Books on The Amazon Basin

The Search for El Dorado (Lost Civilizations)Author: Dale Brown

A history of the search for El Dorado that includes sections on Andean cultures and Amazonian tribes.

The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the AmazonAuthor: David Grann

A bestseller on Percy Fawcett's ill-fated 1925 expedition into the Amazon searching for the Lost City of Z.

The Search for El DoradoAuthor: John Hemming

An 1978 exhaustive summary of all the many expeditions led in the search for El Dorado. Written by a man who has spent much of his life in the Amazon.

River of Darkness: Francisco Orellana's Legendary Voyage of Death and Discovery Down the AmazonAuthor: Buddy Levy

The account of Francisco Orellana's 1541 expedition all the way across the Amazon and his reports of major civilization within it.

The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest JourneyAuthor: Candice Millard

After his 1912 defeat in the Presidential election, Roosevelt embarked on the most dangerous adventure of his career - a journey through the Amazon. This is the story of his journey.

Brazil: Amazon and Pantanal (Travellers' Wildlife Guides)Author: David Pearson

A well illustrated reference guide to the flora and fauna of Brazil's Amazon rainforest.

The Discovery of the Large, Rich, and Beautiful Empire of Guiana, with a Relation of the Great and Golden City of ManoaAuthor: Sir Walter Raleigh

Raleigh's somewhat suspect account of visiting Manoa, also called El Dorado.

Amazonian Cosmos: The Sexual and Religious Symbolism of the Tukano Indians (Phoenix Books)Author: Gerardo Reichel-Dolmatoff

An old, but truly first rate ethnography of the Tukano.

Rainforest Shamans: Essays on the Tukano Indians of the Northwest AmazonAuthor: Gerardo Reichel-Dolmatoff

A collection of 11 of Reichel-Dolmatoff's best papers on lives, religion, and culture of Tukano people.

Discovering Ruins and Rock Art in Brazil and PeruAuthor: G. Cope Schellhorn

The story of an indpendent explorer's search for archaeological sites in the Amazon.

Xingu: The Indians, Their MythsAuthor: Orlando Villas Boas

A book about the lives of the Xingu indians in the 1960's and 70's written by a Brazilian activitist that spent his life protecting them from the outside world.

A Narrative of Travels on the Amazon and Rio Negro: With an Account of the Native Tribes, and Observations of the Climate, Geology, and Natural History of the Amazon ValleyAuthor: Alfred Russel Wallace

An account of a 1853 expedition up the Rio Negro by Wallace, a colleague of Charles Darwin.

Amazon Basin MapAuthor: Itam

A fold out map covering the entire Amazon Basin from Peru to the Atlantic. Many small communities included.

Amazon Wildlife: A Waterproof Pocket Guide to Familiar Species (Pocket Naturalist Guide Series)Author: James Ravanagh

A waterproof pocket guide to many of the animals and birds of the Amazon. A good field reference tool.