The White Rock

With the backdrop of the ever-intriguing Andes mountains, "The White Rock," Hugh Thomson's intoxicating history of the Inca people and their heartland, is a thrilling mix of information and adventure. The author, an acclaimed documentary filmmaker and explorer, expertly weaves accounts of his own discoveries and brushes with danger with the history of those who preceded him-including the explorer Hiram Bingham, who discovered Machu Picchu; the twentieth century South American photographer, Mart n Chambi; the poet Pablo Neruda; and the Spanish "conquistadores" who destroyed the Inca civilization-and the eccentric characters he meets on his travels.