1500 BC to the Spanish conquest in this excellent survey in the popular World of Art series. It's an excellent survey of hundreds of objects and sites of the pre-Columbian world, compact and profusely illustrated. With drawings, black-and-white photographs and site plans. Fourth edition. (MYA09, $21.95)
Belize, Ecotourism in Action  •  Meb Cutlack GUIDEBOOK •  2002 •  PAPER  • 112 PAGES A brief, illustrated guide by an expatriate Australian journalist and publisher of Belize Review. 2nd edition. (BLZ17, $12.95)
Birds of Mexico & Central America, Princeton Illustrated Checklists  •  Ber Van Perlo FIELD GUIDE •  2006 •  PAPER  • 336 PAGES An admirably compact, comprehensive guide to the birds of Mexico and Central America featuring color plates by Ber Van Perlo, one in a series of Illustrated Checklists. (MEX163, $29.95)
Breaking the Maya Code  •  Michael Coe ARCHAEOLOGY •  1999 •  PAPER  • 304 PAGES A broadly considered history. Michael Coe chronicles the centuries-long search for the "rosetta stone" of the Mayan language, a search which received an enormous boost in 1952 when Yuri Knorosov successfully translated the Dresden Codex, a Mayan bark-paper text. The book also includes an extensive discussion of Maya studies and political activism in the wake of Knorosov's discovery. (MYA30, $19.95)
The Buried Mirror  •  Carlos Fuentes CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1999 •  PAPER  • 399 PAGES A fascinating, illustrated survey of Latin American culture and history by the great Mexican author Carlos Fuentes. With hundreds of color illustrations. Fuentes hosted a television series by the same name. (SPN71, $29.95)
Central America Map  •  ITMB 2008 •  MAP Produced for the traveler, this detailed, double-sided map gives an overview of the whole Central American isthmus at a scale of 1:1,100,000. (CAM20, $12.95)
Central America, A Natural and Cultural History  •  Anthony G. Coates HISTORY •  1999 •  PAPER  • 296 PAGES A concise overview of the region with contributions by diverse authors on the geology, natural history and culture of the Central American isthmus. A publication of the "Paseo Pantera Project." With charts, graphs and maps. (CAM69, $21.00)
Chronicle of the Maya Kings and Queens, Deciphering the Dynasties of the Ancient Maya  •  Simon Martin  •  Nikolai Grube ARCHAEOLOGY •  2008 •  PAPER  • 240 PAGES The history of the Maya dynasties, encompassing biographies of 152 kings and queens, as gleaned from recently deciphered hieroglyphs. It's an unusual, rewarding book, illustrated in color and black-and-white. (MYA31, $26.95)
Coffee and Power, Revolution and the Rise of Democracy in Central America  •  Jeffery M. Paige HISTORY •  1998 •  PAPER  • 448 PAGES Panoramic in scope, this scholarly history examines the emerging democracies of Central America and especially the political impact on powerful families who control coffee production. The author combines exhaustive historical research, covering the last 30 years, with wide-ranging interviews. (CAM50, $26.00)
Collapse, How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed  •  Jared Diamond HISTORY •  2006 •  PAPER  • 575 PAGES Big, wildly ambitious, provocative, this is Jared Diamond at his best. He tackles nothing less than the history and fate of civilization in this compelling book in which he offers case studies, present and past, of societies that work and societies that do not. He devotes 100 carefully reasoned pages, for example, to the fate of the Norse settlements in Greenland (climatic change, Inuit) and another big section on Easter Island (deforestation, hubris). It's a fitting follow-up to his Pulitzer-Prize winning Guns, Germs and Steel. (GEN324, $18.00)
Coral Reef Fishes  •  Ewald Lieske  •  Robert Myers FIELD GUIDE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 400 PAGES A convenient handbook to shallow-water fishes associated with coral reefs throughout the Indo-Pacific and Caribbean, compact and comprehensive. With 2,500 illustrations covering 2,100 species worldwide. (DIV05, $24.95)
A Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of the Maya World  •  Julian C. Lee FIELD GUIDE •  2000 •  PAPER  • 416 PAGES A field guide to the lizards, snakes, crocodiles, turtles, toads, frogs, salamanders and other amphibians and reptiles of the Yucatan, Belize and Northern Guatemala. With 350 photographs and drawings, detailed descriptions and glossary of herpetological terms, it's a comprehensive guide. (CAM104, $36.95)
