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As a wannabe writer, one of the first tips I got on career planning was a succinct, “Whatever you do, don’t write about Mexico. Nobody cares.” This warning from a successful writer who had lived in Mexico for decades was based on the New York publishing industry's historical lack of interest in anything south of the border. There are exceptions, of course — especially in guidebooks and academic titles — but if we look at the tens of thousands of new books released each year, Mexico-related publications are definitely scarce.

As for why so many publishers ignore or avoid Mexico, I really don’t have a clue. In fact, given the strong affection so many of us have for Mexico, I would expect readers to jump on books about the country.

Putting aside a possible conspiracy theory for the moment, I want to bring your attention some interesting and some undeservedly obscure titles on Mexico....Carl Franz

Guidebooks

•The People's Guide to Mexico

•Mexico: Adventures in Nature by Ron Mader
•The Oaxaca Handbook by Bruce Whipperman
•Mexico & Central American Handbook edited by Sarah Cameron & Ben Box
•Moon Handbook: Mexico by Joe Cummings and Chicki Mallan
•Mexico Insight Guide by Kal Muller
•Mexico: Places and Pleasures by Kate Simon
•Terry’s Guide by T. Philip Terry

•Spas & Hot Springs of Mexico by "Mexico" Mike Nelson

•Mexico City by Andrew Coe

The Copper Canyon & Northern Mexico

•Northern Mexico Handbook: Including the Copper Canyon by Joe Cummings
•Mexico's Copper Canyon Country: A Hiking & Backpacking Guide by M. John Fayhee
•Mexico's Copper Canyon by Richard D. Fisher
•Tarahumara of the Sierra Madre: Survivors on the Canyon's Edge by John Kennedy
•Life Through the Eyes of a Tarahumara by Romayne Wheeler
•Trails of the Sierra Madre by Eugene H. Boudreau
•Unknown Mexico: Explorations in the Sierra Madre and Other Regions 1890-1898 Vol. 1 by Carl Lumholtz

•Adventuring Along the Gulf of Mexico by Donald G. Schueler

•The Oaxaca Handbook by Bruce Whipperman
•Oaxaca Crafts and Sightseeing by Barbara Hopkins

•Adventure Guide to the Yucatan by Bruce & June Conord
•Guatemala: A Natural Destination
•The Lost World of Quintana Roo by Michel Peissel

•Sacred Monkey River: A Canoe Trip with the Gods
•Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatan by John L. Stephens
•The Last Lords of Palenque: The Lacandon Mayas of the Mexican Rain Forest by Robert D Bruce and Victor Perera
•Place of Mirrors by Jeenie Criscenzo
•The Heart of the Sky: Travels Among the Maya by Peter Canby
•Time Among the Maya: Travels in Belize, Guatemala, and Mexico by Wright, Weidenfeld and Nicolson
•A Forest of Kings by Linda Schele and David Freidel
•The Maya by Michael Coe
•The Caste War of the Yucatan by Nelson Reed

•Carl's Favorite Guidebooks to Guatemala
•Guatemala Guide by Paul Glassman
•The Rough Guide to Guatemala by Mark Whatmore and Peter Eltringham
•Guatemala, Belize & Yucatán: La Ruta Maya by Tom Brosnahan & Nancy Keller
•Henry’s Hint$ On Guatemala by Henry Gall
•Guatemala: A Natural Destination
•I...Rigoberta Menchu: An Indian Woman in Guatemala by Rigoberta Menchu
•Sweet Waist of America: Journeys around Guatemala by Anthony Daniels
•Guatemalan Journey by Stephen Connely Benz

•Rough Guide Belize by Peter Eltringham, Iain Stewart, Dominique Young
•Belize: A Natural Destination by Richard Mahler, Steele Wotkyns, Kevin Schafer (Photographer)
•Belize Retirement Guide by Bill & Claire Gray
•Open Road's Belize Guide by Paul Glassman

