Do you have a list of books about Belize? A bibliography of Belize Books?

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF BOOKS ON BELIZE

Compiled by Lan Sluder of BelizeFirst.com

This will provide you years of reading on British Honduras and Belize. This is not meant to be a comprehensive bibliography, but it does represent a good survey of books on Belize (and British Honduras) in the fields of archeology, natural history, travel, travel guidebooks, cooking and Belize history and culture.

Many of these books are available from Amazon.com, either as new books or through their used-book sellers system.  Also, try ABE (www.abebooks.com) for out-of-print books. In the case of books published by Cubola, a Belize publishing company, visit www.cubola.com.

Archaeology

Awe, Jaime. Maya Cities, Sacred Caves, Cubola Productions, 2005, 104 pp. A guide to 10 noted Maya sites in Belize, by the director of Belize’s Institute of Archaeology.

Coe, Michael D. The Maya, Thames and Hudson, 7th ed., 2005, 224 pp. Originally published in 1993, this is the best general introduction to the subject.  

Coe, William R. Tikal, A Handbook of the Ancient Maya Ruins, University Museum at the University of Pennsylvania, 1967. Useful when touring Tikal.

Ferguson, William M. and Adams, R.E.W. Mesoamerica’s Ancient Cities: Aerial Views of Precolumbian Ruins in Mexico, Guatemala, Belize and Honduras, University Press of Colorado, rev. ed., 2000, 272 pp.  

Foster, Byron, Ed. Warlords and Maize Men, A Guide to the Maya Sites of Belize, Cubola Productions, Belize, 1992, 82 pp. The first popular guide focused entirely on Maya sites in Belize, by the late Dr. Foster (he was murdered at his farm in western Belize.)  Maps, color photos.  

Garber, James F., ed.  The Ancient Maya of the Belize Valley:  Half a Century of Archeological Research, University of Florida Press, 2003, 448 pp.

Guderjan, Thomas H. Ancient Maya Traders of Ambergris Caye, Cubola Productions, 1993, 40 pp.

-- The Nature of an Ancient Maya City: Resources, Interaction, and Power at Blue Creek, Belize, University of Alabama Press, 2007, 244 pp.

 

Hammond, Norman, Ed. Cuello: An Early Maya Community in Belize, Cambridge University Press, 1991 (hardcover), 2009 (paper). 284 pp.

Harrison, Peter D. Pulltrouser Swamp: Ancient Maya Habitat, Agriculture and Settlement, University of Utah Press, 2000, 294 pp.

Henderson, John S. The World of the Ancient Maya, Cornell University Press, 1981, 271 pp.  

Kelly, Joyce. An Archaeological Guide to Northern Central America: Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, University of Oklahoma Press, rev. ed. 1996, 352 pp. Includes coverage of many smaller sites. Photographs by Jerry Kelly.

McMillon, Bill. The Archeology Handbook: A Field Manual and Resource Guide, Wiley, 1991, 259 pp. Not specific to Belize, but provides the amateur archeologist or volunteer with information on excavation techniques, tools, methods, etc. 

Montgomery, John. Tikal:  An Illustrated History of the Ancient Maya Capital, Hippocrene Books, 2001, 275 pp.

Sharer, Robert and Traxler, Loa. The Ancient Maya, Stanford University Press, 6th ed. 2005, 931 pp. A classic in the field, this is the most comprehensive work on the Maya.

Thompson, J. Eric S. The Maya of Belize: Historical Chapters Since Columbus, Cubola Productions.  

Boating  

Calder, Nigel. The Cruising Guide to the Northwest Caribbean, McGraw-Hill, 2nd ed., 1991, 272 pp. Navigational and anchorage information on the Caribbean Coast of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras. Unfortunately this has not been recently updated.

Copeland, Liza. Comfortable Cruising Around North and Central America, Romany Enterprises, 2001, 312 pp. Several chapters on cruising the Caribbean Coast of Central America, including Belize.

