ONE RIVER
In the 1940s, biologist Richard Evans Schultes uncovered many of the secrets of the rain forest, relying not only on his own prodigious investigations, but on the wisdom passed down by local tribes. Thirty years later his student, Wade Davis, followed in his footsteps. Two interwoven tales of scientific adventure bring to life the riches of the Amazon basin and bear witness to the destruction of its indigenous culture and natural wonders over two generations.
"A wild ride through one rapid after another...magnificent." Catherine Foster, Boston Globe
"An absolutely fascinating look at the field of ethnobotany" - Richard Gehr, Newsday
"Extraordinary...a biographical tapestry rich in history, adventure, intrigue, and scholarship." - Michael J. Balick, Nature
"One River has a hallucinogenic feel, in which science overlaps with myth, memory mingles with illusion, an time shifts unpredictably. Davis' outrageous brand of storytelling is well suited to his larger than life subjects, fusing traditional biography with one of Latin America's most potent legacies, magic realism." - Miles Harvey, Outside
"Wade Davis is a rare treasure - a professional scientist who writes like a poet. On tracing the adventures of Richard Evan Schultes, his remarkable mentor, Davis enthralls us with the mysteries of the plant kingdom. I couldn't help regretting that I became a zoologist rather than a botanist." - Dr. David Suzuki
"Richard Evan Schultes is one of the last of those biologists and botanists who confronted a planet with vast unexplored tropical regions, and lived out the high adventure of a serious student of tropical nature. Wade Davis tells his story with humor and reverence...One River is a must read." Terence McKenna, author of Food of the Gods
"A consistently enlightening and thought provoking study." - Publishers Weekly