All the relevant dates and facts are precisely mentioned in this book. Whenever I need to verify a date or a name regarding the history of oil industry in Venezuela, this book is my primary source of information.

Parra's book seems light years ahead of time, an insightful critique of Latin machismo and oppression that makes a frontal attack on forced matrimony, organized religion, sexual mores and the domestic sphere. Though the heroine's flightiness and indecision are bound to irritate some readers, its crucial to keep in mind that the author was single-handedly clearing space for a feminine (if not a Feminist) perspective within the confines of a deeply patriarchal and misogynistic narrative framework, one that systematically relegated women characters to passive, at times silent, roles. Here, Parra takes up a common enough trope--that of the orphaned young woman ripe for marriage and pursued by multiple suitors--and shatters the mold, giving her protagonist not only a voice, but a consciousness. Maria Eugenia is certainly one of the first heroines in Latin American fiction to openly question her position in society and to rail against the fact that she is little more than a pawn in the hands of men and older, scheming women. She is an unforgettable character even if--quite inevitably--she fails in the end to actually remove herself from the patriarchal structures that so violently work to keep her mind and body in check. The book is not perfect, of course, it could not be considering that its primary purpose seems to blaze a trail, but for all its windiness and occasional lapses into vapidity, it is an important work, one that deserves a critical revival, if not a wide readership.

I first learned of this book when I watched the Venezuelan miniseries many years ago. I was haunted by how contemporary its theme still is: a smart, sophisticated young woman trying to adapt to her family's facade of wealth, falling in love with a social climber, and eventually trying to settle for a well-to-do suitor and live out a life of boredom. This book should be read by women of all ages - the story is beautifully told, you will feel transported to the Caracas of the early 20th century.

I wish I had come across this book years ago. De la Parra startled me with some of her ideas. Although her main character lived at about the turn of the century in South America, her experiences give me insight into my own. It is beautifully written and engrossing.

I wouldn't travel with Redmond O'Hanlon personally, although I'm quite happy to be a vicarious companion. And judging from O'Hanlon's opener here--where he tries to find someone to accompany him in his latest foray--it seem that my opinion is shared by O'Hanlon's friends. Except for one--who is shown to be under a mistaken impression about what a jaunt down the Amazon is like, not to mention having Redmond O'Hanlon planning the trip.

The title aptly describes the action. If you read O'Hanlon's Into the Heart of Borneo, this book follows without nary a break. While it doesn't have quite the originality of the first book, it doesn't fail to fulfill the promise of that book either. O'Hanlon's a little bit wiser, but still as trusting and stubborn. He presses on in circum- stances where most would have turned around--things like the fiercest tribe of natives in the world, torrential rainfall (not to be trifled with, especially on a river), and rapids in which he is dumped and unable to escape until a mile or so down river.

The best thing about O'Hanlon--although the amazing trips he takes are worthwhile in and of themselves--is the companions that he does manage to take. I'm not talking about the physical companions, who do provide humorous interludes, but the ones that are to be found in the books--the explorers who have traveled this route before. Rather than just supplying a bibliography, O'Hanlon uses them to annotate his own trip. An adventurer and a scholar, O'Hanlon's one of the best.

Good travel writing is as hard to find as good places to travel. Mr. O'Hanlon does a thoroughly enjoyable job of describing his misadventures in the miserable, bug-infested Amazon jungle. However, unless O'Hanlon is exaggerating, the trip could have easily ended in tragedy rather than comedy. As the book went on, I felt sympathy for his companions and guides who may have signed on to the trip assuming there was logic and sense to it. In the end, I hope O'Hanlon will stay home next time.

Redmond O'Hanlon displays a tempered lunacy in his account of an extraordinary search for the infamously violent Yamamoni tribe. It all seems a little contrived at first. He deliberately searches London for a traveling companion, then selects the most inappropriate he can find - a nightclub owner. Simon, his foil among the insects, snakes and spiders of the Amazon, loses his marbles half way through the book. The strength of In Trouble Again, is that despite feeling total sympathy for the sane, you can not help but admire O'Hanlon's crazed doggedness. Everytime he has an excuse to turn back, he redoubles his efforts, dragging his guides onwards. To say that he survives is certainly not spoiling the ending, but it is an extraordinary read and enough to limit adverturous dreams to the Discovery Channel. It deserves a 10, but O'Hanlon is obsessed with birds. I, like Simon, have always thought a bird is just a bird. Which is why I'm staying at home.