Field Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Adjacent Areas, Belize, Guatemala, and El Salvador  •  Ernest Preston Edwards FIELD GUIDE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES • HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE This classic guide, in a third edition, illustrates all the regularly-occurring birds of Mexico and neighboring areas. It gives details of distribution, abundance, habitat and identification features for 850 species. (MEX47, $22.95)
A Field Guide to the Mammals of Central America & Southeast Mexico  •  Fiona Reid FIELD GUIDE •  1997 •  PAPER  • 400 PAGES A handsomely illustrated field guide to the mammals of the region from Tehuantepec to Panama. The author/illustrator, who lived and worked in Central America, painted most of the animals in the field -- a formidable challenge and -- given the quality of the large color plates -- well worth her while. With a dedication to one of our favorite wildlife artists, Guy Tudor, we knew this book had to be good. If you don't mind the heft, the focused geographic range and large color plates make this book the best resource for visitors to Central America with an interest in mammals. (CAM60, $59.95)
Flowering Plants of the Neotropics  •  Nathan Smith  •  Scott Mori  •  Andrew Henderson  •  Dennis Stevenson  •  Scott Heald FIELD GUIDE •  2004 •  HARD COVER  • 616 PAGES This beautifully illustrated, authoritative guide, with contributions by dozens of botanists, features 64 color plates and 250 detailed pen-and-ink drawings by Bobbi Angell. It's an excellent, oversize introduction to the showiest, most important and interesting flowering plants of Mexico, Central and South America edited by a team at the New York Botanical Garden. The cover is adorned with a magnificent passiflora. (CAM103, $95.00)
Fodor's Belize  •  Inc. Fodor's Travel Publications GUIDEBOOK •  2008 •  PAPER  • 352 PAGES A practical guide in the popular series, saturated with valuable information on accommodation, shopping, sights, and dining. (CAM131, $17.95)
Footprint Diving the World, A Guide to the World's Coral Seas  •  Beth Tierney  •  Shaun Tierney GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 350 PAGES An inviting, beautifully illustrated guide to 220 dive sites in 19 countries with chapters on Australia and the Pacific, Mexico and Honduras, Egypt, East Africa and the Maldives, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and Micronesia. Featuring the diving couple's favorite destinations, the book includes a planning guide, practical tips, and listing of dive centers, hotels, restaurants and live-aboards. (OCE102, $29.95)
Four Neotropical Rainforests  •  Alwyn Gentry NATURAL HISTORY •  1993 •  PAPER  • 627 PAGES The results of a symposium on tropical ecology held in 1987 at Ohio State, this book is a good reference to the flora, fauna and ecology of four representative tropical forests: Manaus (Brazil), Park Manu (Peru), Barro Colorado Island (Panama) and La Selva (Costa Rica). (AMZ33, $55.00)
Frommer's Belize  •  Eliot Greenspan GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 339 PAGES A practical travel guide featuring excellent annotated listings of what to do and where to eat and sleep. With one-color maps and suggested excursions. (CAM128, $19.99)
The Green Pharmacy  •  James A. Duke NATURAL HISTORY •  1999 •  PAPER  • 507 PAGES An A to Z catalog of ailments and the herbal remedies that heal them. Full of facts on the ecology and traditional uses of medicinal plants by a leading ethnobotanist who has conducted much of his research in the Upper Amazon of Peru. Each chapter begins with an anecdote of an encounter with a patient and leads to easy "how-to" instructions for treating the health condition. The chapters cover minor and serious complaints, ranging from bad breath to depression, high cholesterol to wrinkles, morning sickness to viral infections. (AMZ40, $19.95)
A Guide to Ancient Maya Ruins  •  C. Bruce Hunter GUIDEBOOK •  1986 •  PAPER  • 342 PAGES A well organized guide to archaeological sites throughout the Maya world with good site diagrams and black-and-white photographs, originally published in 1974 and revised in 1986 for this second edition. While not up-to-date on recent developments, this book is nonetheless a compact, accessible survey of important archaeological sites for the traveler by an experienced study trip leader. (MYA23, $19.95)
