We took this very trip through N.E.W. tours out of New Mexico and loved it. Some in our group were avid travelers and thought it was the best tour they had ever been on. The book could use more photo's but then no amount of pictures could adaquetely tell the story of the Amozon rainforest. Read this book and then go and do everything in it!

I traveled to the Amazon this summer and stayed at four of Explorama's lodges: ACEER, Napo, Explorama, and Ceiba Tops. The
accomodations in each are described in the book along with wonderful pictures of the lodges as well as the flora and fauna of each location. If you are planning a trip to the Amazon, or have already been there, you don't want to be without this book!

I'm an amateur naturalist -- and had the plants of the Eastern US pretty well under control. All that went out the window when I moved to Nicaragua. This is the first broad, clear, complete guide to neo-tropical woody plants (and lots of the herbaceous plants as well) I've seen. Although it was written for Columbia, Ecuador, and Peru, it does well enough for Central America. Just leafing through the illustrations has given me the family, and often the genus, of lots of the plants I've seen in our cloud forests. The author has a very readable style, laced with an understated sense of humour that bubbles to the surface on several occasions. See the entry for Euphorbiaceae, for example.

The book is not, however, for the complete beginner. Unless you are thoroughly familiar with the arcane botanical terminology, you will need a botanical dictionary. "Plant Identification Terminology" by Harris is a good one.

This book is the only one to cover so extensively the flora of Colombia in such an accessible way. You won't regret this purchase. It certainly deserves five stars.

Fishes of the Pacific Coast is an excellent reference guide with beautiful full color illustrations of approximately 450 fish. I truly appreciated the inclusion of the fish of the upper Sea of Cortez. Small ecological and historical blurbs are fascinating. The handbook size makes it a must have on your diving or fishing boat.

As a volunteer for the new Long Beach (CA) Aquarium of the Pacific, I needed to quickly learn about fishes of the Pacific coast and how to identify them. This book exactly suits my needs. It is interesting and informative, without being too technical. The color illustrations are beautiful. This is the perfect book for anyone who wants to learn more about Pacific coast fishes.

One of the most unbelievable books I've had the pleasure to read. I used to have a copy and think just about everyone should. Hell, I'm a jock and I loved it. Too bad its hard to find. Anyone that sees this, I am NOT OVER STATING MY OPINION.

The book grabbed me within a heartbeat. It was well written with much visual effects and sensory overloads. One felt as though they were actually becoming a Shaman. It made perfect sense and when he was scared I was scared. When things came together for him, it did for me too. Highly recommended, although it's out of print. Try to obtain it anyway you can.

In ISLAND OF THE SUN, co-authored with Erik Jendresen, Alberto Villoldo relates his Peruvian odyssey in search of his teacher, Don Antonio. ISLAND OF THE SUN is a dramatic, poetic adventure -- a profound exercise in suspending ones disbelief, in expecting the unexpected, in stretching the imagination, and in shattering the boundaries of consciousness. In short, it gives a glimpse into the mind of a shaman. It has been said that to know and understand a shaman, one must become a shaman. Villoldo has become a shaman. His story is a captivating articulation of his journey into the unknown; its imagery, vivid and enchanting - "the Sun glistened in playful white sparkles of light on the green waters. I listened to the cicada hiss, the high-pitched cacophony of the birds and the insects, the whir and hiss and chatter and hum that bounced off its surface and filled the clearing with music."

Villoldo sees his mission as that of translating the ancient psychology and truths contained in the Medicine Wheel of the Incas into a Western framework - into a psychology of the sacred. He sees the Medicine Wheel as providing a neurological map for the evolution and transformation of our species by accessing the state of consciousness that informs life. He sees the Medicine Wheel as offering a path through which we can override the oftentimes violent survival mechanisms of our primitive limbic brain.

Villoldo presents the symbolic imagery of the archetypal energies contained in the Medicine Wheel. In the South (serpent), we confront and shed the past like a serpent sheds its skin. In the West (jaguar), we overcome fear and death. By experiencing ourselves as conscious energy, death loses its sting and becomes but a doorway to one of infinite phases in eternity. In the North (hummingbird), we experience the knowledge and wisdom of the ancients. We access a sea of consciousness as vast as time itself. In the East (eagle), we experience a transcendent, comprehensive, vision of what we have learned. We share our story with the world as caretakers of the earth. That, he says, is our return home.

The psychology of the ancients is based on direct shamanic experience in different domains of consciousness. Its approach -- of experience and exploration -- is from the inside out; its goal -- to know, understand, and be in harmony with the forces of Nature. In Villoldo's experience, that approach requires a new state of mind - one that allows but is not distracted by subjective experiences. The skills required come naturally in the process of "serving experiences." He explains that when one's intent is in harmony with the experience, it is served. Otherwise, it is just an experience.

