Oldies but Goodies
Popular, historical, and classical references: these
books, all still available (at least in libraries or through
the Internet), are strongly recommended as insightful,
entertaining, and inspiring.
Andrews, M. 1982. The Flight of the Condor. Boston: Little,
Brown and Company. This well- illustrated book takes the
reader from the high Andes to the rain forests.
Bates, H. W. 1863. The Naturalist on the River Amazons.
London: John Murray. Classic and important account of
Amazonian natural history, and all of it is quite wonderful.
Beebe, W. 1918. Jungle Peace. London: Witherby.
———. 1921. Edge of the Jungle. New York: Henry Holt. Both
this and the previous volume contain short, delightful essays
on tropical ecology written by one of the pioneers in the field.
Classic.
Belt, T. [1874] 1985. The Naturalist in Nicaragua. Chicago:
Univ. of Chicago Press. One of the best of the classic
exploratory accounts, focused entirely on Central America.
Chapman, F. M. 1938. Life in an Air Castle. New York:
Appleton- Century. Highly readable, offering much
information, particularly on tropical birds. Chapman was an
outstanding ornithologist.
Darwin, C. R. 1859. On the Origin of Species. London: John
Murray. Origin is available in many editions as well as
online. I recommend a facsimile of the first edition annotated
by James T. Costa (Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of
Harvard University Press, 2009). Though not focused on the
tropics, Darwin’s stunning achievement in logic and science
changed biology forever, as well as Western philosophy.
It may surprise you how engaging it is and how easy to
understand.
———. [1906] 1959. The Voyage of the Beagle. London: J. M.
Dent and Sons. One of the best classic accounts of travel
throughout South America. Many reprinted editions are
available. A must- read.
Forsythe, A., and K. Miyata. 1987. Tropical Nature: Life and
Death in the Rain Forests of Central and South America.
New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons. This book of essays
captures the unique nature of the tropics and is the only book
I know of that describes a botfly emerging during a Boston
Red Sox game. That alone makes it well worth the price.
Hilty, S. 2005. Birds of Tropical America: A Watcher’s
Introduction to Behavior, Breeding, and Diversity. Austin:
Univ. of Texas Press. Hilty is a first- class ornithologist and
guide who has spent innumerable hours in the Neotropics
watching and studying birds. And it shows.
Linblad, J. 1966. Journey to Red Birds. New York: Hill and
Wa n g. A wonderful tale of exploration on Trinidad, written
by a 20th- century explorer, leading up to finding flocks of
Scarlet Ibises, the “red birds” of the title.
Maslow, J. 1996. Footsteps in the Jungle: Adventures in the
Scientific Exploration of the American Tropics. Chicago:
Ivan R. Dee. Each chapter features a brief account of a major
figure in the history of scientific exploration of Amazonia.
Matthiessen, Peter. 1991. At Play in the Fields of the Lord.
New York: Vintage. This is a novel set in the rain forest of
Amazonia. Matthiessen is masterful at using the rain forest
itself, the jungle, as a major player in this remarkable and
rather dark story.
Medina, J. T. (ed.). [1894] 1988. The Discovery of the Amazon.
New York: Dover Publications. This is a reprint of a historic
book about how the Amazon was discovered and the various
controversies that have arisen since Francisco de Orellana
took his most fateful voyage.
Millard, C. 2006. The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s
Darkest Journey. New York: Broadway Books. Millard
is a superb writer and in this best- selling book presents a
spellbinding account of the difficulties Roosevelt faced on an
Amazonian journey while converying his determination as
an explorer. As you read, consider that ecotours now routinely
visit the Amazon tributary known as the River of Doubt.
Morrison, T. 1974. Land above the Clouds. London: Andre
Deutsch LTD. This is one of the earlier and best accounts of
the natural history of the Andes.
O’Hanlon, R. 1990. In Trouble Again: A Journey between
Orinoco and the Amazon. New York: Vintage. This book
has attained classic status. O’Hanlon is never daunted and
always amusing.
Plotkin, M. J. 1993. Tales of a Shaman’s Apprentice: An
Ethnobotanist Searches for New Medicines in the Amazon
Rain Forest. New York: Viking. This was a best seller that
is now a classic in modern writing about the Neotropics.
Plotkin describes his experiences as he discovers firsthand
the effects of hallucinogenic drugs concocted by shamans
of indigenous tribes in Amazonia. Very engaging and
informative.
Roosevelt, T. [1914] 2009. Through the Brazilian Wilderness.
New York: CreateSpace. This is a reprinted edition of
Roosevelt’s classic account of his voyage down the River of
Doubt. It reads in stark contrast to the drama of C. Millard’s
recent book The River of Doubt. Roosevelt takes the tone of
the objective explorer, describing what he sees and seemingly
trivializing his difficulties.
Royte, E. 2001. The Tapir’s Morning Bath. Boston, MA:
Houghton Mifflin Company. A journalist attempts to and
succeeds in gaining the trust of dedicated researchers at Barro
Colorado Island and follows them into the forest to observe
their often challenging work. Entertaining and informative
and should be read by all would- be tropical researchers.
Shoumatoff, A. 1978. The Rivers Amazon. San Francisco, CA:
Sierra Club Books. This entertaining and detailed book
follows the author’s journey from the mouth of the Amazon
to deep within its various tributaries. He keeps it interesting.Further Reading
392 further reading