A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America  •  Stephen Howell  •  Sophie Webb FIELD GUIDE •  1995 •  PAPER  • 849 PAGES Serious birders will want this definitive guide to the 1,070 bird species found in Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and western Nicaragua. It may be awkward to carry but it covers, in detail, all the birds you will see in the region in a single volume. (FG15, $49.95)
The Inhabited Woman  •  Giaconda Belli LITERATURE •  1995 •  PAPER  • 412 PAGES In this powerful novel, a young woman living in a contemporary Central American country becomes "inhabited" by the soul of a woman who lived there hundreds of years earlier, under the oppression of the Spanish rule. This novel, by a Nicaraguan poet, is a modern tale of magical realism and political activism. Available in a facsimile print-on-demand edition only. (CAM33, $22.95)
Inside Belize  •  Tom Barry GUIDEBOOK •  1995 •  PAPER  • 180 PAGES An introduction to the history, culture and economics of Belize. Published by a U.S. based non-profit organization with a left-leaning perspective, it is a concise and authoritative portrait. Don't expect color photographs and fancy prose -- but if you'd like a straightforward, fact-filled report, this book is essential. (CAM10, $11.95)
Insight Guide Guatemala, Belize & the Yucatan  •  Insight Guides GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 380 PAGES This handsome guide gives a profusely illustrated overview of Guatemala, Belize and the Yucatan Peninsula, featuring concise essays by well regarded authors on natural history, politics and culture. With hundreds of photos, excellent maps and some limited practical information. (CAM113, $23.95)
Jungle of the Maya  •  Douglas Goodell  •  Jerry Barrack  •  Jim Wright  •  Archie Carr NATURAL HISTORY •  2006 •  HARD COVER  • 152 PAGES A handsome survey of the wildlife and habitats of the Selva Maya, the tropical forest that spreads through Belize, Guatemala and the Yucatan. (MYA51, $34.95)
The Last Flight of the Macaw, One Woman's Fight to Save the World's Most Beautiful Bird  •  Bruce Barcott LITERATURE •  2009 •  PAPER  • 336 PAGES • COMING IN JANUARY The dramatic tale of one woman's quest to stop a dam that would inundate the forest home of jaguars, tapirs -- and the last of Belize's scarlet macaws. (BLZ20, $15.00)
Life in the Treetops, Adventures of a Woman in Field Biology  •  Margaret Lowman BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2000 •  PAPER  • 219 PAGES The sprightly memoir of a biologist who, with her feet planted firmly on the ground, took to the trees in 1979. A pioneer in the ecology of forest tree canopies, Meg Lowman climbs, studies and sleeps in trees for a living. She's also a popular lecturer on trips to the Amazon and Director of Research and Conservation at Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota. She's remarkably frank in this engaging memoir about balancing her multiple roles as as scientist, woman, wife and mom. (AMZ57, $13.95)
Lonely Planet Belize  •  Carolyn Miller GUIDEBOOK •  2005 •  PAPER  • 240 PAGES A practical, comprehensive guide in the popular series. (BLZ18, $18.99)
Maya Cosmos, Three Thousand Years on the Shaman's Path  •  Joy Parker  •  Linda Schele  •  David Freidel ARCHAEOLOGY •  2001 •  PAPER  • 543 PAGES A provocative, speculative history of Central American religious practices since the dawn of the Maya kingdoms. The authors -- an archaeologist, an epigrapher and a popular historian -- suggest that modern shamanistic practices may be continuous with the religious rituals of the ancient Maya. (MYA32, $23.95)
Maya Glyphs  •  S.D. Houston HISTORY •  1989 •  PAPER  • 64 PAGES A concise survey of ancient Maya language and writing for the interested traveler. It includes an excellent chapter which introduces Maudslay, Morley, Thompson, Proskouriakoff and other key figures in Maya archaeology. While linguists will better appreciate the chapters on the spelling, structure and grammar of Maya writing, serious study of this book will help anyone better appreciate the Maya world. (MYA24, $15.95)
The Maya Tropical Forest: Peoples, Parks and Ancient Cities  •  James D. Nations HISTORY •  2006 •  PAPER  • 323 PAGES Jim Nations draws on field work in the region over the last 25 years in this personable, detailed overview of the people, history and wildlife of the lowland tropical forest of southern Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. With chapters on the Selva Lacandona (Chiapas), Calakmul (Chetumal), the Maya Biosphere reserve in Guatemala (including Tikal) and protected sites in Belize. (MYA49, $22.95)
