Product Description
The small Central American country of Costa Rica—less than one-eighth the size of California—boasts the highest density of plant and animal species in the world. Its wild and rugged landscapes include dense rainforests where jaguars roam, a volcano that spews rivers of molten lava, and beaches as unspoiled as they were when Christopher Columbus first anchored his ships off the Caribbean coast in 1502. Costa Rica's rich biodiversity is the result of a hugely varied topography that creates a wide range of natural habitats, and of the presence of animals and plants native to both North and South America. In Wild Costa Rica, photographer Adrian Hepworth explores the natural riches of Costa Rica, providing engaging reports from the field and more than 200 stunning color photographs.

We learn about Costa Rica's rainforest, cloudforest, and paramo (high, treeless plain); the abundance of plants, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and insects these habitats support; and the country's network of protected areas—a system of parks, reserves, and refuges that makes up over twenty percent of Costa Rica's land. These areas—including such flagship wildlife-watching locations as Tortuguero and Corcovado—attract more than a million visitors every year. The money generated by responsible eco-tourism is central to the survival of Costa Rica's wild places.

Hepworth's photographs show us breathtaking vistas introduce us to distinctive native wildlife, including the scarlet macaw, the resplendent quetzal, the three-toed sloth, and spider and howler monkeys. Wild Costa Rica gives us a fascinating picture of the most biologically diverse country in the world. ... Read more

Product Description
An overview of Costa Rica emphasizing its cultural aspects. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great intro to CR for 7 y/o
We are going to CR next month.my little girl really enjoyed this intro to CR. ... Read more

Product Description
A collection of stirring essays from writers Adrian Colesberry and Brass McLean (both veteran travelers), "Costa Rica: The Last Country The Gods Made," tells the history of the country from the inside out, starting with its geological formation and ending with its status as the "Switzerland of Central America."

"The Last Country," highlighted by the stunning photos of international photographer Kimberly Parsons, showcases the strength of their collaborative and individual talents. Parson’s photos of sugar-processing plants, spider monkeys, oxen at work, cemetery angels, fishermen, school children, street musicians and volcanoes form a vivid rendering of life in Costa Rica. Colesberry and McLean match the more than 65 photos with passionate words, adding a human element to subjects ranging from coffee to indigenous peoples, from ants to women’s issues, from bananas to religion; their spirit is infectious. The essays are accompanied by sidebars, short, insightful thoughts on little-known facts about the country.

Winner of the 1994 Publishers Marketing Association's "Ben Franklin Award" for "Best Travel Narrative" written in the United States. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Nice Book
This is a lovely hardcover book of Costa Rica.Nice Photos and associated text.While it is nice, it is not necessarily spectacular and didn't quite measure up to the retail price.

Perfect gift for the discriminating
I saw the review that says that this is not a travel book, and I agree. But it is really lovely & so well written. I got it for a gift and it was really appropriate and much appreciated.

My husband & had been to Africa with my in-laws on a trip by Overseas Adventure Travel. OAT puts out some really beautiful literature, and first class trips and they listed this book in their Costa Rica reading list on their site. It sounded like a good recommendation, and worked out well. I gave it to my mother-in-law, who had traveled to Costa Rica. She is educated & discriminating appreciated that it was factually/historically thorough.

Fantastic scope of the things that make this country
This is a fantastic book.In a very enjoyable way it covers just enough of each of the dimensions that make a country.From the geological beginnings under water to the mountains and high fertile valleys, ancient people to modern day inhabitants, ants to orchids, and beautifully illustrated with excellent photos.We bought a copy before we went, left it with our friends at Diquis Del Sur (diquiscostarica.com), and bought another copy when we got home.Enjoy the book and this beautiful country.

For a travel guide we were torn between the excitement presented in the National Geographic Traveler - Costa Rica book and the superior information for getting around in the Frommer's book.For retirement and living there we preferred "The New Golden Door to Retirement and Living in Costa Rica".The best map is International Travel Maps - Costa Rica, GPS generally works, and most cell phones don't.

Not a travel book
I bought this book based on the numerous adulations on this web site.However, as an uptodate travel guide, I found it not -- not worth the money, not a travel guide, not about retirement, not current (copywrite 1993). It is a historial summary of the country, people, flora and fauna. The pages devoted to today's needed travel info "Modern Times" were outdated and numbered only from 129-146.It's a nice coffee table book with some beautiful pictures.Buy it for that reason, if you choose to buy it, but not as a travel guide as recommended by another reviewer.

