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)
Animal, The Definitive Visual Guide to the World's Wildlife  •  Don E. Wilson  •  David Burnie NATURAL HISTORY •  2005 •  PAPER  • 624 PAGES A giant reference to wildlife throughout the world, compiled by the Smithsonian and a group of zoologists. From insects, marine life and amphibians to birds and mammals, it runs the gamut. While, obviously, not all of the Earth's recorded species could be catalogued, the book does an admirable job introducing a wide and varied selection, not to mention the fact that the numerous photographs are superb. (BST80, $25.00)
Ariel  •  Carlos Fuentes  •  José Enrique Rodó HISTORY •  1988 •  PAPER  • 156 PAGES Written in 1900, this is Latin America's influential essay on culture, democracy and aesthetics. Whatever one think of the author's blind faith in the march of progress, Carlos Fuentes is right in calling this "an essential book in the protracted Latin American search for identity." (ARG16, $18.95)
Bel Canto  •  Ann Patchett LITERATURE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 336 PAGES Fifty-seven men -- and a famous American opera singer, the only woman, find themselves trapped in the president's mansion with a group of terrorists. It may not be the most likely setting for a romance but that's, in part what you get in Ann Patchett's fourth, utterly absorbing novel (inspired by the stand off some years ago in Lima, Peru). (SAM46, $13.95)
Blue at the Mizzen  •  Patrick O'Brian LITERATURE •  2000 •  PAPER  • 272 PAGES In this, the last exciting episode of the series, Captain Aubrey's crew sails to South America to help Chile gain independence from Spain. (CHI33, $14.95)
Born in Blood and Fire, A Concise History of Latin America  •  John Charles Chasteen HISTORY •  2001 •  PAPER  • 352 PAGES A lively brief survey of the history of Latin America from the conquisadors to NAFTA, written for undergraduates. The author avoids a chronological march through the decades, and instead follows common themes of conquest, slavery, and outside influence in a series of vivid essays. Castro, Borges, Rivera and Peron all make an appearance. (SAM38, $39.25)
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)
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)
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)
Children of Cain: Violence and the Violent in Latin America  •  Tina Rosenberg CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1992 •  PAPER Rosenberg is a fearless journalist who spent five years all over Latin America sitting by the pool with death squad financiers and getting inside the heads of professional torturers and assasins. (She also talks to their victims.) The result is a lively, penetrating study of what makes a society turn violent, and the peculiar logic of cruelty. (SAM21, $17.00)
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)
Conquest of the Incas  •  John Hemming HISTORY •  1970 •  PAPER  • 641 PAGES A masterful, prize-winning history of the Inca struggle against the Spanish invasion. This classic account, by one of the best writers on South America, brings together wide-ranging scholarly material in the interests of telling a good story. With a chronology, family tree, bibliography, notes and references. (AND04, $25.00)
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)
Faces and Masks (Memory of Fire Trilogy, Part 2)  •  Cedric Belfrage  •  Eduardo Galeano HISTORY •  1998 •  PAPER  • 290 PAGES Part two of a three-volume history of the Americas composed entirely of short vignettes, this volume extends from the 1700s through the independence wars of the last century. Lyrical, emminently readable and easy to skim for the geographic areas of particular interest. Lyrical, emminently readable and easy to skim for the geographic areas of particular interest. (SAM19, $15.95)
The Far Side of the World  •  Patrick O'Brian LITERATURE •  1992 •  PAPER  • 366 PAGES This tale, set in 1812, features a trip around Cape Horn, as Stephen Maturin, Patrick O'Brian's wonderful opium-addicted naturalist, explores the New World with his pal Jack Aubrey. If you haven't yet been introduced to O'Brian's vivid portraits of Nelson's British Navy, here's your chance to dip into this fine series, with a book featuring evocative descriptions of Patagonian wildlife and features of the natural environment. A great read (and a great reread for O'Brian fans). (SAM01, $13.95)
Fodor's South America  •  Fodor's GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 637 PAGES An excellent all-around guidebook to the attractions, cultures and natural history of South America. From national parks and pre-Columbian archaeological sites to traditional South American dishes and modern festivals, this guide details the many places to go and things to do, including maps, itineraries, costs, reviews and tips. (SAM22, $27.95)
