Getting Ready for the Amazon: Reading Material
For me a critical part of getting ready for any adventure is reading about the area I’m going: history, culture, geography, maps, wildlife, previous explorers and expeditions of the area, etc..
For Alaska I read a ton of natural history and adventure books and here is my reading for my first trip to the Amazon, although not my first trip to Brazil, as I have been many times to the country as my wife of 30+ years is Brazilian.
The Books
I have read many many books about Brazil but these are the ones I am reading / have read in preparation of this upcoming trip. The last book in this list, I am taking on the trip.
Field Guide to the Fishes of the Amazon
Field Guide to the Fishes of the Amazon, Orinoco, and Guianas provides descriptions and identification keys for all the known genera of fishes that inhabit Greater Amazonia, a vast and still mostly remote region of tropical rainforests, seasonally flooded savannas, and meandering lowland rivers.
Into The Amazon The Life of Cândido Rondon
A thrilling biography of the Indigenous Brazilian explorer, scientist, stateseman, and conservationist who guided Theodore Roosevelt on his journey down the River of Doubt.
Tree of Rivers: The Story of the Amazon
A history of the Amazon, its peoples, and those who have explored the river by an author with unsurpassed knowledge and experience in the region
Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon
the story of the legendary British explorer who ventured into the Amazon jungle in search of a fabled civilization and never returned.
Through the Brazilian Wilderness: Or My Voyage Along the River of Doubt
“Through the Brazilian Wilderness” is a riveting account of Theodore Roosevelt’s perilous expedition into the unknown heart of Brazil. In 1913, the former U.S. President and renowned adventurer set out on a journey that would test his physical and mental endurance to the lim
River of Doubt
The River of Doubt is the true story of Theodore Roosevelt’s harrowing exploration of one of the most dangerous rivers on earth. The River of Doubt; it is a black, uncharted tributary of the Amazon that snakes through one of the most treacherous jungles in the world. Indians armed with poison-tipped arrows haunt its shadows; piranhas glide through its waters; boulder-strewn rapids turn the river into a roiling cauldron.
