Jaguars Ripped My Flesh

A former Rolling Stone contributor, Cahill's vivid and immediate travel pieces are marked by a quiet humor. The amusement is most apparent in the general pieces about travel""Bad Advice,'' the ``Book on Survival,'' ``Getting Lost.'' Other sections recount Cahill's wanderings, including ``Among the Ruins in Peru''; ``Shame of Escobilla,'' which describes the maltreatment of turtles in Oaxaca, Mexico; and observations on gorillas and porcupines. In addition, Cahill writes about spelunkers who wander through caves in Kentucky and Alabama and people who wait for the next eruption of Mt. St. Helens. This is an excellent introduction to adventure writing. (October)