Caribbean Books

This is one of the strangest (and greatest) novels of the 20th century. Written by the eccentric Argentinian Roberto Arlt, it explores the tortured inner life of bill-collector Remo Erdosain and follows him as he becomes involved with a bizarre terrorist plot to overthrow the government. Filled with lunatics, pimps, and prostitutes, this novel creates a vivid picture of Buenos Aires in the 1920s, where the lucky few live in luxury and the rest suffer the strain and humiliation of poverty and social impotence. If you are looking for a brilliant and disturbing novel, look no further--there is nothing else like The Seven Madmen. Hopefully we will see the rest of Arlt's work come out in English translation soon, as well as that of his contemporary Roberto Mariani, because this is cutting-edge literature at its finest. Arlt was a true rebel who was way ahead of his time, and The Seven Madmen belongs near the top of any list of great 20th century novels. Its style remains stunningly innovative to this day.

This is a post-modern expressionistic essay on alienation in modern cities, well worth your time...

Arlt would have turned 100 this year, but his novels are still with us. Written when he was 26, Arlt's life is a perfect metaphor of deja vu: he's a similar case as Dostoevsky: sick, a failure as an inventor, has to write and publish his books in chapters because of his debts, died young, at 42, but left behind one of the most ironic and intelligent protagonists: The Astrologer: Always finding a way to change the conservative way of life, he's a parabolle of failure and dreams, but magnificently sketched in few, precise lines. If anyone wants to understand the greatness of Latin American literature, this is a perfect start.

The Seven Madmen by madman Roberto Arlt is a Latin American classic. The book's anti-hero Erdosain takes the reader on a unhappy trip through Buenos Aires. The novel is filled with revoulutionaries and thugs who prove Arlt's theory that niether religion nor society can help man find his soul in modern society.

What I like best about this collection is that the author (or editor, really) tells you a little bit about the people who tell the stories. He also includes the original Quechua, which is an interesting touch even if I can't read it. At any rate, if you enjoy fairy tales, and are interested in hearing them from other cultures (there are a few parallels to the traditional Brothers Grimm in this book), this is a good book to buy. If you aren't interested in fairy tales, this is a good book to change your mind.

An enchanting book! Here is a unique opportunity to read stories never before written down, much less translated. The author was told them in the original language in the high Andes by Quecua storytellers. Now he has translated them into English, and in She-Calf and Other Quechua Folk Tales we find, opposite each translated page, a page printed in the original Quechuan language. Fascinating! Johnny Payne further enriches our experience by sharing the similarities that he observed between these stories and stories with which we are already familiar. Included as well are wonderful background stories of experiences and people he encountered in the story-gathering process. For those interested in stories, folk tales, oral tradition, antropology, history, language, travel... This is not only a must-read, but a must-own. It's a keeper!

This is a marvelous collection of Quechua folktales, told by various Quechua speakers to anthropologist Johnny Payne. These are short and "catchy" tales printed in English with the Quechua version on the facing page. This gives you a chance to get acquainted with the sentence structure of the Quechua language which I found very helpful. The author also shares interesting insights into the people who tell the tales. I love to travel in Peru and I am going to pass this book on to a Quechua friend who will surely enjoy it as much as I did. If you're interested in the cultures of the Andes, or if you plan to travel there, don't miss this book! .

An excellent collection of stories -- not merely in the presentation of a different set of stories than those which reach the common awareness, but also in the insights it gives to the shape of the Quechua culture and people. It is not presented as an explication of the way these people live, the way the thoughts go, but the stories show that shape, show that means, bring the world alive in a way both subtle and profound.

The stories are presented both in the Quechua language and in English translation, and it is possible to see the shape and patterns of the language with careful text comparison; it makes it worth considering learning the Quechua tongue to pick out the nuances which are inevitably lost in translation.

This book is more than I expected. Excellent biographical information and literary context for the six authors. Relates the work of six great Spanish poets of different epochs. The translations are very helpful for someone who knows some Spanish. I would have preferred more literal and less poetic translatons. Even a fine poet like Barnstone must take liberties with the original when he turns a Spanish sonnet into an English sonnet. This book is invaluable to the amateur and, I would assume, to the professional as well.

