Stars mosquitoes and crocodiles Author:Alexander Von Humboldt Many of the world's greatest travel books are neglected because they are long-winded and printed in fine type that is hard to read. Humboldt's PERSONAL NARRATIVE OF TRAVELS TO THE EQUINOCTIAL REGIONS OF AMERICAN DURING THE YEARS 1799-1804 is no exception. This masterpiece, describing his experiences in South America, was a best-seller in the e... more »arly part of the nineteenth century. Yet it has not been reprinted in English for more than a hundred years. The narrative itself runs to 1,500 pages of fine print and takes the reader only to 1801. This volume contains carefully edited and abridged selections from it, supplemented with excerpts from other writings of Humboldt that describe the remainder of his travels in South America, Cuba, Mexico and the Untied States up to 1804.« less