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)
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)
Adventure Guide To Peru  •  Nicholas Gill GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 583 PAGES (PRU87, $22.99)
Alive, The Story of the Andes Survivors  •  Piers Paul Read TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 416 PAGES The gripping tale of survival against all odds: a plane crashes in the Andes, all passengers presumed dead. Read tells the story of terrible hardship, bravery and horror with admirable restraint. Most of the passengers, barely teenagers, were members of a rugby team from Uruguay, and the account includes much insight into Uruguayan culture and society. (AND38, $7.99)
America's First Cuisines  •  Sophie D. Coe HISTORY •  1994 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES A marvelous survey of pre-Columbian food, crops and diet. (AND64, $21.95)
Ancient Cuzco, Heartland of the Inca  •  Brian S. Bauer NATURAL HISTORY •  2004 •  PAPER  • 296 PAGES A scholarly overview of the development of culture in the Cuzco region, and particularly the Inca civilization, drawing on the work of the Cuzco Valley Archaeological Project. Beginning with the first peoples in the valley and ending with the fall of Atahualpa in the early 16th century, this comprehensive study contains important new information about the Incas, their archaeology, capital city and their culture. With 76 black-and-white photographs, 25 line drawings and 26 maps. (PRU57, $29.95)
The Ancient Kingdoms of Peru  •  Nigel Davies ARCHAEOLOGY •  1998 •  PAPER  • 240 PAGES An anthropological study of ancient Peruvian civilizations up to the Incas and the Spanish Conquest. (PRU65, $16.00)
Andean Archaeology  •  Helaine Silverman ARCHAEOLOGY •  2004 •  PAPER  • 342 PAGES The standard textbook. (AND57, $43.95)
Andean Awakening, An Incan Guide to Mystic Peru  •  Jorge Luis Delgado ARCHAEOLOGY •  2006 •  PAPER  • 192 PAGES (PRU63, $17.95)
Andean Lives: Gregorio Condori Mamani & Asunta Quispe Huaman  •  Paul Gelles  •  Ricardo Valderrama Fernandez  •  Carmen Escalante Gutierrez CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1996 •  PAPER  • 216 PAGES A classic oral history as told to two Peruvian anthropologists in the 1970s. It's a moving account of life among the urban poor in Cuzco, offering insight into history and society in the Andes. With notes, bibliography and full scholarly paraphernalia it is above all an emotional tale of poverty, hardship and grace. (PRU14, $17.95)
Animal Myths and Metaphors in South America  •  Gary Urton HISTORY •  1985 •  PAPER  • 336 PAGES (AND61, $20.00)
Apus and Incas: A Cultural Walking and Trekking Guide to Cuzco  •  Charles Brod GUIDEBOOK •  1989 •  PAPER  • 169 PAGES The author describes recommended tours of Cuzco and its surroundings (including the Inka Trail and Ollantaytambo), combining practical itineraries with commentary on the natural and cultural history of this sacred city. Illustrated with maps, drawings, and photographs. (PRU03, $10.95)
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)
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)
Chasing Neotropical Birds  •  Vera and Bob Thornton NATURAL HISTORY •  2005 •  HARD COVER  • 254 PAGES This portfolio of 116 color photographs of dazzling, rare and favorite birds of tropical America, presented by an intrepid husband-and-wife team is worth it for the photographs alone. The accompaning travelogues, invaluable resource list and suggestions for birdwatching and photography make the book essential for anyone with a healthy interest in travel and birds in Central and South America. The book documents the Thorntons' encounters with motmots, manakins, trogans, toucans, hummers, herons and all the rest range across 11 countries over 15 years. With maps, bird log, and photographic notes. (SAM76, $34.95)
Cloud Forest, A Chronicle of the South American Wilderness  •  Peter Matthiessen TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1987 •  PAPER  • 280 PAGES • FAVORITE Matthiessen recounts with wit and insight a 20,000-mile journey through South America, including a marvelous wild goose chase in the Amazon, an obligatory visit to Machu Picchu and his travels in Tierra del Fuego. A deceptively straightforward travelogue, this book displays Matthiessen's unflagging sense of humor, great style and unbounded curiosity. (SAM02, $16.00)
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, $22.95)
Conversation in the Cathedral  •  Mario Vargas Llosa LITERATURE •  2005 •  PAPER  • 601 PAGES A tale of power, corruption and identify set in 1950s Peru under the dictatorship of Manuel A. Odria. (PRU84, $14.95)
Cordillera Blanca, Huayhuash  •  Lima 2000 2003 •  MAP A traveler's map of the spectacular Cordillera Blanca and adjacent Huayhuash in northern Peru at a scale of 1:250,000. (PRU54, $9.95)