For those who already know the various authors of this book individually, words will be in excess to describe the treasures contained therein. The five Spanish already classical authors and Jorge Luis Borges closing the group with honors are a guarantee of high quality and deep touching entertainment. Tasting the fluent and sincere social verb of Quevedo, or absorbing in silence the sweet and perfect mysticism of Juana Inés would be sufficient to recommend this book. But we find much more, Machado, García Lorca and Miguel Hernández, marked by the horrors of the Spanish Civil War, found in their sensibility, the way to transform hate and blood into the purest and most powerful poetry. About Borges, well, what can one say about a man of his talents, his well known depth is something you will find easily linked to his enormous sensibility and human solidarity. Definitively, this multiple anthology is a treasure to keep forever.

The translation is marvelous: I read them all before in Spanish. And the Selection? Amazingly good ! Congratulations to the translator! It`s not an easy feat to translate Garcìa Lorca or Sor Juana Inès de la Cruz...eoither The Master: Quevedo...or Machado ( the name is ANTONIO, NOT ANTONIA ) The person who selected the poems is really knowing... If you want to read and enjoy the very best of Spanish written sonets...This Book is a Poetic "Bible " Don`t miss it !

The sonnet form was introduced to Spain from Sicily in the fifteenth century through the writing of El Marqués de Santillana (1398-1458), a poet who wrote Petrarchan sonnets in Spanish. During the Renaissance, the Italian sonnet made its way to most of the countries of Western Europe. In England, Edmund Spenser changed the Petrarchan rhyming form of 'abba abba cdecde' to 'abab bcbc cdcd ee,' and William Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets with the form 'abab cdcd efef gg.' As Willis Barnstone says in the introduction to his book, 'Six Masters of the Spanish Sonnet,' 'the Spanish sonnet, a literary vagabond in courtly dress, began in the court of the Sicilian Frederic II, went up to England, and finally, seven centuries after its Italian birth, with its picaresque wits and form intact, dropped down just above the Antarctic Circle to appear in the poems of the Argentine Anglophile [his maternal grandmother was English] Borges.' Professor Barnstone goes on to present a thorough history of the evolution of the Spanish sonnet and a colorful biography of six Spanish language poets who used the form. His writing is informed by his long friendship with Jorge Luis Borges. Barnstone offers here a sampling of 112 Spanish sonnets by these six masters, placed side by side along with his own magnificent translations.

Francisco de Quevedo (1580-1645) is described as a 'monstruo de la naturaleza' [monster of nature] because of his prodigious outpouring of writing. 'Like Swift, Dostoyevski, and Kafka, he is one of the most tormented spirits and visionaries of world literature ['El Buscón' (The Swindler), 1626, is his masterpiece] and also one of the funniest writers ever to pick up a sharp, merciless pen.' Though Quevedo's sonnets are at times scatological and darkly satirical, they are also humorous and hopeful.

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (1648/51-1695) was a Mexican discalced Carmelite nun who is considered by some religious scholars to be the first female theologian of the Americas. Although I was familiar with her love poems and her articulate defense of a woman's right to write in 'Response to Sor Filotea,' I had not read her sonnets in translation before. As he does with all six sonneteers, Barnstone faithfully maintains Sor Juana's rhyming, meter, and cadence in his translations of her sonnets. His analysis encompasses her writing and her life, including some critique of Octavio Paz's definitive biography, 'Sor Juana, or The Traps of Faith.'

Antonio Machada (1875-1939) recalls the landscape of his native Sevilla in his sonnets. In, 'El amor y la sierra' (Love and the Sierra), he writes, 'Calabaga por agria serranía / una tarde, entre roca cenicienta. (He was galloping over harsh sierra ground, / one afternoon, amid the ashen rock).' Barnstone calls Machado 'the Wang Wei of Spain' because 'he uses the condition of external nature to express his passion.' As Petrarch had his Laura, Machado had his Guiomar (Pilar de Valderrama). In 'Dream Below the Sun,' he writes, 'Your poet / thinks of you. Distance / is of lemon and violet, / the fields still green. / Come with me, Guiomar. / The sierra will absorb us. / The day is wearing out / from oak to oak.'

