Reviews (85)

A Hard Adventure
A Hard Adventure
Unbelievable!
Can you imagine an overweight, past-his-prime ex-president with lingering injuries today disappearing into an unexplored part of the world for many months, with mostly useless provisions, without any communication with the outside world, while the world wonders if he is dead or alive?The first part of the journey is a trek through a barren wasteland, with pack animals dying all around you.The second part is down a river that no has ever traversed.What is around the next bend?A village of Indians who have never seen a white person, who would rather pump you full of poison arrows than befriend you?A series of impassable rapids, only to be followed by more rapids?
Millard finds a hidden gem of a story and tells it wonderfully.
Reading this book makes you wonder how many great stories from the past we never get to hear because someone like Candice Millard doesn't find them and tell them.As you read this wonderful book, you realize how easy it would have been for this amazing adventure tale featuring one of the premier figures in US history to just slip unknown into the past.Fortunately for all of us, Millard found this story, polished it up and presented it to us for our enjoyment.
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Subjects:  1. 20th Century World History    2. Amazon River Valley    3. Biography    4. Discovery And Exploration (General)    5. Expeditions & Discoveries    6. History    7. History - General History    8. History: World    9. Latin America - South America    10. Modern - 20th Century    11. Natural history    12. Presidents    13. Presidents & Heads of State    14. Rain forests    15. United States    16. United States - 20th Century    17. History / General   

Editorial Review

Over the past 16 years Swiss photographer Thomas Marent has traveled all over the world photographing rainforests, from Peru and Ecuador to New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. Usually traveling alone, Marent has been known to spend extraordinary lengths of time to get the perfect shot--sometimes 12 days. You can see the results in his first book, Read more

Reviews (3)

DK doesn't disappoint
Well I was ready to dish out some more money for another DK book.. Which I currently own Animal and Earth. I was planning on going with Plant next, but then I saw this one sitting there... I flipped thru it and knew right away this was the next DK book for me. Breath taking pictures of terrain, plants and animals from the rainforest. Not so much wording as DK's other books.. but the pictures are enough. Don't ever be afraid to buy a DK visual book.

Amazing book for parents and children
My [....] son and I stumbled across this book last night and we were absolutely captivated.He is currently studying plants in science and many of the photographs were of plants discussed in class.The photographs mesmerized both of us and we ended up buying the book.I stayed awake to the early morning hours slowly turning the pages as I saw plants and animals in ways I had never before seen.
A true gem
This book is one of the most spectacular collections of nature photography I have ever seen. The author spent 16 years traveling across the tropics, capturing with his camera the very essence of the rainforest ecosystem. Ranging from majestic panoramas of the forest to intimate portraits of birds and mammals (how did he get those wide angle portraits of monkeys?!) to fantastic close ups of invertebrates and mushrooms, this book explores tropical humid forest at all its levels. The message of this magnificent collection is clear - rainforests are the pinnacle of life on Earth, a jewel-studded crown of Nature; they are libraries of genetic and biotic diversity that must be saved at all cost.
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Subjects:  1. Individual Photographer    2. Nature    3. Nature Photography    4. Photo Techniques    5. Photography    6. Pictorial works    7. Rain Forests    8. Subjects & Themes - Plants & Animals    9. Trees & Forests - General    10. Nature / Trees   

Reviews (18)

Best Intro to the Natural History of Tropical Forests
Buy this Book!This book is a great read for anybody who is interested in life on our planet.It would make a dandy companion to E.O. Wilson's "The Diversity of Life."

ENCHANTING DEPICTION OF THE RAIN FOREST
Among books that aim to express to readers the wonders of the rain forest, this one stands out.In 17 chapters that touch upon different aspects of the rain forest, the authors transmit their own passion for the rain forest and the unique intricacies that make rain forests some of the most precious places on earth.
an educational and interesting book
This is a book that we are using in a Tropical Ecosystem course at my University.The book is very insightful and educational, while at the same time being very interesting and easy to read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Central America    2. Life Sciences - Ecology    3. Life Sciences - Ecology - Ecosystems    4. Nature/Ecology    5. Rain forest ecology    6. Science    7. South America    8. Forests, rainforests    9. NATURAL HISTORY, COUNTRY LIFE & PETS    10. Science / General   

Reviews (4)

A Good, Bad, and Ugly Field Guide
The Good:
You can't go without it.
This book, referred to by many other authors, is THE guide for this group of Mammals. I found it indispensible for use in the rainforest, even if most mammals are very hard to see. The perfect illustrations, combined with the thorough descriptions and clear distribution maps, make it easy to determine what kind of animal you've seen. Very helpful to understand the local guides are the translations of the names in many tongues.

