CENTRAL AMERICA
Central America   |   READING AND TRAVEL GUIDE

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Essential Books These 4 items are available for $91, including
U.S. shipping, a 15% discount (Item no. EXCAM138)		  
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
Maya Art and Architecture  •  Mary Ellen Miller
ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 240 PAGES
Organized thematically, this book by Yale art historian Mary Ellen Miller surveys the art and architecture throughout Mayadom. She makes use of the latest discoveries at Tikal, Copan Palenque and other Maya sites to present the range of art from architecture, to sculpture, ceramics and murals. The text is much enhanced by 200 illustrations, 50 in color, including site plans, maps, strikingly rendered reconstructions and color photographs of key temples and buildings. For the traveler interested in better understanding Maya art -- and particularly the glyphs featured on Maya sculpture -- we couldn't recommend this book more highly. (MYA20, $19.95)		   Maya Art and Architecture
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, $16.00)		   Tropical Nature
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. Two Sides. 26x40 inches. (CAM20, $12.95)		   Central America Map



Also Recommended

Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador Adventure Map  •  National Geographic    •  A durable, folded map shows at 1:710,000, (CAM149, $11.95)
 		  
Breaking Out of Beginner's Spanish  •  Joseph Keenan   • LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS  •  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. (CAM06, $19.95)
 		  
Panama Canal by Cruise Ship  •  Anne Vipond   • GUIDEBOOK  •  This outstanding guide to the Panama Canal, and popular ports of call in Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America features a mile-by-mile guide to the transit, a history of the building of the canal and a detailed pullout map. (PNM13, $21.95)
 		  
A Brief History of Central America  •  Hector Perez-Brignoll   • HISTORY  •  A good overview of the region's economic, political and social history through the 1980s by a professor at the University of Costa Rica. Well-written, informative and concise. (CAM49, $25.95)
 		  
A Forest of Kings, The Untold Story of the Ancient Maya  •  Linda Schele  •  David Freidel   • HISTORY  •  The history of the Maya, as it was recorded in the previously undecipherable hieroglyphs of the Maya. This excellent account traces the kingships and politics of the Maya, and features narratives recreating scenes of burials, blood sacrifices, battles and other events. (MYA22, $24.99)
 		  
Banana, The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World  •  Dan Koeppel   • HISTORY  •  Koeppel traces the history, natural and otherwise, politics and precarious current status of modern monoculture, touching down in India (world center of banana diversity), Ecuador (world's largest producer) and Central America. (CAM137, $16.00)
 		  
Central America, A Nation Divided  •  Ralph Lee Woodward   • HISTORY  •  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  •  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. (CAM50, $30.00)
 		  
Forgotten Continent  •  Michael Reid   • HISTORY  •  Economist editor Reid draws on his years in the cities, presidential palaces and shantytowns of Central and South America in this portrait of a region rich in oil, farmland and culture, and its prospects in the face of globalization. (SAM123, $22.00)
 		  
The Maya Tropical Forest: Peoples, Parks and Ancient Cities  •  James D. Nations   • HISTORY  •  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. (MYA49, $22.95)
 		  
The Path Between the Seas, The Creation of the Panama Canal: 1870-1914  •  David McCullough   • HISTORY • FAVORITE  •  Admirably told in vivid, page-turning detail. McCullough reveals the full scope of the Panama Canal, its characters, technical difficulties and Byzantine politics. (CAM32, $20.00)
 		  
The Penguin History of Latin America  •  Edwin Williamson   • HISTORY  •  Beginning with the Spanish conquest, this brisk history covers questions of empire, colonialism and nationalism through the 1980s. (SAM53, $20.00)
 		  
An Album of Maya Architecture  •  Tatiana Proskouriakoff   • ARCHAEOLOGY  •  Scholar, artist and architect Proskouriakoff presents breathtaking artistic reconstructions of what Maya cities may have looked like in their heyday in this classic work, first published in 1946. (MYA06, $19.95)
 		  
An Archaeological Guide to Northern Central America  •  Joyce Kelly   • ARCHAEOLOGY  •  The clear descriptions, site plans, maps and photographs of 38 archeological sites and 25 museums throughout Central America make this book an ideal travel companion. (MYA04, $19.95)
 		  
Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas and Yucatan: Volume One  •  John Lloyd Stephens   • EXPLORATION  •  The first volume of Stephens' 1841 account, an instant bestseller and still an excellent introduction to the people, culture and archaeology of Central America. It follows Stephens through Belize and Guatemala, with several chapters on Copan. With 127 engravings by Frederick Catherwood. We also carry Volume Two. ($14.95, Item MYA05) (MYA33, $16.95)
 		  
The Maya  •  Michael Coe   • ARCHAEOLOGY  •  The eighth edition of Coe's clear, concise and authoritative, illustrated survey of the Maya. (MYA10, $26.95)
 		  
Time Among the Maya, Travels in Belize, Guatemala, and Mexico  •  Ronald Wright   • TRAVEL NARRATIVE  •  Wright combines journalism, archaeology and an ear for dialogue in this engaging account of travels among the contemporary Maya. (CAM84, $16.00)
 		  
Popol Vuh, The Mayan Book of the Dawn of Life  •  Dennis Tedlock   • LITERATURE  •  The definitive, unabridged collection of creation myths and stories of the Quiche people, fundamental to understanding the worldview of the highland Maya. (MYA14, $16.99)
 		  
A Neotropical Companion  •  John Kricher  •  Mark Plotkin   • NATURAL HISTORY  •  From plants and animals to birds and bugs, it's all here in this wonderfully written overview of the ecology, habitats, plants and animals of Central and South America. (GPS11, $35.00)
 		  
Four Neotropical Rainforests  •  Alwyn Gentry   • NATURAL HISTORY  •  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)
 		  
Spirits of the Jaguar  •  BBC   • NATURAL HISTORY  •  A four-part BBC television series, this documentary presents the land, wildlife and cultures of Central America in living color. (CAM59, $19.98)
 		  
The Monkey's Bridge, Mysteries of Evolution in Central America  •  David Rains Wallace   • NATURAL HISTORY  •  Opening this absorbing account of the history and biogeography of the Central American isthmus with the tale of Columbus, Wallace then weaves his own travels in the region with a crisp overview of exploration, nature and evolution. Natural history buffs and ecologically minded travelers will appreciate this valuable resource. (CAM56, $18.95)
 		  
200 Conspicuous, Unusual, or Economically Important Tropical Plants of the Caribbean  •  John Kingsbury   • FIELD GUIDE  •  A general purpose plant identification guide to Caribbean shores, also useful for subtropical Florida. Features color photographs and short plant descriptions. (CRB01, $20.00)
 		  
Birds of Mexico & Central America, Princeton Illustrated Checklists  •  Ber Van Perlo   • FIELD GUIDE  •  An admirably compact, comprehensive guide featuring color plates. (MEX163, $29.95)
 		  
Field Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Adjacent Areas, Belize, Guatemala, and El Salvador  •  Ernest Preston Edwards   • FIELD GUIDE • HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE  •  This classic guide illustrates all the regularly occurring birds of Mexico and neighboring areas, including details of distribution, abundance, habitat and identification features for 850 species. (MEX47, $22.95)
 		  
Fishwatcher's Field Guide Caribbean  •  Idaz Greenberg   • FIELD GUIDE  •  A convenient double-sided plastic card showing 75 reef fish of the Caribbean. (DIV11, $7.50)
 		  
Marine Invertebrates of Florida, the Bahamas, Bermuda and the Caribbean  •  Idaz Greenberg   • FIELD GUIDE  •  A convenient double-sided plastic card showing 61 invertebrates of the Caribbean. (DIV12, $7.50)
 		  
National Audubon Society Field Guide to Tropical Marine Fishes  •  C. Lavett Smith   • FIELD GUIDE  •  A photographic guide to coral reef fishes found in the Caribbean, Florida, the Bahamas and Bermuda. (FG24, $19.95)
 		  
Neotropical Rainforest Mammals, A Field Guide  •  L.H. Emmons   • FIELD GUIDE  •  Compact enough to slip into your daypack, this field guide to the mammals of the New World tropics features 29 color plates of more than 200 species. (GPS12, $42.50)
 		  
Snorkeling Guide to Marine Life  •  Paul Humann   • FIELD GUIDE  •  Humann's compact guide illustrates Caribbean fishes, corals, invertebrates and plants commonly encountered in shallower water. (DIV02, $14.95)
 		  
 
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