Federico García Lorca (1898-1936) was a Spanish poet and playwright who was affected by Luis de Góngorra and gongorismo. His 'Gypsy Ballads' was 'the most popular book of poetry in the Spanish language in his time.' Barnstone states that 'his closest attachment, his passion, was the painter Salvador Dalí,' with whom he carried on a six year love affair. Luis Buñuel castigated him for his Andalusianism; indeed, Lorca felt that Buñuel's satiric and surrealist film 'Un chien andalu' mocked him. After traveling to New York and Havana, Lorca became 'the playwright of Spain' with his brilliant 'Bodas de Sangre' (Blood Wedding). His 'Sonnets of Dark Love,' unpublished during his lifetime, were probably written to Rafael Rodríguez Rapún, an engineering student. Barnstone believes that 'dark love' is an allusion to San Juan de la Cruz's 'dark night of the soul.'

Jorge Luis Borges (1899-1986) of Argentina considered himself a poet, though he was a master at prose. According to Barnstone, because of the blindness that afflicted Borges in midlife, 'he could compose and polish a sonnet while waiting for a bus or walking down the street' and then later dictate it from memory. 'Borges's speech authenticated his writing, his writing authenticated his speech. To have heard him was to read him. To have read him was to have heard him.' In 'Un ciego' (A Blindman), he says, 'No sé cuál es la cara que me mira / Cuando miro la cara del espejo; / No sé qué anciano acecha en su reflejo / Con silenciosa y ya cansada ira. (I do not know what face looks back at me / When I look at the mirrored face, nor know / What aged man conspires in the glow / Of the glass, silent and with tired fury.)'

Miguel Hernández (1910-1942), a poor goatherd and pastor from the province of Alicante in Spain, wrote his best poetry while imprisoned during the Spanish Civil War. 'In the prisons, Hernández became,' in Barnstone's opinion, 'the consummate poet of light, darkness, soul, time, and death.' One of his poems, 'Llegó con tres heridas' (He came with three wounds), is a popular song, recorded by Joan Baez on her 'Gracias a La Vida' album.

'Six Masters of the Spanish Sonnet' is recommended to all who love this poetic form and want to know more about the lives of these remarkable poets. A good index and list of references are included for further study.

Wide range of Darío's life work. Short stories and poems. Contains most of his famous stuff. Print large enough to read easily. English translation on right side helpful for intermediate Spanish readers. It's amusing to disagree with the translator's take.

You simply can't go wrong with this series. Here is one of the great names in Spanish literature, Rubén Darío, made even more accessible through the dual-language format. A must for teachers, students, and those of us will always be both!

The egregious ascendancy of Latin American poetry ever born; Dario incarnates as nobody else the sublime beauty, nocturnal gaze, autumnal meditation and existential anguish tinged of a bucolic scent and contemplative mood.

Along his poetry it 's easy to certain to associate with Whitman in determined concerns; Dario visits the hospitals of the hell and makes his own journey; but besides, his dark reflections are impregnated with a visible tinge of spiritual penury and incurable hopeless.

Baroja stated once: the Castllian owns two great names: Valle Inclàn and Ruben Dario. Go for this invaluable book and ve part of that poetical iniverse.

I found this book to be very insightful into the mind of Ruben Dario. Having the translation in both languages gives the reader an accurate idea of what Dario wanted to express; and also gives the reader an accurate idea of why he chose certain words to say certain things. Some small detail I would have wished is that it contained the full lirical calendar, the autum, winter, spring, and fall poems. Overall, an exellent book.

Both my parents were born and raised in Cuba and I am a first generation American. I remember growing up, my friends would come over my house and look in the pot of black beans cooking on the stove and say "ewwww...that looks gross!!!" Who would have known that when I grew up, black beans would be "trendy". :o) Anyway, I've always said that my mother is the best cook in the entire world and it's always been a challenge to get her to pass down her recipes, because she never measures anything.

Luckily, I stumbled across this book last week, purchased it and immediately went to my mother's house to get her "expert" opinion...are these recipes authentic? It was great to see the smile on my mom's face as she looked through the book. Not only did she give the thumbs up on the recipes, she loved the artwork. She said she usually uses more bell peppers than recommended in the book, because she thinks it gives more flavor and she said that sometimes she takes steps in a different order, but for the most part these recipes are just right! I can't tell you how happy this book has made me...knowing that I will be able to prepare the dishes I grew up with...it's really awesome!

I made the glazed sweet potatoes today to go with our Thanksgiving dinner and they were extremely delicious. Thanks to the author for the wonderful recipes and the artist for the beautiful artwork. I can't wait to make everything in this book!