The Cordillera del Condor Region of Ecuador and Peru  •  Thomas Schulenberg NATURAL HISTORY •  1998 •  PAPER  • 232 PAGES A report of two "Rapid Assessment Program" surveys taken in 1993 and 1994, this book catalogs the biological resources of the lower mountain forests of Ecuador and Peru. With maps and line drawings. (AND16, $17.00)
Cordillera Huayhuash Climber's Map  •  Alpine Mapping Guild GUIDEBOOK •  2004 •  PAPER A shaded relief topographic map geared for climers and trekkers at a scale of 1:65,000. With contour lines at 50-meter intervals. This is the first specialty map for the spectacular range of 20,000-foot peaks adjacent to the Cordillera Blanca in the Peruvian Andes. Prepared by the Alpine Mapping Guild from digital topographic data. The map shows the entire circuit on one sheet, including routes, camp sites and departure points (Chiquian, Cajatambo, and Matacancha). (PRU53, $18.95)
Culture Smart! Peru  •  John Forrest GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 168 PAGES A concise, well-illustrated and practical guide to local customs, etiquette and culture. (PRU64, $9.95)
Cuzco Region, Machu Picchu  •  ITMB 2003 •  MAP This convenient map includes street plans of Cuzco and Aquas Calientes, a site plan of Machu Picchu and index of archaeological site of the region. With spot elevations, shaded relief, ruins, roads, walking trails, cities and towns. The overview of the Inca Trail is at a scale of 1:110,000, half as detailed as the excellent map of the Inca trail published by Lima 2000 (PRU28). Take this ITMB map along as a supplement. (AND46, $10.95)
The Exotic Kitchens of Peru  •  Copeland Marks FOOD •  2001 •  PAPER  • 230 PAGES (PRU69, $16.95)
Explorer of Machu Picchu, Portrait of Hiram Bingham  •  Alfred M. Bingham BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2000 •  PAPER  • 381 PAGES A biography of the Andes explorer, Yale professor, senator and diplomat by his son, originally published in 1989. Much of the book is devoted to Bingham's original (and subsequent) Peruvian expeditions, much enhanced by hundreds of archival photographs, drawings and maps. (AND32, $15.95)
Eyewitness Guide Peru  •  DK Publishing GUIDEBOOK •  2008 •  PAPER  • 350 PAGES Another gem in the Eyewitness series, this superb guide is handsome, convenient and up-to-date; it's the guide to carry. Featuring color photography, dozens of excellent local maps and a region-by-region synopsis of the country's attractions. (PRU92, $25.00)
Fodor's Peru  •  Fodor's GUIDEBOOK •  2008 •  PAPER  • 464 PAGES A detailed, practical guide and planning tool to travel in Peru highlighting attractions, excursions, accommodations and restaurants. (PRU74, $21.95)
Footprint Cuzco & the Inca Heartland Handbook  •  Ben Box  •  Stephen Frankham GUIDEBOOK •  2008 •  PAPER  • 352 PAGES Comprehensive and up-to-date, this exceptional guide covers Cuzco and surroundings, including the Inca Trail, Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley, Tambopata, Manu Park and Lima in detail. (PRU46, $23.95)
Footprint Peru Handbook  •  Alan Murphy GUIDEBOOK •  2005 •  PAPER  • 656 PAGES By the venerable British publishers of the "South American Handbook," this guide is built for the road with sturdy covers and a sewn binding. It's nicely divided between a general overview of Peru and practical travel detail on where to go and what to do. (PRU27, $24.95)
Fortifications of the Incas, 1200-1531  •  H. W. Kaufmann  •  J.E. Kaufmann  •  Adam Hook ARCHAEOLOGY •  2006 •  PAPER  • 64 PAGES A slim guide to Inca fortifications, including Cusco and Machu Picchu, and their effectiveness in repelling by the Spanish invaders. With illustrations, photographs and diagrams. (AND66, $18.95)
Frommer's Peru  •  Neil E. Schlecht GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 468 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. (PRU85, $21.99)
Genesis (Memory of Fire Trilogy, Part 1)  •  Cedric Belfrage  •  Eduardo Galeano HISTORY •  1998 •  PAPER  • 306 PAGES Part one of a three-volume history of the Americas composed entirely of short vignettes, this volume extends from the pre-columbian creation myths through the chronicles of conquest and early colonial period. Lyrical, emminently readable and easy to skim for the geographic areas of particular interest. (MYA18, $16.95)
Good Faith and Truthful Ignorance, A Case of Transatlantic Bigamy  •  Alexandra Parma Cook  •  Noble David Cook HISTORY •  1992 •  PAPER  • 206 PAGES The unusual tale of the legal and political woes of Francisco Noguerol de Ulloa, who returned to Spain after 20 years in Peru with a new wife, only to discover his that first wife was still alive. The Cooks reconstruct the complex tale of a man and his two wives from the records of the trial and narrative of Noguerol de Ulloa's life. The book is, in part, a window into daily life of 16th Century Peru and Spain. (PRU59, $21.95)
