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)
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)
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 Birds of Tikal, An Annotated Checklist  •  Randall Beavers FIELD GUIDE •  1992 •  PAPER  • 153 PAGES The serious birder will find this annotated list of birds found at Tikal a useful adjunct to a field guide. With a 40-page introduction to the region, a few black-and-white photographs, checklist and notes. (GML08, $12.95)
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)
The Code of Kings, The Language of Seven Sacred Maya Temples and Tombs  •  Linda Schele  •  Peter Mathews ARCHAEOLOGY •  1999 •  PAPER  • 432 PAGES A vivid guided survey of seven Maya sites, including Palenque, Tikal and Chichen Itza. This outstanding book features photos and line drawings throughout, and introductory chapters with a succinct introduction to Maya history and culture. Mayanists Schele and Mathews draw on recently found hieroglyphic writing to reveal the life -- and individual personalities -- of the ancient cities. Although it's not a beautiful book, marred by small print and lack of color, this book is still an essential companion to visiting Tikal, Palenque, Copan, Seibal, Chich'en Itza, Uxmal or Iximche'. (MYA13, $22.00)
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)
The Control of Nature  •  John McPhee NATURAL HISTORY •  1989 •  PAPER  • 272 PAGES A bestseller in the classic McPhee tradition, this book explores our generally feeble attempts to combat all-powerful nature. Interweaving solid science, interviews and observation, he chronicles the army corps of engineers and their efforts to control the Mississippi, Icelanders and their attempts to control the flow of a volcano, and Angelinos and how they cope with the ever-present threat of seismic destruction. A national treasure, no one explains geology and geologists like McPhee. Like most of his work, these vintage essays originally appeared in the "New Yorker." (NAT01, $16.00)
Copan, The History of an Ancient Maya Kingdom  •  William L Fash  •  E. Wyllys Andrews ARCHAEOLOGY •  2004 •  PAPER The proceedings of a seminar, co-chaired by E. Wyllys Andrews, Tulane University and William L. Fash, Northern Illinois University, in October 1994 at the School of American Ressearch in Santa Fe. Fash is the author of Scribes, Warriors and Kings: The City of Copan and the Ancient Maya. (CAM105, $29.95)
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)
Divided Soul, A Journey Through the Secular and Religious in Hispanic Life  •  David Alan Harvey CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2003 •  HARD COVER  • 176 PAGES A culmination of a photographer's two decade quest to capture the Hispanic spirit on film from its Spanish roots to its diaspora in the New World. (SPN191, $49.95)
The Ecology of a Tropical Forest, Seasonal Rhythms and Long-term Changes  •  Egbert G. Leigh, Jr NATURAL HISTORY •  1996 •  PAPER  • 503 PAGES A summary of research at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute on Barro Colorado Island (which is right in the middle of the Panama Canal). This book, first published in 1982 and revised with a new forward in 1996, is a good overview of the flora, fauna and ecology of the region. (CAM52, $35.00)
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 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)
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)
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)
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 Panama with Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Honduras  •  Robert Ridgely  •  J.A. Gwynne FIELD GUIDE •  1992 •  PAPER  • 534 PAGES A comprehensive field guide, recently updated and masterfully researched. This sturdy edition covers additional species occurring in Nicaragua, Honduras, and Costa Rica -- and a handy checklist by country. We like the descriptions and color plates better than "Birds of Costa Rica" (which is also very good). (CAM07, $49.95)
In Search of Robinson Crusoe  •  Tim Severin TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2003 •  PAPER  • 352 PAGES A quest to find the real seafarer that inspired Defoe's fictional hero is the motivation behind this unusual travelogue. As he follows in the wake of 17th-century pirates and adventures, Severin proves that the travels that Defoe modeled his tale after were in the Caribbean, not the Pacific. He also challenges the long held assumption that Alexander Selkirk was Crusoe's real-life counterpart. A master of retracing old journeys, Severin is also the author of The Brendan Voyage (ARC77) and The Spice Islands (INS82). (PAC130, $16.95)
Lightning Warrior, Maya Art and Kingship at Quirigua  •  Matthew G. Looper ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2003 •  HARD COVER  • 265 PAGES A scholarly survey of the remarkable stelae at the Maya city in Guatemala and nearby Copan in the The Linda Schele Series in Maya and Pre-Columbian Studies published by the University of Texas Press. (MYA43, $50.00)
The Massacre at El Mozote: A Parable of the Cold War  •  Mark Danner HISTORY •  1994 •  PAPER A brilliant piece of investigative journalism, this book reconstructs the 1981 massacre of 800 men, women and children in a remote Salvadoran village by an elite American trained army battalion. It shows how the Reagan administration made the problem go away -- and how the press was complicit in the cover-up. In the end one is left with what the historian Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. called "A powerful indictment of our national capacity to betray our own noblest ideals when we claim the right to decide the destiny of other countries." The "New Yorker" magazine devoted an entire issue to it. (CAM67, $14.95)
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)
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)
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)
Nothing to Declare, Memoirs of a Woman Traveling Alone  •  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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
Trees of Paradise and Pillars of the World, The Serial Stelae Cycle of 18-Rabbit-God K, King of Copan  •  Elizabeth A. Newsome ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2001 •  HARD COVER A scholarly overview of Copan's famous stelae in the Linda Schele Series in Maya and Pre-Columbian Studies published by the University of Texas Press. (MYA45, $45.00)
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)