A spiritual geography......
This book evokes the country of Costa Rica and it's influence on its peoples by describing the harsh, desolate, yet sublime landscape that embodies the contradictions of Costa Rican life within it's borders and in it's geo-political stature in Central America.

As dry-wiited as it is information soaked, this book gives the traveler a place to begin in the land that never seems to be what the traveler expects."The Last Country the Gods Made"is a contemplative book, a book of essays that creates a spiritual geography, explains the eccentricity of archeology and throws light on the urgency of visionary politics.

This masterful synthesis is a refreshingly unconventional analysis informed by anthopology, migratory science, architecture, environmentalism, epistemology and political minutiae. There is wonderful mini-essay that the authors' call a "sidebar" entitled, "Why No Empire." In it, Colesberry and McLean address the mystery of why the native people of Costa Rica, though amazingly organized, greatly populated and artistically skilled, never formed any urban centers like the Aztec and Mayan empires. Suffice to say, that they pose an utterly unique solution involving Egypt, mideval French wheat farmers, and Vasquez de Coronado's observations of buzzards!

They end this delightful foray with, "...perhaps the local Amerindians had no use for urban zones or concentrations of power that would have placed them in the ranks of advanced societies. If urbanity is the litmus test for civilizations, consider this: in the Diquis area, the leaders lived with not the warriors as one might imagine, but with the artists. How urbane can you get?"

I'd like to say one more thing. The Search Inside the Book pages that Amazon shows you in no way represent the book's text! The pages you can read are just the introduction written by the publisher! It's ridiculous that Amazon doesn't present the meat of this lovely text, since the writing is particularly accomplished.
... Read more

Product Description
At the biological crossroads of the Americas, Costa Rica hosts an astonishing array of plants and animals--over half a million species! Ecotourists, birders, and biologists come from around the world to immerse themselves in the country's unspoiled rain forests, mountains, and beaches, drawn by the likelihood of seeing more than three or four hundred species of birds and other animals during even a short stay. To help all of these visitors and local residents identify and enjoy the wildlife of Costa Rica, this field guide presents nearly three hundred species of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, butterflies, moths, and other invertebrates. Carrol Henderson, an experienced wildlife biologist, traveler, and tour leader in Costa Rica, has chosen the species that ecotourists are most likely to see, along with a selection of rarer, sought-after animals. He gives a general introduction to each group of animals, followed by individual species accounts that highlight identification features and interesting ecological adaptations for survival. His stunning close-up photographs and distribution maps complete each entry. In addition, Henderson includes a wealth of data about Costa Rica's natural environment, as well as a trip preparation checklist and lists of conservation organizations, wildlife tourism sites, and wildlife vocalization tapes and CDs. With so much information so readily and readably accessible, this field guide will be essential for planning and enjoying your time in Costa Rica. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Good general guide to a sampling of Costa Rica
Basics: 2002, 539 pp, softcover; 400 color photos of 300 species of birds, mammals, butterflies, amphibians, reptiles, and other invertebrates; natural history overview of each species; map of Costa Rica is sighting locations shown for each animal

This is an attractive, informative, and useful natural history guide for several animal types in Costa Rica.In contrast to the book's title, I would not call this a field guide.Its thickness and weight make it somewhat cumbersome to be carried in the field.Instead, this may be better suited as a tool for at-home reference before or after the outdoor excursion; or, carried in the car or backpack.

The 400 good color photographs cover the following six sections:
Birds = 259 photos of 189 species (of the 880+ found in the country)
Mammals = 46 photos of 31 species (out of 228)
Butterflies/Moths = 30 photos of 24 species (out of nearly 10,000)
Amphibians = 10 photos of 10 species (out of 175)
Reptiles = 34 photos of 25 species (out of 220)
Other insects, spiders, and crabs = 20 photos of 15 species (out of many thousands)

The selection of photos is nice, as is the quality and larger size of each one.Nearly every photo shows sharp color, is well lit with clarity and focus, and shows an unobscured view of the subject.The photos are the highlight of this book, which is what attracted me to buying it.It's nice to see many of Costa Rica's birds shown in a quality photo.

As noted in the breakdown of photographs list above, just over half of the book focuses on the birds, which are perhaps the more prominent or easily seen fauna in Costa Rica (other than the plant life).Within the birds, a slight bias goes towards showing more of the larger birds or non-passerines.Some great photos are provided for the 9 species of parrots, 18 raptors, and 22 shore and wading birds.On the smaller side, 18 species of hummingbirds are shown.

