Customer Reviews

Peru's Amazonian Eden: Manu National Park and Biosphere Reserve (English and Spanish Edition)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

MANU is an absolutely first rate book, with superb photography by Andre Bartshe, an extraordianry talent, and text in both English and Spanish by world traveler and adventurer, Kim MacQuarrie. Mr MacQuarrie and Mr. Bartshe have each lived and explored Peru for several years. They are authorities on the region. Mr. MacQuarrie has also made several Emmy winning films on Manu as well as on Kamtchatka and other exotic locales. This MANU book is also a pleasure for its production value. It is a joy to hold and turn the pages. The color process used is excellent and the paper is of the highest quality. MANU is a treasure. Highest recommendation for serious book and rainforest lovers.

I have read everything that can be found pertaining to the rain forest areas of southeast Peru, as an adjunct to my in-the-field research into the legend of the legendary "Paititi," ultimate refuge of the Incas. The information that writer/film-maker Kim MacQuarrie compiled and put into words for Manu is among the most informative and interesting to be found on the subject in English (or Spanish, as the text is bi-lingual). The author obviously did his homework, and presents the facts and current theories in clear and colorful prose. The book gives a good representation of various ecological zones found within "Manu," from the harsh and frigid highlands, the "alturas," on the west; to the penetrating cold mists dripping moisture onto the dense vegetation of the "ceja de la selva," the "eyebrow of the jungle" that lies just below the highlands, along the high eastern edge of the Andes; down into the eastern rim of the Amazon basin, the dense riot of vegetation that is the "selva alta," the high altitude jungle; and finally down into the endless carpet of jungle that makes up the "selva baja," the lowland jungle that spreads away from Manu ever deeper into the Amazon. The text covers all aspects of the Manu area, from history to archaeology to ecology to anthropology. The photographer Andre Bartschi's photographs, which grace most of the book, are lush and exquisitely sharp, capturing fully the riot of color and feeling that are a part of the Manu experience. This is one "coffee table" size book that is as worth reading as any thriller, with illustrations that are a real "turn on" for anyone interested in the exotic or natural history. An additional interesting and useful feature is found in the fold out "bird's eye view" maps, which help one understand and "feel" the unique topography that makes up this pristine and magical place, Manu.

The beautifully photographed book, Manu, is dedicated to Celestino Kalinowski, my father. Sadly, after my Peruvian dad, married my Chicagoan mom, they discovered that they weren't able to handle the vast differences that existed between their cultures. Within a few years they divorced. Celestino remained in Peru; months after I was born there, my mom returned to Chicago, with me.

While I didn't have a chance to see my dad after the divorce, I discovered, about 10 years ago, that he remairried and I have 4 siblings in Peru! My younger daughter visited her new aunts and uncles, soon after this amazing discovery.

While there, she found this book and brought it home to me. Imagine my fascination with the information this massive book contained about my father AND my grandfather! Details about their work and their lives were ones I'd never heard.

Manu is filled with excitement and beauty. Much of it is captured in its pages. I am thrilled to have a connection to the man who did so much for its preservation.

A wonderful book worth its price. It gives a lot of deep images with incredible pictures of one of the few remaining true wildernesses on earth. Additionally, the text gives excellent insights of this fragile eco-system in the Amazonian rainforest. Overall, one of those books a nature lover should have on his/her book shelves.

Manu National Park is a fascinating place both to visit and research for a number of reasons: the unrivelled biodiversity, intricate legends and regional tribal myths, engaging history and - of course - its isolation within the Peruvian Amazon. Anyone wanting to conduct research or simply travel to this region will be struck by the sometimes distinct lack of consolidated guidance or information regarding all of these things, and therefore the very things that make Manu unique. "Peru's Amazonian Eden: Manu National Park and Biosphere Reserve" therefore, is THE authoritative guide to anyone interested in the region, and acts as a volumous source of information to the reader, allowing the reader to open up and delve into one of the continent's most precious domains. The author has clearly undertaken a tireless study of the area, with this one book being the most detailed and informative on the subject of its kind that I have come across. The book, written in both English and Spanish, is comprised of sections relating to the history, flora and fauna, and native peoples of Manu; all of which are accompanied by breathtaking photographs of the rainforest, the people and animals that inhabit it. Readers are also left with the impression that such a unique and valued ecosystem, and the area enclosed within the borders of the National Park is irreplaceable, being an asset both to Peru and to the wider world in how we study and learn from native peoples, the overall fragility of tropical rainforests, and the potential pharmaceutical properties of many as yet unidentified plant species.
This book, therefore, is simply a must buy for anyone remotely interested in the region.

This is a beautiful book. The photographs capture many aspects of the Peruvian rainforest, from the large charismatic animals that rainforests are famous for harboring, to the smallest insects that are often overlooked by the common visitor. The writing is excellent and involves sections on the history of the park, the ecological aspects, the people, and thoughts on the future. This is a wonderful coffee table book that can grab your attention for hours. A must have for anyone that has visited this amazing place.