This is a list of books we have bought in Brazil over the years and highly recommend to those who can read Portuguese. Some of them are available in the US, through Luso-Brazilian Books (a mail-order company from New York).

THE BEST!

Mas serß o Benedito? Dicionßrio de provΘrbios, express⌡es e ditos populares. Mario Prata. Sπo Paulo: Editora Globo, 1996. Ever wondered what the origin is of expressions like this one, or perhaps, "ßgua que passarinho nπo bebe?" You've got to read this book...when the author wasn't able to find the origin of an expression, he simply made it up, with extremely funny results!

Dicionßrio de BaianΩs. Nivaldo Lari·. Salvador, Bahia, 1992. Self-published and enormously successful dictionary of Bahian-speak...Hilarious! The author is a native of Rio de Janeiro (the state, not the city) who moved to Salvador and a short while later found out that he couldn't understand his own kids, because they had adopted the local slangs and colloquialisms. So, he proceeded to collect them and later decided to publish this little book. It sells like hot cakes in Bahia...A must-have before you go!

┴rvores Nativas do Brasil. Cecφlia Beatriz da Veiga Soares. Rio de Janeiro: Salamandra, 1990. A gorgeous and informative book about a large number of trees native to Brazil. If you're like me and have ever tried to explain to your friends what a cashew really looks like, or how a jaboticaba grows on the tree trunk, this book is definitely for you!

A Floresta da Tijuca e a Cidade do Rio de Janeiro. Photos by Pedro Oswaldo Cruz and texts by Paulo Bastos Cezar and RogΘrio Ribeiro de Oliveira. Rio de Janeiro: Editora Nova Fronteira, 1992. Bilingual edition (Portuguese-English). With superb illustrations and magnificent photographs, this meticulously documented history of the massif and forest that surround the Brazilian megalopolis is a must-read for travelers, researchers, or anyone interested in finding out how nature and a modern city can coexist. This book gave me a better understanding of a place I've been deeply in love with for decades.

Samuel Wainer: Minha Razπo de Viver. Mem≤rias de um Rep≤rter. Rio de Janeiro: Editora Record, 1987. Samuel Wainer, one of the most important and controversial journalists in Brazil, recorded his memoirs in a series of interviews to SΘrgio de Souza and Marta G≤is in 1980. Wainer, as a reporter and owner of the newspaper ┌ltima Hora in Rio, was not only witness, but also protagonist of some of the most turbulent and decisive events in recent Brazilian history. Sincere and poignant autobiography, and a dramatic and compelling account of Brazil's political life, spanning over thirty years.

Universo do Futebol: Esporte e Sociedade Brasileira. Several authors, Rio de Janeiro: Ediτ⌡oes Pinakotheke, 1982. Famous anthropologist Roberto da Matta and others examine soccer in Brazil in a sociological discussion of the sport that is a national passion.