Beelden van de dieren- en plantenwereld van het tropische regenwoud in Puerto Rico.

Here are some more stories from the wonderful Annals of Fairyland. How they were first told at the Court of King Oberon, and how they came to be recorded you will learn at the beginning, and much as you love the little people you will, I think, like them even better when you have learned all that this volume has to tell. Mr William Canton has told you the stories properly belonging to “The Reign of King Herla,” Mr J. M. Gibbon showed you how a famous merry old soul and his court found entertainment in story-telling in “The Reign of King Cole,” and now it is my pleasant privilege to put before you, from the inexhaustible Annals, those tales which properly belong to “The Reign of King Oberon.” Of course you may have already met some of these stories before, for most of our best writers have been made free of Fairyland and have written of the wonderful things they learned there; Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm have long since been famous for all that they have told of their visits to the marvellous land, and some of the stories which they brought back will be found to belong to the reign of Oberon and Titania, while others have been told by Ben Jonson, by Thomas Hood, by Charles Perrault, by Thomas Crofton Croker, by Douglas Jerrold, by Benjamin Thorpe and by Sir George Dasent—but old or new all have the perennial youthfulness of the fairies themselves, and as long as we can truly enjoy them we shall not grow old. In all the annals of Fairyland nothing is more wonderful—and the annals are found in many hundreds of volumes—than that chapter which tells of the reign of the true fairy King Oberon and his beautiful wife Titania, who is sometimes called Queen Mab. Marvellous are the doings of Oberon’s little subjects in every land—good fairies and bad fairies, dwarfs, elves and sprites, brownies, pixies and gnomes, pucks, trolls and kobolds and Robin Goodfellow—and marvellous are the tales which have been told of them by travellers in the fairy realms. Now, once upon a time there was sadness throughout the whole kingdom of Oberon—and his kingdom has no boundaries—because of a quarrel which had arisen between the king and the queen. It was a very small matter to begin with, but the king was a king and did not think it consorted with his dignity as such that his will should not be law, while the lovely Queen Titania thought that even the powerful king of the fairies should give way to her wishes. A small Indian prince, a dusky child, son of a mighty monarch of the East, had been stolen and a fairy baby left in its place and King Oberon wanted the changeling to be one of the knights of his train, while Queen Titania insisted on keeping him as one of her pages. Long and bitter was the quarrel but neither king nor queen would give way, and at length they parted and half the fairies marched off under the banner of the king and half under the banner of the queen. Now you know of course that it was the fairies that looked after all things, the flowers and the trees, the streams and lakes, the little birds and beasts, and even—though they might not be aware of it—after the doings of many men and women; thus when it befel that their king and queen quarrelled and all the fairies rallied to their separate courts everything was neglected: the corn died unripened, the grass withered in the fields, so that the flocks and herds starved, the summers were cold and wet, the winters were sickly and mild, and many good men, women and children lost their tempers and became troublesome and unhappy they knew not why, and certainly never imagined that it was all because of a quarrel between the rulers of the world-wide kingdom of Fairy.

A lavishly illustrated journey into the world of legend's most elusive people in the tradition of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. An extraordinary exploration of a remarkable civilization that will enchant and enthrall all who delve into its pages. A recently discovered archaeological find provides a wealth of knowledge on the heretofore unknown life and habits of Dwarfs in all their day-to-day activities. Close examination is provided of their lives in everything from metalworking technologies to constructing underground dwellings and tunnels. Additionally, insight is offered into the general hierarchy of the population, from lowly laborers to their kings and ruling class.

To find the real Puerto Rico a€" the one that shopping malls and condos have yet to reach a€" head for the towns and villages of the Cordillera Central, or Central Mountains. Bisected by the Ruta Panoramica (Scenic Route), the mountains provide a relaxing getaway with an atmosphere so unlike the coast that it feels like an entirely different island. The Ruta PanorAmica is a driving adventure covering more than a hundred miles of countryside, including coffee plantations, old jA-baro country and four forests: Carite, Toro Negro, Guilarte and Maricao. Along the route are valleys, canyons, wide-open terraces and views of the Atlantic and the Caribbean. Visitors who don't have time to do the whole Ruta PanorAmica might consider a driving tour starting out from San Juan to the San Cristobal canyon in Aibonito, returning via Barranquitas a€" easily doable in a day if you start out early. Or take a few days to enjoy secluded swimming holes, hiking trails, cloud forest and the hospitality of the mountain locals. This guide tells you everything about the region: where to stay & eat, what to see & do, how to get around, the history & culture, the fiestas & the cuisine. Filled with maps & photos.

Most travelers to eastern Puerto Rico come to see and hike El Yunque, the island's second-most-visited tourist destination after Old San Juan, and probably the world's most user-friendly rain forest. Others come for the east coast's three sprawling resort hotels, half a dozen excellent golf courses, the US Navy base, and one of the biggest yachting and sailing charter ports in the Caribbean. But this side of the island has much to offer that eludes most visitors to Puerto Rico, from a glorious, six-mile stretch of deserted beach between Luquillo and Las Cabezas de San Juan, to the red cliffs and lonely lighthouse in the southeast. As with most places, you have to scratch the surface to find the hidden rewards here. Spend a day or two wandering around LoA-za Aldea and talking to locals (or attending their fiestas patronales in late July) to get a deeper understanding of Afro-Caribbean culture. One of the old fishermen of Las Croabas may take you cay-hopping in his wooden sloop, setting you down on some deserted islet to swim in opaque waters. Local surfers gather at a few little-known breaks. Or visit one of the two other nature reserves on the east coast a€" Las Cabezas to San Juan and Humacao a€" where exotic waterfowl, mangrove and dry tropical forest ecosystems and a bioluminescent lagoon await. This guide tells you all about the history and culture of Puerto Rico, how to get there and how to get around, the general information you need. Then it zeros in on the eastern coastal area and all its places to stay and eat, the things to see and do, the fiestas, historic sites, museums, markets - everything you need to know. Filled with maps and photos.

Colonial Americans were enamored with the rich colors and silky surface of mahogany. As this exotic wood became fashionable, demand for it set in motion a dark, hidden story of human and environmental exploitation. Anderson traces the path from source to sale, revealing how prosperity and desire shaped not just people’s lives but the natural world.

For over forty years, Let's Go travel guides have brought budgetsavvy travelers closer to the world. In 2003, a range of innovations made this time-honored resource even more relevant and indispensable to its millions of readers. And the Let's Go 2004 editions are even better.