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, $67.50)
A Guide to the Birds of Venezuela  •  Steven Hilty  •  Guy Tudor  •  J.A. Gwynne FIELD GUIDE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 929 PAGES A thoroughly overhauled, revised edition of the classic South American bird guide, with an entirely new and expanded text by Steve Hilty (who also wrote Birds of Colombia). This hefty book (more than a field guide) features many of the same excellent color plates by Guy Tudor as the 1978 classic with new detailed information on habitats and distribution. Too bad it weighs four pounds, two ounces because it is terrific. John Gwynne provided most of the additional plates, 67 in all. 1,400 species have been recorded in the diverse habitats of Venezuela, almost half of the birds found throughout the mountains, forests and plains of all South America. (FG13, $59.50)
The Heights of Machu Picchu  •  Pablo Neruda  •  Nathaniel Tarn LITERATURE •  1972 •  PAPER  • 71 PAGES • FAVORITE A celebrated epic poem, this hymn to the Americas by the great Pablo Neruda was inspired by the ancient ruins at Machu Picchu -- and the Inca ghosts he conjures up from them. Presented here in a bilingual edition of what is perhaps the single most important work of Latin American poetry. (AND22, $13.00)
History of the Inca Empire  •  Bernabe Cobo HISTORY •  1983 •  PAPER  • 279 PAGES A compact edition of the 17th-century account of the Incas, translated and edited by Roland Hamilton from Father Cobo's original manuscript. (AND47, $21.95)
History of the Inca Realm  •  Maria Rostworowski De Diez Canseco HISTORY •  1998 •  PAPER  • 269 PAGES A scholarly history. (AND63, $26.99)
The Hold Life Has, Coca and Cultural Identity in an Andean Community  •  Catherine J. Allen CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2002 •  PAPER  • 304 PAGES (AND60, $19.95)
The Ice Maiden: Inca Mummies, Mountain Gods, and Sacred Sites in the Andes  •  Johan Reinhard ARCHAEOLOGY •  2006 •  PAPER  • 400 PAGES Archaeologist Johan Reinhard brings together tales of this own adventures and plenty of Inca history in this account of his discovery of Juanita, a 500-year-old mummy found in the Peruvian Andes. Published by National Geographic. (AND52, $14.95)
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Incas, The History, Legends, Myths and Culture  •  David M. Jones HISTORY •  2006 •  HARD COVER  • 256 PAGES This amply illustrated historical and archaeological guide is especially strong on Incan art -- textiles, ceramics, jewelry and more -- mythology and rituals. (AND67, $35.00)
An Inca Account of the Conquest of Peru  •  Titu Cusi Yupanqui HISTORY •  2005 •  PAPER  • 166 PAGES A new translation of the oral history of the Inca ruler Diego de Castro Titu Cusi Yupanqui as told to a Spanish missionary in 1570. (AND62, $21.95)
Inca Land, Explorations in the Highlands of Peru  •  Hiram Bingham EXPLORATION •  2003 •  PAPER  • 217 PAGES A personal account by explorer Hiram Bingham of four archaeological expeditions into Peru and the Andes (1909-1915), including two short chapters on his rediscovery of Machu Picchu and a chapter on Lake Titicaca. First published in 1922 and returned to print by National Geographic, this is one of a series of popular books by Bingham about his exploration and adventures in South America. This short book predates Bingham's celebrated Lost City of the Incas (1948) by almost two decades. With black-and-white photographs and maps. (AND45, $14.00)
Inca Myths  •  Gary Urton HISTORY •  1999 •  PAPER  • 80 PAGES A classic survey in the serries The Legendary Past. (AND59, $12.95)
Inca Trail: Machu Picchu, Sacred Valley, Cusco Map  •  Lima 2000 2000 •  MAP • BEST SELLER This indispensable full-color topographic map (1:50,000) of the route of the Inca trail shows the whole Sacred Valley from Cusco to Ollantaytambo and Machu Picchu in splendid detail. It's the best map both for those making the trek from kilometer 88 to the site and for those exploring the region by bus or train. With small inset maps of Cusco, Machu Picchu and Aguas Calientes on the reverse. (PRU28, $9.95)
The Incas  •  Terrence D'Altroy HISTORY •  2003 •  PAPER  • 408 PAGES An authoritative chronicle of the rise and fall of the Incan empire. D'Altroy, a professor of anthropology, examines society, culture, geography, economy, religion and archeology. With maps and photographs. (CAM98, $26.95)
Incas, The Puma's Shadow  •  A. B. Daniel LITERATURE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 384 PAGES The first volume in Daniel's rousing saga of war and romance set in ancient Peru. (AND70, $14.00)