Great recipes. Easy to follow. Genuine Cuban cuisine specific dishes -autentico- Will bring much "sabor" and "salsa" to your plate and cooking! You will never get bored in the kitchen with this book while bringing the goodness of the enchanted isle to your dinner plate. Enjoy!

Beatriz Llamas was born in Spain, ran cooking classes and a catering business while still a student, then worked at the Alambique Cookery School in Madrid before moving to Cuba, where she developed a keen interest in the local cuisine and culture. In A Taste Of Cuba, Llamas showcases an impressive culinary mix of cultures and ingredients associated with Cuba's complex history and natural resources originating with the Cuban Indians (cassava, taro root, corn, sweet potatoes, black beans), the Spanish colonizers (coffer, sugar, roasted meats and peppers), and African slaves (okra, plantain). All of these diverse heritages of foods fused into a vibrant new culinary culture. Illustrated with drawings and color photography, the recipes range from Taro Root Fritters; Avocado and Shrimp Salad; and Susana's Rice with Green Plantain; to Celie's Chicken and Corn Pie; Squash Pudding; and Soursop Champola Ice Cream. A Taste Of Cuba is an ideal addition to any personal or community library multicultural cookbook collection.

4/5/2005

A Taste of Cuba
By: Beatriz Llamas

A review by Marty Martindale

Just as our feet are itching to journey freely to the tastes and rhythms of colorful Cuba, our eyes can, at least, feast on the bright, lively illustrations by Ximena Maier in Llamas' A Taste of Cuba cookbook. This is also a chance to bone up on our menu familiarity once we again get to visit. In the beginning of the book, Llamas explains some of the details of the Cuban Table. Next she identifies frequently used ingredients.

Here's just a few of the dishes she tempts us with:

* A couple of interesting and very simple soups: Avocado Soup made with chicken broth, mustard and lime juice. Her Green Plantain Soup similarly calls for beef broth, lime juice and cloves.

* Jose's Ceviche uses king mackerel, onion, lime juice, olive oil and parsley.

* Fish in Escabeche is olive oil, onion, garlic white wine, wine vinegar, spices and fresh tuna.

* Glazed Sweet Potatoes is a combination of lime juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, butter and dry Cuban cooking wine.

* Her Apple-Flavored Banana Ice Cream is a simple recipe calling for apple bananas, lime juice, 7-year-old rum, milk, sugar, light whipping cream and egg whites.

* Black Boy in His Shirt is a rich cake made from cooking chocolate, butter, eggs, sugar, roasted peanuts and confectioners' sugar.

A Taste of Cuba is a pretty little Cuban book, only 139 pages, but filled with the little country's unique appetizers, soups, main dishes, side dishes and sesserts. Generally, it is a good idea to own a lime tree, if you live in Cuba ...

© Marty Martindale, 2005, Largo FL
mm@FoodSiteoftheDay.com

The Prologue sucks you inexorably into macabre world from which there is no escape until you have shared the deadly ride with Lance Hawvermale's relentless heroine, Lieutenant Marcella Paraizo, known to her friends as Zo. I admire the author's ability to imbue his characters with a quirky combination of passion and sense of humor. Zo wades through clues to her friend's death, even as she fights the mental demons of a medical diagnosis that could threaten her life, if she survives an elusive killer and a looming hurricane. Welcome to carnage in the Caribbean. While Hawvermale goes on to the next, we await the motion picture that must result from this intriguing tale.

A great novel. When I first picked it up, I read it in a matter of days. My curiosity over who commited the crime during the prologue of the novel carried me through all the way to the end. I found the writing original and enjoyable. The plot was enticing to a point that I could get nothing done until I knew, absolutely knew, who the criminal was. The ending will leave you surprised but wanting more. Then you can pick up Erin O'Rourke's novels.
Lance is a great writer who strives to make each written work he does better than the last. Way to go, Lance. Now, on to the next.

I enjoyed THE TONGUE MERCHANT, and the "Weird Mind" of Lance as he wove a macabe and senseless murder mystery to it's brutal climax. His vocabulary and choice of descriptive words is excellent as he paints a picture for you. This young writer is well on his way to greatness.

I have read other works from Hawvermale/O'Rourke and can't wait to get my copy of The Tongue Merchant. Lance's writing style is at once daring, ubiquitous, and delicious. This author is the next J. K. Rowling. Keep them coming!