It's a very practical and well illustrated fieldguide
It's the most usefull book I own related with the mammalfauna proyects ( inventories, education, management ) we are doing in Central and Western Colombia. Every aspect of the text and illustrations has proven to be veryusefull and practical. The taxonomical descriptions are generaly goodenough to clasify the bigger species in the field, and the habit andhabitat descriptions coincide mostly with our own experiences. Thedistributionmaps included in the text are also very usefull. Theillustrations are sometime a little small, but have proven to be easilyrecognized by the local habitants, what is extremely usefull during quickinventaries. The relation price-quality is outstanding ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Environmental Science    2. Environmental Studies    3. Identification    4. Latin America    5. Mammals    6. Rain forest animals    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Zoology    9. Science / Zoology   

Editorial Review

Jungles are mysterious and even threatening places, among the least explored landscapes on the earth--and just the sort of place, therefore, that you might expect to find the ever-intrepid wildlife photographer Frans Lanting. "The tropical forest may be a naturalist's paradise," he writes, "but for a photographer it can be a nightmare. Once you are inside it is all blood, sweat, and leeches. Whatever you take into the forest becomes part of the food chain, whether it is your equipment or yourself."Read more

Reviews (11)

My favorite photographer thanks to this book
Frans Lanting is a god among nature photographers. This book's *gorgeous* imagery takes me to another world completey, and I can only hope to follow in his genius footsteps with my humble little SLR. For anyone who loves to look at up close and personal pictures of animals or of lush jungle vegetation/rivers, or anyone who loves nature photography, I highly recommend this book. No wildlife photographer's shelf should be void of it.

Stunning photography, but........
This is really an excellent portfolio with some stunning photography that really inspires one.I am a fan of Lanting's work and this book does not dissapoint. Absolutely Amazing...
I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys photography, animals, scenery, and just beautiful magical things. Franz Lanting is able to capture images from the real world but in a way that makes them seem not of this world. Read more

Subjects:  1. Individual Photographer    2. Jungle ecology    3. Jungles    4. Life Sciences - Ecology - Forest Ecology    5. Photo Essays    6. Photography    7. Pictorial works    8. Rain forests    9. Subjects & Themes - Plants & Animals    10. Photographs: collections    11. Travel writing   

Features

• Illustrated

Subjects:  1. Environmental Science    2. Life Sciences - Ecology    3. Life Sciences - Ecology - Forest Ecology    4. Rain forest ecology    5. Rain forests    6. Science    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Trees & Forests - General    9. Ecological science, the Biosphere    10. Forests, rainforests    11. Science / Ecology   

Reviews (1)

The Amazon Herbalist Bible
This is the definitive book about common use of Amazonian herbs for healing.Read more

Subjects:  1. Amazon River Valley    2. Consumer Health    3. Herbal Medications    4. Herbs    5. Herbs (Botany)    6. Medical    7. Medical Botany    8. Naturopathy    9. Pharmacy    10. Rain forest plants    11. Therapeutic use    12. Health & Fitness / Naturopathy   

Reviews (3)

Excellent Source for Herbal Remedies
I felt like I was in training as an apprentice while reading this book. It is an excellent source of knowledge for Rainforest herbs learned from a H'men (Shaman or Mayan Healer) and for some plants we grow in the US. My only regret is not reading this book prior to visiting Belize via a cruise ship and not going to Ixchel Farm. (I definitely will on next trip). The source of reference in the back of the book is excellent for resources on Herbs. There are recipes for teas and tinctures useful for all kinds of ailments. Rosita also shared her knowledge learned from Don Elijio Panti on massaging the uterus to center a tipped uterus which is the cause for many of women's health problems today.(if we could only teach our US doctor's this cure!). Very Spiritual Book also- teaching the Spiritual side of healing and how important that is in the process of healing. The lessons I learned from this book, I will practice in my life. I read this book prior to reading her other book "Sastun". It is also an excellent book about the Mayan healer Don Elijio Panti and her apprenticeship- I couldn't put this book down.

Got woman problems?
This book has remedies for any ailment a woman could encounter.From wrinkles to cramps to irritable husbands.There's a great section on massage for children to fix anything from nail biting to colic.It also seems there is a tea recipie for anything you could ever suffer from. rainforest remedies
I have had the pleasure of studing with Rosita, and visiting her in Belize. I had a chance to look this book over while waiting for it to be published. It is a wonderful book, filled with the wisdom of the Mayan traditions, healings, and spiritual practices, that Rosita knows so well having spent over 30 years working with the Mayan healers. This book is a treasure and should be followed by reading her first book, Sastun, my appreticeship with a Maya healer, which followers her journey to Belize and her delightful relationship with Don Elijio Panti, one of the last most respected healers of Belize. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Therapies    2. Alternative medicine    3. Consumer Health    4. Diet / Health / Fitness    5. Health & Fitness    6. Health/Fitness    7. Mayas    8. Medicine    9. Naturopathy    10. Rain forest ecology    11. Traditional medicine    12. Health & Fitness / Naturopathy    13. Popular medicine    14. Traditional medicine & remedies   