A smaller proportion of mammals is covered, which is analogous to what one typically sees in the wild since most of the mammals are either nocturnal or hidden by the foliage during the day.Four species of monkeys are photographed as are both the Three-toed and the Two-toed Sloths.Also, less likely to be seen, are four species of cats.

The text supplied for each species covers about a page of material dedicated to providing an overview of the natural history and, to a lesser extent, to describing the animal.Feeding behaviors, group interactions, habitat preferences, and other interesting nature trivia provide a brief but nice review of the animal's background.As an example, an interesting tidbit discusses the chemical composition of a forest yam that curtails the reproductive abilities of the peccaries.

A 2x2-inch map of Costa Rica is provided for each species.These maps do not show the range of the animal.Instead, dots represent a distinct sighting by the author and the associated nature tours.I like how the map is drawn with the five major biological zones that represent a distinct eco-region.The maps are relatively large and may be even too large since some species are shown by only a few dots.This takes up a good chunk of the page.

The introductory 36 pages of this book offer a good account of Costa Rica in general.Discussed are its history, nature preservation and conservation, nature tourism, biogeography, bird migration, endemic species, and the many habitat types.Reading this section before visiting Costa Rica will help give nice insight into the country.

I like all the information provided in this book as well as its well-rounded coverage. My only minor critique is the bulkier size of the book which is not due to the many species covered but in part to the organization of the text, photos, and maps.I suspect the book could have been 25% smaller (or the same size with 25% more species) by using a different font size and/or line spacing, a smaller map, and consolidation of the demographic information used to introduce each species.

As noted above, the book is not a complete field guide to any single group of animals, which is pointed out by the author.Instead, the book provides a sampling of what you may see while hiking around various areas of Costa Rica.Although there are certainly more complete field guides available for just the birds or the reptiles or the mammals (see list below), this book offers the nature generalist a very nice representation of the country's wildlife.It's a great book to read before, during, and after your visit.

I've listed several related books below...
The Birds of Costa Rica: A Field Guideby Garrigues
Mariposas De Costa Rica / Butterflies and Moths of Costa Rica by Chacon/Montero
The Mammals of Costa Rica: A Natural History and Field Guide by Wainwright
The Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica by Savage
Amphibians and Reptiles of La Selva, Costa Rica, and the Caribbean Slope by Guyer/Donnelly
A Field Guide to Plants of Costa Rica by Gargiullo et al.
Tropical Plants of Costa Rica: A Guide to Native and Exotic Flora by Zuchowski

Not impressed
I read the reviews and thought this book would not be complete, but I didn't expect it to be this empty. As another reviewer said, it's about the birds of Costa Rica.The information about other wildlife is lacking (and you can get the same basic ID info with the "Costa Rica Wildlife: An Introduction to Familiar Species" pocket guide).Bothrops asper, possibly the most widely known of all Costa Rican snakes, is missing from this book.How can that even be possible?It's possible because apparently Costa Rica only has three or four snake species.

The mammal section is acceptable, but not organized well for a field guide.It would be difficult to use in the field.

The only improvement to my pocketable field guide is a little bit of field info (not a whole lot - my book "The Birds of Costa Rica" is far better at supplying field info and since this volume covers mostly birds, I would recommend picking it up instead) and some real photos of the animals and some different color morphs for the reptiles.The photography in the book is even a bit lacking.The cover photo is a bit blurry and many of the inside shots are not great, but at least they are photos.

Overall, not impressed.

Not-so-good guide
This guide of the Wildlife of Costa Rica is actually a guide not very complete of the birds of the country.
As biologist, I've always worked with many field guides, and this one has dissapointed me in many ways. It lacks illustration of photographies of the animals, it does not include any kind of plants (they are part of the wildlife as far as I know), has not any geographical dispersion pattern map in which consult the distribution area of the species, the dimensions are extremly unconfortable (specially considering the light content of the guide), and it's not exhaustive by all means.
I'd not recommend to buy this guide to any naturalist interested in a field guide for travelling in Costa Rica.

Packed with fascinating natural history info
This excellent book is a fun read, plus it includes fascinating natural history tidbits that make the birds, mammals, butterflies, frogs and other wildlife come alive!The appendix of wildlife tourism sites and field stations (with contact info) was hugely helpful as we prepared for our trip.

