Essential reading for any traveler to Bolivia, this concise book offers a synopsis of Bolivian politics and economy, history and culture. It's especially strong on economic changes, political upheaval and collapse of the mining industry in the 1980s, but also includes a good short summary of traditional culture and history from colonial times to the present. It's an excellent synopsis, left-leaning, and strong on facts.  (BOL05, $17.00)