Fossils, Finches, and Fuegians  •  Richard Darwin Keynes NATURAL HISTORY •  2003 •  HARD COVER  • 448 PAGES An account of the Voyage of the Beagle, Darwin's adventures and scientific discoveries. With maps and handsome black-and-white illustrations. (SAM51, $52.00)
The Global Citizen: A Guide to Creating an International Life and Career  •  Elizabeth Kruempelmann REFERENCE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 384 PAGES (GEN248, $16.95)
A Guide to the Birds of Colombia  •  Steven Hilty  •  William Brown FIELD GUIDE •  1986 •  PAPER  • 836 PAGES A classic South American bird guide with good coverage of the Amazon basin. It features 56 color plates by Guy Tudor, illustrating 1,700 species -- nearly half of all the species of South America. With a short description on the facings edge along with extensive notes and range maps. It may weigh in at almost three pounds but serious birders won't leave home without it -- and you can always have the color plates bound separately for use in the field. (FG14, $67.50)
A Guide to the Birds of Venezuela  •  Steven Hilty  •  Guy Tudor  •  J.A. Gwynne FIELD GUIDE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 929 PAGES A thoroughly overhauled, revised edition of the classic South American bird guide, with an entirely new and expanded text by Steve Hilty (who also wrote Birds of Colombia). This hefty book (more than a field guide) features many of the same excellent color plates by Guy Tudor as the 1978 classic with new detailed information on habitats and distribution. Too bad it weighs four pounds, two ounces because it is terrific. John Gwynne provided most of the additional plates, 67 in all. 1,400 species have been recorded in the diverse habitats of Venezuela, almost half of the birds found throughout the mountains, forests and plains of all South America. (FG13, $59.50)
Guyana Map  •  ITMB MAP A colorful, detailed travel map of Guyana, on a scale of 1:850,000. (SAM05, $10.95)
Insight Guide Venezuela  •  Insight Guides GUIDEBOOK •  2002 •  PAPER  • 378 PAGES A profusely illustrated overview of the country, featuring concise essays by well regarded authors on natural history, politics and culture. With hundreds of photos, and dozens of excellent maps. (VNZ01, $23.95)
Kiss of the Spider Woman  •  Manuel Puig LITERATURE •  1991 •  PAPER  • 281 PAGES The psychological story of a friendship between two Argentinean prisoners jailed for their subversive activity: Molina, a transgendered homosexual and Valentin, a socialist revolutionary. The intense exchange of dialogue and Molina's dramatizations of movie scenes in the prison cell build up to a passionate relationship and ironic ending. (ARG28, $13.95)
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)
Latin American Art in the Twentieth Century  •  Edward J. Sullivan ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1996 •  HARD COVER  • 352 PAGES A comprehensive and scholarly survey of modern Latin American art, from a Latin American viewpoint. 17 scholars, critics and curators each write on their country of expertise. Organized geographically, including a chapter on Chicano art. 300 color illustrations. (ART31, $69.95)
Liberators, Latin America's Struggle for Independence 1810-1830  •  Robert Harvey HISTORY •  2002 •  PAPER  • 561 PAGES An epic history of colonial Latin America, focused on the heroism and derring-do of seven legendary men in the fight for independence from Spain, including the larger-than-life figures of Venezuela's Simon Bolivar, Argentine hero General Jose de San Martin, and Chile's Bernardo O'Higgins. Harvey, a contributor to the Economist, draws on an impressive range of original sources in constructing this engaging tale. (SAM35, $18.95)
Lonely Planet Argentina  •  Lonely Planet  •  Danny Palmerlee GUIDEBOOK •  2008 •  PAPER In its hallmark style, this practical guide to Argentina by Lonely Planet features maps, a good overview of culture, history and nature, and much nuts-and-bolts information on excursions, accomodations and sightseeing. With color photographs and excellent travel information. (ARG11, $25.99)
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)
Lonely Planet Venezuela  •  Lonely Planet GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 392 PAGES A compact, practical travel guide in the popular series. With a 100-page overview of the country, its history and culture, along with detailed information on where to go, and what to see, eat and do. With 67 maps and city plans and a section of color photographs. (VNZ03, $24.99)
