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BRAZILIAN AMAZON
More Books
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, $16.95) |
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At Play in the Fields of the Lord
Peter Matthiessen
LITERATURE
1991
PAPER
373 PAGES
Set in a malarial outpost of the Amazon jungle, Matthiessen's moral thriller follows the clash between two misplaced gringos: Martin Quarrier, who has come to convert the local Indians to Christianity, and Lewis Moon, a half-Indian mercenary who has been hired to kill them.
(AMZ29, $16.95) |
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The Birds of South America, The Oscine Passerines, Vol. 1
Guy Tudor
Robert Ridgely
FIELD GUIDE
1989
HARD COVER
596 PAGES
An authoritative reference, this hefty volume features 31 splendid full-color plates by Guy Tudor covering 700 species of jays and swallows, wrens, thrushes, vireos and wood-warblers, tanagers, icterids and finches. The first of four anticipated volumes on the birds of South America. With distribution maps and species descriptions by ornithologist Robert Ridgely.
(FG28, $95.00) |
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The Birds of South America, The Oscine Passerines, Vol. 2
Guy Tudor
Robert Ridgely
FIELD GUIDE
1994
HARD COVER
The second volume of the projected four-volume series, this field guide and handbook covers the flycatchers, antbirds and furnariids. With fine color plates by Guy Tudor and lucid text by Ridgely.
(FG29, $95.00) |
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Brazil and Uruguay Map
Auto Mapa
MAP
A regional map of Brazil and Uruguay from Rio south to Montevideo and Buenos Aires at a good scale of 1:2.5 million. It includes basic city plans of Sao Paulo, Rio and Curitiba. Published in Argentina.
(BZL08, $11.95) |
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Brazil in Focus, A Guide to the People, Politics, and Culture
Jan Rocha
GUIDEBOOK
2000
PAPER
100 PAGES
This slim guide focuses on the history of Brazil, its cultural heritage and current political, environmental and economic challenges. With maps, photographs and some travel information. It's an excellent synopsis from an unabashedly left-leaning perspective, strong on facts.
(BZL03, $12.95) |
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Brazil, The Once and Future Country
Marshall C. Eakin
HISTORY
1998
PAPER
301 PAGES
A well-written, concise history of Brazil, especially strong on modern society and economics, by a professor of history at Vanderbilt. In this highly recommended overview, Eakin takes a broad perspective, writing about the culture, history, religions, society and economics of the country.
(BZL05, $22.00) |
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Conquistadors
Michael Wood
HISTORY
2002
PAPER
288 PAGES
A lively, illustrated account of the Spanish conquest of the New World by the intrepid writer-filmmaker Michael Wood, who traveled in the footsteps of Hernan Cortes, Pizarro and others, often by horse, raft or other original means. It's an excellent introduction to the overwhelming impact of the Spanish in the Americas, wonderfully illustrated with maps, drawings and full color paintings.
(SAM48, $27.95) |
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The Creature in the Map, A Journey to El Dorado
Charles Nicholl
TRAVEL NARRATIVE
1997
PAPER
398 PAGES
Nicholl uncovers fascinating facts about the original, ill-fated 16th-century voyage of Sir Walter Ralegh while describing his own experiences on the Orinoco river of today in this meeditative account of a quest for the golden city of El Dorado.
(VNZ05, $22.50) |
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Culture Smart! Brazil
Sandra Branco
GUIDEBOOK
2006
PAPER
168 PAGES
A concise, well-illustrated and practical guide to local customs, etiquette and culture.
(BZL54, $9.95) |
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Edge of the Jungle
William Beebe
EXPLORATION
2001
PAPER
303 PAGES
A collection of 12 essays on the Amazon and its ecology and wildlife. A scientist-explorer with the soul of a poet, Beebe wrote dozens of books about his adventures in tropical America. This book, originally published in 1921, dates from his time as director of the New York Zoological Society's research center in Guyana.