A. Nelson

Ebony & Eden. In the heat of home... where the hurricanes roam.

UNCERTAIN PARADISE is filled with an uncanny feeling of the teeming movement of LIFE itself, in a primordial essence available only on a small, primitive island on our globe, a feeling which John W. Cassell captured in UP for a reader like me who has never been off the USA landmass.

On page 315 of the trade paperback:

>> The toll or destruction among these pathetic cardboard and sheetmetal structures where some eighty percent of the island's people lived was close to one hundred percent in every hurricane. <<

John Cassell has a unique writing style which flows with unadulterated ease. Each word quickens into a living presence in the reader's mind. The plot opens:

>> The rhythmic beeping at a variety of sound frequencies from the navigational and defensive systems of the Soviet Navy's Murmansk Class nuclear powered submarine Novy Mir had been the only sounds audible on the conning tower for the past thirty seconds. Two officers, clad in powder blue open collar shirts with miniature shoulder boards and nav blue trousers, stood intently eying a console of dials and digital displays. <<

That first chapter is also available in a pair of Amazon Shorts, Armageddon: 1973 - Part 1). At 49 cents each, they provide a perfect means of testing the waters of this novel prior to purchase. I'm betting that after reading the first few pages of part one, purchase will become a near and present danger.

Chapter Two opens in what almost appears as an alternate reality to the above quoted submarine scene:

>> Three days after the murder of Jerry Fisher anyone relying on the media for their version of reality would think the country was paralyzed with grief and despair. Politicians, clerics, community leaders of all races and faiths babbled on and on in each daily edition, talking about his goodness, his generosity, his love for humanity. It was getting so I couldn't stand to read "The Atlantic City Press" without losing my temper.... I had watched him revel in my terror as he calmly gave the necessary signal for one of my closest friends, a guy who was a decent as a man came, to be bludgeoned to death and decapitated before my eyes. <<

In an Amazon Shorts forum post (featuring Hell's Quest: 1971), Cassell writes of his process of composing UNCERTAIN PARADISE: 1973, a fascinating novel of sub-cultural insight:

>>>> Once the island was clear in my mind I wrote chapter one to give the reader a sense of how the pieces fit together and what some of the hottest political issues were. Like Hell's Quest the first chapter wasn't directly related to the protagonist, but as a short story was easily one of my best.

The island and its society took root within me quickly and the story pretty much hit the ground running. I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to write stories of flying and of describing the birth of a nation. the court-martial [both the previous chapter which shows the mission and the following which was the trial] proved a way to endear the reader to the people of the island. <<<<

For additional background on Cassell's pulling together details for the gestalt of this "living" island world, I would recommend reading the whole of that post in the HELL'S QUEST forum (a discussion which has evolved into a seminar on writing novels).

Be prepared that reading UNCERTAIN PARADISE will keep you on the edge of a thrilling sense of anxiety, wondering how John will get out of his ongoing, serious and potentially deadly conundrums.

Watching with awe and pride as a new author, John W. Cassell, launches more than submarines and hurricanes,

Linda Shelnutt

Shelnutt is the author of a collection of Amazon Shorts and several Kindle novels:

The Rose and the Pyramid
Morning Comes: the Pre Dawn Blues - Part 1
Myrtle's Ultimate Mystery
Full Moon Rising
New Moon Blues

My friend JC writes this book at the end of his time with us on Amerika Samoa. Many people thinks he writes about Samoa but not true! This is good adventure about a fiction island. Many things are like Samoa in this island, but it too is very different. The beginning is VERY strong about almost having World War III and a great story builds from there. This is a great story of Cold War tensions as well as a continuing of the series he began with Crossroads: 1969.

This book has all essential parts of good political and military fiction. The characters are interesting, the action great!

I admit I'm only half-way through, but mind you that was at one sitting. this book has fabulous entertainment value with riveting action in imaginative settings.

Though it's fictitious, I have a vivd picture of the island and its people. Cassell has made it come alive for his readers. His first chapter was strong and exciting.

A great book I'm going all the way with. Ted

I homed in on this story in hopes of finding the literary paradigm for the bold African-ruled nation striking out in favor of a unique African agenda. So far, it's a no-go, but there is just enough hope for Part Two as yet unwritten to have me check back.