Insight Guide Amazon Wildlife  •  Huw Hennessy  •  Hans-Ulrich Bernard GUIDEBOOK •  2003 •  PAPER  • 368 PAGES An illustrated guide to the region, its wildlife and conservation by an international team of biologists and photographers. It covers biogeography, habitats, animal groups and conservation problems in a series of short essays. Several chapters are devoted to the people of the region and to a country-by-country survey of the river's features. It also includes some practical travel information and a short checklist of mammals and birds. (AMZ03, $22.95)
It's a Jungle Up There, More Tales from the Treetops  •  Margaret Lowman  •  James Burgess  •  Edward Burgess NATURAL HISTORY •  2008 •  PAPER  • 291 PAGES Lowman's personable account, written with her two now-grown sons James and Edward, of further adventures up in the trees (and in the kitchen, balancing career and family). It's a engaging globe-skipping chronicle that takes the tropical ecologist and her family to Samoa, West Africa, Peru, Panama, India and other great habitats around the world. (NAT92, $30.00)
The Last Forest, The Future of the Amazon in the Age of Globalization  •  Mark London NATURAL HISTORY •  2007 •  HARD COVER  • 320 PAGES Part personal adventure narrative, part policy paper, London examines the fate of the Amazon with optimism. (AMZ102, $25.95)
Latin American Art  •  John F. Scott ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2000 •  PAPER  • 240 PAGES A popular survey for undergraduate art students, this general history of the arts in Latin America ranges from prehisory to the present. With illustrations, maps and a chronology. (SAM33, $29.95)
Liberators, Latin America's Struggle for Independence 1810-1830  •  Robert Harvey HISTORY •  2002 •  PAPER  • 561 PAGES An epic history of colonial Latin America, focused on the heroism and derring-do of seven legendary men in the fight for independence from Spain, including the larger-than-life figures of Venezuela's Simon Bolivar, Argentine hero General Jose de San Martin, and Chile's Bernardo O'Higgins. Harvey, a contributor to the Economist, draws on an impressive range of original sources in constructing this engaging tale. (SAM35, $18.95)
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)
Lima Map  •  Lima 2000 2006 •  MAP A full color map of Lima with index at a scale 1:37,500 (PRU29, $14.95)
Lonely Planet Peru  •  Sara Benson GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 564 PAGES In its hallmark style, this comprehensive guide to Peru features a good overview of culture, history and nature, and much nuts-and-bolts information on excursions, accomodations and sightseeing. (PRU13, $22.99)
Lonely Planet South America on a Shoestring  •  Lonely Planet GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 1148 PAGES A comprehensive, detailed practical guide to traveling in South America. With a brief general overview and country-by-country review in the Lonely Planet style of sites, attractions, and where to go and what to do. (SAM44, $33.99)
Lords, Pyramids and Replicas: Images from the North Coast of Peru  •  Silva, Mario CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2007 •  PAPER  • 130 PAGES • HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE Silva's vibrant photographs document the "neo-Moche" culture of his native northern Peru, capturing the modern interpretation of ancient iconography and its influence on everything from roadside shrines to architecture and advertising. (PRU88, $35.00)
The Lost City  •  Henry Shukman LITERATURE •  2009 •  PAPER  • 336 PAGES • COMING IN APRIL An enthralling adventure story set in the Peruvian hinterlands, this novel follows a British ex-pat in search of the ruins of a long-hidden, ancient empire. (PRU93, $15.95)
Machu Picchu  •  Barry Brukoff  •  Pablo Neruda  •  Stephen Kessler CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2001 •  HARD COVER  • 128 PAGES A handsomely produced celebration of the famed Inca site featuring photography by Barry Brukoff accompanied by a new English translation of Neruda's epic poem, with facing Spanish. With 12 color, 4 bronzetone and 46 duotone photographs which communicate the mystery and intrigue of the site nestled in the cloud forest. (PRU43, $40.00)