In shamanic awareness, Villoldo experienced innumerable altered states of reality by shifting his perspective to unaccustomed dimensions. The most profound, for me, was his experiencing the integrity of a multisensory dream body awareness in which everything was reflected within him. He described it as like being a champagne bubble with all images of life reflected upon its inner surface. As his teacher later pointed out, in that, everything was reflected but the seer himself, for the seer is invisible.

Purity of intention is the key to shamanic exploration. Abandoning preconceptions is necessary and essential. To master the stillness required in the dream body, Villoldo says that one learns how to be conscious without being self-conscious. Through purity of intention, it is said to be possible to enter a realm beyond dreaming -- a wondrous, rich dimension of magnificent power and splendor. Maintaining purity of intention is the challenge.

Shamans of Peru practiced an alchemy of the soul. They were said to be able to influence the past as well as the future because they understood the relationship between time and light. It is said that in becoming light (an Inca, a Child of the Sun), time was dissolved. Shamans knew that time doesn't fly only in straight lines like an arrow - it also turns like a wheel. When those two kinds of time intersect, says Villoldo, that is sacred, ritual time -- one can influence the past and summon destiny from the future. The challenge is not to let knowledge of the future influence present actions or intent. Therefore, the shaman must be able to keep a secret from himself.

Villoldo's teacher, Don Antonio, points out that in all the great cultures developed north of the equator, God is a descending god -- the Divine comes from the heavens and descends to the Earth. For the Incas, the only great culture to develop south of the equator, the god-force is ascending -- it "rises from Earth to the heavens like the golden corn." Antonio envisions the new caretakers of the Earth as coming from the northern hemisphere. ( A prophecy of hope and perhaps even a vote of confidence, I think, for those of us in the northern hemisphere.)

Villoldo points out the paradox of psychology -- that when we study the human mind, it is the mind studying itself. He adds that modern science has failed to identify the psyche or subject of this study. The mind continues to evade us. From his extensive laboratory research as a psychologist and his inquiries as a medical anthropologist, Villoldo testifies that mind cannot be derived from the neurology of the human brain. He believes that psychology is like physics in that the act of studying the psyche alters it . Villoldo strongly believes that now is the time for humankind to turn consciousness on itself and step into a grander consciousness in the evolution of mankind. He sees the path of the shaman as giving us clues for this process of exploration, discovery, realization, and transformation. He sees the path of the shaman as offering hope for a better world and a new humanity.

This is a great tale, and fairly accurate and instructive. The Western world is sorely lacking in instruction about the non rational, can't put your tongue on it realities of which the author speaks. While what I know of Peruvian shamanism is very small compared to the author's knowledge and direct experience, I suggest that this effort to capture End Journeys is both admirable and riveting. I have used FOUR WINDS as a guide to non ordinary reality since my discovery of it as a legitimate map; my work in the Celtic otherworld supports what the author here describes in terms of the Peruvian landscapes of non ordinary reality. But personally, from a shamanic perspective, I want more of Antonio's accurate and real mentoring, and less of the neophyte journeyer's somewhat predictable story line. As a tale, the book is not as finely crafted as FOUR WINDS either. Nonetheless, a great read, but just not as instructive or as easy to read as I found FOUR WINDS. /D.L. Smith 12/12/98

(Planeta.com Journal) -- Lines in the Water (University of California Press, 2002), a beautifully written ethnography of rural fishermen and their families. The book's subtitle "Nature and Culture at Lake Titicaca" specifies the center of action, but the scope is much broader and deeper. It's actually hard to find the words to say how delightful this book is. Author Ben Orlove is an environmental science professor at the University of California, Davis, and his book is based on three decades of trips to Peru and Bolivia. The book is a showcase of fresh writing and a major contribution to the literature about South America. Orlove provides a frank account of the role academics themselves play. He includes himself in this story and shares candid observations -- from his reactions to office politics to daydreaming about museums. This book is highly recommended. Eco travelers visiting Lake Titicaca would do well to read this book in advance.

This is a gem, written with great respect for the indigenous people who live aound Lake Titicaca, well-annotated and with wonderful photographs by the author. Orlove has broad interests - anthropology, economics, natural history, environmental issues, to name a few, and a talent for accessing interesting memories. He conveys his astute observations in clear and vivid prose.The book is organized nicely - I especially liked the material in the final chapter, entitled "Paths", which offers an antidote to the sad fact that roads and highways are so often destructive to local people and to biodiversity. Paths, literal or metaphorical, also provide valuable linkages and essential connections among the various components of this remote but very interesting and community with ancient roots. Orlove provides the reader with a sense of having traveled those paths for a short while with him.