Rauscher, Freya. Cruising Guide to Belize and Mexico’s Caribbean Coast, Windmill Hill Books, 3rd ed., 2007, 312 pp. with 117 charts and 185 photos. Comprehensive cruising guide, the best available to this region, from Isla Mujeres in Mexico to the Rio Dulce in Guatemala. Includes large charts of Belize’s coast and Mexico’s Caribbean Coast.  

NOAA-28004 Nautical Chart of Caribbean Sea, Northwest Part, 1:1300,000 scale, undated. Includes Belize.

Waterproof Chart # 4, Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico.

Cookbooks

Burns, E. L. What’s Cooking in the Belizean Kitchen, Angelus Press, 74 pp.

De Langan, Tracey Brown. Mmmm - a Taste of Belizean Cooking, Cubola Productions, 2003, 142 pp. Chefs from leading Belizean restaurants contributed to this cookbook.

Nord, Alice, Martinez, Myrna and Shrine, Kaaren. Cooking Belize, self-published, c. 1995, 126 pp.  

A Guide to Belizean Cooking, by Belize Cookbook Committee, self-published

Belize Hospital Auxiliary Cookbook, Angelus Press, 126 pp.  

Belizeous Cuisine, Delicious Belizean Recipes, by Los Angeles Belizean Educational Network (LABEN), 1997, 102 pp.  

To Catch a Cook, by South Ambergris Caye Neighborhood Watch, self published, 2009

Silly Bug & Bittle Recipes, Crooked Tree Village Creative Women’s Group, self-published, 100 pp.

U Toucan Cook Belize Cookbook, self-published, 126 pp.

Fiction, Drama and Poetry  

Auxillou, Ray. Blue Hole, self-published, date unknown, 479 pp. A collection of tales about mercenaries, drug runners and adventure. Other books in the same vein by Auxillou include Belize Secret Service, Belize Connection and The Belize Vortex.  

Crone, Andrew. Chameleon War, Booksurge Publishing, 2008, 244 pp. You’ll want to wash your hands after you read this self-published garbage.

Coxe, George Harmon. With Intent to Kill, Knopf, 1964, 180 pp. Action/adventure.  

Edgell, Zee. Beka Lamb, Heinemann, 1982, 192 pp. Classic novel about ordinary life in British Honduras.  

In Times Like These, Heinemann, 320 pp. English-educated Belizean returns home.  

The Festival of San Joaquin, Heinemann, 1997, 155 pp. Explores domestic violence in Belize.  

Ellis, Zoila. On Heroes, Lizards and Passion, Seven Belizean Short Stories, Cubola Productions, 1994, 130 pp. “White Christmas an’ Pink Jungle” is one of seven deliciously Belizean stories, from a distinguished Belizean/Garifuna writer.  

Esquivel, Cathy. Under the Shade, Angelus Press, 192 pp. Tales of the drug trade.  

Godfrey, Glenn D. The Sinners’ Bossanova, Cubola Books, 1987, 269 pp. Action/adventure.  

Hagerthy, Tim, and Parham, Mary Gomoz, Eds. If Di Pin Neva Bin, Folktales and Legends of Belize, Cubola Productions, 128 pp.

Hernandez, Felicia. Those Ridiculous Years, 64 pp. Short stories about Garifuna life.  

Heusner, Karla. Food for Thought, Chronicles of Belize, Cubola Productions, 2004, 207 pp. Collection of weekly newspaper columns by a Belizean journalist who now lives in the U.S.

Koerner, Nancy R. Belize Survivor: Darker Side of Paradise, NK Marketing, 2007, 300 pp. A novel, based on a true story, of a young woman who comes to Belize, lives in the bush and gets more than she bargained for.

Lindo, Louis. Tales of the Belizean Woods, Cubola Productions, 82 pp. Short stories set in backabush Belize.  