Reviews (2)

Awesome book, great for kids, perfect for schools!
This is an awesome pictorial with great editorial book that is awesome to read or simply thumb through to view some of the most beautiful rainforest's the world has to offer. Perfect for schools, to show kids who may have never been to or seen a rainforest what they are & why we need to protect them.
Monteverde residents bring rain forest to life
The author and photographers are part time residents of the Monteverde area of Costa Rica. Many of the photos in this book also are displayed at the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, near Santa Elena, in Central CostaRica. Anyone who has been to a Central or South American rain forest orcloud forest will enjoy the ecological explanations -- similar to brieferexplanations by guia naturalistas (guides) in the reserves -- and willespecially enjoy the dramatic photos. Those who haven't visited the forestin person may be motivated to do so. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Latin America    3. Life Sciences - Ecology    4. Nature    5. Photo Essays    6. Rain Forest Ecology    7. Rain forests    8. Forests, rainforests    9. NATURAL HISTORY, COUNTRY LIFE & PETS   

Reviews (5)

Breakfast of biodiversity+ lunch and dinner too!
A slim volume that pack a punch.It highlights the global nature of the problem, stressing that rainforests can and indeed do regenerate, but not if the disturbance is too great.
thought-provoking
Wonderfully researched, if sometimes dryly written. If you like this book, then you'll likely find something interesting in the coffee-table book, Costa Rica: The Last Country the Gods Made. Great explanation of political ecology
As a professional in the environmental area in Central America, I applaud Vandermeer and Perfecto's explanations of the workings of man in the humid tropical forests of our region.These are not easy issues, yet they manage to leave the reader with a sense of the urgency without oversimplifying or becoming preachy.This book is best for someone who is really interested in the political ramifications of US policy in the tropics, or for someone interested in working in the environment overseas. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ecology    2. Forest Ecology    3. Life Sciences - Biological Diversity    4. Nature    5. Nature/Ecology    6. Rain Forests    7. Trees & Forests - General   

Subjects:  1. Life Sciences - Biology - General    2. Life Sciences - Ecology    3. Science    4. Science/Mathematics    5. Wildlife    6. Conservation of wildlife & habitats    7. Forestry & silviculture: practice & techniques    8. Forests, rainforests    9. Rain forests--Management    10. Science / Ecology    11. Tropics   

Reviews (1)

this book was very enriching and enlightening, spiritual
It was a book that helped me gain knowledge but it also made me want to go out and explore it, it was fabulousIcould hardly put it down and it helped a lot with my research paper. Thanks ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Life Sciences - Ecology    2. Life Sciences - Ecology - Forest Ecology    3. Plants - General    4. Rain forest ecology    5. Rain forests    6. Science    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Applied ecology    9. Conservation of wildlife & habitats    10. Deforestation    11. Forestry & silviculture: practice & techniques    12. Forests, rainforests    13. Life Sciences | Botany | Horticulture    14. Nature / Plants    15. Sustainability   

Reviews (5)

Excellent Book on the Subject.
I am an herbalist who was looking for a good book on Rain Forest Herbs without all the hype that had a least some science it in to complement information about traditional uses. Too many herbal books have either no science behind them or have such reductionist science based on faulty studies and assumptions that the information is usless. I often suspect that hype about the use of such herbs as Maca root is overblown and I needed factual information from a reliable source.I bought this book sight unseen based on some of the reviews and I was not disapointed.It combines traditional use with scientific studies and lots of information about each herb.Naturopathic Physician author Leslie Taylor needs to be congratulated for her contribution to the growing knowledge about Rain Forest Herbs: not only their uses but their preservation instead of exploitation.

The Healing Power of Rainforest Herbs is now my favorite book
This book is Amazing. I highly recomend this book to any one who is serious about remaining healthy as well as healing. I will be keeping this book very close to me for a long time to come.

