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The Amazon Past, Present and Future - A. Gheerbrant
Published by Thames and Hudson (1992). New Horizons Collection. 192pp. Large paperback in excellent condition. NZD: 5.50 / P & P: B A chronicle of the discovery, exploration, and exploitation of the Amazon jungle captures the dramatic history of Amazonia from the first conquistadors in 1542 to the present. This book is an excellent introduction to the Amazon's tortured past and offers some insight into the region's prospects. What really sets it apart are the illustrations, many from early manuscripts. Reproduced woodcuts and watercolours give the reader a genuine feel for how the conquistadors and early explorers perceived the Amazon's people and wildlife. The book progresses logically, from initial forays looking for El Dorado and cinnamon forests to the explorer-scientists, in a sweeping historical vista. Gheerbrant's account of the rubber boom is especially poignant, and the reader becomes utterly outraged at the shamelessly inhumane treatment of local tribes by greedy industrialists. The book's reproduced photographs from this era drive home the ruthless brutality of the rubber barons in their urge to acquire riches at any cost to the indigenous people. The author's observations of the Amazon's current status are somewhat outdated however, as sadly, the area is changing very fast and there is not much on conservation efforts or scientific research... 
The North-Western Highlands - Walter A. Poucher
Hardback bound in red cloth with gilt lettering and maps on the endpapers, with illustrated d/w, both in excellent condition. Very clean, tightly bound 4to. format book with no inscriptions, in an unclipped dust wrapper which is just slightly chipped at the corners and with a few minor tears but still intact. Publisher: Country Life Books (1954). NZD: 8.00 / P & P: C 128 pages on coated paper profusely illustrated with over 100 of Poucher's beautiful full-page black and white photographs, and with a brief intro to each area describing his journeys in the North-Western Highlands. As always, Poucher is content to allow his photographs to speak for themselves. Contents: Preface; Introductory notes; The road to the Isles; The Kintail Hills; Glen Affric; The Applecross Hills; The Torridon Peaks; An Teallach; The Coigach Peaks; The Lochinver District; The Far North. A well preserved, most attractive and highly collectible book, full of stunning photographs of the Scottish Mountains North of the Great Glen. |