McKay, Claudia. Twist of Lime, A Lynn Evans Mystery, New Victoria Publishers, 1997, 188 pp. Mystery featuring lesbian newspaper reporter on Maya dig in Belize.  

Miller, Carlos Ledson. Belize, A Novel, Xlibris Corp., 1999, 402 pp. Fast-paced saga of father and sons over four decades, beginning with Hurricane Hattie in 1961.  

Miller, Harold R. The Belize File, Taylor-Dth Publishing, 2008, 372 pp. An ex-DEA agent turned private eye is hired to find a friend’s daughter, missing on her honeymoon in Belize.

Mueller, William Behr. Operation Belize, CreateSpace, 2008, 358 pp. The U.S. Secretary of State is kidnapped in Belize, and American Special Forces attempt a rescue.

Petrick, William. The Five Lost Days, Pearhouse Press, 2008, 336 pp. A documentary film maker travels to the Maya Mountains of Belize to get footage of a Maya healer.

Phillips, Michael, Ed. Of Words, an Anthology of Belizean Poetry, Cubola Productions, 1997, 104 pp. A collection of poems by more than three dozen Belizean poets.

-- Ping Wing Juk Me, Six Belizean Plays, Cubola Productions, 2004, 120 pp.  A collection of plays by George Gabb, Carol Fonseca Galvez, Evan X. Hyde, Glady Stuart, Shirley Warde and Colville Young.

-- Snapshots of Belize, an Anthology of Belizean Short Fiction, Cubola Productions, 2004, 122 pp.  A collection of short stories by seven Belizean writers.

Rimmer, Stephen. The Way to Go: Four Men & Three Women Sailing from Florida to Cozumel & Belize - A Story of Sex, Lust & Drug Trafficking, with a New Kind of Morality about Sinning of All Kinds!, IUniverse, 2000, 428 pp. This novel is an example of the downside of the new print-on-demand technology.

Ruiz Puga, David Nicolas. Old Benque, Cubola Productions, 160 pp. Short stories in Spanish.  

Stray, P.J. The Danger on Lighthouse Reef, Silver Burdett Press, 1997, 144 pp. Children’s mystery story.  

Theroux, Paul. The Mosquito Coast, Houghton-Mifflin, 1982. Obsessed American drags his family to Central America. Actually set in Honduras, not Belize, but the movie of the same name was filmed in Belize.

Vasquez, Ian. In the Heat, St. Martin’s Minotaur, 2008, 245 pp. Caribbean Noir mystery set in Belize City and Cayo, by a talented new Belizean writer who now lives in Florida. In the Heat in 2009 won the Shamus Award for best first novel from the Private Eye Writers of America.

-- Lonesome Point, Minotaur Books, St. Martin’s Press, 2009, 263 pp. Vasquez’s second novel is set in Florida, with flashbacks to Belize.

Westlake, Donald. High Adventure, Mysterious Press, 1985. Dope, dummies and deliverance in Belize, by popular adventure writer.  

Wilentz, Gay. Memories, Dreams and Nightmares, Vol. 1, a Short Story Anthology by Belizean Women Writers, Cubola Productions, 2004, 164 pp. Collection of stories by 13 Belizean female writers.

-- Memories, Dreams and Nightmares, Vol. 2, a Short Story Anthology by Belizean Women Writers, Cubola Productions, 2005, 124 pp. The second volume.

Young, Colville. Pataki Full, Cubola Productions, 120 pp. Collection of short stories by noted Belizean writer and scholar.

ZooDoc. War Star Rising: Legend of Toucan Moon, Star Publish, 2008, 216 pp. Young adult novel about a Maya princess at Xunantunich who speaks out against human sacrifice.

Guidebooks/Travel Guides

Berman, Joshua. Moon Belize, Moon Handbooks, Avalon Traveling Publishing, 2009, 347 pp. Excellent, up-to-date guide.