Great Travel Book!
We recently returned from Costa Rica and I ordered this book just 2 days before we left.I arrived on time and what a treasure it turned out to be on the trip.Be sure to bring binoculars as well!It was great fun to be able to identify and read more about all of the animals we saw.The only thing I would add is be sure to bring a Plants guide as well.There are so many things to see and so much is different that I was wishing I had that too but the wildlife guide in itself was indispensable for our trip.I highly recommend it! ... Read more

Product Description
Provides an introduction to Costa Rica using a question-and-answer format that discusses land features, government, housing, transportation, industries, education, sports, art forms, holidays, food, and family life.Includes a map, facts, and charts. ... Read more

Product Description
A Naturalist in Costa Rica picks up Alexander F. Skutch's story in 1935, the year his memoir The Imperative Call ends. In it he recoreds his life, work, observations, and reflections during thirty-five years in the southeastern Pacific section of Costa Rica. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Stories of a lost Paradise
Dr. Alexander Skutch passed away in 2004 just short of his 100th birthday.
He was an acclaimed biologist and had published a multitude of studies, articles and books on tropical botany, nature and ornithology.

In this book he describes his early days in Costa Rica just after concluding his work with the banana producing companies in the 1930's.In 1941 he purchased a farm in the rich San Isidro Valley in the South Central part of the country and named it Los Cosingos after the Fiery-billed Aracari, a species of Toucan that was common in the area.Skutch then devoted his time to studying the birds and plants of the area and worked to save some of the forests and preserves of the country.He along with Dan Janzen were two of the most influencial biologists that helped Costa Rica shape a system of national parks that may be the best of any country in the world.

In this book Skutch writes of the early days on the farm, what the area was like before the main rush of settlers and how it changed into an agricultural center.His farm, or better called his sanctuary is the last forest left in the area and still shelters many of the birds, animals and plants once found in the valley before it changed to cropland.
He describes journeys across the Cerro Muerte before the road was built when therewas just a horse trail, and travelers would sometimes freeze on its heights here in the tropics.He describes fantastic natural phenomena such asmigrations of irridescent winged butterflys that stretched from horizon to horizon that sadly dwindled with time and are no more.

I had noticed that no one had reviewed this book which I imagine is an indicator of the present interest in this book.This is very unfortunate as it is an excellent read and will illuminate aspects of tropical life that have all but disappeared in Central America.
... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
Can we prevent the destruction of the world's tropical forests? In the fire-scarred hills of Costa Rica, award-winning science writer William Allen found a remarkable answer: we can not only prevent their destruction--we can bring them back to their former glory. In Green Phoenix, Allen tells the gripping story of a large group of Costa Rican and American scientists and volunteers who set out to save the tropical forests in the northwestern section of the country. It was an area badly damaged by the fires of ranchers and small farmers; in many places a few strands of forest strung across a charred landscape. Despite the widely held belief that tropical forests, once lost, are lost forever, the team led by the dynamic Daniel Janzen from the University of Pennsylvania moved relentlessly ahead, taking a broad array of political, ecological, and social steps necessary for restoration. They began with 39 square miles and, by 2000, they had stitched together and revived some 463 square miles of land and another 290 of marine area. Today this region is known as the Guanacaste Conservation Area, a fabulously rich landscape of dry forest, cloud forest, and rain forest that gives life to some 235,000 species of plants and animals. It may be the greatest environmental success of our time, a prime example of how extensive devastation can be halted and reversed. This is an inspiring story, and in recounting it, Allen writes with vivid power. He creates lasting images of pristine beaches and dense forest and captures the heroics and skill of the scientific teams, especially the larger-than-life personality of the maverick ecologist Daniel Janzen. It is a book everyone concerned about the environment will want to own. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Hope for the forest, the people, and biodiversity
I have the greatest respect and admiration for Dan Janzen and have supported the Rincon Rainforest project before seeing this book. This book is a good explanation for why the Guanacaste Conservation Area (GCA) in Costa Rica may be the key to all successful tropical forest conservation projects.

The author relates the detail of conservation work to restore overgrazed, eroded land and land filled with difficult to eradicate foreign weeds back to the point of reforestation with all the original species from microbes, insects, up to birds and mammals.It is encouraging to see that despite the difficulty of this work that they are achieving success and that model of success may help other tropical conservation projects.

The book also describes the life work of one of the most important conservation biologist of all time and all of those who have been pushed, coereced, reluctantly persuaded and inspired to do this most significant project.If you are discouraged in any way about the fate of the diverse tropical forests you should read this book.It truely is an inspiration.