I used this book while visiting Venezuela, and I was able to identify quite a few birds. However, I found that some of the color plates are inaccurate, which made identification rather difficult at times. Several species (such as the Green Jay, some tanagers) are depicted with improper coloration- some were too pale, some too brightly colored and/or with incorrect markings. The book was very useful and I'm glad I bought it, but be aware that the bird you see may look significantly different in the book.

There are a couple of risks of misunderstanding with regard to this book that must be made clear here. Firstly it is in no way a second edition. The only things in common with the first guide to the birds of Venezuela, by Meyer de Schauensee and Phelps Jr are the familiar old plates by Guy Tudor, the title, and the publisher. In all other respects it is completely new. Secondly, the "Grand-daddy" review here, clearly refers to the original book and not this one.

Having said that, there is little one can add to Chris Sharpe's comprehensive review except to say that I have already used Hilty's book extensively for research this year, along with the other current guides for other countries, and have found it to be the best. In my opinion it sets a new standard. The only small weakness worth noting here is the plates, but has there been a guide that is perfect in this respect?

For anybody birding in Venezuela, the book is an essential item to have along.

I believe the earlier reviewers are mistakenly referring to the 1978 First Edition of this field guide (Meyer de Schauensee and Phelps 1978). As the first modern field guide to a South American avifauna, the original Birds of Venezuela is certainly now showing its age though it is still a remarkably useful field aid to the world's sixth largest national avifauna. The new edition - practically an entirely new field guide - is a very different kettle of fish. What makes this new edition different?

First of all, the new guide is twice as thick and the text is much more closely packed. The book now weighs in at over 1.8 kg (4 lbs) and is more along the lines of the field guide volume of the Birds of Ecuador (Ridgely and Greenfield 2001). Nearly a hundred new species are treated, taking the country total to 1381. Far more species are illustrated and more colour plates have been used, though eight black and white plates have been retained to depict flying raptors and swifts. We now have 67 plates compared with the previous 53 - a 25% increase. Twenty-five of the plates are entirely new with beautiful artwork primarily by John Gwynne. The new plates cover a range of taxa, with Cracids, owls, nightjars, toucans, tanagers, Fringillids, Emberizids and Icterids particularly well covered. A further four have been adapted from Birds of Panamá (Ridgely and Gwynne 1989) and one from Birds of Colombia (Hilty and Brown 1986). The remaining 37 are basically the same Guy Tudor plates (and one by John Gwynne) from the old edition with some modifications.

To my mind, though, it is the text which has really benefited from this new edition - so much so that this should really be thought of as an entirely new field guide. The format follows and improves on the standard set by Birds of Mexico (Howell and Webb 1995) and Birds of Ecuador. The type-setting and text layout have allowed far more text to be included than, say, Birds of Ecuador and Hilty has also been precise and economical with his words. This comes as no surprise to those familiar with Hilty's earlier Birds of Colombia.

The text is far more oriented towards identification than in the old edition - the main requisite for a field guide. The first section contains information specifically on identification and this is followed by a section on similar species, where further comparative text is merited. The voice section is new and seems to be very well compiled with - to my taste - excellent transliterations of songs and calls. Much natural history information and further aids to identification are included under a paragraph on behaviour. A detailed appraisal of status and habitat preference is included before the final discussion of range. The text retains the custom established by the earlier edition of separating range information by subspecies, a feature which is particularly welcome in these times of ever changing taxonomy. Range maps are another new feature and they make use of points corresponding to specimen and sight records as well as the customary shading to indicate overall range. In short, they are similar in format to those provided in Birds of Ecuador.

Finally there is a good selection of references at the end of the book and some very nice colour habitat photographs at the beginning. A well annotated locality map of the country is also provided together with colour relief and vegetation maps.

Any drawbacks? With a work of this magnitude there are bound to be some errors and omissions and I quickly found a number of minor inaccuracies too petty to mention here. Perhaps the guide could have a benefited a wee bit more from external review of status and range of some species - there are gaps in the known range of a number of species. Many will also carp about the dimensions and weight of this new guide, though this is an inevitable product of the diversity of the avifauna in question and nothing that cannot be remedied with a pair of scissors and a certain degree of irreverence.

