Customer Reviews

The Lost Amazon: The Photographic Journey of Richard Evans Schultes

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Schultes was perhaps the greatest ethnobotanists of all time and definitely the father of the subject. In this book, his pupil (and today famed explorer) Wade Davis puts together a sampling of his photographs throughout his life in the Amazon, providing a visual context to the story about the great scientist and explorer.

Schultes lived among indians for many years in the northwestern Amazon, in search for knowledge about its plants and their secrets. He uncovered many hallucinogenic plants in the process, which earned him a cult status in the 1970s. During his time with the indians, he was able to build strong relationships with the natives, which earned a position of respect and gave him the ability to explore their land and knowledge deeply.

Schultes is one of the last great explorers who disconnected himself from the outside world for years in order to collect new specimens and search for more knowledge. Such figures are rare, if at existent in the modern world. He wrote many books about his travels, which would also make interesting reading, especially as they relat ehte knowledge he gathered. This is more of a coffee table type of book, with many pictures and less story. Having read one of his books, I appreciated seeing the pictures of his time in the Amazon.

This is the way to see the Amazon, through the Rolleiflex camera of one of the greatest explorer-scientists.

This is the way to hear of the Amazon, through the Irish tale-telling of Wade Davis, himself an epic explorer-scientist.

Very well documented history of the professional life of Richard Evans Schultes years in the Amazon. Gives you the insight on how to view and treat native people. Written with respect for Schultes and his contribution to the history of our planet. Exquisite photography.

More than a coffee-table book, this is an excellent portrayal of the 1940's and 1950's Amazon Basin...its landscapes, river systems, natural sciences, peoples and cultures.
Dr. Richard Evans Schultes was possibly the greatest ethnobotanists of the 20th century. Compiled by one of his former students, Wade Davis, this is a pictorial depiction and abbreviated biography of this remarkable man.

Collecting more than twenty thousand plants, naming over two hundred new species and genera to science while displaying the highest regard to the many indigenous groups, Schultes was readily accepted into these small communities.
For over twelve years he learned first-hand of the hundreds of useful plants for foods, medicines, materials and hallucinogenic purposes. The man was an eye-opener for this branch of botany and its ramifications to anthropology.

Beautiful, pristine photography of a time long gone.

This is a book of extraordinary photographs taken by the greatest Amazonian plant explorer of the past century. As one who compiled the collection and wrote the introductory essay, I find it inappropriate that its rating is brought down by a customer complaining about a bookseller, as opposed to reviewing the book. Amazon.com should surely decline to post such comments that have nothing whatsoever to do with the book in question.

We purchased the book after seeing the exhibit at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in DC last month. My husband is a botany mature and the book and photos were especially interesting to him.