Clearly the old governor-general is too reactionary to be the focal point for this new direction. The Marxist Opposition, whether black, brown or yellow, history has proved them nothing but red. Webster has charisma, Perkins has intellect, but they are red, pure and simple.

Gentry may have been on the right track seeking to purge the air militia of its neo-colonial influence, but he was too clumsy. His ordering the trial with tainted evidence likely could have gotten the government in fatal trouble, no matter how likely the evidence of the taint would have never seen the light of day.

My hopes are on Colgate, who comes across as enough of an engima to have anything up his sleeve, including the bold pro-African directions I hope for.

His policies up until now make me wince. The Dual-Citizenship Bill. The fostering of the neo-colonial influence on the Air Militia. The at least passive acceptance of the economic power in the hands of the white banker M. D. Hillary. All of this points the wrong way. Or does it?

He has also sown the seeds of a totalitatian guided democarcy. His SIB watches Hayes and is aware of his racist attitudes. It's just possible that he is gathering together as much foreign wealth as possible before he takes off his mask and in one mighty expropriation gathers their wealth into the hands of his people.

I give this story five stars because such possibilities are clearly suggested. A lot will depend on his attitude when he returns from the Commonwealth Air Ministers Conference to find Cassell knee-deep in collaboration with Richard Nixon's imperialist America. Granted there is the dire threat of that secret base to handle first. Once that is out of the way I feel we are going to see fairly quickly just whose destiny Desmond Colgate is really looking out for.

I hope the white author does not flinch from the challenge his tantalizingly ambiguous characters suggest. I hope we find in St. Margaret's that literary paradigm I am seeking. I will be watching for Part Two of Uncertain Paradise.

Each aphorism is a statement from a knowing heart that has experienced peace and happiness from the inside. Read this and enjoy the nectar of a spare few words that say it all. Don't interpret what he says. Feel it.

Antonio Porchia (1886 - 1968) emigrated from his native Italy to Argentina where he became somewhat of an enigmatic poet, a poet while recognized during his lifetime is growing in popularity now, much to the superb translations by W.S. Merwin. Oddly enough Porchia's output was limited to one book, so becoming an avid fan of his thoughts placed so carefully on the printed page takes only a small book (127 pages) to absorb.

But what lines of beauty he created! Some examples:

Suffering does not follow us. It goes before us.
*
More grievous than tears is the sight of them.
*
Would there be this eternal seeking if the found existed?

Porchia's pregnant lines find a home in our minds, in our hearts, and give us encouragement and those particular words to share with our own psyches as well as the agonies of loved ones. He was a gifted writer and W.S. Merwin has done a fine job in reassuring us that his words remain alive. Grady Harp, November 06

Porchia never ceases to amaze; on the shelf next to Thoreau and Emerson, he fits perfectly. I agree with the first reviewer; buy ten and give nine to your closest friends.

Life is incomplete without certain things; this is definitely one of them.

wonderful to see this book back in print again. no one has read it, and everyone should. a classic of 'wisdom literature'; porchia was right up there, in his own quiet and modest way, with cioran and lichtenberg - i.e. he's one of the few writers actually worth committing to memory. buy ten and give nine away to your most thoughtful friends.

This is one of the better cd sets available on birds of Central and South America. There are two cds, covering 220 birds- available as of this writing from Cornell University Laboratory of Ornithollgy for $29.95.

CD 1 covers tinamous, raptors, doves, parrots, owls, hummingbirds, trogons, motmots, barbets, woodpeckers, foliage-gleaners, and antbirds.

CD 2 covers antbirds, becards, manakins, wrens, thrushes, warblers, caciques, oropendolas, euphonias, tanagers, grosbeaks and sparrows.

Since there is much variety, songs and calls do not become monotonous as in other Cornell releases featuring only antbirds, or only parrots. The wren family comes across as having the most consistently beautiful voices in this collection.

Here are the (for me) outstanding voices of the set:

Black-breasted Wood-Quail, Gray-breasted Crake, Red-lored Parrot, Common Potoo, Rufous Motmot, Gray-throated Leaftosser, Black-chested Jay, Plain Wren, Stripe-breasted Wren, Bay Wren, Black-throated Wren, Gray-breasted Wood-Wren, Song Wren, Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush, Chestnut-headed Oropendola - and the piece de resistance, the Montezuma Oropendola.

