The Lost Amazon: The Pioneering Expeditions of Richard Evans Schultes Hardcover – May 10, 2016

This is the illustrated story of Professor Richard E Schultes explorations of the cultures of the great Amazon basin. The original migrants from Siberia into North America (Alaska) about 14,000 years ago moved south into South America (and to the tip of Florida) branching into hundreds of cultures. In South America they discovered an amazing variety of medicinal plants, most of them unique to the New World. These plants, especially those producing psychoactive alkaloids, influenced their social and spiritual evolution. Schultes respect for natives was the key to discovering the roots of their world. This story, written by one of Professor Schultes students, describes one of the greatest adventures of modern Natural Science.

Schultes was perhaps the greatest ethnobotanists of all time and definitely the father of the subject. In this book, his pupil (and today famed explorer) Wade Davis puts together a sampling of his photographs throughout his life in the Amazon, providing a visual context to the story about the great scientist and explorer.Schultes lived among indians for many years in the northwestern Amazon, in search for knowledge about its plants and their secrets. He uncovered many hallucinogenic plants in the process, which earned him a cult status in the 1970s. During his time with the indians, he was able to build strong relationships with the natives, which earned a position of respect and gave him the ability to explore their land and knowledge deeply.Schultes is one of the last great explorers who disconnected himself from the outside world for years in order to collect new specimens and search for more knowledge. Such figures are rare, if at existent in the modern world. He wrote many books about his travels, which would also make interesting reading, especially as they relat ehte knowledge he gathered. This is more of a coffee table type of book, with many pictures and less story. Having read one of his books, I appreciated seeing the pictures of his time in the Amazon.

I didn't know anything about Richard Evans Schultes, this remarkable scientist and explorer. Having been in the Amazon myself I envy him for his super-human endurance and focus. The portraits of the tribes (picture and text) shows the deep appreciation the author, the other contributors and Schultes have for the Indian tribes' achievements and humanity. I was deeply touched.The book is beautifully crafted. A real pleasure.

I am assuming that this is actually a companion piece to Wade's One River. The pictures in this book are awesomely reproduced and will remain in my book collection as a collectors piece. Books that illustrate in this way and really address what are in the pictures provided are keepers. The reproduction of the pictures is quite good as well. I would consider a lot of the images in the book as fine art. If only Peter Matthiessen took images and placed them in the "Snow Leopard" like this or provided a companion book...

This is essentially a pictoral journey of Richard Schultes' time in Amazonia. Schultes' photos are stunning in thier canid depictions of the peoples encountered in his decades long travels in the heart of Amazonia. The accompanying story is brief and general but leads the reader to want to know more of this incredible life and the lives of the people Schultes influenced. I am currently enjoying Wade Davis', One River,Explorations and Discoveries in the Amazon Rain Forest (a more complete story) Both books should be enjoyed together.

This is a book of extraordinary photographs taken by the greatest Amazonian plant explorer of the past century. As one who compiled the collection and wrote the introductory essay, I find it inappropriate that its rating is brought down by a customer complaining about a bookseller, as opposed to reviewing the book. Amazon.com should surely decline to post such comments that have nothing whatsoever to do with the book in question.

excellent. Note: cultural anthropology. Ethno botany. autobiographical. Beat literature.

I was very pleased with this purchase, which exceeded my expectations. I highly recommend buying it alone with Wade Davis's The River in which he tells the story behind Schultes's incredible journeys of discovery in the Amazon.

Great Author

Informative with fabulous photos.

One great man pays homage to another. A respectful and insightful text accompanies some rare and incredible pictures.We are invited to share a journey into the heart of the Amazon and the soul of its people.

Extraordinary photographs from a very tough environment for photography.

A fabulous book that is a fitting tribute to an explorer and a majestic part of the world.