Ostensibly and structurally, the book is a gazetteer--an A to Z of national parks, conservation areas and general wilderness, from all over the continent. Brazilian jungles, Chilean fjords and the Peruvian highlands, and the jaguars and tapirs that inhabit them, are all generously documented, along with more obscure ecologies like the Pampas and the Pantanal savannah. As such, the book could be used as a primer for those intending an ecotour of the area: you could map out an entire zoological holiday from these pages, and by watching the BBC TV documentary series which accompanies publication. But for those with no intention of such a trip, Amazon to Andes is a relishable surrogate; check out the gruesomely up-close photo of the coupling anacondas on page 120, or the chillingly vivid snap of the killer whale on page 140, if you need confirmation that sometimes it's best to stay home. --Sean Thomas