RUNNING THE AMAZON by Joe Kane (Vintage: $9.95, illustrated)

A lively chronicle of the first expedition to follow the entire 4,200-mile course of the Amazon by water, from the barren highlands of southern Peru to the oppressively lush jungles of Brazil. Joe Kane and his fellow explorers had to contend with impassable rapids, “Shining Path” guerrillas, cocaine traffickers and plagues of insects. What sets this book apart from conventional travelogues is the insightful reporting of the psychological tensions that ultimately split the expedition. One group followed the obsessive, ineffectual Francois Odendaal who, like Gilbert and Sullivan’s Duke of Plaza-Toro, lead from behind. Kane and two others preferred the leadership of the indomitable Polish kayaker, Piotr Chmielinski, who successfully guided them to the delta at Belem. The author provides an entertaining account of becoming a river rafter in spite of himself, but he fails to explain why anyone would attempt this damnfool stunt in the first place.