Love in the Time of Cholera  •  Gabriel Garcia Marquez  •  Edith Grossman LITERATURE •  1994 •  PAPER  • 348 PAGES A glorious tale of great love consummated after 50 years, nine months and four days, memorably set in a dusty 19th-century town on the Caribbean coast of Columbia. As translated by Edith Grossman. (SAM26, $14.00)
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)
The Motorcycle Diaries, Notes on a Latin American Journey  •  Ann Wright  •  Ernesto Che Guevara TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2004 •  PAPER  • 175 PAGES The often hilarious adventures of the pre-revolutionary 23-year-old Ernesto Guevara as he wanders through South America first on the back of his not-so-trusty motorcycle "la Poderosa," then by thumb, stowing away on boats, and every other means on conveyance imaginable. It's a Latin American "On the Road", with the blessing or curse (depending on who you talk to) of having been edited by the older, wiser guerilla fighter and revolutionary. Che's companion Alberto Granado (who founded the Santiago School of Medicine) is in his 80s and living in Cuba. (SAM20, $14.95)
A Neotropical Companion  •  J.C. Kricher  •  Mark Plotkin NATURAL HISTORY •  1999 •  PAPER  • 536 PAGES A tropical primer aimed at the motivated general reader. It's a systematic overview of the ecology, habitats, animals, plants and ecosystems of Central and South America. For those not put off by Latin names and concepts like Batesian mimicry, this handbook is a great introduction to the region. (GPS11, $29.95)
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)
Night Flight  •  Antoine de Saint Exupery LITERATURE •  1986 •  PAPER  • 87 PAGES A pilot alone in a storm over the Andes en route from Punta Arenas to Buenos Aires. In this wonderfully evocative novella, based on true-life experience, de Saint Exupery captures the thrill of early flight and the courage of the pilots. De Saint Exupery pioneered the first regular postal routes in South America and the Sahara in the 1920s. (PAT09, $12.00)
No Apparent Danger  •  Victoria Bruce NATURAL HISTORY •  2002 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES Subtitled The True Story of Volcanic Disaster at Galeras and Nevado Del Ruiz, Bruce investigates the 1985 eruption that killed 23,000 people and the 1993 blast that killed nine. Bruce, a geologist and science writer, argues that it was human folly and hubris that led these eruptions in Colombia to take a deadly turn. (SAM50, $13.95)
Northern South America Map  •  Reise & Verkehrsverlag MAP A map of the northern half of South America, at a scale of 1:4,000,000. (SAM31, $15.95)
The Old Patagonian Express  •  Paul Theroux TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1997 •  PAPER  • 404 PAGES A delightful narrative of Paul Theroux's journey from Boston to Patagonia by rail, plane and truck. He starts out aboard the subway in Boston -- and ends up many months later at the end of the world, a bit worse for the wear. Along the way he encounters the elderly, nearly blind author Jorge Luis Borges and a cast of other fascinating characters. (PAT08, $15.95)
One Hundred Years of Solitude  •  Gabriel Garcia Marquez LITERATURE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 424 PAGES The breathtaking, life-altering, much-celebrated tale of life and love on most everyone's list of the greatest books of all time, ours included. It's setting and themes are universal. (SAM27, $14.00)
Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent  •  Eduardo Galeano  •  Cedric Belfrage HISTORY •  1998 •  PAPER  • 317 PAGES The 25th anniversary edition of the landmark history of plunder and exploitation in Latin America. This wrenchingly beautiful book takes for one of its central metaphors the booms and busts of the Potosí mines in the Bolivian highlands. Using local slave labor, the 16th century Spaniards took billions of dollars worth of silver from a single hillside there. The British and Americans returned to the site centuries later to mine tin for their war machine. The book also takes on the banana republics of Central America, the Amazonian rubber plantations and the numerous American invasions throughout the region. (AND26, $18.00)
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)
Road Fever, A High Speed Travelogue  •  Tim Cahill TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1992 •  PAPER  • 278 PAGES An exhiliarating ride along with Cahill from the southernmost tip of South America to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, in only 23 days. (SAM17, $14.95)