The Mosquito Coast  •  Paul Theroux LITERATURE •  2006 •  PAPER  • 384 PAGES A taught psychological tale of a man who abandons civilization for the wilds of Honduras (much better than the movie!). Allie Fox defeats the mosquitoes, tames the river and swamp, and sets out to build an iceberg -- mostly as a monument to himself. (CAM34, $14.95)
National Audubon Society Field Guide to Tropical Marine Fishes: Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, the Bahamas and Bermu  •  C. Lavett Smith FIELD GUIDE •  1997 •  FLEXI-BOUND  • 720 PAGES A photographic guide to coral reef fishes found in the Caribbean, Florida, the Bahamas and Bermuda. This portable, pocket-size book features 417 excellent color photographs, each with a range map and description. Species are grouped according to taxonomy and shape. (FG24, $19.95)
A Naturalist's Guide to the Tropics  •  Marco Lambertini  •  John Venerella NATURAL HISTORY •  2000 •  PAPER  • 338 PAGES A compact guide to the world's tropical zone, organized by biome. It's a good overview of the ecology of forests, mangroves, coral reefs, deserts, and grasslands found between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer. A useful companion for travelers to tropical latitudes. With color photographs and color plates illustrating a sampling of the most conspicuous birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians, and fish. (CON17, $25.00)
Nothing to Declare  •  Mary Morris TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 250 PAGES • FAVORITE An absorbing memoir of a woman traveling alone through Mexico and Central America. Morris, a favorite writer, evokes the people and places she visits on her travels in gritty immediate detail. Her travels include San Miguel de Allende, the Guatemalan Highlands, Bay Islands, and Nicaragua. (CAM08, $14.00)
Pimsleur Quick & Simple Spanish  •  Pimsleur Language Method LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS •  2005 •  AUDIO CD Four audio CDs with eight 30-minute lessons in basic Spanish, covering elementary vocabulary and phrases used in travel and everyday situations. The Pimsleur method emphasizes the use of listening skills without reading materials (so there isn't a book to follow along). It's advertised as "Totally audio: hear it, learn it, speak it." (SPN257, $19.95)
Reading the Maya Glyphs  •  Mark Van Stone  •  Michael Coe ARCHAEOLOGY •  2005 •  PAPER  • 160 PAGES A compact, illustrated guide to commonly encountered Maya hieroglyphs. With clear drawings by the talented calligrapher Mark Van Stone and illuminating text by reigning Mayanist Michael Coe. It's an excellent introduction to Maya writing for the traveler. (MYA26, $19.95)
Reefcomber's Guide, Caribbean  •  Idaz Greenberg FIELD GUIDE •  1982 •  PLASTIC CARD A handy, double-sided laminated card with common fish, corals and other invertebrates of the Caribbean. (DIV46, $7.50)
Rough Guide Belize  •  Peter Eltringham GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 415 PAGES This comprehensive guide includes an excellent historical and cultural overview of Belize, with special attention to its natural history. Eltringham, (who also wrote the excellent Rough Guide to Guatemala), knows the country well and region-by-region descriptions are excellent, especially for lesser-known destinations. With sections on Flores and Tikal in Guatemala and the Bay Islands of Honduras. (BLZ15, $18.99)
Rough Guide Central America  •  Peter Eltringham GUIDEBOOK •  2004 •  PAPER  • 896 PAGES A no-nonsense, comprehensive travel guide to Central America with country-by-country descriptions and a solid overview of history, culture and nature. It covers Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Panama. (CAM95, $22.99)
Sastun, My Apprenticeship With a Maya Healer  •  Rosita Arvigo BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1995 •  PAPER  • 181 PAGES An account of the author's apprenticeship with a traditional Maya healer, Don Elijio Panti, in the Cayo District of western Belize. It's a tale of traditional medicine, rainforest conservation and friendship across cultures. Argivo is co-author (with ethnobotanist Michael Balick) of Rainforest Remedies. Sastun was also made into a film. (MYA42, $16.95)
Secrets of the Maya  •  Archaeology Magazine  •  Peter Young ANTHOLOGY •  2002 •  PAPER  • 228 PAGES An anthology of articles on the Maya, originally published in Archaeology. With photographs, a timeline, and a key to Maya hieroglyphs. (MYA48, $15.95)