Machu Picchu, Unveiling the Mystery of the Incas  •  Richard L. Burger  •  Lucy C. Salazar ARCHAEOLOGY •  2008 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES A substantive, scholarly survey of the archaeology, art and culture of Machu Picchu, reflecting recent archaeological discoveries and new conclusions. The handsome book, published in conjunction with the exhibition organized by the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale, features color illustrations and descriptions of 120 gold, silver, ceramic, bone and textile works recovered at Machu Picchu. With new and archival photographs. The substantial essays accompanying the exhibit catalog include a reprint of Hiram Bingham's original 1913 report of the re-discovery in Machu Picchu and several chapters that establish the site as an Inca Royal Estate. This section concludes with a consideration of the modern significance of Machu Picchu. This book, the most substantial re-evaluation of the site in decades, would make an excellent addition to any traveler's library. Richard Burger is an archaeologist specializing in the Central Andes and director of the Peabody Museum. Archaeologist Lucy Salazar-Burger is co-editor and project manager for the exhibit. (AND35, $28.00)
The Madness of Things Peruvian, Democracy Under Seige  •  Alvaro Vargas Llosa HISTORY •  1994 •  HARD COVER  • 173 PAGES An analysis of Peruvian democracy and its failure by a journalist working on behalf of Margio Vargas Llosa's presidential campaign. (PRU26, $39.95)
Mammals of the Neotropics, The Central Neotropics: Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Vol. 3  •  John F. Eisenberg  •  Kent H. Redford REFERENCE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 610 PAGES A comprehensive survey of mammals of Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil -- covering, in detail 650 species occurring in the region from Pacific coast to the Amazon. With introductory chapters on biogeography and habitat and authoritative information on each species, including natural history, description, range and habitat. The text is much enhanced by large scale range maps and superb color plates by Fiona Reid. Aimed at the professional, this sourcebook will also appeal to anyone with a serious interest in the mammals of the region. This completes a three-volume survey of the mammals of Central and South America. (SAM30, $55.00)
The Moche  •  Garth Bawden ARCHAEOLOGY •  1999 •  PAPER  • 375 PAGES A comprehensive, scholarly overview of the ancient Moche civilization of northern coastal Peru. These are the people, known for their architecture, ceramics and metallurgy, who built Sipan in the first centuries A.D. The author is a professor of anthropology at the University of New Mexico. With some disappointing black-and-white illustrations and murky photographs. A volume in the series, The Peoples of America. (PRU56, $31.95)
Moon Handbook Peru  •  Ross Wehner  •  Renee del Gaudio GUIDEBOOK •  2004 •  PAPER  • 400 PAGES An informative guide in the popular series. (PRU58, $19.95)
Mountain of the Condor, Metaphor and Ritual in an Andean Ayllu  •  Joseph W. Bastien CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1985 •  PAPER  • 227 PAGES An account of the rituals practiced by a small community inhabiting Kaata, a sacred mountain in midwestern Bolivia. Bastien describes the significance of the mountain to the culture, and interprets the symbolism behind their thousand-year tradition. (AND28, $16.50)
Narrative of the Incas  •  Juan De Betanzos  •  Roland Hamilton  •  Dana Buchanan TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1996 •  PAPER  • 326 PAGES A contemporaneous account of the conquest and heritage of Peru from an Inca perspective, written in the 1550s. Although he was a Spaniard, De Betanzos was married to an Inca princess and recorded the oral traditions and history of her aristocratic family. For 400 years, only 18 chapters of this work were known -- the remaining 64 were not discovered until the 1980s. The language can be hardgoing. (AND39, $21.95)
Narrative Threads, Accounting and Recounting in Andean Khipu  •  Jeffre Quilter ARCHAEOLOGY •  2002 •  HARD COVER  • 391 PAGES A scholarly survey. (AND55, $45.00)
National Geographic Traveler Peru  •  Rob Rachowiecki GUIDEBOOK •  2009 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES • COMING IN FEBRUARY A compact guide featuring National Geographic's usual attention to maps and color photography. (PRU90, $25.95)
A Neotropical Companion  •  J.C. Kricher  •  Mark Plotkin NATURAL HISTORY •  1999 •  PAPER  • 536 PAGES A tropical primer aimed at the motivated general reader. It's a systematic overview of the ecology, habitats, animals, plants and ecosystems of Central and South America. For those not put off by Latin names and concepts like Batesian mimicry, this handbook is a great introduction to the region. (GPS11, $29.95)
Neotropical Rainforest Mammals, A Field Guide  •  L.H. Emmons FIELD GUIDE •  1997 •  PAPER  • 298 PAGES An illustrated guide to the mammals of the New World tropics, compact enough to slip into your daypack, with 29 color plates illustrating more than 200 species. It covers most Central and South American mammals. Even the author concedes that it's difficult to see many of the more elusive rain forest mammals but keep a close watch for the sloths -- they're marvelous, and not likely to escape in a hurry. (GPS12, $32.50)
