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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Vanishing World,
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This review is from: The Naturalist on the River Amazons (Paperback)
Climbing palms. Seven-inch monkeys. Twenty-foot anacondas. Bats with two-foot wingspans. Five-inch spiders. Bloodthirsty insects. Methods of river travel. Torrential downpours. Indigenous peoples.
Henry Walter Bates' personal narrative of exploring and naturalizing in the Amazon Basin is both an enjoyable read and one of immense importance to natural history. From 1848-1859 Bates traveled throughout the Amazon and its many tributaries taking notes on everything from the natural world to the cultures and customs of the many native and non-native peoples he encountered. His observations of animal mimicry (now known as Batesian Mimicry) further glued Darwin's theory of evolution, natural selection and adaptation. The reader is easily lured into Bates' descriptive writing style. Energetic, expressive and vigilant, we are right there alongside him traveling through the murky dark waters of the upper Amazon or up close with a scrutinizing eye to observe the ants, monkeys and butterflies. He was a keen and enthusiastic witness to a world slowly disappearing. The only shortcoming to the book is that it is extremely lengthy. Maps and diagrams would have been helpful.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Totally engrossing,
By
This review is from: The Naturalist on the River Amazons (Paperback)
I am looking for a copy for my globe trotting daughter as I read a library copy some years ago. Yes, it is very lengthy, like the Amazon, but totally fascinating, engrossing and a marvellous account. I remain amazed that Bates survived his lengthy stay, and also that he was one of the first to publicise the ecological destruction that was then commencing as Europe opened up the rain forest. If you have any real desire to learn about the Amazonas, this is the definitive publication.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An account by one of the greatest explorers of all time,
By
This review is from: The Naturalist on the River Amazons (Paperback)
This book is a must read for anyone interested in the history of the exploration of South America or the history of exploration worldwide. Another Englishman on the order of Mungo Park of African fame or Charles Doughty of Arabian fame he was on his own, depending on his sale of zoological specimens to British collectors to survive. He endured incredible hardships during his Amazonian explorations and it's a wonder he survived so long there.
This book is filled with interesting information to the anthropologist, ethnologist, zoologist and historian. Information on Brazilian urban customs, Amazonian tribes and of course observations on the animal kingdom. At times it has notes of a strange sadness which indicates to me the effect of long residence in the tropics. This book is a classic in the field of exploration, ranking alongside of Park's "Travels in West Africa" and Doughty's "Travels in Arabia Deserta" I am a student on the history of travel and exploration and will rank Bates as one of the greatest explorers of all time! The "Narrative Press" edition I have leaves much to be desired, no illustrtions or maps from the original are reproduced here, we have to look to "Elibron" or "Dover" for quality publishers on reprints of works of exploration.
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