A Short History of Progress  •  Ronald Wright HISTORY •  2005 •  PAPER  • 132 PAGES These succint essays, originally presented as a radio broadcast, analyze the rise and fall of great societies, including Maya, Roman, Sumerian, Ancient Chinese and Easter Island. Wright focuses on the perils of marierialism and the warning signs of overconsumption, unwieldy social hierarchies and environmental collapse. (WLD62, $14.95)
Snakes, The Evolution of Mystery in Nature  •  Harry W. Greene NATURAL HISTORY •  1997 •  HARD COVER  • 288 PAGES Published to wildly enthusiastic reviews in 1997, this illustrated volume documents the ecology and diversity of snakes worldwide. Anecdotal, informative and entertaining, snakes couldn't have asked for a better advocate than herpetologist Harry Greene -- and the photographs are stunning. (BST33, $60.00)
Snorkeling Guide to Marine Life  •  Paul Humann FIELD GUIDE •  1995 •  PAPER  • 80 PAGES A compact guide illustrating all the fishes, corals, invertebrates and plants you are most likely to encounter in less than 15 feet of water in the Caribbean. Humann's photographs are among the best we've seen for identification -- and its handy size makes it perfect to take along in the boat or to the beach. (DIV02, $14.95)
Spanish, A Language Map  •  Kristine K. Kershul LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS •  1999 •  PLASTIC CARD This durable, foldout card, featuring 1,000 words and phrases, works as a quick reference for travelers. (SPN259, $7.95)
Spirits of the Jaguar  •  BBC NATURAL HISTORY •  2006 •  DVD Billed as "The Definitive Portrait of the Land, Wildlife and Peoples of Central America, this four-part BBC television series is an excellent introduction to the region. It includes the programs: The Forging of a New World, Forest of the Maya, Hunters of the Caribbean Sea and The Fifth World of Aztecs. (CAM59, $19.98)
T. Rex and the Crater of Doom  •  Walter Alvarez NATURAL HISTORY •  2008 •  PAPER  • 208 PAGES An accessible scientific study of the famous impact crater found in the Yucatan Peninsula. Using geologic evidence, Alvarez forms a fascinating account of the fate of the dinosaurs and other animal species after a enormous meteor slammed into the earth some 65 million years ago. (CAM68, $16.95)
Travelers' Tales Central America  •  Larry Habegger  •  Natanya Pearlman ANTHOLOGY •  2001 •  PAPER  • 277 PAGES A well-edited collection of eyewitness reports by journalists, travelers and writers including Joan Didion, P.J. O'Rourke and Paul Theroux. Organized thematically with contributions set in Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama. (CAM96, $17.95)
The True History of Chocolate  •  Sophie D. Coe  •  Michael Coe FOOD •  2007 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES A scholarly history of the fact and meaning of pre-Columbian chocolate by the husband and wife archaeologists Michael and Sophia Coe. Originating as a ceremonial beverage in ancient Olmec and Maya society, chocolate evolved from a food of the gods to the salons of Europe down through the masses to Hershey Pennsylvania. With illustrations and recipes. (CAM57, $21.95)
Ultimate Spanish, Basic-Intermediate with Book  •  Irwin Stern LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS •  2000 •  CASETTE TAPE A university-level Spanish course in a box, this set includes 40 short lessons on eight, 60-minute CDs and a 400-page accompanying text. The focus is on dialogues and conversation with attention paid to vocabulary and grammar. Most of the course features Latin American speakers with some Castillian variations in the lessons on Spain. With sections on business, etiquette and culture. Published by Living Language. (SPN175, $75.00)
The University of Chicago Dictionary, Spanish-English/English-Spanish  •  Carlos Castillo LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS •  2002 •  PAPER  • 603 PAGES Long a favorite with students and travelers, this new edition -- the first in 15 years -- of the University of Chicago dictionary brings vocabulary and usage up to date. With slang, vulgar and otherwise, a concise dictionary of words, phrases, and basic grammar. (SPN118, $11.00)
The World of the Ancient Maya  •  George S. Henderson HISTORY •  1997 •  PAPER  • 327 PAGES A comprehensive survey of the Maya from early settlement to the Spanish invasion. With descriptions of Maya rulers, architecture, art, language, and daily life, photographs and maps. Originally published in 1981. (MYA21, $29.95)