Insight Guides, the world's largest visual travel guide series, in association with Discovery Channel, the world's premier source of nonfiction entertainment, provides more insight than ever. From the most popular resort cities to the most exotic villages, Insight Guides capture the unique character of each culture with an insider's perspective. Inside every Insight Guide you'll find: .Evocative, full-colour photography on every page .Cross-referenced, full-colour maps throughout .A brief introduction including a historical timeline .Lively, essays by local writers on the culture, history, and people .Expert evaluations on the sights really worth seeing .Special features spotlighting particular topics of interest .A comprehensive Travel Tips section with listings of the best restaurants, hotels, and attractions, as well as practical information on getting around and advice for travel with children |
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I got it and enjoyed so muchSep 23, 2008
I got this book and enjoyed very much. We can see many unusual kind of animals and amazon bird. There are good color and beatiful pictures!!
 COMPILATION RATHER THAN GUIDEAug 04, 2008
This book is very interesting in the choice of animals it makes and has interesting facts about the Amazon and its species. However, its proposition to be a full guide is too ambitious and cannot be achieved in so short a space.
Some of the most significant deficiencies relate to the flora, which is only sparsely described. It is not too helpful in identifying species, especially given the abundance of the region.
I recommend this guide to an amateur who is interesting in identifying a few species, especially of fauna, who is not too particular about identifying specific ones. It is full of interesting facts that a first time visitor would certainly enjoy.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
 Beautiful pictures but uneven writingDec 14, 2006
I was disappointed in this book. It has absolutely beautiful pictures, and is worth thumbing through just for that. The writing is very uneven, even amateurish in places, and much in need of editing. Insight Guide Amazon Wildlife seems to have been written by a committee that never agreed on who the target audience would be. It oversimplifies in places, and provides useless detail in others (e.g. paragraph-long lists of scientific names of species). To be sure, there is much useful information in the book, but no real story line. I learned things, but got no perspective.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Good, but incompleteNov 05, 2006
I have relied on Insight Guides many times in the past on foreign travel, including recently to Peru and the Amazon. I found these guides to be complete, reliable and generally very informative. I was disappointed in the Amazon Wildlife Insight Guide in that it is not organized in any useful way and definitely not complete, especially as far as the Amazon flora is concerned.
0 of 11 found the following review helpful:
Better Amazon Books out thereJan 26, 2002
After living on the Rio Negro for a month near Manaus, constructing a jungle garden with the local Caboclos, I figured I wanted a book with more information on the Amazon than the "Insight Guide to Brazil". Finally the book arrived and I was displeased greatly. For one thing, the first 160 pages are about Birds, reptiles and mamals, which is only covered with 5 pages each. It lists the animals scientific and vague little descriptions, totally useless info. only you're an Entomologist or Herpologist,etc. However if you really are a scientist, you wouldn't be looking at this book, but something more in depth than what this book covers. AND, I don't even understand why they bothered to include the animals they did, you're NEVER going to see them!! And if you do see those animals, you pudgy old tourists will most likely be with a Guide who will explain it better than this book. The only cool little reviews worth reading are Endangered Animals, Life in a Jungle Village, and Amazonian Indians. And as far as places, that was the big disapointment. I thought it would list more museums or sites in Manaus which I could see, HOWEVER, The Insight Guide to Brasil lists MORE than this Amazon book, why they did that is beyond me. So in sum, if you want in-depth info on birds and mamals, there are far better books, or even old National Geographics(which you can buy here at Amazon.com). And if you want a bigger list of museums, aquariums, sanctuaries in whatever country you're at(Colombia, Peru, Brasil), buy the Insight Guide FOR that country. I ONLY would recomend flipping through this at the book store to read the sections I listed above or seeing some photos, definitly not worth paying $... Hope you found this useful, although cynical, it's the truth.
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based on 6 reviews