Cuba

•Moon Handbooks: Cuba by Christopher P. Baker
•Lonely Planet Cuba (Travel Guides) by David Stanley
•The Reader's Companion to Cuba Alan Ryan(Editor), Christa Malone (Editor)
•Trading With the Enemy : A Yankee Travels Through Castro's Cuba Tom Miller
•Cuba Pocket Guide;
•Cuba Traveler's Companion by Kirsten Ellis
•Fodor's Cuba
•Fodor's Exploring Cuba
•Insight Guides Cuba
•Moon Handbooks: Havana by Christopher P. Baker
•Waiting for Fidel by Christopher Hunt
•Ay, Cuba! : A Socio-Erotic Journey by Andrei Codrescu, David Graham (Photographer)

Live and Retire in Mexico

Driving

•Traveler's Guide To Mexican Camping by Mike & Terry Church
•The People’s Guide to Camping, Backpacking & Boating in Mexico by Carl Franz & Lorena Havens
•The People's Guide to RV Camping by Carl Franz, Steve Rogers & Lorena Havens
•RVing in Mexico, Central America and Panama by John S Plaxton, Elizabeth A Plaxton (Photographer)

Adventures

•Bicycling Mexico by Ericka Weisbroth & Eric Ellman
•Backcountry Mexico: A Traveler's Guide and Phrase Book by Bob Burleson, David H. Riskind (Photographer)
•A Hiker’s Guide to Mexico’s Natural History
•Mexico: Adventures in Nature by Ron Mader

Natural Mexico

•A Handbook of Mexican Roadside Flora by Charles T. Mason Jr. and Patricia B. Mason
•A Desert Country Near the Sea: A Natural History of the Cape Region of Baja California by Ann Zwinger
•Birds of Mexico and Central America by L. Irby Davis
•On the Road to Tetlama: Mexican Adventures of a Wandering Naturalist by Jim Conrad
•Gathering the Desert by Gary Nabhan
•Handbook of Indian Foods and Fibers of Arid America, by Ebeling

Healthy Living in Mexico

•Staying Healthy In Asia, Africa, and Latin America by Dirk G. Schroeder
•Where There Is No Doctor by David Werner, Carol Thuman, Jane Maxwell

Shopping

•Oaxaca Crafts and Sightseeing by Barbara Hopkins
•The Shoppers Guide to Mexico by Steve Rogers & Tina Rosa

Speaking Spanish

History

•Judas at the Jockey Club and Other Episodes of Porfirian Mexico by William H. Beezley
•The Conquest of Mexico by Hugh Thomas
•Many Mexicos by Lesly Byrd Simpson

•Quest For The Lost City by Dana and Ginger Lamb
•Enchanted Vagabonds by Lamb and Cleveland
•A Vagabond in Mexico by S. Guzmán-C
•A Small Mexican World by Spratling
•Viva Mexico! a Traveller’s Account of Life in Mexico by Charles Flandrau
•The Mexicans: A Personal Portrait of a People by Patrick Oster
•The Volcanoes from Puebla by Kenneth Gangemi
•Travelers’ Tales: Mexico by James O’Reilly and Larry Habegger
•Face to Face with the Mexicans by Fancis Gardiner Gooch
•The Man Who Likes Mexico by Wallace Gillpatrick
•The Three Pigs: Los Tres Cerdos by Bobbi Salinas
•Where the Strange Roads Go Down by Mary Del Villar, Fred Del Villar, Mary Del Villar & Susan Hardy Aiken
•The Bakery of the Three Whores (poetry) by James
•Old Mother Mexico by Harry Carr

•King of The Moon
•Rain of Gold by Victor E. Villasenor
•Stones for Ibarra by Harriet Doerr
•Under the Volcano by Malcolm Lowry
•Gringos by Charles Portis
•The Long Night of White Chickens by Francisco Goldman
•Aztec by Gary Jennings
•The Treasure of the Sierra Madre by Bruno Traven

Would you like to write a book review and send it to us? Email: Carl & Lorena

Found any good websites on Mexico that we ought to include? Send us an email so we can check it out!