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SMITHSONIAN JOURNEYS
Galapagos Islands   |   READING AND TRAVEL GUIDE
Order an essential package, and we'll ship any additional items for free. We offer a mix of guidebooks, maps, field guides, novels and books on art, architecture, history, nature and culture.

Essential Books These 6 items are available for $108, including
U.S. shipping, a 15% discount (Item no. EXGPS32A)
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Galapagos, A Natural History  •  Michael H. Jackson
NATURAL HISTORY •  1995 •  PAPER  • 316 PAGES • BEST SELLER • HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE
This comprehensive overview of the habitats, plants, birds, and animals of the islands, written with the curious visitor in mind, is practically mandatory reading. It's the single best overview of the archipelago. Jackson also includes a useful bibliography, wildlife checklists and a list of plants by vegetation zone. Illustrated with many charts and maps, we refer to the book often. (GPS03, $34.95)
  Galapagos, A Natural History
Galapagos, World's End  •  William Beebe
EXPLORATION •  1988 •  PAPER  • 442 PAGES • BEST SELLER
A wry, wonderfully evocative account of a 1924 scientific expedition, including an excellent chapter on the human history of the Galapagos by Ruth Rose. A contemporary reviewer wrote, "Galapagos is a glorious book. It is high romance, exact science and wild adventure." Originally published in 1924, this facsimile edition includes the original black-and-white illustrations and photographs with many of the original color engravings reproduced on the covers. (GPS01, $18.95)
  Galapagos, World's End
Voyage of the Beagle  •  Charles Darwin
EXPLORATION •  2002 •  PAPER  • 468 PAGES • 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)
  Voyage of the Beagle
Galapagos Wildlife, A Visitor's Guide  •  David Horwell  •  Pete Oxford
FIELD GUIDE •  2005 •  PAPER  • 140 PAGES • BEST SELLER
A compact guide to the birds, reptiles, insects, plants and marine life of the archipelago featuring a very good selection of large color photographs by Horwell, Oxford and colleague Jonathan Green. Separate chapters cover visitor sites, history, conservation and habitats. The authors, both naturalist guides in the islands, present key information on the flora, fauna and places in Galapagos for the traveler. (GPS38, $21.95)
  Galapagos Wildlife, A Visitor's Guide
Evolution's Workshop, God and Science on the Galapagos Islands  •  Edward J. Larson
SCIENCE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES
A vivid history of the Galapagos -- and the role of the islands as a crucible of evolutionary ideas. Along with Darwin, it covers the discovery of the islands, the visits of Hancock and Beebe, the influence of the United States during WWII and the establishment of the national park. Pulitzer Prize-winning Larson, a historian of science, has also written about the Scopes trial (Summer for the Gods) and the creationist controversy in the United States (Trial and Error). (GPS50, $16.95)
  Evolution's Workshop, God and Science on the Galapagos Islands
Galapagos Islands Explorer Map  •   Ocean Explorer Maps
2005 •  MAP • BEST SELLER
A detailed map of the Galapagos archipelago for the traveler at a scale of 1:400,000, including illustrated biographies of famous visitors, a brief wildlife guide with color photographs, a map of Darwin's route. Designed and published by intrepid expedition leader and editor Nigel Sitwell. (GPS68, $11.95)
  Galapagos Islands Explorer Map
 

Related Categories
A Traveler's Guide to the Galapagos Islands  •  Barry Boyce   • GUIDEBOOK • CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE  •  Mark Grantham is the co-author of the fifth edition of this terrific guide, expected sometime in 2010. Especially good for someone in the early stages of planning a trip to the archipelago, it includes a practical introduction to the islands and their attractions, along with a succinct, 80-page overview of evolution, natural history and wildlife. (GPS17, $18.99)
 
 
Insight Guide Ecuador and Galapagos  •   Insight Guides   • GUIDEBOOK • COMING IN MARCH  •  Presenting the natural history, politics, culture, wildlife and attractions of Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands with style and authority. (EDR01, $22.95)
 
 
Charles Darwin Slept Here  •  John Woram   • HISTORY  •  John Woram recounts with verve and humor the human history of the archipelago, featuring a colorful cast of buccaneers, scientists and adventurers. With archival drawings, maps and extensive notes. (GPS71, $27.95)
 