-- Moon Spotlight: Belize Cayes Including Belize City, Avalon Travel Publishing, 2009, 80 pp. Pullout of cayes and Belize City material from the Moon Belize guide.

Eltringham, Peter. Belize, The Rough Guide, 3rd. edition, Rough Guides, 2007, 400 pp. Thoroughly researched guide by knowledgeable writer who spent many years in Belize and Guatemala. Peter Eltringham passed away in 2008.

Glassman, Paul. Belize Guide, Open Road Publishing,12th ed. 2006, 295 pp. Glassman was a pioneering guidebook author to destinations in Central America, including Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Belize.

Greenspan, Eliot. Frommer’s Belize, 3rd edition, Wiley Publishing, 2008, 352 pp. Excellent and generally up-to-date guide.

Harvard Student Agencies, Let’s Go Guatemala & Belize: The Student Travel Guide, Let’s Go, 2009, 304 pp. Budget-oriented guide researched by intrepid Harvard students.

Hennessy, Huw, and Bell, Brian, Eds. Insight Guides Belize, Insight Guides, 2nd. ed., 2008, 341 pp. Unmatched photos and good general background on the country; weak on hotels and restaurants.  

King, Emory. Driver’s Guide to Beautiful Belize, Tropical Books, 2007, 40 pp. Mile-by-mile guide to most roads in Belize. Not updated since Emory King’s death.  

Lougheed, Vivien. Adventure Guide to Belize, Hunter Publishing, 6th edition, 2006, 555 pp. Tons of good information by the author of Central America by Chickenbus.

Middleton, Ned. Diving Belize, Aqua Quest Diving, 1998, 128 pp. Better than Lonely Planet’s dive guide though an update is needed.  

Morris, Charlie. Open Road’s the Best of Belize, Open Road, 2nd. ed. 2009, 256 pp.  New guidebook series claims to cut to the chase and give only what’s best at the destinations.

Rock, Tim. Lonely Planet Diving & Snorkeling Belize, 4th. edition, Lonely Planet, 2007, 144 pp. Improved from earlier editions, but overlooks some dive and snorkel sites.

Sluder, Lan. Fodor’s Belize, Random House, 2009, 352 pp. Up-to-date guide to Belize.  

San Pedro Cool, Guide to Ambergris Caye, Belize, Equator, 2002, updated as an eBook in 2009, 201 pp. Comprehensive guide to Ambergris Caye, with short section on Caye Caulker and other islands.  

Belize Book of Lists 2000, Equator, 1999, 112 pp. Lists the 5 to 10 best in each category - jungle lodges, seaside resort hotels, beaches, etc.

Belize First Guide to Mainland Belize, Equator, 2000, 288 pp. Focuses on the mainland of Belize.

Best Belize Hotels and Restaurants, Equator, 2008, 156 pp. This eBook reviews and rates the best hotels and restaurants in Belize.

 

Stratman, Steve. Belize to Guatemala: a nine-day adventure guide, The Artful Nomad Company, 2006, 60 pp.  The author narrates a short trip from Caye Caulker via San Ignacio to Flores and Tikal, Guatemala.

Vorhees, Mara and Brown, Joshua Samuel. Lonely Planet Belize, Lonely Planet, 3rd. ed. 2008, 336 pp. A significant improvement over previous LP Belize editions.

History and Culture

Balboni, Barbara. Taking Stock: Belize at 25 Years of Independence, Cubola Productions, 2007, 343 pp. Noted Belizeans take a look at what Belize has achieved in its first 25 years of independence.

Barry, Tom with Vernon, Dylan. Inside Belize, Resource Center Press, 2nd. ed., 1995, 181 pp. Useful but now somewhat dated overview of history, politics, media, education, economy and the environment.  

Burdon, Sir John Alder (ed.). Archives of British Honduras (3 vols.), Sifton Praed, 1931-35.  This controversial history of British Honduras by Sir John Burdon, a governor of the colony, helped create and perpetuate myths about British colonialism and “benign” slavery in Belize that continued to influence historians for decades.