Nova, Secrets of Lost Empires: Inca  •  Nova CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1997 •  NTSC VIDEO A 60-minute documentary on the Incas, which features footage of modern Andean villagers building a traditional suspension bridge out of grass. (PRU32, $19.95)
Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent  •  Eduardo Galeano  •  Cedric Belfrage HISTORY •  1998 •  PAPER  • 317 PAGES The 25th anniversary edition of the landmark history of plunder and exploitation in Latin America. This wrenchingly beautiful book takes for one of its central metaphors the booms and busts of the Potosí mines in the Bolivian highlands. Using local slave labor, the 16th century Spaniards took billions of dollars worth of silver from a single hillside there. The British and Americans returned to the site centuries later to mine tin for their war machine. The book also takes on the banana republics of Central America, the Amazonian rubber plantations and the numerous American invasions throughout the region. (AND26, $18.00)
Our Affair with El Nino: How We Transformed an Enchanting Peruvian Current into a Global Climate Hazard  •  S. George Philander SCIENCE •  2006 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES A geoscientist at Princeton University, Philander, outlines the meaning and global significance of the El Nino current and its impact on global weather patterns in this informative popular account. (SCI179, $22.95)
Palaces of the Ancient New World  •  Dumbarton Oaks ARCHAEOLOGY •  2005 •  HARD COVER  • 416 PAGES The proceedings of a symposium at Dumbarton Oaks, October 10-11, 1998. (PRU66, $30.00)
Pass the Butterworms, Remote Journeys Oddly Rendered  •  Tim Cahill TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1998 •  PAPER A collection of entertaining travel essays, many originally appearing in Outside Magazine. It includes Cahill's acerbic commentary on his adventures from the North Pole to Irian Jaya, Mongolia and Peru. (WLD01, $13.00)
Personal Narrative of a Journey to the Equinoctial Regions of the New Continent  •  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)
Peru Map  •  Lima 2000 MAP A well produced, colorful shaded relief map of Peru at a scale of 1:2,200,000. Imported from Peru. (PRU09, $10.95)
Peru's Indian Peoples and the Challenge of Spanish Conquest, Huamanga to 1640  •  Steve J. Stern HISTORY •  1994 •  PAPER  • 295 PAGES With a focus on the town of Ayacucho, this history chronicles the 100 years that saw the end of the Inca Empire and the beginning of Spanish dominion in the New World. Steve Stern details the economic, cultural and psychological repercussions of colonization for the indigenous Andean peoples. (PRU37, $19.95)
Peru, Ecuador Map  •  Nelles 2005 •  MAP This sturdy, double-sided travel map at a scale of 1: 2.5 million features detailed topography and insets of Quito and Lima, Cusco and Lake Titicaca. (AND69, $10.95)
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)
Rain of the Moon, Silver in Ancient Peru  •  Heidi King ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 64 PAGES Published in conjunction with an exhibition at the The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (PRU67, $19.95)
The Real Life of Alejandro Mayta  •  Mario Vargas Llosa LITERATURE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES An astute psychological portrait of a modern revolutionary and a searching account of an old friend's struggle to understand him. First published in English in 1986, the novel probes the long and checkered history of radical politics in Latin America. (AND65, $26.00)
Rough Guide Peru  •  Dilwyn Jenkins GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 608 PAGES This practical guide in the excellent British series includes an excellent historical and cultural overview. (PRU78, $21.99)
Royal Tombs of Sipan  •  Walter Alva CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1993 •  PAPER  • 229 PAGES This thoroughly illustrated, authoritative overview of Moche culture, pottery and iconography was originally conceived as the companion book to a traveling exhibition. (PRU06, $35.00)
Running the Amazon  •  Joe Kane EXPLORATION •  1990 •  PAPER  • 278 PAGES A best-selling account of a 4,000-mile Amazon expedition from high in the Peruvian Andes to the Atlantic by foot, raft and kayak. It's a tale of high adventure, corrupt border guards, itinerant drug smugglers -- and the camaraderie that develops from a difficult job well done. Only four of the original ten participants finished the journey. Much of the story takes place in the little-explored narrow canyons and rapids high above Iquitos in Peru in the headwaters of the Amazon. (AMZ13, $14.00)
