For literature concerning the natural habitat of Panama, its forests, birds, insects, and wildlife, head straight to the Corotu Bookstore at the Smithsonian in Panama City on Roosevelt Avenue in Ancon (tel. 212-8000); you won't find a better selection anywhere. Many of the books listed here can be ordered from a Web-based book dealer such as Amazon.
General Interest -- Emperors in the Jungle, by John Lindsay-Poland (Duke University Press, 2003), digs deep into the history of U.S. military involvement in Panama during the past century. Panama, by Kevin Buckley (Touchstone, 1992), is a gripping read by a former Newsweek correspondent who vividly describes the events leading to the overthrow of Manuel Noriega. Another probing insight into the failure of U.S. policy that led to the rise of Noriega and the invasion is The Noriega Mess: The Drugs, the Canal, and Why America Invaded, by Luis E. Murillo (Video Books, 1995), but prepare yourself for 900 pages.
Cultural -- A People Who Would Not Kneel: Panama, the United States and the San Blas Kuna, by James Howe (Smithsonian Books, 1998), tells of the powerful resistance by the Kuna Indians to set their own terms against invading Europeans and a Panamanian government intent on flattening their culture and relegating them to inferior social status. The Art of Being Kuna: Layers and Meaning Among the Kuna of Panama, by Mari Lynn Salvador (University of Washington Press, 1997), is a beautifully illustrated guide to the arts and culture of the Kuna.
The Panama Canal -- Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914, by David McCullough (Simon & Schuster, 1978), brings the epic history of the building of the canal to life with McCullough's meticulously researched book -- but at 704 pages, it's a tremendously long read and a heavy book to carry. How Wall Street Created a Nation: J.P. Morgan, Teddy Roosevelt, and the Panama Canal, by Ovidio Díaz Espinoso (Four Walls Eight Windows, 2001), is a page-turning account of the intrigue and back-door dealings between a group of Wall Street bankers and lawyers who paved the way for the construction of the Panama Canal.
Natural History -- A Guide to the Birds of Panama, by Robert S. Ridgley and John A. Gwynne (Princeton University Press, 1992), is the layman's bible to identifying the many birds you'll see during your visit, and includes tips on where you're most likely to see them. Most guides and nature lodges have a copy of this book on hand. Tropical Nature: Life and Death in the Rainforests of Central and South America, by Adrian Forsyth and Ken Miyata (Touchstone Books, 1987), is a passionate, lucid exploration of the inter-relationships of flora and fauna in the tropical rainforest. The Neotropical Companion, by John C. Kricher (Princeton University Press, 1999), is tremendously popular with field guides, giving a lively and readable overview of ecological processes at work in the neotropics. Juan Carlos Navarro, the mayor of Panama City, is the author of a glossy coffee-table book, Parques Nacionales de Panamá (Balboa Ediciones, 2001), featuring gorgeous photos of national parks in Panama and the flora and fauna found within (in English and Spanish). The Tapir's Morning Bath, by Elizabeth Royte (Mariner Books, 2002), is an engaging account of the joys and frustrations of scientific fieldwork by biologists at the canal's Barro Colorado Island.