Good case study of an important conservation project
Without duplicating the book description, I'll just explain why I would recommend this book to anyone interested in conservation.

Although the creation of Guanacaste Conservation Area -- which combines pre-existing national parks and added land between and around them, along with a marine sector -- is unique in representing the world's only large-scale tropical forest restoration project, the story illustrates elements common to nature conservation projects in general.These include the importance of understanding the local ecology (in this case, especially forest succession and the necessity of controlling fires); political aspects, both local and national (Costa Rican president, parks service, etc.); how money is raised and land purchased or otherwise secured; and ways of involving people from the local area in conservation and the importance of that.

I have just returned from Guanacaste and was impressed by the program that trains local people as "parataxonomists" to help with the huge task of identifying and cataloguing the area's many species.Another program gives instruction on natural history to children in local schools.The result has been an important cultural shift toward appreciating nature and the many benefits it provides.

The writing is sometimes long-winded and ponderous, but the careful recounting of details was worthwhile, and the integration of interesting snippets of tropical biology and anectodes of the people involved made it an enjoyable read.

Of particular interest as well was the recounting of the reaction to the revolutionary suggestion that tropical forest can indeed be restored on land taken out of agriculture, an assertion that initially met with skepticism and alarm from conservation organizations, as it conflicted with the conservation message that a tropical forest, once cut down, can "never" regenerate.

In this end, this is a great and stirring conservation success story.The book illustrates how much hard work that entailed on the part of many dedicated people.

Deforestation? How about rainforest restoration!?!
How often have you've heard the tales of gloom and doom regarding the deforestation of the tropics?Undoubtedly, the numbers are grim and the outlook for many forests is not good.This is why this story, wonderfully told by William Allen, a science writer at the ST. LOUIS DISPATCH, is particularly refreshing and guardedly optimistic.

Allen craftily weaves anecdote with history, real people with events to present a story that tells how a relatively small park in NW Costa Rica (Guanacaste National Park) developed into the Guanacaste Conservation Area, some 10 times larger than its original size.But the story is not limited to the success in creating a larger park.Rather, the author depicts the efforts of a determined group of Costa Rican and foreign scientists (led by Daniel Janzen) as they attempt to reverse the effects of deforestation and actually bring a substantial area back to some semblance of its original state.

The story delves quite a bit into Janzen's personality and raises the issue of a foreigner's role in a project such as this.Would it succeed without him?Just what would it take to restore non-virgin forest?Is this an idea that might work elsewhere?Just a few of the intriguing questions dealt with in this book.

I particularly enjoyed the beginning of each chapter, where the author introduces an anecdote upon which the rest of chapter usually builds.The anecdotal information is highly entertaining of itself, and when used as metafor, it is easier to remember the larger points made.

If you're into eco-whatever, this is great stuff...

paul e. ... Read more

Product Description
Attempts to construct resilient democracies have been as pervasive as reversals have been cruel in Latin America. Based on a wealth of original historical documents and contemporary interviews, this volume analyzes five centuries of political history through paradigmatic examples of outstanding democratic success and abysmal failure. It demonstrates that while factors highlighted by standard explanations matter, it is political culture that configures economic development, institutional choices and political pacts in ways that directly affect democracy's chances and quality. ... Read more

Product Description
Discover the mysterious and fascinating ways in which animals and plants—and people—interact with one another in the rainforests of Costa Rica.Author and naturalist Jack Ewing shares a wealth of observations and experiences, gathered from more than three decades of living in southwestern Costa Rica, home to some of the most prolific and diverse ecosystems on Earth. More than just a simple collection of essays, Monkeys are Made of Chocolate is a testament to the wonder of life in all its countless guises, as seen through the eyes of a man with a gift for subtle discernment and a natural flair for storytelling. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Great insight into Costa Rican nature, flora and fauna
This is a terrific compilation of essays from an author who lives in Costa Rica and makes his living by understanding the nature of this Central American country. The essays range from environmentalism to animals, evolution, and conservation.

I purchased this book in advance of a family trip to Guanacaste in northwest Costa Rica. I consider this book a must-have for advance research, planning and understanding of the natural-side of this extremely eco-friendly and eco-aware country. "Monkeys" will provide insight into the country's natural history and you'll feel more prepared and aware of what the country has offer.

The short essays(ranging from 3-6 pages each) are a quick read - perfect for the pool, beach or plane.

