A groundbreaking study of cultural adaptation in the Amazon, first published in 1971. The book looks at common patterns and ways of life among independent aboriginal groups along the river and in the forest. It gives a brief account of each society, focusing on common adaptations to an impoverished environment that limit social complexity and population density. Revised and updated for this new edition, the book makes a strong argument that any plans for the region that fail to take into account the ecological realities of the Amazon are doomed to fail.  (AMZ47, $17.95)