A guide to over seventy rainforest botanicals and their uses
Rainforests contain hundreds of plants - over half the planet's vegetation - and for centuries tribal shamans have used these plants as health remedies. Years of research contributes to The Healing Power Of Rainforest Herbs: A Guide To Understanding And Using Herbal Medicinals, a guide to over seventy rainforest botanicals and their uses by indigenous peoples and natural health professionals alike. Chapters offer plant data summary charts, biological and clinical research, tribal uses, and plenty of technical, research-based reference material. From dosage to preparation methods and chemical information for each plant, Healing Power Of Rainforest Herbs goes far beyond the 'new age healing guide' it looks to be at first glance. Very highly recommended indeed.
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Subjects:  1. Consumer Health    2. Healing    3. Health & Fitness    4. Health/Fitness    5. Herbal Medications    6. Herbs    7. Plants, Medicinal    8. Rain forest plants    9. Therapeutic use    10. Traditional medicine & remedies   

Subjects:  1. Amazon River Region    2. Deforestation    3. Ecology - Ecosystems    4. Environmental Science    5. Environmental Studies    6. Forests and forestry    7. Nature/Ecology    8. Rain forest conservation    9. Rain forest ecology    10. Amazon river    11. Applied ecology    12. Forests, rainforests   

Subjects:  1. Food chains (Ecology)    2. Life Sciences - Ecology    3. Luquillo Experimental Forest    4. Puerto Rico    5. Rain forest ecology    6. Science    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Applied ecology    9. Conservation of the environment    10. Deforestation    11. Forests, rainforests    12. Plant ecology    13. Science / Ecology    14. Zoology & animal sciences   

Subjects:  1. Amazon River Valley    2. Brazil    3. Ecology    4. Economic conditions    5. Natural resources    6. Nature    7. Nature / Ecology    8. Rain forests    9. South America    10. Travel   

Reviews (8)

Hanging out with the socially challenged
Ms. Royte has written the book that I've always wanted to write.I've done my share of hanging out with biologists and archeologists at field sites in Central America watching them undertake tedious and lengthy data collections under uncomfortable situations. She captures how caught up these people can be in the work they do and how hard it can be for them to relate and function in social situations.Toward the end of the book she describes the migration of the Urania butterflies.I live in Panama City and there is a migration going on outside my window right now.Only it is much more enjoyable after reading Ms. Royte's explanation of what is going on.

Barro Colorado Is Well Worth Investigating!
Imagine riding a rickety train through the forest to a boat launch, boarding a tiny boat to an obscure island where six foot long iguanas drape nonchalantly over the paths. Imagine an evening in a screened in porch, much of that screen covered with 6" beige flying cockroaches. Imagine a creature not unlike a raccoon, called a coatimundi, traipsing over from the trash bins the following morning to sniff and greet you. Imagine a tapir standing mysteriously in the brush nearby as howler monkeys howl and cackle overhead, throwing debris from the upper story of the forest.
journey of discovery
On the trail of the scientists who make the trailsRead more

Subjects:  1. Barro Colorado Island    2. Environmental Science    3. General    4. Life Sciences - Ecology - Forest Ecology    5. Panama    6. Rain forest ecology    7. Rain forests    8. Research    9. Science    10. Science/Mathematics    11. Trees & Forests - Rainforests    12. Science / Environmental Science   

Reviews (6)

John Walden's Jungle Travel & Survival
Living in the largest rainforest in the world is a great life, yet dangers can be at ever turning of the trail.Dr. Walden has written a superb book for both the casual traveler as well as the experienced explorer.There are numerous books and persons who call themselves "experts" that have written about the rainforest.Only a few of these "experts" come close to the truth about life here; while most can only use hype and self praise to sell their books, Dr. Walden has walked the walk and can talk the talk.Great read, excellent information and I highly recommend it even for the arm chair explorers. Ok for the price...
It's more ...prepare your self to travel. lots about travel, less about survival
If you're thinking of travelling to a jungle area, this book is indispensible.It has well-thought out information about everything from health to culture shock, dealing with guides, children in the jungle, how to behave when interacting with tribal populations, what to pack, group dynamics, managing a mosquito net, the truth about ants, how to tolerate being wet all day, how to use a machete... literally everything you'll need to know.Read more

Subjects:  1. Camping    2. Health aspects    3. Outdoor Skills    4. Rain forest ecology    5. Safety measures    6. Special Interest - Adventure    7. Sports    8. Sports & Recreation    9. Travel    10. Tropics    11. Forests, rainforests    12. Sports & Recreation / Outdoor Skills    13. Travel & holiday guides   

Subjects:  1. Agriculture - Tropical Agriculture    2. Congresses    3. Ecology    4. Environmental Conservation & Protection - General    5. Human Geography    6. Human ecology    7. Latin America    8. Life Sciences - Ecology    9. Nature    10. Nature/Ecology    11. Rain forest ecology    12. Sociology    13. Tropics    14. Science / Ecology   

Subjects:  1. Amphibians    2. Life Sciences - Ecology - Ecosystems    3. Life Sciences - Zoology - General    4. Nature    5. Nature/Ecology    6. Peru    7. Rain forest animals    8. Reptiles    9. Reptiles & Amphibians    10. Reserva Cusco Amazâonico    11. Science