(AMZ75, $17.95) |
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A Field Guide to Medicinal and Useful Plants of the Upper Amazon
James L. Castner
Stephen L. Timme
James A. Duke
FIELD GUIDE
1998
PAPER
154 PAGES
This photographic guide to identification focuses on the practical uses of common plants of the tropical forest. Many of the 120 species illustrated and described grow along the Medicinal Plant Trail at ACEER outside Iquitos.
(AMZ39, $38.00) |
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Flowers of the Amazon Forest, The Botanical Art of Margaret Mee
Margaret Mee
NATURAL HISTORY
2006
HARD COVER
160 PAGES
Featuring 60 of explorer and artist Mee's splendidly detailed, gorgeous botanical illustrations, along with field sketches and diary excerpts.
(AMZ104, $45.00) |
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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, $21.95) |
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A Guide to the Birds of Colombia
Steven Hilty
William Brown
FIELD GUIDE
1986
PAPER
836 PAGES
A classic South American bird guide with good coverage of the Amazon basin. It features 56 color plates by Guy Tudor, illustrating 1,700 species -- nearly half of all the species of South America. With a short description on the facings edge along with extensive notes and range maps. It may weigh in at almost three pounds but serious birders won't leave home without it -- and you can always have the color plates bound separately for use in the field.
(FG14, $78.50) |
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In Search of the Golden Frog
Marty Crump
BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
2000
HARD COVER
312 PAGES
Crump, a herpetologist, conservationist and mother, tells of her 30 years of field work in Costa Rica, Brazil, Ecuador and Argentina. An entertaining memoir, written with a light touch, it combines the personal with the scientific.
(CON18, $27.00) |
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In the Rainforest, Report from a Strange, Beautiful, Imperiled World
Catherine Caufield
NATURAL HISTORY
1984
PAPER
304 PAGES
This investigative journalist deftly combines good basic information on the ecology of the world's rain forests, a report on thorny conservation issues and a sympathetic treatment of indigenous inhabitants through masterly prose. In this fact-filled book, we travel with Caufield to some of the most spectacular and endangered places on earth: the rain forests of Africa, Central and South America, India, the Philippines and Indonesia. Originally published in 1984, this is still an excellent survey of rainforest ecology and issues worldwide.
(FST01, $20.00) |
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Knopf Mapguide Rio De Janeiro
Knopf Guides
GUIDEBOOK
2009
PAPER
48 PAGES
A handy set of full color, ingeniously folded maps, each indicating favorite sites, shops, restaurants and attractions.
(BZL55, $9.95) |
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A Land of Ghosts, The Braided Lives of People and the Forest in Far Western Amazonia
David Campbell
TRAVEL NARRATIVE
2007
PAPER
260 PAGES
This, the long-awaited sequel to Campbell's Crystal Desert, finds our scientist-hero not in the Antarctic but rather far up the Amazon not only with a paddle but also with an eccentric coterie of fellow biologists and locals. Campbell writes with flair and insight of the people, history and ecological discoveries in the far western reaches of the Amazon Basin, a place where he has focused much of his work. A tropical ecologist who has a way with words, Campbell has eight permanent study sites in the Brazilian Amazon.
(AMZ90, $18.95) |
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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) |
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The Lost World
Arthur Conan Doyle
LITERATURE
2008
PAPER
272 PAGES
Inspired by the magnificent landscapes surrounding the Orinoco River, this classic novel follows an intrepid scientist into the jungles of the Amazon Basin in search of prehistoric creatures. One of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous stories outside of his Sherlock Holmes series, it imagined a modern world where dinosaurs roamed (well before Crichton and Spielberg made their money on the idea).
(VNZ04, $10.00) |
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The Mapmaker's Wife
Robert Whitaker
TRAVEL NARRATIVE
2004
PAPER
353 PAGES
A harrowing tale of the 18th-century European exploration of the Amazon and one woman's quest to reunite with her scientist husband deep in the uncharted jungle. Colonial politics, the travails of the cartographer, and good old-fashioned murder all add intrigue to the proceedings.
