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)
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 Nation Divided  •  Ralph Lee Woodward HISTORY •  1999 •  PAPER  • 448 PAGES A balanced standard history of the region -- popular as a university textbook and thoroughly revised to reflect the momentous events in the region since 1976. With an extensive guide to further reading. (CAM80, $37.95)
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)
Century of the Wind (Memory of Fire Trilogy, Part 3)  •  Cedric Belfrage  •  Eduardo Galeano HISTORY •  1998 •  PAPER  • 315 PAGES The last of a three-volume history of the Americas composed entirely of short vignettes, this one covers the 20th Century, chiefly the many U.S. incursions into Latin America, anecdotes from the lives of figures like Sandino, Pancho Villa, Che Guevara, Frida Kahlo, and Eva Peron, and meditations on the way events like Auschwitz and Hiroshima have resonated throughout the new world. Lyrical, emminently readable and easy to skim for geographic areas of particular interest. (CAM66, $15.95)
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 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)
Footprint Mexico & Central America Handbook  •  Sarah Cameron  •  Ben Box GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 1364 PAGES The classic, comprehensive guide to the region, over 1,200 pages of densely printed information on excursions, food and accommodation throughout the region. Updated annually. An excellent planning guide, it includes maps and an overview of each country. (MEX64, $24.95)
Footprint Nicaragua  •  Richard Leonardi  •  Richard Arghiris GUIDEBOOK •  2008 •  PAPER  • 352 PAGES A sturdy practical guide in the British Footprint series, featuring in-depth practical information, 42 sketch maps and an overview of history and culture. (CAM135, $24.95)
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)
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)
Lonely Planet Nicaragua & El Salvador  •  Paige Penland  •  Gary Chandler  •  Liza Prado GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 520 PAGES This practical guide to Nicaragua and El Salvador features maps, a good overview of culture, history and nature, and much nuts-and-bolts information on accommodations and sightseeing. (CAM116, $19.99)
The Maya  •  Michael Coe ARCHAEOLOGY •  2005 •  PAPER  • 272 PAGES A clear, concise introduction to Maya archaeology and culture by a leading authority. A volume in the series, "Ancient Peoples and Places," this short book highlights the chronology, accomplishments and legacy of the Maya. Seventh edition. (MYA10, $22.50)
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)
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)
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)
Spanish, Start Speaking Today! (Cassette Tapes)  •  Educational Services Corporation LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS •  CASETTE TAPE A 90-minute crash course in Spanish featured in two audio tapes and a phrasebook packaged in a vinyl sleeve. Geared for travelers, the course follows the foreign service method -- which focuses on dialogues and useful sentences instead of individual words. In each case, an English phrase is spoken once, and repeated in Spanish twice. Topics include introductions, transportation, business and health. A version with compact discs is also available (SPN219). (SPN140, $21.95)
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)
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)
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)