Reading List:
Here are a few favorites to enjoy before your Trip:
Ecuador & Peru:
History: Wulf, Andrea, “The Invention of Nature” 2015
Aaron Sachs: The Humbolt Current, (2004) – Ramelle’s Favorite!
Well researched history of amazing explorations: Humboldt to South America, Reynolds to the Arctic, John Muir to the West Coast.
John Hemming: Conquest of the Incas (1973) ISBN 0-15-602826-3
William H. Prescott: The Discovery and Conquest of Peru (1847, 2006)) ISBN 0-7607-6137-X (Prescott never went there!)
Fiction: Robert Whitaker: The Mapmaker’s Wife; a True Tale of Love, Murder, and Survival in the Amazon (2004) ISBN 0-385-33720-5 (The full story of the expedition to South America, from original documents.) Michael’s Favorite!
Scientific Memoir: Humbolt, Alexander von (1769 – 1859) German
Personal Narrative of Travels to the Equatorial Regions of the New Continent
(30 volumes)
Alexander Humboldt 250th Anniversary Video
Cosmos (Trans to English 1849 – 58)
History: Victor Wolfgang von Hagen: South America Called Them; explorations of the great naturalists: La Condamine, Humboldt, Darwin, Spruce. New York: Knopf, 1945
Science/ Memoir: Darwin, Charles (1809 – 1882) England “Voyage of the Beagle” (1839) written about the voyage between 1831 – 1836
“Origin of the Species” (1859)
Steve Jones: “Darwin’s Ghost; the Origin of the Species Updated” (1999)
Fiction: Quammen, David: The Reluctant Mr. Darwin (April 2009)
Art History: Frederic Edwin Church (1826 – 1900) American Artist
Fire & Ice; Frederic Church at Olana; Treasures from the Photographic Collection
Essay by Thomas Weston Fels; Intro by Kevin Avery (2002). Among others….
A small photo book of Church’s works and life.
Art History: Millhouse, Barbara, The American Wilderness, a short history of American art with excellent description of Frederic Church’s travels to Ecuador.
Personal Exploration: Bingham, Hiram (1875 – 1976) Lost City of the Incas; the Story of Machu Piccu and its builders (1989) “Few Americans realize how much we owe to the ancient Peruvians.”
Novel: Ampuero, Roberto: The Naruda Case: A Novel (2013)
A good read by the leftist poet/author who lived in Santiago & Valparaiso, Chile
TRAVEL BOOKS for Ecuador, Galapagos & South America
FODOR’S South America
Good reading before you go! Partial download free on the Ipad.
Lonely Planet Guides – many good tips, especially if you like alternative views, but they become discovered as soon as the guide is published!!
Ecuador & the Galapagos Islands
Peru & Bolivia
Peru: In Focus; A Guide to the People, Politics and Culture (2000)
Insight Guides: Peru – lots of pictures, cultural overviews, good introduction to country.
Insight Guides: Ecuador –lots of cultural gossip
Footprint Handbooks: Peru – and one for Ecuador & Galapagos
(small print – fun descriptions from British point of view)
SPANISH LANGUAGE
Little Spanish English Dictionary!
Miriam-Webster Pocket Spanish English Dictionary
Bregstein, Barbara: Easy Spanish Step by Step – readable, good practice pages – how to learn!
MAPS
Contemporary Reference Map of South America – by Kevin Healey, Master Cartographer (1946-1964) (one of my favorite maps – a great way to learn about South America!
ICBM Maps are the best – if you subscribe to the newsletter – lots of information about places all over the world.
France – Castles & Caves
Archeology & Art: Christine Desdemaines-Hugon, Stepping Stones: A Journey through the ice Age Caves of the Dordogne by Yale University Pres,, 2010
– Eyewitness Travel Guide to the Dordogne, Bordeaux and the Southwest Coast – 2014
Fiction: Walker, Martin: The Caves of the Perigord, written by a resident of the Perigord: http://www.brunochiefofpolice.com
– National Geographic, October 2015, Mystery Man – Story of a recent discovery of human bones in a cave in South Africa
– Wall Street Journal, 2012 “Moving to France” story by Nancy Dawson, https://www.wsj.com/articles
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