If you are planning a trip to Costa Rica, the set is indispensible. For sheer pleasure though, it is a delight to listen in wonder at the variety of voices in this tropical setting. Recommended for ornithologists, travelers and bird lovers in general.

I've been to Costa Rica on several trips. If you are a nature person, or birder that is interested in nature sounds, and knowing what they are, then this tape is indispensible. There is more information available on this title from tinkfrog.com, or any websearch of the title. These CDs cover several vocalization types for many of the over 220 species, call, songs, drumming of woodpeckers. With this and the voice descriptions in the field guide, you've a chance at recognizing, and finding more birds.

For a location that gets a lot of birders there is very little in the way of recordings available for Costa Rica. Don't let the title fool you, a great number of the birds presented on this set are also on the Pacific Slope. The quality of the recordings is very good, and over two-hundred species are resented. I found it very helpful in learning the calls of the birds of Costa Rica

Want to train yourself to recognize the 25% of the Costa Rican birds species by its voices? Then, you have to listen both CD's. I heard them few months ago when my fauna teacher put emphasis in the bird identification (I'm a forestry student --Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica). Sometimes, when you are in a dense forest or thicket you can only hear the birds, so, you need a non-visual way to identify them....and here it is. I bought the "Indicator Birds of the Costa Rican Cloud Forest" (from the same Laboratory of Ornithilogy) and I hear it in my house to train my ears in the identification of non common birds.

Buy it, I'm gonna buy it too.

This is a marvelous contribution to understanding the beauty and cultural importance of traditional weaving in the Andean heart of the Incan empire. The author, whose Center for Traditional Textiles in Cuzco, just opened (2007) as a museum, market, and center of learning and research,
is superbly qualified, as the expert who is illuminating her own traditions. She has produced a stunning, accessible and fascinating work which should appeal to weavers everywhere and to anyone who is traveling to the area, or armchair travelers who wish to learn more about the vibrant traditions of the Andes. Highly recommended for artists, weavers, and travelers.

Having traveled with Nilda to meet the weavers and observe the weaving process in most of the villages featured in the book , I can attest that the stunning color reproductions (kudos to the publisher for the choice of so many wonderful examples and for selecting a outstanding printer!) in the book accurately represent the superb work still being done under the direction of the Center for Traditional Textiles Cusco. If you are looking for "visual understanding and aesthetic appreciation" of the best of Peruvian textile weaving today, this is the book to buy! And the economical text thoughtfully complements the numerous illustrations.

Eric Waples

Nilda Callañaupa Alvarez is a Quechua weaver and scholar. She was born in Chinchero, a village in the southern highlands of Peru, was educated in the United States and in Cusco, and is the founder of Center for Traditional Textiles in Cusco.

"We started the Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco in l996 to explore which Andean weaving traditions still exist today, how we might educate people in our culture to value and continue the Inca heritage, and how we , as a group of concerned individuals, might aid villages and families in this process.

"In the Andes we depend mainly on farming to provide food for our families,but it brings little income. Like those who came before us, we still honor the earth and continue practices adapted to difficult conditions of high altitude, steep slopes and unpredictable weather. But we can no longer depend on the agricultural systems of land planning and food store-housing put in place by our Inca ancestors to assure that everyone received enough to eat in bad years. Those systems were destroyed during colonial times. Families today must find ways to supplement their income to meet their daily needs.

"The work of the Center is not just to preserve and to study Peruvian textiles, their symbolism and significance, etc. Our goal also is to assist families to create a larger market for their textiles and a new economy for their communities."

The works of art are beautifully reproduced in this well printed book, and the text explains much of the history and the meanings of the patterns. On a recent visit to the Center, we saw many beautiful pieces, quite different from the acrylic tourist belts and purses on offer everywhere.

The book also explains some of the many difficulties using natural materials -- lack of firewood, scarcity of some plants, even practical problems -- a soft boiled egg takes either eight or nine minutes of cooking because of the high altitudes around Cusco.

The book and the Center make an important statement about preserving these ancient weaving techniques. The resulting works are a feast for the eye and for the mind.

Robert C. Ross 2008

The pictures and text in this book are wonderful! First, it's a visual delight and when I went back to read the text, the background on weaving is thorough and very interesting. I highly recommend it!