 

Burnworth, Joe. No Safe Harbor: The Tragedy of the Dive Ship Wave Dancer, Emmis Books, 2005, 256 pp. The story of the 21 people who died on the Wave Dancer live-aboard in Hurricane Iris in October 2001.

Cayetano, E. Roy. The People’s Garifuna Dictionary, Angelus Press, 82 pp. Work in progress - a dictionary of the Garifuna language.  

Cayetano, Sebastian. Garifuna History, Language & Culture of Belize, Central America & the Caribbean, Angelus Press, 170 pp.  

Crosbie, Paul, editor-in-chief; Herrera, Yvette; Manzanares, Myrna; Woods, Silvana; Crosbie, Cynthia; and Decker, Ken, eds. Kriol-Inglish Dikshineri English-Kriol Dictionary, Belize Kriol Project, 2007, 465 pp.  First comprehensive dictionary to the Belize Kriol language.

Dobson, Narda. A History of Belize, Longman Caribbean, 1973, 362 pp. History from Early Maya period to 1970.  

Foster, Byron. The Baymen’s Legacy, Cubola Productions, 2nd. ed., 1992, 83 pp. A history of Belize City.  

Heart Drum, Cubola Productions, 60 pp. A look at dagu and other aspects of  Garifuna life.  

Kane, William and Stanton, John. A Jesuit in Belize: The Life and Adventures of Father Buck Stanton in Nineteenth Century Central America, CreateSpace, 2008, 422 pp. 

King, Emory. Diary of St. George’s Caye, Tropical Books, 32 pp.  

The Great Story of Belize, Volume 1, Tropical Books, 1999, 53 pp. The first in what was to be a four-volume set, this volume covers the history of Belize from 1511 when the first Europeans arrive until 1798, when the Baymen won the battle of St. George’s  Caye.  

The Great Story of Belize, Volume 2, Tropical Books, 1999, 87 pp. Volume 2 tells the history of Belize from 1800 to 1850, the period which shaped Belize’s history for generations to come.  

1798 The Road to Glory, Tropical Books, 1991, 348 pp. Fictionalized and somewhat glorified account of the Battle of St. George Caye’s.  

Koop, Gerhard S. Pioneer Years In Belize, Angelus Press, 144 pp. History of the Mennonites in Mexico and Belize.  

Leslie, Robert, Ed. A History of Belize: Nation in the Making, Cubola Productions, rev. ed., 1995, 125 pp. First published in 1983, this history of Belize is written for Belize schoolchildren.  

McClaurin, Irma. Women of Belize: Gender and Change in Central America, Rutgers University Press, 1996, 232 pp.  Three women describe their experiences in Belize.

Merrill, Tim. Guyana and Belize Country Studies, Federal Research Division, Library of Congress, 2nd. ed.,1993, 408 pp. One in the Area Handbook series sponsored by the U.S. Army; nevertheless, the historical, cultural and economic information is first rate.  

Peedle, Ian. Belize, A Guide to the People, Politics and Culture, Interlink Books, 1999, 100 pp. Tries to cover everything in a small volume, and fails.  

Setzekorn, William David. Belize, Formerly British Honduras, Ohio University Press, 1981, 300 pp. A profile of Belize’s folklore, history, culture, economics and geography.  

Shoman, Assad. Thirteen Chapters of a History of Belize, Angelus Press, 1994, 4th. printing 2000, 297 pp. Somewhat left-wing interpretation of Belize history, by a prominent Belizean intellectual and politician.  

Simmons, Donald C. Jr. Confederate Settlements in British Honduras, McFarland & Co., 2001, 176 pp.  Discusses ex-Confederates who settled in Belize after the U.S. Civil War.

Sutherland, Anne. The Making of Belize, Globalization in the Margins, Bergin & Garvey, 1998, 202 pp. An American university professor with long family ties to Belize looks at “postmodern” Belize.  