In resumé, an essential buy for all who are interested in Neotropical ornithology and truly great value for money too. I can't wait to get the book out into the field!

I have to admit that just as I was starting to savour this thin slip of a book I found that it was, indeed, mere selections. The whole narrative is actually three volumes, over four hundred pages a volume. I was left with a craven empty feeling like a fiend for his needle. Humboldt's writing presages Thoreau and through him ponders the transcendent raptures of the natural world. Reading through the visit to the Caribs reminded me of my visits to the Grenadines where their presence is still redolent in the shadows under the almond trees. I felt that I had imbibed the same air as Humboldt.

Alexander von Humboldt (of the Current fame) was a famous polymath during the age of enlightenment. Like many noblemen, he used his money and leisure time in esoteric pursuits, such as collecting flora & fauna and trying to find the deeper meaning of it all.

This particular volume has been well-translated from the original - there is none of that stilted 'I haf von the Cherman translated been' style - it reads conversationally (assisted by the editing-out of long passages where Humboldt takes one of his many diversions) yet it also gives us an idea of what the man was really like. There is an extensive set of notes at the back, not just references, but elaboration of the point, which I found very illuminating.

His travels to South America span 5 years, during which time he collects and measures EVERYTHING - for at this time in history, no-one knew what was going to be pertinent or useful to science or economy. There are some amazing descriptions where he was the first educated person to see places; the problems of travel in uncharted, trackless & mountainous country make terrific reading. We may scoff at the zeal of the man, but if Hiram Bingham hadn't done the same, we wouldn't have the fantastic ruins of Macchu Picchu to study.

We also learn of the relatively tight circle of 'scientists' at that time - almost everyone knew everyone else, either via letters, Society writings or personal contact - and they knew it all; there was as yet no division between geology, biology, zoology etc - it was just 'Natural Philosophy' and one studied the lot (of course some dedicated themselves to a favourite pursuit). What is amazing to us now is the most simple things were unknown; for example, a sailor at death's door deep in the bowels of the ship, 'miraculously' recovers when taken on deck, out of the fetid miasma of the orlop - well, who wouldn't?... There are many similar incidents.

Slightly heavy going at times, because of the writing style of the period, it is nevertheless chock full of interesting snippets and amazing discoveries, giving a great insight into the mind and motives of a typical adventurous philosopher of the time. *****

This book examines and coveys the creation tales of the Watunna tribe located in tropical rain forest of Venezuela as collected over 15 years by the author. The stories and the descriptions of the story weavers are spell binding. One of the more interesting books I have ever read! See if you can find the connections and similarities between the creation stories of your people and the Watunna!

WATUNNA : An Orinoco Creation Cycle, by Marc de Civrieux, edited and translated from the Spanish by David M. Guss. 195 pp. North point Press, 1980.

I first learned of this book from a review by John Updike, 'Happy on Nono despite Odosha,' which was reprinted in his 'Hugging the Shore' (Penguin Books, 1983, pp.669-75). Normally I don't read much anthropology, and have no particular interest in myths, but Updike's was such an excellent review and got me so excited about this book that I decided to get a copy. It turned out to be the most fascinating compilation of myth I've ever run into, and one with a significant difference.

Rather than being recast in the scholarly prose of your standard anthropologist, the Watunna Creation stories are given to us as they issued from the mouths of the Makiritare themselves, a tribe which lives in the mountainous regions of the upper Orinoco in Southern Venezuela. They were pieced together by French ethnographer, Marc Civrieux, who spent over twenty years visiting the villages of the Makiritare and listening to their vivid and moving myths of the world's creation, and the role their tribe played tribe within it.

The word 'myth' is, of course, a convenient catch-all. In fact it explains nothing. All it does is serve to excuse us from further thought, as does the word 'instinct,' a word which really refers to a kind of intelligence that we do not understand at all. But if even a tiny fraction of what the Makiritare are saying is true - if in fact these stories are not myth, but, as they themselves firmly believe, real history - it would indicate a knowledge of human history that reaches back in time for tens and perhaps even hundreds of thousands of years.

But whether 'myth' or 'history,' the Watunna stories are fascinating, and they have been beautifully rendered into English by David M. Guss. Here are a few lines from the opening of the book:

"There was Kahuna, the Sky Place. The Kahuhana lived there just like now. They're good, wise people. And they were in the beginning too. They never died. There was no sickness, no evil, no war. The whole world was Sky. No one worked. No one looked for food. Food was always there, ready. // There were no animals, no demons, no clouds, no winds. In the highest sky was Wanadi, just like now. He gave his light to the people. . . ." (page 21).

