A thorough, prize-winning source reader on all aspects of the natural history of Costa Rica as edited by the iconoclast ecologist Daniel Janzen. This hefty book contains review articles by 174 contributors on birds, mammals, insects, reptiles, geology, climate, ecology and vegetation. It's illustrated, remarkably well written -- and rewarding for the serious general reader. While its audience is tropical ecologists working in Costa Rica, many of the plants and animals described exist throughout Central America. The format of the book invites selective reading on areas of particular interest. The species-by-species accounts are especially recommended.  (CAM05, $49.00)

Conservation
Plants
Reptiles & Amphibians
Birds
Mammals
Tropical Forest