Thomson, P. A. B. Belize, A Concise History, MacMillan Caribbean, 2005, 192 pp.

Twigg, Arthur. Understanding Belize: A Historical Guide, Harbour, 2006, 240 pp. Arthur Twigg is the editor of a Canadian book magazine.

Waddell, D.A.G. British Honduras, A Historical and Contemporary Survey, Greenwood  Press, 1961, reprinted 1981, 151 pp. An academic history.  

Wilk, Richard R. Household Ecology: Economic Change and Domestic Life Among the Kekchi Maya in Belize, Northern Illinois University Press, 1997, 280 pp.

Young, Colville. Creole Proverbs of Belize, Cubola Productions, 44 pp.  

Maya Atlas: The Struggle to Preserve Maya Land in Southern Belize, compiled by the Maya People of Southern Belize, Toledo Maya Cultural Council, 1997.  

Living in Belize

Gallo, Roger. Escape from America, Manhattan Loft Publishing, 1997, 352 pp. Devoted to living/retiring abroad. Includes chapters on Belize.  Roger Gallo later established the EscapeArtist.com website.

Golson, Barry and Golson, Thia. Retirement Without Borders, Scribner’s, 2008, 432 pp. Looks at retirement options in a number of countries around the world. Lan Sluder contributed the chapter on Belize.

Gray, Bill and Gray, Claire (pseudonyms). Belize Retirement Guide, Preview Publishing, 4th ed., 1999, 140 pp. Guide to “living in a tropical paradise for $450 a month.”   Somehow, we kinda doubt it.

King, Emory. “Hey, Dad, This Is Belize,” Tropical Books, Belize, 4th printing, 114 pp.  Collection of vignettes about Belize and Belizeans. Originally appeared in the Belize Times and other publications.

How to Visit, Invest or Retire in Belize, Tropical Books, 1989, 32 pp. Early booklet on the subject, still being sold at about US$1 a page.  

“I Spent It All In Belize,” Tropical Books, 194 pp. More sketches of Belizean life.  Emory King was a genius at picking book titles.

Peham, Helga. Escaping the Rat Race - Freedom in Paradise, World Audience, 2007, 344 pp.  A series of interviews with expats and others in Belize, by a woman who lived in Corozal.  Also available in a Kindle edition.

Sluder, Lan. Living Abroad in Belize, Avalon, 2005, 367 pp. Comprehensive guide to living, retiring, working, and investing in Belize.  

Adapter Kit: Belize, Avalon, 2001, 261 pp. The predecessor edition of Living Abroad in Belize.  

-- Easy Belize: How to Live, Retire, Work or Invest in Belize, the English-Speaking, Frost-Free Paradise on the Caribbean Coast, Equator, 2010, 296 pp. This is the revised edition of the best-selling eBook on living or retiring in Belize. A Kindle edition is available.

-- Island Living in Belize, Equator, 2010, 201 pp. This revised edition of the eBook focuses on retiring, living and investing on Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker and other islands in Belize.

 

Memoirs  

Conroy, Richard Timothy. Our Man in Belize, St. Martin’s, 1997, 324 pp. Fascinating, highly readable memoir of life in former British Honduras in the late 1950s and early 60s.  

DeMarks, Dean Fortune. The Tourist: Who’s Too Dangerous for Belize, BookSurge Publishing, 2009, 354 pp.  Semi-literate account of why Belize is such a terrible place, by a would-be Placencia real estate developer who was deported from the country.

Fry, Joan. How to Cook a Tapir: A Memoir of Belize, University of Nebraska Press, 2009, 294 pp. Fascinating recollections of a young American woman’s experiences in Toledo in the early 1960s.

King, Emory. The Little World of Danny Vasquez, Tropical Books, 1989, 134 pp. Emory King’s presentation of his father-in-law’s memoirs.  