Seaworthy: Adrift With William Willis in the Golden Age of Rafting  •  T. R. Pearson HISTORY •  2007 •  PAPER  • 304 PAGES The 60-year-old Willis sailed a homemade balsa-wood raft over 4,000 miles across the Pacific from Peru to American Samoa, accompanied only by a cat and a foul-mouthed parrot. (PAC174, $13.95)
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)
The Seventy Wonders of the Ancient World  •  Chris Scarre ARCHAEOLOGY •  1999 •  HARD COVER  • 304 PAGES A comprehensive, illustrated overview of the great monuments of the ancient world, much expanded from the original seven wonders to include other significant structures. With a dual focus on the monuments themselves and how they were built, the book includes among others: Petra, the Giza plateau, the Parthenon, Abu Simbel, Nazca, Easter Island, and the Great Wall. With maps, "fact files," diagrams, and photographs. (GEN92, $40.00)
Shadow of the Bear, Travels in Their Vanishing Country  •  Brian Payton NATURAL HISTORY •  2006 •  HARD COVER  • 256 PAGES (NAT100, $25.95)
The Shining Path, A History of the Millenarian War in Peru  •  Robin Kirk  •  Gustavo Gorriti HISTORY •  1998 •  PAPER  • 290 PAGES An in-depth, compelling account of the 15-year guerilla war that spread from the mountains of Peru, and especially of the key period between 1980 and 1982. Gorriti, a Peruvian journalist and winner of an International Press Freedom Award, displays his formidable talents and his legendary courage in this extended investigative report on the Sendero Luminoso. (PRU41, $29.95)
Signs of the Inka Khipu, Binary Coding in the Andean Knotted-String Records  •  Gary Urton ARCHAEOLOGY •  2003 •  PAPER  • 216 PAGES A scholarly survey. (AND58, $21.95)
The Smithsonian Atlas of the Amazon  •  Michael Goulding  •  Ronaldo Barthem  •  Efrem Ferreira NATURAL HISTORY •  2003 •  HARD COVER  • 254 PAGES An illustrated atlas of the 4000-mile-long river, including its major tributaries, with 150 full color maps and 300 photographs. Michael Goulding (Floods of Fortune) and Brazilian biologists Ronaldo Barthem and Efrem Ferreira provide the accompanying text. Organized geographically, with chapters on major tributaries and drainage basins in Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela. (AMZ82, $39.95)
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)
South America, The Andes Map  •  Nelles 2005 •  MAP A double-sided map covering the full range of the Andes and Pacific coast of South America from the Panama Canal to Tierra del Fuego at a scale of 1:4,500,000. With good topographic detail, roads, a separate map of Cusco/Machu Picchu and city maps (from north to south) of Bogota, Quito, La Paz, Lima, Arica, Antofogasta, Iquique, la Serena, Santiago and the Santiago metropolitan area. (SAM47, $10.95)
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)
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, $17.00)
The Tambopata-Candamo Reserved Zone of Southeastern Peru, A Biological Assessment  •  Robin B. Foster NATURAL HISTORY •  1995 •  PAPER  • 192 PAGES The result of a "Rapid Assessment Program" survey by a multidisciplinary team, this book catalogs the biological resources of the Tambopata River, south of Puerto Maldonado in the upper Amazon of Peru. The well studied Explorer's Inn is just downstream of the study area. With maps, line drawings, and detailed animal checklists by region (scientific names only). (PRU17, $19.95)
Textiles of Ancient Peru and Their Techniques  •  Raoul d'Harcourt CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2002 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES A reprint of a 1934 classic featuring hundreds of black-and-white photographs and drawings. This book, invaluable for anyone with a strong interest in ancient Peruvian textiles and how they were made, includes sections on materials, dyes, looms, both woven and non-woven fabrics, trim, and ornament. Translated from French. (AND44, $26.95)
Trail of Feathers, In Search of the Birdmen of Peru  •  Tahir Shah TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 273 PAGES A rollicking search for the origins of Inca birdman legends. Shah tracks down shamans, visits Machu Picchu, ventures out to Lake Titicaca, tackles the myths of the Nasca lines and takes hallucinogens with the Shuar in the Amazon. It's quite a tale, informative, much enlivened by eccentric characters and incident. An Afghani raised in England (where he still lives), Shah has written widely on the Middle East, Central Asia, Africa, and South America. (PRU49, $13.95)
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)
Trekking and Climbing in the Andes  •  Val Pitkethly  •  Kate Harper GUIDEBOOK •  2009 •  PAPER  • 192 PAGES A compact guide to 26 treks and 18 climbing peaks in Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina. With 110 color photos and 60 maps. (AND34, $20.00)
