DREAMS OF AMAZONIA by Roger D....

DREAMS OF AMAZONIA by Roger D. Stone (Penguin: $13; 203 pp., illustrated). Roger Stone’s compact history traces human activity in the Amazon Basin from the European conquest of Brazil to the present. Stone presents vivid accounts of the grandiose schemes the teeming jungle has spawned--and destroyed. From the conquistadors to Henry Ford, ambitious men have sought to establish empires in Brazil, only to see them crumble before the combined onslaught of climate, insects and disease. The ancient, leached soils of the Amazon region are virtually devoid of minerals: The riotous plant life forms a tightly organized system that continually recycles nutrients and moisture with only minimal waste. As even minor tinkering can produce an ecological disaster, it’s not a land that can support large-scale or long-term agricultural development. This newly expanded edition provides an accessible introduction to the ongoing debate over the future of the Amazon.