Besides a Translator's Preface, and a 19-page Introduction on the history of the Makiritare and the nature of their Watunna, which in its highest form is communicated from the spirit world in a secret language, and is heard only by initiates while in trance, the book also contains a section of eight interesting photographs of the Makiritare people, a detailed 20-page glossary, and two maps. The book, as is customary with North Point Press, is well-printed on excellent paper, stitched, and bound in a glossy wrapper.

If you're looking for something both different and utterly compelling, and if I haven't succeeded in convincing you, check out John Updike's review, because I'm pretty sure he will. He certainly convinced me, and he was right!

an interesting insight into why oil rent cannot buy industrial development. In addition to historical overview, Coronil describes the simultaneously enabling and corrosive effect of oil rent via several focused examples such as the failure to establish a Venezuelan tractor industry. These examples are especially convincing because of the interview material used to round out the characters of the main actors.
On the other hand, the effort to connect the development difficulties of Venezeula with the general theory of rent capture is uninspired.

In his introduction to The Magical State, Coronil writes: "As an oil nation, Venezuela was seen as having two bodies, a politcal body made up of its citizens and a natural body made up of its rich subsoil." Coronil's subject is how the state interacted with these two bodies. Abundant oil money, he argues, raised the ambitions of the state and the expectations of the people to an unrealistic extreme. Although excessive cashflow could not be spent efficiently in an underdeveloped country like Venezuela, pretending to do so was the government's sole claim to legitimacy; thus a charade of progress and benevolence pervaded the political culture of an export-driven, dependent economy.

Coronil's ideas are fascinating, and Part I alone (of four) makes this book worth reading. Unfortunately, Coronil does not bring his ideas home persuasively. Instead his book slowly degenerates into deconstructed historical anecdotes and glimpses of bitter subjectivity: reminders of his own experience with the government of Venezuela. Coronil's book casts an intriguing theoretical perspective on more conventional, more competent histories of Venezuela by scholars like Judith Ewell or John Lombardi. Read them first. The Magical State is for those who are comfortable with the historical framework and are ready to read critically--caveat lector.

This book goes far, very far, beyond the pedestrian and misleading analyses of Judith Ewell or John Lombardi. Coronil offers a history of Venezuela that reveals connections among state-formation, national mythology, natural resource exploitation, and class rule. A must read, therefore, not only for all Latin Americanists but also many others.

The author has combined multiple vacations to Margarita Island into one tale based on true happenings. There are whimsical moments but too much of the story is a collection of pessimistic outlooks and over reactions to vacation mishaps. It's too mellow dramatic for me. I was surprised that they seem to recommend this place. I bought the book hoping to get some insight into Margarita Island but there is little useful information. If you want a short story about what else can go wrong, it's a cute story. If you want to learn something about Margarita Island, look elsewhere.

Barbara Mandelowitz McMahon writes her travel memoirs with a charming touch. The laughs come regularly, and the book is a pleasure, whether or not you're planning on a South American Island adventure.

Our intrepid couple keeps coming close to disaster, but never have a bad experience. Their humorous close calls with island bureaucracy, unreliable airlines, annoying French tourists, challenging rental cars and traffic, just seem to bring them closer together. While there are clouds following them around, it never gets worse than slightly overcast, with bright sun by the end of each chapter.

And what are we to make of the mysterious "Rick" figure. He is hardly says anything, and yet is at the center of Ms. McMahon's attention. How are we to understand this Zen-like figure and his inexplicable role in this delightful travelogue? Maybe because he is simply the best at "getting the ice."

This book had me in stitches! It is a beautifully-written, hilarious account of the author's travel adventures with her husband in Margarita Island. It is poignant and gripping. I don't remember when I laughed so hard reading a book.

Despite the high hopes I had when I started this book (due to my high regard of L'Engles other books - A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind in the Door, etc), I was sorely disappointed in this book. THe plot was a little above average, but it just didn't hold my attention. Additionally, L'Engles attempts to write in Southern dialect for the main character's dialogue failed miserably and came off "hokey" and unrealistic.