Salisbury, Christina and Salisbury, Kirby. Treehouse Perspectives: Living High on Little, Mill City Press, 2009, 324 pp.  Memoir of a couple’s 36 years living in a treehouse in Toledo.

Natural History

Ames, Oakes and Correll, Donovan Stewart. Orchids of Guatemala and Belize, Dover Publications, 1985, 779 pp. with 204 black-and-white illustrations. Republication of Chicago Natural History Museum 1953 field guide and 1965 supplement. Exhaustive, covering 527 species.  

Arvigo, Rosita and Balick, Michael. Rainforest Remedies, One Hundred Healing Herbs of Belize, Lotus Press, 1993, 221 pp. Guide to traditional Mayan/Belizean herbal remedies.  

Arvigo, Rosita with Epstein, Nadine and Yaquinto, Marilyn. Sastun, My Apprenticeship with a Maya Healer, HarperSanFrancisco, 1994,190 pp. Story of Arvigo’s time with Don Elijio Panti.  

Barcott, Bruce. The Last Flight of the Scarlet Macaw: One Woman’s Fight to Save the World’s Most Beautiful Bird, Random House, 2008 hard cover, 2009 paper, 336 pp. Remarkable, gripping story of Sharon Matola’s fight against the Chalillo dam.

Beletsky, Les. The Ecotravellers’ Wildlife Guide, Belize and Northern Guatemala, Academic Press, 1999 hardcover, 2004 paper, 487 pp. Lavishly color-illustrated guide, oriented to the amateur, to the most commonly spotted mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, fish and corals.  

Campbell, Jonathan A. Amphibians and Reptiles of Northern Guatemala, the Yucatan, and Belize, University of Oklahoma Press, 1998, 380 pp., with 176 color photographs. The best guide to herpetofauna of the region.  

Emmons, Katherine. Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary: Its History, Flora and Fauna for Visitors, Teachers and Scientists, Community Conservation Consultants, 1996. Definitive on the subject.  

Greenfield, David W. and Thomerson, Jamie E. Fishes of the Continental Waters of Belize, University Press of Florida, 1997, 311 pp. Comprehensive guide, with black-and-white illustrations.  

Edwards, Ernest Preston, illustrated by Butler, E.M. A Field Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Adjacent Areas: Belize, Guatemala, and El Salvador, University of Texas Press, 1998, 288 pp. This is used by many local guides in Belize.

Harris, Kate. Trees of Belize, self-published, 2009, 120 pp. Handy guide to common and notable trees of Belize, with color photos of most of them.

Horwich, Robert H. A Belizean Rain Forest, Orang-utan Press, 1990, 420 pp. A look at the Community Baboon Sanctuary and the northern forests of Belize.  

Jones, H. Lee and Gardner, Dana. Birds of Belize, University of Texas Press, 2004, 445 pp. The new gold standard of Belize bird books.  

LaBastille, A. Birds of the Mayas, West of the Winds Publications, 1993.  

Lee, Julian. A Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of the Maya World: The Lowlands of Mexico, Northern Guatemala and Belize, Cornell University Press, 2000, 488 pp.  

Mahler, Richard. Adventures in Nature Belize, Avalon, 1999, 362 pp. A guidebook that focuses on nature travel in Belize. This was a good idea that was canned by Avalon. Someone should do the concept again, as this guide is now badly out-of-date.

Matola, Sharon. Birds of Belize, A Field Handbook, Belize Zoo, 28 pp.  

Meyer, John R. and Foster, Carol Farneti. A Guide to the Frogs and Toads of Belize, Krieger Publishing, 1996.  

Miller, Carolyn M. and Miller, Bruce W. Exploring the Tropical Forest at Chan Chich Lodge Belize, Wildlife Conservation Society, 2nd. ed., 1994, 51 pp.

Peterson, Roger Tory and Chalif, Edward L. A Field Guide to Mexican Birds: Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Peterson Field Guides/Houghton-Mifflin, 1999. The birder’s pal, though it lacks Spanish names of birds.  

