'The Naturalist on the River Amazons' by Henry Walter Bates is an account of his 11-year journey to the Amazon basin to collect new species and evidence for evolution by natural selection. Along with his friend Alfred Russel Wallace, Bates explored thousands of miles of the Amazon and its tributaries, collecting over 14,000 species, 8,000 of which were new to science. This book is an enthralling combination of natural history, travel, and observation of human societies, and is a must-read for anyone interested in the intersection of science and adventure.