Central America

Central America | READING AND TRAVEL GUIDE
We feature a handpicked selection of travel guides, maps, literature, books on art, nature and culture, all designed to help you get more out of your travels to Central America. Order an essential package, and we'll ship any additional items for free.

These 6 items are available for $96, including
U.S. shipping, a 15% discount (Item no. EXCAM49)

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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)

Central America, A Natural and Cultural History •  Anthony G. Coates
HISTORY • 1999 • PAPER • 296 PAGES
A concise overview of the region with contributions by diverse authors on the geology, natural history and culture of the Central American isthmus. A publication of the "Paseo Pantera Project." With charts, graphs and maps. (CAM69, $21.00)

Lost Cities of the Maya •  Claude Baudez •  Sydney Picasso
ARCHAEOLOGY • 1992 • PAPER • 175 PAGES • HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE
A pocket guide to Maya archaeology. This lavishly illustrated small book features hundreds of color photographs and illustrations -- along with excerpts from key works and a brief guide to Maya arithmetic, their calendar and inscriptions. (MYA01, $12.95)

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)

High Jungles and Low •  Archie Carr
BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 1992 • PAPER • 226 PAGES • FAVORITE
In this absorbing memoir, Carr tells of life in the Honduran highlands, where "the volcano-set Pacific shore is 60 miles to the south and the hot, lush, banana coast a hundred miles to the north." His account of slogging through the forest as a gun-toting tagalong on a commercial expedition in search of mahogany is classic. Though it takes place in Honduras, it's just as appropriate for a trip to any Central American jungle. (CAM01, $19.95)

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)

Related Categories

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, $18.95)

Panama Canal by Cruise Ship •  Anne Vipond • GUIDEBOOK • An outstanding guide to the Panama Canal, and popular ports of call in Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America. It 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, $21.95)

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, $24.95)

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 the modern banana in this lively account. (CAM137, $23.95)

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, $37.95)

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, $26.00)

Forgotten Continent, The Battle for Latin America's Soul •  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, $30.00)

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 • A great story, admirably told in vivid, page-turning detail. McCullough reveals the full scope of the Panama Canal, its characters, technical difficulties and Byzantine politics. (CAM32, $18.00)

The Penguin History of Latin America •  Edwin Williamson • HISTORY • A political and cultural history, covering 500 years from Spanish conquest through the 1980s. (SAM53, $18.00)

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, $29.95)

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, $24.95)

Maya Art and Architecture •  Mary Ellen Miller • ART & ARCHITECTURE • An illustrated overview of the art and architecture of the Maya, making use of the latest discoveries at Tikal, Copan, and Palenque to demonstrate the range of Maya artistic influence. With 200 illustrations, 50 in color, including site plans, maps, strikingly rendered reconstructions and color photographs of key temples and buildings. (MYA20, $14.95)

The Maya •  Michael Coe • ARCHAEOLOGY • A clear, concise and up-to-date introduction to Maya ar-chaeology and culture by a leading authority. Now in its seventh edition, this volume in the "Ancient Peoples and Places" series highlights the chronology, accomplishments and legacy of the Maya. (MYA10, $22.50)

Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas and Yucatan: Volume One •  John Lloyd Stephens • EXPLORATION • The first volume of Stephens' 1843 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. (MYA33, $14.95)

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. With chapters devoted to Belize, the Peten, highland Guatemala, Chiapas and the Yucatan, it's stimulating reading. (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. Carlos Fuentes called it "The Maya Bible." (MYA14, $16.00)

A Neotropical Companion •  J.C. Kricher •  Mark Plotkin • NATURAL HISTORY • A tropical primer aimed at the motivated general reader. 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, $29.95)

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, $55.00)

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 • Wallace opens this absorbing account of the history and biogeography of the Central American isthmus with the tale of Columbus, weaving his own travels in the region with a crisp overview of exploration, natural history and evolution. (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. (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: Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, the Bahamas and Bermu •  C. Lavett Smith • FIELD GUIDE • A photographic guide to coral reef fishes found in the Caribbean, Florida, the Bahamas and Bermuda. This portable, pocket-size book features 417 excellent color photographs, each with a range map and description. (FG24, $19.95)

Neotropical Rainforest Mammals, A Field Guide •  L.H. Emmons • FIELD GUIDE • A pictorial guide to the mammals of the New World tropics, compact enough to slip into your daypack, with 29 color plates of more than 200 species. (GPS12, $32.50)

Snorkeling Guide to Marine Life •  Paul Humann • FIELD GUIDE • A compact guide illustrating all the fishes, corals, invertebrates and plants you are most likely to encounter in under 15 feet of water in the Caribbean. (DIV02, $14.95)