Tschiffely's Ride  •  Aime Tschiffely TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 296 PAGES The classic account of a remarkable, 10,000-mile journey across the Andes, pampas, deserts and tropical forest of South and Central America and across the United States from Buenos Aires to Washington D.C. Astoundingly, Tschiffely, a Swiss teacher who had been living in Buenos Aires, made the epic trek with the same two delightful, determined and hardy (and much loved) gaucho horses, Mancha and Gato. Tschiffely, though he protests that he is no writer, captures the people, landscape of the personality of places along the way in vivid, down-to-earth detail. He was also head-over-heels in love with the horses (a breed called the Argentine Criollo which he helped to popularize), as is clear from the book and the 1951 epilogue included in this edition. (SAM45, $24.95)
Twentieth-Century Latin American Poetry, A Bilingual Anthology  •  Stephen Tapscott LITERATURE •  1996 •  PAPER  • 418 PAGES A scholarly anthology of 400 poems, presented in the original language (Spanish or Portuguese) and English. Selections include poems from Octavio Paz, Pablo Neruda, Jorge Luis Borges, Gabriela Mistral, Julio Cortazar and Carlos Drummond de Andrade. Eighty-five poets are represented in all. With an introduction to the many traditions of 20th-century poety in Latin America, and biographical notes on each poet. (SAM28, $27.95)
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)
Us and Them, Archaeology and Ethnicity in the Andes  •  Richard Reycraft ARCHAEOLOGY •  2005 •  PAPER  • 242 PAGES A collection of scholarly review articles. (AND56, $40.00)
The Virgin of the Andes: Art and Ritual in Colonial Cuzco  •  Carol Damian ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1995 •  HARD COVER  • 114 PAGES This handsome book, both scholarly and well-illustrated, explores the cross-culural fertilization of European and indigenous styles that developed in the highlands of Peru. With chapters on Inka ritual and belief, Pachamama and the female deities of the Andes, artists and workshops in Cuzco, and the Virgin of the Andes. With 40 color plates. Carol Damian teaches Pre-Columbian, Colonial, Spanish and Contemporary Latin American Art. (AND49, $48.00)
War By Candlelight, Stories  •  Daniel Alarcon LITERATURE •  2006 •  PAPER  • 224 PAGES Peruvian-American Alarcon's debut collection of nine stories, six set in Peru, three in New York City. He writes of natural disaster, difficulties and relationships. (PRU61, $12.95)
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, $24.95)
Women of the Four Winds  •  Elizabeth Olds BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1999 •  PAPER  • 336 PAGES Former president of the Society of Women Geographers, journalist Olds rescues four extraordinary 20th-century American women from obscurity in this collection of four short, lively biographies. All showed remarkable courage and perseverance. She includes Annie Smith Peck, a climber who was the first American and first woman to summit Huascaran in Peru (at age 60); Delia Akeley, an African explorer and big game hunter who more than kept up with her famous husband; Marguerite Harrison, an American spy in Lubianka prison in Soviet Russia; and Louise Arner Boyd who capped a lifetime of Arctic exploration with a flight over the North Pole at age 67. Originally published in 1985. (EXP19, $21.95)
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, $12.95)
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, Lêda Leitão Martins, John Peters, and Terence Turner. (SAM67, $22.95)
Yawar Fiesta  •  Jose Maria Arguedas LITERATURE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 200 PAGES A poetic novel of class and race relations in the Peruvian Andes in the first half of the 20th century. Arguedas, who learned Quechua from household servants as a child, was an impassioned advocate of cultural autonomy for indigenous peoples. This edition includes the author's essay (written 18 years after the novel): Puquio: A Culture in the Process of Change. Rich in the textures of daily life in the Andes, Arguedas invented a language that mixed Spanish and Quechua syntax, making it difficult to translate. Frances Horning Barraclough (who also translated Deep Rivers) captures the rhythms of the original. (PRU42, $14.50)
Yuraq Janka: Guide to the Peruvian Andes, Cordilleras Blanca and Rosko  •  John Ricker GUIDEBOOK •  1995 •  PAPER  • 192 PAGES A detailed climbing guide with route descriptions, a section of color-photographs, and accompanying 1:100,000 scale maps on two sheets. The book covers geology, glaciation, routes, weather and climate in the Cordilleras Blanca. (PRU44, $12.95)