Ecuador & The Galápagos Reading Guide
Here is a selection of our favorite, new and hard-to-find books, prepared for your journey.
For your convenience we have included links to our recommended reading material.
Essential
Galapagos, A Natural History Guide
By Michael Jackson, 1995
A one-volume, handy and comprehensive introduction to the natural history of Galapagos—mandatory reading for every visitor.
Galapagos, World’s End
By William Beebe, 1988
A vivid account of a scientific expedition to the islands. Full of detailed observations on nature, geology and wildlife, it also includes a chapter on the Baroness and other eccentric early colonists.
Voyage of the Beagle
By Charles Darwin, 1989
The wide-eyed tale of a young man on a five-year voyage that changed his life – and our way of thinking about the world. First published in 1839, it’s still a fine introduction to the islands.
Galapagos Wildlife, A Visitor’s Guide
By David Horwell, Pete Oxford, 1999
A compact guide to the birds, reptiles, insects, plants and marine life of the archipelago featuring a very good selection of color photographs.
Galapagos Islands Map
1992
At a 1:500,000 scale, this large, detailed map shows the topography of each island.
Field Guides
Galapagos Diary, A Complete Guide to the Archipelago’s Birdlife
By Hermann Heinzel, Barnaby Hall (Photographer), 2000
A field guide and illustrated survey of the wildlife of the Galapagos featuring 640 color photos and illustrations of all the birds by Hermann Heinzel. With notes, maps and wildlife checklist.
Birds, Mammals and Reptiles of the
Galapagos Islands
By Andy Swash, Robert Stills, 2001
An identification guide featuring 53 color plates, 78 distribution maps and information on status, habitat and behavior for practically all of the birds, mammals and reptiles found in the archipelago.
Galapagos Wildlife
2001
A fold-up, laminated card featuring color drawings and descriptions of commonly encountered birds, mammals and reptiles of Galapagos.
Wildlife of the Galapagos
By Collins Safari Guides, Julian Fitter, Daniel Fitter, David Hosking (Photographer), 2000
A compact guide to Galapagos nature and wildlife, featuring 400 color photographs by David Hosking.
Marine Life of the Galapagos
By Pierre Constant, 2002
This book features 240 color photographs of underwater life, maps, plans and diving information.
Flowering Plants of the Galapagos
By Conley McCullen, Ghillean Prance (Introduction), 1999
A welcome field guide to 436 species of flowering plants, featuring McCullen’s own color photographs, an overview of ecology and habitats, and an extremely useful botanical checklist.
A Guide to the Birds of the Galapagos Islands
By Isabel Castro, Antonia Phillips, 1996
This field guide describes and illustrates all the Galapagos birds. Designed for the casual traveler as well as the keen birder, it features 32 color plates and information on habitats and evolution.
A Field Guide to Sea Stars and Other Echinoderms of the Galapagos
By Cleveland P. Hickman, 1998
A spiral-bound field guide illustrating 62 species of sea stars, urchins and sea cucumbers.