Here are some other groups of books that might interest you. Click to view a listing:

More Books
For Kids
Worth Looking For
Belize
Guatemala
Honduras
Nicaragua
El Salvador
Costa Rica
Panama


	These 6 items are available for $96, including U.S. shipping, a 15% discount (Item no. EXCAM49)	E-mail Print
Select Item

	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)
	Central America, A Natural and Cultural History • Anthony G. Coates HISTORY • 1999 • PAPER • 296 PAGES A concise overview of the region with contributions by diverse authors on the geology, natural history and culture of the Central American isthmus. A publication of the "Paseo Pantera Project." With charts, graphs and maps. (CAM69, $21.00)
	Lost Cities of the Maya • Claude Baudez • Sydney Picasso ARCHAEOLOGY • 1992 • PAPER • 175 PAGES • HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE A pocket guide to Maya archaeology. This lavishly illustrated small book features hundreds of color photographs and illustrations -- along with excerpts from key works and a brief guide to Maya arithmetic, their calendar and inscriptions. (MYA01, $12.95)
	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)
	High Jungles and Low • Archie Carr BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 1992 • PAPER • 226 PAGES • FAVORITE In this absorbing memoir, Carr tells of life in the Honduran highlands, where "the volcano-set Pacific shore is 60 miles to the south and the hot, lush, banana coast a hundred miles to the north." His account of slogging through the forest as a gun-toting tagalong on a commercial expedition in search of mahogany is classic. Though it takes place in Honduras, it's just as appropriate for a trip to any Central American jungle. (CAM01, $19.95)
	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)

	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, $18.95)
	Panama Canal by Cruise Ship • Anne Vipond • GUIDEBOOK • An outstanding guide to the Panama Canal, and popular ports of call in Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America. It 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, $21.95)
	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, $24.95)
	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 the modern banana in this lively account. (CAM137, $23.95)
	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, $37.95)
	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, $26.00)
	Forgotten Continent, The Battle for Latin America's Soul • 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, $30.00)
	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 • A great story, admirably told in vivid, page-turning detail. McCullough reveals the full scope of the Panama Canal, its characters, technical difficulties and Byzantine politics. (CAM32, $18.00)
	The Penguin History of Latin America • Edwin Williamson • HISTORY • A political and cultural history, covering 500 years from Spanish conquest through the 1980s. (SAM53, $18.00)
	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, $29.95)
	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, $24.95)
	Maya Art and Architecture • Mary Ellen Miller • ART & ARCHITECTURE • An illustrated overview of the art and architecture of the Maya, making use of the latest discoveries at Tikal, Copan, and Palenque to demonstrate the range of Maya artistic influence. With 200 illustrations, 50 in color, including site plans, maps, strikingly rendered reconstructions and color photographs of key temples and buildings. (MYA20, $14.95)
	The Maya • Michael Coe • ARCHAEOLOGY • A clear, concise and up-to-date introduction to Maya ar-chaeology and culture by a leading authority. Now in its seventh edition, this volume in the "Ancient Peoples and Places" series highlights the chronology, accomplishments and legacy of the Maya. (MYA10, $22.50)
	Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas and Yucatan: Volume One • John Lloyd Stephens • EXPLORATION • The first volume of Stephens' 1843 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. (MYA33, $14.95)
	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. With chapters devoted to Belize, the Peten, highland Guatemala, Chiapas and the Yucatan, it's stimulating reading. (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. Carlos Fuentes called it "The Maya Bible." (MYA14, $16.00)
	A Neotropical Companion • J.C. Kricher • Mark Plotkin • NATURAL HISTORY • A tropical primer aimed at the motivated general reader. 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, $29.95)
	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, $55.00)
	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 • Wallace opens this absorbing account of the history and biogeography of the Central American isthmus with the tale of Columbus, weaving his own travels in the region with a crisp overview of exploration, natural history and evolution. (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. (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: Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, the Bahamas and Bermu • C. Lavett Smith • FIELD GUIDE • A photographic guide to coral reef fishes found in the Caribbean, Florida, the Bahamas and Bermuda. This portable, pocket-size book features 417 excellent color photographs, each with a range map and description. (FG24, $19.95)
	Neotropical Rainforest Mammals, A Field Guide • L.H. Emmons • FIELD GUIDE • A pictorial guide to the mammals of the New World tropics, compact enough to slip into your daypack, with 29 color plates of more than 200 species. (GPS12, $32.50)
	Snorkeling Guide to Marine Life • Paul Humann • FIELD GUIDE • A compact guide illustrating all the fishes, corals, invertebrates and plants you are most likely to encounter in under 15 feet of water in the Caribbean. (DIV02, $14.95)