(AMZ97, $16.00) |
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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, $30.00) |
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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) |
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Plants of the Gods: Their Sacred, Healing and Hallucinogenic Powers
Richard Evans Schultes
Albert Hofmann
NATURAL HISTORY
2001
PAPER
192 PAGES
An illuminating guide to indigenous peoples and their use of hallucinogenic plants, co-authored by the father of ethnobotany and discoverer of LSD. With hundreds of photographs, maps and drawings, it documents the ecology, chemistry, and especially the social history of hallucinogens. Excellent.
(AMZ38, $29.99) |
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Reptiles and Amphibians of the Amazon
R.D. Bartlett
Patricia Bartlett
FIELD GUIDE
2003
PAPER
448 PAGES
A convenient guide to 250 colorful and commonly encountered snakes, lizards, turtles, frogs and salamanders of the Amazon Basin, each with clear color photographs and descriptive information. The Bartlett team, who lead trips to the Amazon, has written a series of book on the care of herps as well as a guide to the reptiles and amphibians of Florida.
(AMZ84, $29.95) |
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Requiem for Nature
John Terborgh
NATURAL HISTORY
2004
PAPER
248 PAGES
FAVORITE
A passionate and thoughtful plea for conservation of the rain forest from a noted biologist. John Terborgh's view of the fate of the rain forest, threatened by constant economic demands, can be quite dismal, but his informed arguments and his unwavering devotion to biodiversity are more than welcome. With a new preface by the author.
(FST07, $29.50) |
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Rio de Janeiro Map
National Geographic
2011
MAP
This colorful National Geographic Destination Map (1:15,000) includes insets of Tijuca, Sao Crystal and Copacabana. One Side. 39x27 inches.
(BZL25, $8.99) |
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Rough Guide Brazil
David Cleary
GUIDEBOOK
2009
PAPER
736 PAGES
This comprehensive guide includes an excellent historical and cultural overview of Brazil, with special attention to its natural history. It's a detailed travel guide with region-by-region descriptions. The outstanding British Rough Guide series provides a keen sense of life for the locals -- and isn't so "rough" after all.
(BZL09, $27.99) |
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Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest
Matthew Restall
HISTORY
2004
PAPER
272 PAGES
In this provocative book, Restall tackles Columbus, Cortes, Pizarro and the misconceptions surrounding them. The conquisadores most certainly did not conquer the Americas with a handful of men, nor were they received as gods.
(SAM52, $19.99) |
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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) |
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South America Northeast Map
International Map Company
2004
MAP
This brightly colored map of northeast South America at a scale of 1:2,800,000 covers the Atlantic coast of the continent south from the Caribbean to Rio de Janeiro, including the Amazon and Orinoco. With historical information on the region. Two Sides. 27x39 inches.
(SAM16, $8.95) |
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The Spears of Twilight: Life and Death in the Amazon Jungle
Phillipe Descola
CULTURAL PORTRAIT
1996
PAPER
458 PAGES
Three years among the Jivaro (Achaur) of the Upper Amazon. A student of Claude Levi-Strauss, Descola proves himself to be an intelligent observer and born storyteller in this ethnographic account.
(AMZ25, $25.95) |
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Stolen Continents, 500 Years of Conquest and Resistance in the Americas
Ronald Wright
HISTORY
2004
PAPER
464 PAGES
A powerful history of imperialism and resistance in the Americas, with a focus on the Aztec, Maya, Inca, Cherokee and Iroquois. Wright's illuminating account, told largely from the point of view of the losers, details the rapid collapse of cultures and societies in the Americas following the arrival of the Europeans in 1492. Wright draws on an impressive range of archival material in reconstructing this classic account, originally published in 1993. Wright is also the author of Time Among the Maya.