Must Read for a Costa Rica Visit
I purchased this book prior to traveling to Costa Rica with a group of friends.It was purchased along with a few guidebooks.My friends all purchased guidebooks as well.This is not a guidebook.It will not tell you how to ID anything or where anything is located, but it will tell more about the real Costa Rica than any guidebook can.

This book was passed around on my tour more than any of the guidebooks.Nobody who read it could put it down, and they all wanted to talk about it each other (so the next person said, "Can I read that?").

The author is a great storyteller and not at all preachy.The book is broken down into short, fun stories (the moral of most of them is conservation...but having a moral doesn't get in the way of the enjoyment of the story).Easily read by even the biology layperson.

The book was read in 1-2 sittings by most of my friends.That's a sure sign of a good read.

A fun and informative read....
Light, enjoyable, and thought-provoking.I picked it up one Saturday and didn't put it down until I finished the whole thing.A little repetitive in places, but that is part of the design - each chapter is a self-contained essay.The author puts a lot of his personality in the essays.Highly recommended for anyone going to or coming from Costa Rica.

Perfect Marketing Tool
How many times do we look in the mail and see a letter from the same nonprofit organization looking for money, even after we've sent the check? The key to marketing is brand recognition and message repitition. How many times did Jack Ewing mention Hacienda Baru in his book? I'm not sure. All I know is I want to visit.

This book has all of the basic conservation messages in it, packaged in stories starring the flora and fauna of the Hacienda Baru National Wildlife Refuge. Its messages can easily be shared with young adults, as the book is written simply enough, and arranged in a manner that each chapter can stand alone as a lesson.

Some stories seem incredible: snakes striking after being beheaded, toucans savaging other bird species, etc., but the author has not spoken from anything but what he and others around him have experienced. This is a great book to read either for literary enjoyment or as a primer before a trip to Central America.

Great nature stories
I have to tell you that this was one of the very best nature books I have read in a long time. It has great stories, it is super-engaging, and it has a wonderful yet not overpowering environmental message. ... Read more

Product Description
Costa Rica is incredible in its ecological richness, and this guidebook helps travelers take it all in, from walking in the rain forest to watching green turtles' nest to snorkeling in clear waters off pristine beaches. 60 b&w photos. Color photos. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Excellent guide
It's been many years since we traveled to Costa Rica, but the nature preserves we remember best are well described in this current, and useful guide.

We especially recommend the inns at Monteverdi--a long, five hour drive up a dusty, mountain road, and worth every second, every pothole and every rut--and Drake Bay at the amazing reserve in Corcovado.

From all appearances, all the other highlights of a nature adventure in Costa Rica was well represented here, as well. It's the vacation of a lifetime, which you will remember for a lifetime. And this book is one of the better places to look for the little gems in that little gem of a country.

one of the two best
This book along with the coffee-table tome "Costa Rica : The Last Country the Gods Made" should be owned by anyone who loves Costa Rica, even if they think they despise natural history monologues as too narrow in their scope of a country. This book's spirit is undeniable.

The best book for nature lovers
Ree Strange Sheck does an excellent job describing lodges, locations, activities, and nature. I work in nature travel and use this book often. I highly recommend it for anyone planning a trip to Costa Rica who is interested in experiencing the beauty of this amazing country.

Natural History Tourism At Its Best
Costa Rica has it all--volcanoes, rainforests, beaches, cosmopolitan cities, whitewater rivers, and a rich tapestry of cultures--and so does this guidebook. Ree Sheck has done a terrific job of focusing on what'sbest about this amazing country, particularly with respect to its naturalhistory, parks, and wildlife. There's a lot of information about hotels,restaurants, services, and transportation -- certainly enough for anytraveler -- but where this guidebook really shines is in its description ofthe land, the people, and the natural resources of Costa Rica. I can'trecommend it highly enough. Buy a copy and go!

Great Book!
Hi I am worjing at ILISA Spanish language institute in San Jose, Costa Rica and I just want to let you know that this book helps our students a lot by giving them helpful information and by arranging their travel plans for the weekends. Thanks! ... Read more

Product Description
In the late nineteenth century, migrants from Jamaica, Colombia, Barbados, and beyond poured into Caribbean Central America, building railroads, digging canals, selling meals, and farming homesteads. On the rain-forested shores of Costa Rica, U.S. entrepreneurs and others established vast banana plantations. Over the next half-century, short-lived export booms drew tens of thousands of migrants to the region. In Port Limùn, birthplace of the United Fruit Company, a single building might house a Russian seamstress, a Martinican madam, a Cuban doctor, and a Chinese barkeep--together with stevedores, laundresses, and laborers from across the Caribbean.