Rabinowitz, Alan. Jaguar, Arbor House, 1986, 368 pp. Fascinating story of effort to establish the Cockscomb Preserve.  

Reichling, Steven B. Tarantulas of Belize, Krieger Publishing Co., 2003, 148 pp.  Everything you ever wanted to know about tarantulas in Belize.

Stafford, Peter J. and Meyer, John R. A Guide to the Reptiles of Belize, Academic Press, 1999, 356 pp.

Stevens, Kate. Jungle Walk. Birds and animals of Belize, with many illustrations

Woods, R.L., Reid, S.T. and Reid, A.M. The Field Guide to Ambergris Caye. Near exhaustive  study of the island and surrounding sea.  

Wright, Charles. Land in British Honduras: A Report of the British Honduras Land Use Survey Team, Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, 1959, 327 pp.  What began as a soils survey by Toledo resident Charles Wright became a detailed analysis of farming practices and land use in mid-twentieth century British Honduras.

Snakes of Belize, Belize Audubon Society, 55 pp.  

Travel  

Canby, Peter. Heart of the Sky, Travels Among the Maya, HarperCollins, 1992, 368 pp.  Modern classic on the modern Maya.  

Chaplin, Gordon. The Fever Coast Log, Simon & Schuster, 1992, 229 pp. Couple sets sail aboard the Lord Jim to sail the Caribbean Coast. You know it’s all going to end badly.  

Faber, Carol and Perlow, Paula. 2 Jamericans Travel to San Pedro, Belize, Trafford Publishing, 2006, 136 pp.  Little book on the experiences of two women vacationing in San Pedro.

Davis, Richard Harding. Three Gringos in Venezuela and Central America, Harper & Brothers, 1896. Early travelogue begins in British Honduras.  

Janson, Thor. Belize, Land of the Free by the Carib Sea, Bowen & Bowen, 2000, 96 pp. Published in Belize, this book has wonderful photos of the country and the people.  

Huxley, Aldous. Beyond the Mexique Bay, Greenwood, 1975. First published in 1934, this book by the author of Brave New World holds the record for the most-quoted comment on British Honduras: “... if the world had any ends, British Honduras would  surely be one of them.”  

Pride, Nigel. A Butterfly Sings to Pacaya, Constable. A 1970s trip through Mexico, Belize and Guatemala.  

Roberts, Orlando W. Voyages and Excursions on the East Coast and in the Interior of Central America, University of Florida Press, reprint 1965 (originally published in 1827).  

Straughan, Robert P. Adventure in Belize, A.S. Barnes & Co., 1975, 215 pp. Explorations in Belize, by a pet store and tropical fish store owner.  

Stephens, John L. Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas and Yucatan, Harper and Brothers, 1841. The great classic of early Central American travel books.  

Wright, Ronald. Time Among the Maya: Travels in Belize, Guatemala and Mexico, Grove Press, 2000, 464 pages. Travel diary in impressionistic style.

Maps and Atlases  

Atlas of Belize, Cubola Productions, 20th ed., 1995, 32 pp. with 11 maps and 80 photographs. Prepared for use in schools.  

Belize Traveller’s Map, ITMB, 2005. The best general map of Belize.  Scale 1:250,000.

British Ordnance Survey, Topographical Map of Belize, 1991. Two sheets, with maps of Belize City and towns on reverse. 1:250,000-scale.  

British Ordnance Survey, Area Topographical Maps, various dates, 1970s-1990s. Country is divided into 44 sections, each 1:50,000-scale.  

Insight Fleximap Belize, American Map, 2003. Sturdy and water-resistant but not fully up-to-date.

Laminated Belize Map, Borsch, 2008. German cartography company produced this handy, durable map. Scale 1:500,000. Would have been nice if the scale were a little larger.

Last updated 21 November 2009


Powered by PHPKB (Knowledge Base Software)