(NAM20, $24.95) |
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Traveling with Che Guevara, The Making of a Revolutionary
Alberto Granado
Lucia Alvarez de Toledo
TRAVEL NARRATIVE
2004
PAPER
240 PAGES
This is Alberto Granado's companion book to Che Guevara's well-known Motorcycle Diaries (and one of the sources for the movie). It's Granado's own account of travels with Che via motorbike through Argentina, Chile, Peru, Colombia, and Venezuela.
(SAM68, $14.95) |
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Wallpaper City Guide Rio De Janeiro
Wallpaper Magazine
GUIDEBOOK
2011
PAPER
A stylish, thin (it fits in your back pocket) city guide compiled by the design magazine Wallpaper's local reporters. Well-organized, with chapter tabs, many photographs and of-the-moment recommendations.
(BZL56, $9.95) |
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Where to Watch Birds in South America
Nigel Wheatley
NATURAL HISTORY
1995
PAPER
431 PAGES
A compact practical guide to 206 recommended birdwatching sites throughout South America. Organized by country, each site guide includes an introduction, noteworthy species, maps, and directions, checklists. An invaluable handbook for birders.
(SAM40, $30.95) |
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White Waters and Black
Gordon McCreagh
George Schaller
EXPLORATION
2001
PAPER
384 PAGES
A classic account of a two-year-long scientific expedition to the Bolivian Amazon, funny, sweet and thrilling. Originally published in 1923. George Schaller provides the appreciative introduction to this new edition.
(AMZ70, $17.50) |
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The World as You Dream It, Shamanistic Teachings from the Amazon and Andes
John M. Perkins
RELIGION
1994
PAPER
139 PAGES
An activist on behalf of indigenous cultures and founder of the "Earth Dream Alliance", the author provides a personal account of his sometimes hard-to-believe experiences with curanderos (or shamans) in the highlands and Amazon of Ecuador. Whatever your thoughts on the concept a vision quest, the book includes an fascinating account of the author's time with the Shuar people, their rituals and religious ideas.
(AMZ46, $14.95) |
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Yanomami, The Fierce Controversy and What We Might Learn from It
Robert Borofsky
CULTURAL PORTRAIT
2005
PAPER
397 PAGES
A scholarly reader and study of the controversy surrounding anthropological studies of the Yanomami of northern Brazil and neighboring Venezuela. It follows in the wake of Patrick Tierney's best-selling book, Darkness in El Dorado. With Bruce Albert, Ray Hames, Kim Hill, Leda Leitao Martins, John Peters, and Terence Turner.
(SAM67, $25.95) |
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Yanomami, The Fierce Controversy and What We Might Learn from It
Robert Borofsky
CULTURAL PORTRAIT
2005
PAPER
397 PAGES
A scholarly reader and study of the controversy surrounding anthropological studies of the Yanomami of northern Brazil and neighboring Venezuela. It follows in the wake of Patrick Tierney's best-selling book, Darkness in El Dorado. With Bruce Albert, Ray Hames, Kim Hill, Leda Leitao Martins, John Peters, and Terence Turner.
(SAM67, $25.95) |
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Yanomami, The Fierce Controversy and What We Might Learn from It
Robert Borofsky
CULTURAL PORTRAIT
2005
PAPER
397 PAGES
A scholarly reader and study of the controversy surrounding anthropological studies of the Yanomami of northern Brazil and neighboring Venezuela. It follows in the wake of Patrick Tierney's best-selling book, Darkness in El Dorado. With Bruce Albert, Ray Hames, Kim Hill, Leda Leitao Martins, John Peters, and Terence Turner.
(SAM67, $25.95) |
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Jungle Travel and Survival
John Walden, M.D.
GUIDEBOOK
2001
PAPER
198 PAGES
Not just for the paranoid traveler or wild adventurer, medical doctor and frequent Amazon-traveler Walden provides useful advice on avoiding malaria, parasites (internal and external), poisonous and otherwise dangerous animals, getting along with the locals, dehydration and much more in this compact guide.
(AMZ73, $18.95) |
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