Amphibians and Reptiles of La Selva, Costa Rica, and the Caribbean Slope  •  Craig Guyer  •  Maureen A. Donnelly FIELD GUIDE •  2004 •  PAPER  • 420 PAGES This comprehensive guide, intended for the field, covers all the frogs, lizards, snakes, and other reptiles and amphibians of the Caribbean slope. (CRB177, $24.95)
The Art of Mesoamerica, from Olmec to Aztec  •  Mary Ellen Miller ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2006 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES Miller, a professor at Yale, introduces the range of art produced in Central America and Mexico from 1500 BC to the Spanish conquest in this excellent survey in the popular World of Art series. It's an excellent survey of hundreds of objects and sites of the pre-Columbian world, compact and profusely illustrated. With drawings, black-and-white photographs and site plans. Fourth edition. (MYA09, $21.95)
Birds of Tropical America  •  Steven Hilty NATURAL HISTORY •  2005 •  PAPER  • 312 PAGES An ornithologist and veteran leader of birding expeditions, Hilty serves up short essays on how to find and better appreciate the dizzying variety of neotropical birds, their habits and habitats, diversity and distribution in this favorite book. This is not a field guide, but rather a natural history and an introduction to antbirds, flycatchers, manikins and other typical bird families. With 11 lovely pencil illustrations by Mimi Hoppe Wolfe. Originally published in 1994, this new edition is updated with new references. (CAM39, $19.95)
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)
The Butterflies of Costa Rica and Their Natural History, Vol. 2  •  P. Devries FIELD GUIDE •  1997 •  PAPER  • 368 PAGES The second volume of Devries' comprehensive study of butterflies covers 250 species in the family Riodinidae. (CRC09, $55.00)
Coffee and Power, Revolution and the Rise of Democracy in Central America  •  Jeffery M. Paige HISTORY •  1998 •  PAPER  • 448 PAGES Panoramic in scope, this scholarly history examines the emerging democracies of Central America and especially the political impact on powerful families who control coffee production. The author combines exhaustive historical research, covering the last 30 years, with wide-ranging interviews. (CAM50, $26.00)
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)
Costa Rica Highway and Road Map  •  Jimenez & Tanzi 2006 •  MAP A handsome and exceptionally clear map of Costa Rica at a scale of 1:500,000, with a locator map of protected areas, 10 city maps, distance chart and travel informartion (in Spanish and English). The maps also provides GPS coordinates. (CRC07, $11.95)
Costa Rica Map  •  Borch Maps 2006 •  MAP A sturdy laminated road map of Costa Rica at a scale of 1:650,000, featuring an inset of San Jose. (CRC21, $10.95)
Costa Rica Reader: History, Culture, Politics  •  Steven Palmer  •  Ivan Molina ANTHOLOGY •  2004 •  PAPER  • 392 PAGES A lively, literate sourcebook on the politics, economy and society of Costa Rica, with selections ranging from historical accounts to newspaper articles, essays, memoir excerpts and modern analysis. Most of the 50 selections are written by Costa Ricans, much of it translated into English for the first time. A volume the excellent series of Latin American Readers, aimed at students, travelers and scholars. (CRC40, $24.95)
The Costa Ricans  •  Richard Biesanz CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1988 •  PAPER  • 254 PAGES The people and social history of Costa Rica based on interviews conducted by Richard, Karen and Mavis Biesanz in the 1970s. It's a a good comprehensive overview of the country, somewhat dated and intended for a scholarly audience. (CRC17, $13.50)
Culture Smart! Costa Rica  •  Jane Koutnik GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 168 PAGES A concise, well-illustrated and practical guide to local customs, etiquette and culture. (CRC45, $9.95)
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)
Eyewitness Guide Costa Rica  •  Eyewitness Guides GUIDEBOOK •  2005 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES This superb guide, divided geographically, features color photographs, dozens of excellent maps and a strong focus on wildlife. (CRC43, $25.00)
Field Guide to Mexican Birds  •  Roger Tory Peterson  •  Edward Chalif FIELD GUIDE •  1973 •  PAPER  • 298 PAGES This easy-to-carry field guide covers 1,000 birds that have been reported in Mexico, Belize and El Salvador but only illustrates those species not already included in one of the Peterson North American bird guides, which you may also want to carry. The guide also covers northwest Costa Rica. (FG12, $22.00)
Fodor's Costa Rica  •  Fodor's GUIDEBOOK •  2008 •  PAPER  • 352 PAGES A practical, frequently revised guide in the popular series, especially useful for its extensive annotated listings of suggested places to stay and eat. (CRC12, $19.95)
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)
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)
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, $16.00)
The Jaguar Smile, A Nicaraguan Journey  •  Salman Rushdie TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2008 •  PAPER  • 160 PAGES Rushdie's account of visit to the country at the height of the Contra war goes underneath the headlines. It's a cultural portrait -- simple, straightforward and "Written with a novelist's eye for irony," wrote the "New York Times." (CAM43, $14.00)
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)
Moon Handbook Costa Rica  •  Christopher P. Baker GUIDEBOOK •  2004 •  PAPER  • 820 PAGES A great resource for the independent traveler, this guide features a thorough introduction to the land, history and culture Costa Rica, as well as astonishing practical detail on getting around, where to go, and where to stay. It has a few unobtrusive color plates, as well as a small fold-out map on the inside back cover. (CRC06, $21.95)
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)
National Geographic Traveler Costa Rica  •  Christopher P. Baker GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 272 PAGES A guidebook to Costa Rica, published by National Geographic in their attractive, visual style. The guide features 200 photographs, 20 maps and good information history, nature, culture and travel in Costa Rica. By the indomitable Christopher Baker. (CRC26, $22.95)
The New Key to Costa Rica  •  Beatrice Blake  •  Anne Becher GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 560 PAGES A comprehensive, frequently revised guide to Costa Rica with excellent information on hotels, restaurants and excursions throughout the country. Welcome attention is paid to regard for the environment and local community. The best overall guide to Costa Rica for the nature-oriented independent traveler. Co-author Beatrice Blake also publishes keytocostarica.com. 18th Edition! (CAM36, $19.95)
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)
The Panama Canal Map  •  Compass 2001 •  MAP A full color, double-sided map and historical guide to the Panama Canal. Brightly colored and rather schematic, it nonetheless features a good overview of the route of the canal, pictures and information. The map of the route is at a scale of 1:85,000. (CAM45, $9.95)
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)
Reef Fish Identification  •  Paul Humann FIELD GUIDE •  2002 •  FLEXI-BOUND  • 400 PAGES The serious underwater enthusiast will enjoy Paul Humann's Reef Fish Identification, a 400-page essential reference with 670 color photographs. It includes all the fishes associated with Atlantic Ocean reefs along with those of neighboring marine habitats and several first-ever photographs of elusive species. (DIV03, $39.95)
Rough Guide Costa Rica  •  Jean McNeil GUIDEBOOK •  2008 •  PAPER  • 448 PAGES This compact guide includes an excellent historical and cultural overview of Costa Rica, paying special attention to its natural history. It's otherwise an opinionated, thorough 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. (CRC13, $21.99)
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)
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)
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 Windward Road, Adventures of A Naturalist on Remote Caribbean Shores  •  Archie Carr NATURAL HISTORY •  1979 •  PAPER  • 266 PAGES Originally published in 1956, this book is a delightful record of people and islands. Nominally the story of his adventures in search of sea turtles, the book ranges over wide territory, including Tobago and Costa Rica. (CRB08, $16.95)