The publisher of Oaxaca Journal must have had a difficult time of deciding on appropriate cover art. Although this book evolved from the journal the author kept while on a trip to explore the ferns of Mexico, saying that Oaxaca Journal is about ferns, or about Mexico, is an oversimplification. Oaxaca Journal is an enjoyable, meadering journey through time: ferns are the remnants of dinosaur-age flora just as the modern-day Mexicans the author keenly observes are descendents of both the proud native cultures and the Spanish conquistadors. The book is also a nostalgic reflection on the past, when scientists explored the natural world for the sheer joy of it and traditional weavers such as those described in Oaxaca Journal were not threatened by modern technologies. Readers who are looking for information about off-the-beaten path destinations in Mexico would be better served by a travel guide, but patient readers curious about Mexico's place in the agricultural and social history of the modern world will enjoy wandering along the author's lines in Oaxaca Journal. Unfortunately, book lacks an accompanying map; readers who want to trace the author's geographic meanderings should keep an atlas handy.