Voyage au Xingú

First published in Paris in 1897, this book describes the expedition to the Xingú River in the Amazon region of Brazil by the French scientist and explorer Henri Coudreau. Coudreau spent five months from May to October 1896 travelling down the Xingú by boat, beginning at the river's southern origin at Vitória and finishing in Pará, where it joins the Amazon. He carried out the most detailed explorations of the region up to that time, and is deservedly regarded as one of the great early anthropologists of the Amazon. This book describes the region's distinct eco-system and its warrior-like indigenous peoples. The book, which Coudreau wrote in less than a month, is characteristic of his strongly opinionated writing. It contains 68 illustrations and a map of the Xingú River.