 
Ecuador Reader, History, Culture, Politics  •  Carlos De La Torre  •  Steve Striffler   • HISTORY  •  A portrait of a nation. This lively sourcebook gathers selections from long out-of-print travel accounts, articles, interviews, poems, literary excerpts (and even a recipe) to document the vitality and diversity of modern Ecuador. (EDR24, $26.95)
 
 
Galapagos Affair  •  John Treherne   • HISTORY • COMING IN MARCH  •  Dora Strauch, Baroness Wagner von Bosquet and her three lovers, Margaret Wittmer and other colorful early settlers are featured in this riveting, real-life tale of murder in paradise. A Longitude favorite, which we import from Britain. (GPS69, $29.95)
 
 
The Boy on the Back of the Turtle  •  Paul Quarrington   • TRAVEL NARRATIVE  •  Humorist, novelist and family man on a quest, Quarrington offers an entertaining account of a Galapagos voyage in the company of his seven-year-old daughter and seventy-year-old father. (GPS65, $14.95)
 
 
The Panama Hat Trail  •  Tom Miller   • TRAVEL NARRATIVE • FAVORITE  •  An entertaining and insightful social history of Ecuador -- as told through its hat-making history. It's a classic example of travel writing, and one of the best things written on Ecuador. (EDR15, $14.00)
 
 
Galapagos: The Enchanted Islands, Through Writer's Eyes  •  John Hickman   • ANTHOLOGY  •  John Hickman weaves original accounts by Galapagos whalers, gentleman pirates, fitful castaways, settlers and scientists, including Ambrose Crowley Herman Melville, Charles Darwin and William Beebe, in this these tales of the colorful human history of the archipelago. (GPS89, $29.95)
 
 
Billy Budd, Sailor and Selected Tales  •  Robert Milder  •  Herman Melville   • LITERATURE  •  A selection of Melville's most popular shorter works, including "The Encantadas," or "The Enchanted Isles," a collection of sketches based on the author's experiences in the Galapagos Islands. (GPL84, $8.95)
 
 
Galapagos, A Novel  •  Kurt Vonnegut   • LITERATURE  •  In this madcap novel, a classic, Vonnegut looks back from the future (alas, the human race has been wiped out except for a small group stranded in the Galapagos) on the Nature Cruise of the Century. (GPS10, $15.00)
 
 
Ecology and Evolution of Darwin's Finches  •  Peter R. Grant  •  Jonathan Weiner   • NATURAL HISTORY • HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE  •  This is a scholarly, readable account by Peter Grant, who has devoted his life's work to the evolution and ecology of these curious Galapagos birds. (GPS44, $41.00)
 
 
Galapagos, A Natural History  •  J.C. Kricher   • NATURAL HISTORY  •  A lively, compact natural history of the islands and their role in evolutionary thought. It's a wide-ranging overview that features chapters on human history, geology, setting, Darwin, tortoises, reptiles, birds, and sea creatures. (GPS57, $21.95)
 
 
Galapagos, Both Sides of the Coin  •  Pete Oxford  •  Graham Watkins   • NATURAL HISTORY • NEW  •  Heads or tales, this ingenious book is a winner. Galapagos naturalist and colleague Pete Oxford collaborated with Graham Watkins, director of the Charles Darwin Research Station, for this tribute to the Galapagos and its wildlife. On one side, it features a parade of Galapagos birds, mammals, reptiles and landscapes in full color and, on the other, an illustrated, no-hold-barred human history of the islands and up-to-date survey of conservation. (GPS93, $35.00)
 
 
Galapagos, Exploring Darwin's Tapestry  •  John Hess   • NATURAL HISTORY • NEW  •  Professor Hess pulls off the rare trick of being both scientifically accurate and inviting in this illustrated coffee-table primer on Galapagos, its geology, evolution and magnificent wildlife. (GPS91, $49.95)
 
 
Galapagos, Islands Born of Fire  •  Tui De Roy   • NATURAL HISTORY • FAVORITE  •  Author, naturalist, photographer and friend Tui de Roy's original stunning celebration of the landscapes, wildlife and habitats of the archipelago is out in a new edition. A Longitude favorite, Tui's stunning photographs taken over a long career and accompanying essays capture the spirit of Galapagos better than any. (GPS28, $29.95)
 
