Please note: not to be confused with the 2006 book by John Kricher by the same title.
This work has been extensively revised and updated by the author. The easy-to-use text details the natural history of the plants and animals found in the Galápagos Islands. A well-illustrated and annotated list of the dominant plants according to vegetation zone is included. Of particular note is the discussion of the problems of colonisation by founding populations, biological evolution, and ecology, and of the evolutionary processes bringing about species diversity.
"Jackson tells delightful little stories through this unusual natural history guide. This is unusual because it's so uplifting The Galápagos Islands are a place of wonder, with such rich, abundant wildlife and natural history that readers will yearn to experience them first-hand and not just through a book. But this guide will do for a start. [Here] is the kind of book that belongs in every nature lover's library."
– Margaret Mironiwicz, The Globe and Mail
"The book is more than a simple guide, it contains information gleaned from the extensive literature existing on the Galápagos Islands, combining it with first-hand experience of the author, who worked in the archipelago as a naturalist guide and as a zoologist."
– Marinus Hoogmoed