Costa Rican Natural History | 
| Creator: Daniel H. Janzen
Publisher: University Of Chicago Press
Category: Book
List Price: $49.00
Buy Used: $20.00
You Save: $29.00 (59%)
New (5) Used (15) from $20.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 87649
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 823
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3.6
Dimensions (in): 10.7 x 8.5 x 1.3
ISBN: 0226393348
Dewey Decimal Number: 508.7286
EAN: 9780226393346
ASIN: 0226393348
Publication Date: September 15, 1983
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
This volume is a synthesis of existing knowledge about the flora and fauna of Costa Rica. The major portion of the book consists of detailed accounts of agricultural species, vegetation, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, birds, and insects.
"This is an extraordinary, virtually unique work. . . . The tremendous amount of original, previously unpublished, firsthand information is remarkable."—Peter H. Raven, Director, Missouri Botanical Garden
"An essential resource for anyone interested in tropical biology. . . . It can be used both as an encyclopedia—a source of facts on specific organisms—and as a source of ideas and generalizations about tropical ecology."—Alan P. Smith, Ecology
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| Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
Central America Natural History Reference Book March 9, 2007
This book has detailed information about many of the plants and animals one might encounter in Central America. No color pictures, but many black and whites. Book is probably too large and heavy to carry in the field, but is exactly what I was looking for to learn new and obscure facts to impress the non-scientific fellow traveler. I'm very pleased with it.
Hardback would have been better August 22, 2006
An amazing reference; everything you need is here, from species accounts to detailed narratives. A perfect reference; my only complaint is that the 800+ pages would have been better as a hardback book - my paperback copy split its spine within a week of purchase and now looks dog-eared and worn!
Immensely useful compendium for the American tropics November 30, 2005
Janzen's book is over twenty years old but remains an encyclopaedia of tropical America. The 174 authors, all experts in their fields, have penned over 800 fascinating pages. The final product is a milestone, since much of the information presented was previously unpublished.
Introductory chapters cover the history of field biology in Costa Rica, biogeography, climate, geology and soils. The information presented is a thorough background for Costa Rica and provides a wealth of references for those who want to have more detail. These chapters are a useful aid to understanding the biology of any area in the northern Neotropics.
The bulk of the book comprises species accounts grouped systematically with an additional section on agriculture. At the start of each chapter, a well-written introduction gives an overview of the Costa Rican group in question and a taxonomic checklist for the country. However, the meat of the book is the species accounts themselves. Written by a large number of authors, they range from a brief few paragraphs to a couple of pages with two dozen references, depending on the amount of information available. Monochrome photographs illustrate the accounts.
Not surprisingly, Janzen's tome has found its way into universities, research stations and personal libraries throughout the American tropics. For the tropical naturalist who wants to know more than the identity of an animal or plant, this is the book to go for, especially for a trip to Costa Rica. Highly recommended.
bang for your buck July 17, 2004
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
There are so many bad books on the market trying to do what this book does so simply and so well. ...few are written with the same authority and attention to detail that Janzen brings to this text. It could be the best money you spend all trip. And I agree with the other reviewers on the book, "Costa Rica the last Country the Gods Made." It's without question a close second to Janzen's masterpiece on the physical world.
Jam-packed! May 31, 2004
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
I found this hyper-detailed book to be absolutely invaluable while I was in Costa Rica!A book I found equally indispensable, which I read BEFORE I got there, was "Costa Rica: The Last Country the Gods Made." Both books should more than adequately prepare you for a trip around 1 - 3 weeks.
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