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)
Brazil Bolivia Paraguay Uruguay Map  •  Reise & Verkehrsverlag MAP A colorful, folded map of Atlantic South America stretching from the northern border of Brazil to Buenos Aires, at a scale of 1:4,000,000. (SAM39, $15.95)
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)
The Fall of Che Guevara  •  Henry Butterfield Ryan HISTORY •  1999 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES An analysis, using recently declassified CIA and State Department documents, of United States intervention in Bolivia in 1966-67. The author concludes that the U.S., while opposed to Guevara's insurgency, did not participate in his execution. (BOL15, $45.00)
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)
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)
Magical Sites, Women Travelers in 19th Century Latin America  •  Marjorie Agosin TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES A lively treasury of accounts written by women -- from French nuns to upper-crust Europeans -- who traveled across Latin America in the 19th century . Some of the journals were discovered in a convent library in Santiago by the editor, a Chilean-born poet, activist and scholar who lives and teaches in the US. (SAM29, $17.00)
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)
Modern Latin America  •  Thomas E. Skidmore  •  Peter Smith HISTORY •  2005 •  PAPER  • 466 PAGES A succinct history of 20th-century Latin America, extensively revised for this fifth edition. After setting the stage, the authors devote chapters to Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Peru, Mexico, Cuba, Central America and the Caribbean. It concludes with an analysis of the region and prognosis for the future. A popular text for college courses, this lively book offers much to the general reader. First published in 1984. (SAM23, $52.95)
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)
The Pantanal: Understanding and Preserving the World's Largest Wetland  •  Frederick A. Swarts NATURAL HISTORY •  2000 •  PAPER  • 301 PAGES The proceedings of an international conference on conservation in the Pantanal, published by the Wetlands Research Institute. The 29 scholarly papers include presentations on the region's geology, economic development and outlook for the future. With tables, maps, charts, mostly black-and-white photographs. (BZL23, $19.95)
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)
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 Music Bolivia  •  Various Artists MUSIC •  2005 •  AUDIO CD A carefully chosen sampling of the diverse sounds of Bolivia. Features the mesmerizing conjunto folklorico, a modern genre that couples European string instruments with Andean flutes. Also includes nueva cancion, taquirari and the vibrant sounds of the Bolivian Carnival. (BOL21, $14.95)
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, $16.95)
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)
Travelers' Tales, A Woman's World  •  Dervla Murphy  •  Marybeth Bond ANTHOLOGY •  2003 •  PAPER  • 430 PAGES A sampling eyewitness accounts of journeys to Bolivia, Pakistan, Antarctica and other far-flung destinations, each 8-10 pages, with selections from the young and old, veteran and novice travelers, including Barbara Grizzuti Harrison, Gretel Ehrlich, Pam Houston, Robyn Davidson and Mary Morris. The indomitable Dervla Murphy provides an introduction. Organized thematically, the stories reflect the experience of being a woman around the world, the risks and rewards of traveling, and the writer's personal expectations and discoveries. (GEN99, $18.95)
Travelers' Tales, Women in the Wild  •  Lucy McCauley TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2004 •  PAPER  • 292 PAGES Tales of climbing Mt. Everest, swimming Lake Titicaca, rescuing endangered animals in Vietnam, wild-river rafting in Borneo, and other inspiring adventures, written by women who made the incredible journeys. Includes selections by notable figures Jane Goodall, Annie Dillard, Terry Tempest Williams, Alice Walker, Robyn Davidson, Gretel Ehrlich, Louise Erdrich and Tracy Johnston. (GEN100, $17.95)
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)
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)