COSTA RICA
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501 Spanish Verbs  •  Christopher Kendris
LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS •  2010 •  PAPER  • 728 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)
  501 Spanish Verbs
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, $29.95)
  Amphibians and Reptiles of La Selva, Costa Rica, and the Caribbean Slope
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)
  The Art of Mesoamerica, from Olmec to Aztec
Breaking Out of Beginner's Spanish  •  Joseph Keenan
LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS •  1994 •  PAPER  • 215 PAGES
Idioms, common mistakes in word usage, and other helpful advice on tackling spoken Spanish. You'll need some foundation to take full advantage of this book -- but even a complete novice will appreciate the author's playful sense of humor and willingness to humiliate himself in order to master the language. It will encourage you to do the same. Beware, he includes a lengthy list of obscene words as well as horrendous examples of English words adopted in Spanish. (CAM06, $19.95)
  Breaking Out of Beginner's Spanish
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 Buried Mirror
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, $39.95)
 
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, $30.00)
  Coffee and Power, Revolution and the Rise of Democracy in Central America
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)
  Coral Reef Fishes
Costa Rica Adventure Guide  •  Bruce & June Conord
GUIDEBOOK •  2005 •  PAPER  • 360 PAGES
A detailed, comprehensive practical guide to nature, culture and travel in Costa Rica. Bruce and June Conord, inveterate travelers with a specialty in Latin America, have also written the Adventure Guide to the Yucatan, Cancun and Cozumel. (CRC33, $17.99)
  Costa Rica Adventure Guide
Costa Rica in Focus  •  Tjabel Daling
GUIDEBOOK •  2002 •  PAPER  • 82 PAGES
A concise guide to the people, politics, economy and culture of Costa Rica. The author explores the history of democracy since the abolition of the army in 1948, economic doldrums of the 1980s, and impact of tourism. With a selection of photographs and suggestions on where to go and what to do. (CRC28, $12.95)
  Costa Rica in Focus
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. Two Sides. 20x26 inches. (CRC21, $10.95)
 
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)
 
Cruising Guide to the Leeward Islands  •  Chris Doyle  •  Nancy Scott
GUIDEBOOK •  2004 •  PAPER  • 448 PAGES
A convenient, spiral-bound guide to anchorages, harbors and navigation from Anguilla to Dominica, including GPS coordinates and sketch maps. (CRB132, $29.95)
  Cruising Guide to the Leeward Islands
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)
  Culture Smart! Costa Rica
Eastern Caribbean Cruise Tour Guide  •  Coastal Cruise Tour Guides
2000 •  MAP
A handy guide and booklet that unfolds to a six-foot-long full color map. Designed for the ship-based traveler, it features historical background, visitor attractions and maps of all the islands from Puerto Rico to Trinidad. Two Sides. 12x72 inches. (CRB135, $15.95)
  Eastern Caribbean Cruise Tour Guide
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 •  2010 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES
This superb guide, divided geographically, features color photographs, dozens of excellent maps and a strong focus on wildlife. (CRC43, $25.00)
  Eyewitness Guide Costa Rica
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)
  Field Guide to Mexican Birds
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, $99.95)
  Flowering Plants of the Neotropics
Fodor's Costa Rica  •  Fodor's
GUIDEBOOK •  2012 •  PAPER  • 640 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, $21.99)
  Fodor's Costa Rica
Footprint Mexico & Central America Handbook  •  Sarah Cameron  •  Ben Box
GUIDEBOOK •  2009 •  PAPER  • 1520 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, $27.95)
  Footprint Mexico & Central America Handbook
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, $60.00)
  Four Neotropical Rainforests
Frommer's Costa Rica  •  Eliot Greenspan
GUIDEBOOK •  2009 •  PAPER  • 512 PAGES
A practical travel guide featuring excellent annotated listings of what to do and where to eat and sleep. With maps, color photos and suggested excursions. (CRC38, $21.99)
  Frommer's Costa Rica
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, $21.95)
  The Green Pharmacy
Green Phoenix, Restoring Tropical Forests of Guanacaste, Costa Rica  •  William Allen
SCIENCE •  2003 •  PAPER  • 336 PAGES
In a welcome contrast to most of the news about the destruction of tropical rainforests, William Allen tells the story of the successful re-forestation of some 463 square miles of land and 290 miles of marine area in northwest Costa Rica: the Guanacaste Conservation Area. A team of both Costa Rican and American scientists came together to accomplish this feat, documented in vivid, compelling prose. (CAM77, $50.00)
 