Anyone who thinks all the vertebrates of this world have been discovered and described should think again. This book chronicles the work of ornithologists in the mountains and jungles of Peru and elsewhere in South America as they hunt for new and often exotic bird species. Focusing mainly on the work of LSU ornithologists and in particular the accomplished John O'Neill, it provides a first hand view of such expeditions, describes many of the new birds species found, shows how ornithologists work (it's not just bird-watching either), and provides interesting discussions on issues relating to taxonomy, scientific credibility, collecting specimens, conservation, neotropical ecology, evolution, and even South American politics. I highly recommend it.

The visceral details of collecting specimens oftropical birds and the gruelling politics of bringingsuch an expedition to Peru make for intense reading. An avid birder, Stap managed to hook up with LSU ornithologists John O'Neill and the late Ted Parker. Through the dense canopy he followed the crew and documented their trials and triumphs. Most notably a new species of parrot was found.

I have read everything that can be found pertaining to the rain forest areas of southeast Peru, as an adjunct to my in-the-field research into the legend of the legendary "Paititi," ultimate refuge of the Incas. The information that writer/film-maker Kim MacQuarrie compiled and put into words for Manu is among the most informative and interesting to be found on the subject in English (or Spanish, as the text is bi-lingual). The author obviously did his homework, and presents the facts and current theories in clear and colorful prose. The book gives a good representation of various ecological zones found within "Manu," from the harsh and frigid highlands, the "alturas," on the west; to the penetrating cold mists dripping moisture onto the dense vegetation of the "ceja de la selva," the "eyebrow of the jungle" that lies just below the highlands, along the high eastern edge of the Andes; down into the eastern rim of the Amazon basin, the dense riot of vegetation that is the "selva alta," the high altitude jungle; and finally down into the endless carpet of jungle that makes up the "selva baja," the lowland jungle that spreads away from Manu ever deeper into the Amazon. The text covers all aspects of the Manu area, from history to archaeology to ecology to anthropology. The photographer Andre Bartschi's photographs, which grace most of the book, are lush and exquisitely sharp, capturing fully the riot of color and feeling that are a part of the Manu experience. This is one "coffee table" size book that is as worth reading as any thriller, with illustrations that are a real "turn on" for anyone interested in the exotic or natural history. An additional interesting and useful feature is found in the fold out "bird's eye view" maps, which help one understand and "feel" the unique topography that makes up this pristine and magical place, Manu.

MANU is an absolutely first rate book, with superb photography by Andre Bartshe, an extraordianry talent, and text in both English and Spanish by world traveler and adventurer, Kim MacQuarrie. Mr MacQuarrie and Mr. Bartshe have each lived and explored Peru for several years. They are authorities on the region. Mr. MacQuarrie has also made several award winning films for the Discovery Channel on Manu as well as on Siberian Grizzly bears of Kamtchatka. This MANU book is also a pleasure for its production value. It is a joy to hold and turn the pages. The color process used is excellent and the paper is of the highest quality. MANU is a treasure. Highest recommendation for serious book lovers.

During a summer in college, I travelled around South America, and spent a good deal of time backpacking and exporing northwestern Bolivia, following overgrown Inca Trails and taking boats up into the deep jungle and mining country.

I had heard about Fawcett's adventures during my travels, and I was delighted to find out that the book surpassed my expectations when I finally got the chance to read it.

Fawcett worked for the British government (the Royal Geographic Society, I believe), and was sent to the Brazillian-Bolivian frontier in the early 20th century to server as an impartial third party in a border dispute.

The book, written by his son who went on to become a railroad expert in Peru, is a chronicle of that trip and his later adventures into the South American wilderness in search of a lost city he believed to exist.

Fawcett kept great journals, and his descriptions of the time are fascinating. Having travelled in this area, I can say that Fawcett's descriptions are dead on, and for anyone looking for a true frontier adventure in the early 21st century, not a whole lot has changed in the past 100 years.

'Brazillian Adventure' by Peter Fleming (the brother of James Bond author Ian Fleming) is the semi-comic story of a British journalist who went on a search for Fawcett several decades after the former disappeared in the early 1920's (the date might be slightly off).

It's great to see that this book has finally been put back in print. A true gem.

A true boys own adventure, the quintessential English explorer in his own words. This was written by his son Percy based on the journals and correspondence of his father. Deatils all his expeditions in South America, his views on the lost cities of Brazil, Peru & Boliva and much much more. It has it all!

I had the privilege of reading Prof McClintock's book BEFORE I realized she was a professor at my school, and I am really glad to have had access to both. The book was really indepth, and Cynthia was able to get awesome interviews that very few other people have ever gotten.

This is one of the finer books I have read on insurgent organizations and their backgrounds/motivations. Cynthia McClintock concentrates on comparing and contrasting these two groups, along with addressing similar groups, to give the reader a deeper understanding of an insurgency. The FMLN is now part of the political process, as they wished to be (as brought out in the book), in El Salvador. However, Sendero Luminoso is still trying to overthrow the Peruvian government without wishing to be a part of the process (also brought out in the book). This book, to include its tremendous bibliography, is an excellent reference resource.