I was pretty disappionted when I realized that their weren't any dragons in this book, but that dissapiontment soon vanished. I found the book to be thick with suspense and description. All the characters were so real, I'm sad to see that Simon doesn't re-enter any other books, and to see how happy Poly was as a child, it was a shock to read The Arm of a Starfish. A wonderful Book.

This is a wonderful book. The characters are realistic, and the plot is exciting. Although it is sometimes hard to follow, it is a rewarding book to read. I also like the way the plot is twisted. It doesen't end as you would expect it to. This is my first Madeleine L'Engle book, and I now hope to read more of her books. I love her imagination and style of writing.

I would recomend this book to readers who enjoy mysteries and suspense books. I fell in love with the characters and really liked the plot. I hope other readers who are interested in buying the book will too.

This book was a great information source. You can tell that the author did a lot of research for this book. It records a young boys journey through the rain forest in search of the butterfly that will save the rain forest from the bulldozers. During his journey he encounters many animals. The author gave very useful and vivid detail. However there were some points where the book was kinda hard to understand. I can also understand why some people might think this book was dull. It is just a nature book without much excitment. I recommend this book to anyone who loves nature or is doing research on the rain forest!

ONE DAY IN THE TROPICAL RAINFOREST
AUTHOR-JEAN CRAIGHEAD GEORGE
GENRE-ADVENTURE/REALISTIC FICTION
PAGES-66

SETTING-TROPICAL RAINFOREST OF THE MACAW
CHARACTERS-TEPUI, DR.RIVERO , A ORNITHOLOGIST, HERPETOLOGIST, MAMMALOLOGIST , AND A BOTONIST.

THIS IS A MUST READ BOOK IF YOU LIKE ADVENTURE OR THE RAINFOREST! IT'S ABOUT A BOY NAMED TEPUI AND A SCIENTIST NAMED DR. RIVERO. THEY HAVE AN URGENT PROBLEM, THERE ARE 11 BULLDOSERS AND FOUR TRUCKS CARRYING 20 CHAINSAWERS THAT WANT TO CUT DOWN THE RAINFOREST FOR FARMLAND. TEPUI AND DR. RIVERO MUST FIND A NEW BUTTERFLY TO SAVE THE RAINFOREST, BUT THEY ONLY HAVE LESS THAN A DAY BEFORE THE DESTRUCTION BEGINS. CAN THEY DO IT?

The author writes very suspenseful, and teaches us valuable lessons throughout the story. We are constantly learning more about the BALANCE of the Rain Forest and the miraculous events going on simultaneously around the main characters. I can't wait to read other books by this author. You can tell she does a great deal of research about her topics and enjoys the outdoors.

Here is another superb entry in beloved nature writer Jean Craighead George's informative and thrilling ONE DAY. . . series. The award-winning author of JULIE OF THE WOLVES, MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN, and more than eighty other wildlife books for young readers does a great job of bringing to life the magical setting of the tropical rain forest. Tepui, a young boy who lives in Venezuela's Tropical Rain Forest of the Macaw, befriends some biologists who are studying the rain forest. To his and the scientists' dismay, the rain forest is scheduled to be chopped down and destroyed one afternoon. The only way to save it is to find a special butterfly that has never before been identified and present it to a wealthy businessman who wants to name the butterfly after his daughter. So Tepui and his friend Dr. Rivero--a lepidoptorist--set out to find the elusive insect. But the human characters are only a small part of the story. The rain forest is alive with thousands of species of creatures--amusing ones like a leisurely sloth, and creepy ones like flesh-eating ants. There are birds of all the colors of the rainbow, mammals like jaguars and tapirs, magnificent tree giants, and, of course, millions of insects. This is a fascinating glimpse, written in a fast-paced minute-by-minute style, into an environment so complex and diverse that there are many creatures who don't even have names, and have never seen humans. It is also an important story that all young people should pay attention to to better understand their natural world and help to preserve its unique magnificent ecosystems. Other titles in the series are: ONE DAY IN THE. . .ALPINE TUNDRA, PRAIRIE, DESERT, and WOODS. Any ecologist will also want to check out Jean Craighead George's Eco-Mysteries series: WHO REALLY KILLED COCK ROBIN?, THE CASE OF THE MISSING CUTTHROATS, THE MISSING 'GATOR OF GUMBO LIMBO, and THE FIRE BUG CONNECTION. These include information on chemicals, the ozone layer, human development, and how these things threaten our wild places and creatures.