Tracing the changing contours of gender, kinship, and community in Costa Rica's plantation region, Lara Putnam explores new questions about the work of caring for children and men and how it fit into the export economy, the role of kinship as well as cash in structuring labor, the social networks that shaped migrants' lives, and the impact of ideas about race and sex on the exercise of power. Based on sources that range from handwritten autobiographies to judicial transcripts and addressing topics from intimacy between prostitutes to insults between neighbors, the book illuminates the connections between political economy, popular culture, and everyday life. ... Read more

Product Description
Costa Rica hosts an avifauna of more than 830 species. Within two hours drive from San Jose, one can see quetzals in highland forests, antbirds in lowland forests, or shorebirds and ibises in mangrove swamps. The authors describe the landforms, vegetation and climates of Costa Rica and include photographs of some of the major types of habitat and characteristic plants. They discuss some aspects of evolution, ecology, and behaviour of Costa Rican birds, and report on the costly and courageous conservation efforts the country is making. The family and species accounts which follow, covering some 400 pages, make up the bulk of the book, with 52 colour plates illustrating virtually every species of Costa Rican bird-migrants as well as residents - including distinctive plumages for many of them. There are also practical tips for trips in the field and descriptions of good birding locations, with specific directions for travel by car, public transport and on foot. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (38)

Fabulous
This book is a bird lover's God send. On our trip to Costa Rica, it was extremely useful, given its full illustrations of thousands of exotic species to be found in that glorious tropical climate. We were especially delighted to experience sightings of the rare Quetzel and Toucan. A fabulous guide for anyone visiting Costa Rica, or those simply wishing to live vicariously.

Not up to North American quality, but...
gotta have one for going to Costa Rica. All the color plates are in the center of the book, with the written descriptions spread out.Come to think of it, for a medium birder in a strange place, that might work out ok for checking out the pictures quickly to match with a new bird.I'll give it a try.Planning on buying another book, since I'm going to Panama as well.

nothing compares
Yes, it's too big for the field.Yes, it was published in 1989, and no update is imminent (presumably).But no birder traveling to Costa Rica should do so without this work (and Amazon offers a great price).It's also true that Garrigues and Dean have now offered a much more portable guide that can (and should) be carried in the field, and for that I'm especially grateful.But when puzzles arise (as they invariably do), the encyclopedic information from Stiles & Skutch must be readily available (in the car or hotel room).The supplementary information offers an insightful view of a country that for many of us is the ultimate tropical prototype.The species profiles are detailed and yet concise, and the illustrations are both beautiful and representative.If you're a birder going to Costa Rica, don't leave home without it.

One additional note - I did buy an inexpensive, worn used copy from which I had a copy service separate the plates from the text and bind each separately.The plates will accompany me in the field.Those plates will probably help me narrow down my diagnostic choices more quickly.For examples, in Garrigues-Dean I have twelve plates for woodcreepers and antbirds, while I have to peruse only four plates from Stiles-Skutch.

Costa Rica Bird Book
Outstanding bird guide;accurately illustrate birds allowing me to identify birds that I had never seen before.The book is full of information as to the clima, geography, avian habitats and identifies the names of the birds both in Spanish and English.A must have!

Outstanding field guide
This guide to the birds of Costa Rica contains a wealth of information on where to find the birds, apart from their habits, how to identify them easily in the field, and their typical habitat in Costa Rica.The colored plates are good, although in the case of one or two species, a little on the small side.Overall, outstanding value for money and a tribute to years of painstaking research in the field. ... Read more

Product Description
anthology, tr various hands ... Read more

Product Description

Provides a new understanding of the relationship between Church and State in 20th-century Costa Rica.

Product Description
An excellent pocket-size reference and field identification aid to the 252 species of birds found in Costa Rica. Over 250 full-color photographs. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Good practice photo guide
Basics: 2005, 144 pp, softcover; 299 color photos of 252 species; brief overview of 12 birding locations; map with habitats and 15 birding sites; no range maps

Of the many photo-guides in the series, this book has one of the better selections of good photographs.The birds are slightly larger in this book than in most of the other guides; and, nearly every photo is in focus and well lit with the bird unobscured by foliage or suffering from a bad pose.In all, there are 299 color photographs of 252 (28%) of the 890+ species found in Costa Rica.