The Settlement of the Americas, A New Prehistory  •  Thomas D. Dillehy ARCHAEOLOGY •  2001 •  PAPER  • 384 PAGES A well received, engaging survey of new theories on the peopling of the Americas, a hotly debated topic. Dillehy's controversial (but convincing) findings at Monte Verde in Chile form the backbone of his argument, which focuses on his work in South America. Dillehy places the first inhabitants in South America at 15,000 years earlier than originally argued. Other still hang on to the theory that the first inhabitants crossed the Bering Strait 12,000 years ago, making their way south to Tierra del Fuego over the ensuing millennia. Dillehy's book is nonetheless a valuable contribution to the controversy over when -- and how -- humans populated the New World. (SAM43, $22.00)
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)
Smithsonian Handbooks, Mammals  •  Juliet Clutton-Brock  •  Don E. Wilson FIELD GUIDE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 400 PAGES In the trademark, graphic Eyewitness style, this sturdy field guide colorfully describes 500 of the world's mammals with numerous illustrations, range maps, and a few paragraphs on each species. (BST76, $20.00)
South America Map  •  ITMB 2006 •  MAP A colorful topographic map of the entire continent at a scale of 1:4,000,000. (SAM13, $13.95)
South America Northwest Map  •  ITMB MAP A map of the northwest part of the continent, including Panama. Scale 1:4,000,000. (SAM49, $8.95)
South America, The Andes Map  •  Nelles 2005 •  MAP A double-sided map covering the full range of the Andes and Pacific coast of South America from the Panama Canal to Tierra del Fuego at a scale of 1:4,500,000. With good topographic detail, roads, a separate map of Cusco/Machu Picchu and city maps (from north to south) of Bogota, Quito, La Paz, Lima, Arica, Antofogasta, Iquique, la Serena, Santiago and the Santiago metropolitan area. (SAM47, $10.95)
Southern South America Map  •  ITMB 2000 •  MAP A handsome full color physical map of the southern cone at a scale of scale of 1:2,800,000, including Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay and parts of Bolivia. (SAM04, $9.95)
Suriname Map  •  ITMB MAP A colorful, detailed travel map of Surinam, on a scale of 1:750,000. (SAM06, $10.95)
Tropical Nature  •  Adrian Forsyth  •  Ken Miyata NATURAL HISTORY •  1984 •  PAPER  • 248 PAGES • FAVORITE A lively, lucid portrait of the tropics as seen by two uncommonly observant and thoughtful field biologists. Its 17 marvelous essays introduce the habitats, ecology, plants and animals of the Central and South American rainforest. With a lengthy appendix of practical advice for the tropical traveler. (GPS13, $14.00)
Tschiffely's Ride  •  Aime Tschiffely TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 296 PAGES The classic account of a remarkable, 10,000-mile journey across the Andes, pampas, deserts and tropical forest of South and Central America and across the United States from Buenos Aires to Washington D.C. Astoundingly, Tschiffely, a Swiss teacher who had been living in Buenos Aires, made the epic trek with the same two delightful, determined and hardy (and much loved) gaucho horses, Mancha and Gato. Tschiffely, though he protests that he is no writer, captures the people, landscape of the personality of places along the way in vivid, down-to-earth detail. He was also head-over-heels in love with the horses (a breed called the Argentine Criollo which he helped to popularize), as is clear from the book and the 1951 epilogue included in this edition. (SAM45, $24.95)
Twentieth-Century Latin American Poetry, A Bilingual Anthology  •  Stephen Tapscott LITERATURE •  1996 •  PAPER  • 418 PAGES A scholarly anthology of 400 poems, presented in the original language (Spanish or Portuguese) and English. Selections include poems from Octavio Paz, Pablo Neruda, Jorge Luis Borges, Gabriela Mistral, Julio Cortazar and Carlos Drummond de Andrade. Eighty-five poets are represented in all. With an introduction to the many traditions of 20th-century poety in Latin America, and biographical notes on each poet. (SAM28, $27.95)
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)
Voyage of the Beagle  •  Charles Darwin EXPLORATION •  2002 •  PAPER  • 468 PAGES • BEST SELLER • FAVORITE The wide-eyed tale of a young man on a five-year voyage that changed his life -- and our way of thinking about the world. First published in 1839, this book is still essential reading. Darwin's South American chapters are an excellent introduction to the Galapagos, Beagle Channel, Chile, Tierra del Fuego, the Chilean fjords and the Brazilian coast. With maps and appendices. (GPS02, $12.95)
Where to Watch Birds in South America  •  Nigel Wheatley NATURAL HISTORY •  1995 •  PAPER  • 431 PAGES A compact practical guide to 206 recommended birdwatching sites throughout South America. Organized by country, each site guide includes an introduction, noteworthy species, maps, and directions, checklists. An invaluable handbook for birders. (SAM40, $24.95)