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, $55.00)
  A Guide to the Birds of Panama with Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Honduras
In Search of the Golden Frog  •  Marty Crump
BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2000 •  HARD COVER  • 312 PAGES
Crump, a herpetologist, conservationist and mother, tells of her 30 years of field work in Costa Rica, Brazil, Ecuador and Argentina. An entertaining memoir, written with a light touch, it combines the personal with the scientific. (CON18, $27.00)
  In Search of the Golden Frog
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, $20.00)
 
Lonely Planet Costa Rica  •  Mara Vorhees
GUIDEBOOK •  2010 •  PAPER  • 608 PAGES
A practical guide in the popular series, featuring a wildlife guide, adventure travel section and 32 pages of full-color photographs. (CRC19, $21.99)
  Lonely Planet Costa Rica
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 Maya Tropical Forest: Peoples, Parks and Ancient Cities
Moon Handbook Costa Rica  •  Christopher P. Baker
GUIDEBOOK •  2011 •  PAPER  • 696 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. (CRC06, $21.99)
  Moon Handbook Costa Rica
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)
  The Mosquito Coast
National Geographic Costa Rica  •  Christopher P. Baker
GUIDEBOOK •  2009 •  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)
  National Geographic Costa Rica
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, $30.00)
  A Naturalist's Guide to the Tropics
Nothing to Declare  •  Mary Morris
TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 250 PAGES • FAVORITE • COMING IN
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, $15.00)
  Nothing to Declare
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. Two Sides. 24x36 inches. (CAM45, $9.95)
  The Panama Canal Map
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)
  Pimsleur Quick & Simple Spanish
Reef Fish Identification Caribbean  •  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)
  Reef Fish Identification Caribbean
Rough Guide Central America  •  Peter Eltringham
GUIDEBOOK •  2011 •  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, $26.99)
  Rough Guide Central America
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)
  Rough Guide Costa Rica
Sailor's Guide to the Windward Islands, Martinique to Grenada  •  Chris Doyle
GUIDEBOOK •  2010 •  PAPER  • 400 PAGES
Revised and updated for 2011-2012, this guide features detailed sketch charts based on the author's own surveys, and aerial photos of most anchorages. It also includes clear and concise navigational information. By far the most popular guide to the area, it covers the islands from Martinique to Grenada, with dazzling scenic photography, unsurpassed onshore information, sections on exploring, provisioning, water sports, services, restaurants and photography. Information is linked to the author's website where you can download town maps, GPS waypoints from the sketch charts, and obtain links to local weather, news and more. (CRB134, $29.95)
  Sailor's Guide to the Windward Islands, Martinique to Grenada
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)
  Snakes, The Evolution of Mystery in Nature
Snorkeling Guide to Marine Life  •  Paul Humann
FIELD GUIDE •  1995 •  PAPER  • 80 PAGES
A compact guide illustrating all the fishes, corals, invertebrates and plants you are most likely to encounter in less than 15 feet of water in the Caribbean. Humann's photographs are among the best we've seen for identification -- and its handy size makes it perfect to take along in the boat or to the beach. (DIV02, $14.95)
  Snorkeling Guide to Marine Life
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, $24.95)
  Spanish, Start Speaking Today! (Cassette Tapes)
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)
  Spirits of the Jaguar
The Tapir's Morning Bath  •  Elizabeth Royte
SCIENCE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 336 PAGES
Subtitled "Mysteries of the Tropical Rain Forest and the Scientists Who Are Trying to Solve Them," this books is an engaging account of ecological research and ecologists at Barro Colorado Island, the Smithsonian Institution's Tropical Research Station in Panama. Royte, a journalist and research-assistant-at-large, is an entertaining and insightful guide to flora, fauna and science. (AMZ74, $18.95)
  The Tapir's Morning Bath
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)
  Travelers' Tales Central America
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)
  The True History of Chocolate
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)
  The University of Chicago Dictionary, Spanish-English/English-Spanish
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)
  The Windward Road, Adventures of A Naturalist on Remote Caribbean Shores

 
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