There is a good sampling of families shown in these photos.The most prominent family is the flycatchers with 25 species. Keeping in mind the difficulty of many of the flycatchers, these photos will be helpful when the shown bird is seen in the field.Since most birds are shown with only one photo, there will be many plumages encountered that are not in this book.There are also 26 species from the combined groups of trogons, motmots, jacamars, toucans, and woodpeckers.

My one knock against the selection of photos is more a personal preference.Of the 252 species shown, 55 (22%) are birds expected to be seen in the US.Yes, these birds are typical of Costa Rica, but there are other notable birds of Costa Rica that aren't featured as frequently.There are already so many books with these birds illustrated.How many more photos of the Great Egret, Turkey Vulture, Red-winged Blackbird, or Summer Tanager are needed?Of course, this viewpoint is biased by my familiarity with US birds.For non-US birders, this book would be very useful because these in-common birds are common in Costa Rica and will be seen.

The text given with each photograph consists of a single short paragraph.About 1/3 to 1/2 of this is dedicated to descriptions of the bird.The material is not strongly detailed, but it does provide a decent general description of the bird.Some species are also accompanied with brief notes as comparison to a similar species.The remainder of the information consists of brief notes on the bird's habitat or behavior or other natural history comments.Many of the birds have a note recording the maximum elevation at which the bird can be found.

Two nice additions in the beginning pages are a map of Costa Rica and a brief listing of birding locations.A dozen sites are listed along with a very brief overview of what may be seen at each.The map does a nice job of identifying the five major eco-types.Within the map are the location of 15 popular birding areas.

This is a handy practice guide with good photos to practice for a trip to Costa Rica; however, it is not a complete field or identification guide.For that purpose, the book "A Photographic Guide to Birds of Costa Rica" by Garrigues is highly recommended.--(written by Jack at Avian Review / Avian Books, December 2009)

1) The Birds of Costa Rica: A Field Guide by Garrigues
2) A Guide to the Birds of Costa Rica by Stiles/Skutch
3) A Guide to the Birds of Panama by Ridgely/Gwynne
4) Aves De Costa Rica by Skutch
5) Field Guide to the Wildlife of Costa Rica by Henderson
6) Hummingbirds of Costa Rica by Fogden
7) An Illustrated Field Guide to the Birds of Costa Rica by Soto

Great pictures, very good reference book
Order my book at the very last minute and got it just on time for our Trip to Costa Rica. Book was a great help identifying birds, pictures are very good and is easy to use. I will recomend you get one if you are going to Costa Rica.

Good novice bird field guide!
I purchased this bird guide among others prior to taking a summer birding tour in Costa Rica. I found it a little helpful to study the photos of the birds prior to the trip, but after a few days I put it away to continue study of the full field guide, The Birds of Costa Rica, a field guide by Richard Garrigues. Basically, this is a novice bird watchers guide to some of the most common birds in Costa Rica. This could be what you are looking for, if so you may be satisfied with this book. I ended up not even taking this book with me on the trip. This would not be the guide you would wish to purchase if you are a serious birder.

Great pocket guide!
I didn't want to lug around a big book for our trip to Costa Rica, so I ordered this small guide, hoping it would do. It was terrific - in fact, all our Costa Rican guides coveted it. Almost every bird we saw was in it. There is only one hummingbird and one egret I couldn't find in it, and we saw at least 45 different species. It fit in the pocket of my cargo pants, and it was easy to pull it out and quickly find each bird. I highly recommend this guide if you will be visiting Costa Rica.

Good book
This is a good bird book for Costa Rica. It uses the Stiles and Skutch classification system. Uses real bird photographs. It does not contain every bird but the 252 species within the book are the ones most likely to be seen. It is easy to read and helpful and does not weigh a ton like the other Costa Rica birding books. I highly recommend it. You can buy it in the Juan Santamaria airport and in some resorts. ... Read more

Product Description
This pioneering study of electoral fraud and reform focuses on Costa Rica, a country where parties gradually transformed a fraud-ridden political system into one renowned for stability and fair elections by the mid-twentieth century. Lehoucq and Molina draw upon a unique database of more than 1,300 accusations of ballot-rigging to show that, independently of social structural constraints, parties denounced fraud where electoral laws made the struggle for power more competitive.They explain how institutional arrangements generated opportunities for several executives to assemble legislative coalitions to enact far-reaching reforms. ... Read more