 
Galapagos, Preserving Darwin's Legacy  •  Tui De Roy   • NATURAL HISTORY • NEW  •  Tui de Roy corralled researchers and friends for this stunning survey of the natural history, ecology and conservation of the Galapagos. With 450 breathtaking color photographs and chapters by Jack Grove (fishes), Peter and Rosemary Grant (finches), Dennis Geist (geology) and many other scientists. (GPS90, $49.95)
 
 
Galapagos, The Islands That Changed the World  •  Paul D. Stewart   • NATURAL HISTORY  •  Stewart and co-authors, associated with the BBC natural history unit, present the natural and human history of the islands in this wide-ranging, beautifully illustrated book, the companion to the BBC series. (GPS78, $29.95)
 
 
Galapagos, The Islands That Changed the World  •  Paul D. Stewart   • NATURAL HISTORY  •  This stunning three-part BBC documentary captures the rugged beauty, allure, wildlife and history of the archipelago like never before. (GPS79, $19.98)
 
 
Galapagos, Wild Portraits  •  Tui De Roy  •  Mark Jones   • NATURAL HISTORY • HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE  •  The roving team of Tui and Mark Jones assembled this irresistible compendium of colorful sea lions, blue-footed boobies, sally lightfoot crabs, marine iguanas, whales and other creatures of the Galapagos. (GPS77, $39.95)
 
 
Infinite Ecuador  •  Sebastian Crespo   • NATURAL HISTORY  •  The Andes, Amazon, Pacific, Galapagos, historic cities, remote villages and farms are all on display in this collection of photographs. (EDR28, $50.00)
 
 
The Beak of the Finch  •  Jonathan Weiner   • NATURAL HISTORY  •  This Pulitzer Prize-winning work is an accessible look at the modern debate on the mode and rhythm of evolution, using the story of Peter and Rosemary Grant and their field work on Daphne Major as an example. (GPS08, $16.00)
 
 
A Field Guide to Sea Stars and Other Echinoderms of the Galapagos  •  Cleveland P. Hickman   • FIELD GUIDE • HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE  •  A spiral-bound field guide to sea stars, urchins and sea cucumbers of Galapagos. (GPS31, $18.95)
 
 
A Photographic Guide to Birds of Ecuador and Galapagos  •  Clive Byers   • FIELD GUIDE • COMING IN FEBRUARY  •  Two hundred and fifty-two of Ecuador's most interesting and spectacular birds are featured in this shirt pocket guide, each illustrated in full color with key information and range map. (EDR27, $19.95)
 
 
Birds of Ecuador, A Field Guide  •  Paul Greenfield  •  Robert Ridgely   • FIELD GUIDE  •  A comprehensive, gorgeous and exhaustively researched field guide to the birds of Ecuador (and adjacent countries), featuring 96 color plates. It's also the best bird guide for travelers in the Peruvian Amazon. (EDR08, $55.00)
 
 
Birds, Mammals and Reptiles of the Galapagos Islands  •  Andy Swash  •  Robert Stills   • FIELD GUIDE  •  This strikingly compact, comprehensive field guide features 500 color photographs, distribution maps and information on status, habitat and behavior. (GPS49, $28.00)
 
 
Flowering Plants of the Galapagos  •  Conley McMullen  •  Ghillean Prance   • FIELD GUIDE  •  Indispensable for the botanically minded, this excellent guide features color photographs of 436 species, an overview of ecology and habitats, and a plant checklist for each visitor site. (GPS40, $29.95)
 
 
Galapagos Wildlife  •   Pocket Naturalist   • FIELD GUIDE  •  This fold-up, laminated card includes color drawings and short descriptions. (GPS51, $5.95)
 
 
Reef Identification, Galapagos  •  Paul Humann   • FIELD GUIDE  •  Sturdy enough to take along on boat, this comprehensive photographic guide includes a map, checklist and brief overview of the archipelago. (DIV04, $39.95)
 
 
Wildlife of the Galapagos  •  Julian Fitter  •  Daniel Fitter  •  David Hosking   • FIELD GUIDE  •  A compact identification guide to Galapagos nature and wildlife, featuring 400 color photographs, as well as an overview of the history, climate, evolution and geology of the islands, and helpful full-color visitor site maps. (GPS47, $19.95)
 
 


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